Mr. Swinglehnrst, author of a book called Germany and the
Rhine, complains of a notice of that work which appeared in these columns last Saturday. The writer of that notice—alas ! not young, as Mr. S. kindly supposes—seeing that title and also observing a red-cross on the cover, supposed that the book referred to incidents of the present war, and finding that it consisted for the most part of letters written last year, said that it was " somewhat of an imposition." If he had read the pre- face he would have seen that the red-cross signified that the proceeds of the sale of the edition were to be given to the fund for the sick and wounded, and certainly would have abstained from using anything like a harsh expression. Yet the appearance of the book was somewhat calculated to give rise to misconception. Is it not possible that a hasty traveller might take up Germany and the Rhine, ornamented as it is, at a railway stall, and buy it under the idea that he was buying a book about the war ? And would he feel that quite fair ? It would have been better to have omitted the red-cross, but we sincerely regret that a book published for so good a purpose should have been misjudged by ua through the inadventure of not carefully reading the preface.
Previous page
