10 SEPTEMBER 1927, Page 19

Madame Vahdah Jeanne Bordeux was living in Italy during the

time of the Socialist regime, and saw the rise of Fascism and its necessity. She has written a big volume on her hero— Benito Mussolini—the Man (Hutchinson, 18s.), which is well illustrated and easy to read. We feel, however, that severer pruning and editing would have resulted in a better book. However that may be, the following quotation from a speech of Signor Mussolini to his followers reveals a side of him that is not generally understood in England. "Cure yourselves of me ! The idea does not die with the passing of a man. It is divine and immortal. The approbation that comes to us in our work is determined by the fact that Fascism is a spiritual force."