"Whatever subject engaged his interest, Lord Birkenhead contrived to make
-it attractive by_ the freshness and courage - of his approach to it, and not the- least merit of his views has always been their provocativeness. Ile never left a subject where he found it." Thus writes Lord Macmillan in an appreciation with which he introduces Last Essays, by Lord Birkenhead (Cassell, 15s.). To say that the writer " never left a subject- where he found it,' is hardly true. There are chapters in this book—especially those dealing with Russia and India—which prove again that Lord Birkenhead could be blindly obstinate. When his pet prejudices were not involved, however, he was certainly fresh and stimulating, and his fine capacity for friendship could sometimes enlarge the field of his sympathy. Among these final essays are -appreciations of Mr. Lloyd George, Kitchener, And Mr. 4.• 11. Thomas, who is admiringly accused Of having played a • subtly dual rile in the General Strike of 1926. Other persons or topics discussed include President Wilson, Queen Hortense, the Referendum, and Divorce. Most interesting of all are the reflections on " If I Were Twenty-One," in which, review- ing his own struggle from .poverty . to the attainment of "glittering prizes,' Lord Birkenhead may be said to have written his own epitaph and to have revealed his character in all its striking blend of strengths and weakness.
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