A Born Soldier. By John Strange Winter. (F. V. White
and Co.)—" John Strange Winter's" soldiers seldom do much in the fighting line. They excel in love and sport. A "born soldier" might, we thought, be an exception. It is not so. Philip Jervis, the hero of the story, lives in barracks, has a soldier servant, and gets "long leave" and "short leave" from his Colonel. This is his soldiering. As for any interest in his profession, he shows no sign of it. His Colonel, who does care for his work, is the object of a scorn with which our author evidently sympathises. The "born soldier" makes love. That is his one métier. This, in "John Strange Winter's" judgment, is the final cause for which the profession of arms exists. A married woman makes love to Philip; a girl leaves her home and visits him in his barrack- room. The red coat—it is the coat only, not courage or fame— is irresistible. Surely "J. S. W." humiliates her sex when she pictures them as slaves of this deplorable infatuation. One is glad to think that no man would be bold enough—or, shall we say, base enough ?—to pass such a libel. It is only fair to say that Philip is a decently honest fellow, and the girl nothing worse than a fool. The married woman is a revolting creature. As the story, such as it is, would go on quite as well without her, her presence is a needless offence.
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