SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Notice in this column does nal necessarily prairie sulderent review.)
New Town : a Proposal in Agricultural, Industrial, Eduadioned, Civic, and Social Reconstruction. Edited by W. R. Hughes, M.A. (Dent. 2s.)—" New Town" is not a Utopian dream, or rather not merely a Utopian dream. It is, it seems, also a Limited Company. It has a Board of Directors; it has bankers, and auditors, and registered offices, all complete; with a subscribed capital of over £12,000. The directorate contains men of sub- stance, grave responsible men, men who govern banks and stores, who import timber and tea, and such as manufacture chemicals. No mere Mutual _Admiration Society this, of benevolent cranks and wealthy widows, but a right-down regular registered company of perfectly sane English gentlemen, formed, as they say, " to found a new Country Town in England in such a spirit and on such a plan as shall stir the hearts of all who are seeking after freedom and fellowship." For the due furtherance of this laudable plan the public arc invited to buy "23,078 shares of £1 each and £39,407 loan stock, which with the amounts already subscribed will bring the total capital of the Trust to 175,000." We sincerely hope that the appeal and the plan will "stir the hearts" of such as seek freedom and fellow. ship even to the extent of causing them to subscribe—and ade- quately. The particular experiment proposed is as delightful and alluring as ever it was, and by no means the less attractive for two thfiusand years of valiant attempts and failures. "New Town" is as old as civilization, as illusory as Universal Peace. But already we have a League of Nations. Some day the lion shal lie down with the lamb, and, unless the Board of Directors have w. ongly estimated human nature (being but human and therefore fallible themselves), we may even yet found the New Town. The end is not new and the means are not new ; but the times are new, and it is new hearts that are needed for the New Jerusalem rather than new thoughts. Wherefore all good luck to the New Utopia—by " Hope Eternal " out of " Public Utility Society."
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