22 MAY 1909, Page 24

Paris the Beautiful. By Lilian Whiting. (Hodder and Stoughton. 108,

Od.)—Miss Whiting is evidently one of the good Americans whose aspiration is to go to Paris when they die. She writes of it with more than enthusiasm, with, we might say, adoration. She has some good things to say about London,—" the most marvellous human spectacle on the face of the earth " ; the greatest of machines working with most marvellous regularity. We are inclined to say a word for the beauty of London. Where can the view, east and west, from Waterloo Bridge be matched ? But we do not grudge Paris the praises which Miss Whiting bestows upon it. They are the outcome of a very thorough knowledge. . The great thoroughfares, the great buildings, the art treasures, the historical and personal associations, all in turn receive due attention. And there is also a very full account of what might have been passed over without censure, the scientific achievements of Paris. This section of Miss Whiting's volume is of quite remarkable merit. There are some -excellent illustrations. The book, as a whole, is worthy of its great subject.