Mr. Joseph McCabe's The Soul of Europe (T. Fisher Unwin,
10s. 6d. net) is an attempt at the analysis of the essential characteristics of the different nations taking part in the war, a separate chapter being given to the discussion of each nation. The subject is a most difficult one for, though the traveller who has spent a fortnight in a country is usually convinced that he completely understands . its innermost spirit, the man who has lived there for a score of years often begins to have doubts as to the very existence of a national character. (We may notice in this connexion that the present volume contains no chapter upon Great Britain.) Mr. McCabe recognizes the dangerous pitfalls offered by glib generalizations, and succeeds for the most part in avoiding them ; his discussions are upon the whole interesting and occasionally illuminating, though we find ourselvea by no means in agreement with all of his conclusions or with his general point of view. In a final chapter be discusses the measures which the Allies must take after the war for the prevention of any renewal of Germany's attempt to gain the hegemony of Europe.
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