28 JUNE 1919, Page 21

SOME BOOKS OF THE MrIgUi.

(Notice in This column does not necessarily preclude subseguent review.]

The current number of the American, Oxonian, published quarterly by Mr. W. W. Thayer, of Concord, New Hampshire (4s. a year), deserves a word of friendly acknowledgment. It contains a series of short articles by American teachers explain- ing clearly why young Americans will find it advantageous to obtain Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford. The merits of the several Oxford schools—Greats, Modern History, Law, Theology, and the rest—are set forth with precision by these grateful American Oxonians. The personal element in the Oxford tutorial system and the breadth and freedom of the Oxford training seem to impress them all most favourably. Some Englishmen are inclined to sneer at Oxford as old-fashioned and reactionary, but these American experts are evidently convinced that Oxford as a centre of true education is in some important respects superior to the largest, newest, and wealthiest American Universities.