SHORTER NOTICES.
STAINED GLASS TOURS IN SPAIN AND FLANDERS. By Charles Hitchcock Sherrill. (John Lane. 12s. 6d. Oat.) Mr. Sherrill quotes, with evident relish, the words of a visitor to Leon : To enter Leon Cathedral is like walking into the glory of God." Which is only another, and less pleasing, variant on the kind of exclamation one is accustomed to hear from the lips of " enthused " sightseers. Stained glasS, as far as the usual tourist goes, lends itself too readily to a lazy, aesthetic appreeiation ; yet of all the stories our churches can tell, from tomb and .window, sculpture and wall, none blazes out more attractively and more immediately than those of the stained glass, and none (unless it be the few remaining mural paintings) tells us more clearly what manner of men they were who worshipped in those churches and made their art religion's handmaid. But Mr. Sherrill is not primarily interested in such things ; he is content to take each town (of a prearranged itinerary) in order and discuss, pleasantly if somewhat too facetiously, the workmanship and colours of the windows. It becomes a little tiring to read successive enumerations of warm hues, blushing colours and strong rich tones ; the reader soon finds himself exclaiming against such superficiality and regretting that his author, with so wide and varied an experience, had not delved deeper into such an interesting subject. Yet within its compass (and it is only fair to state that almost Mr. Sherrill's first words are : " It is rather as a traveller, a mere sightseer, that the author bows before you ") the book is a good one ; it gives outlines of useful tours, it mentions the most expedient methods of travelling, it has a lengthy and useful introduction that will serve to provide intending (and not too curious) visitors with sufficient technical knowledge, and, in so far as it is possible to illustrate stained glass, it is well supplied with photographs. The author has coupled Flanders with Spain because, since the Low Countries were provinces of Spain during the hey-day of the craft, there are many links of interest and workmanship between the two.
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