Canon Alexander has made an interesting book out of material
which however important nationally is unpromising from a literary point of view. If St. Paul's crashed down on its rubble piers and into Cannon Street, the disaster would reverberate through the Empire and the civilized world, but it will not do so. Wren's crowning masterpiece is safe for our generation at least (one day the foundations may have to be strengthened) provided we safeguard it from new tunnels and excessive traffic. But although he tells no sensational story, the record of all that has been done to preserve the centre of our religious life makes Canon Alexander's résumé a book that all who care for London and for London's beautiful landmark will want to own. To millions of our race— adventurers, merchants, servants of the King—the dome of St. Paul's through the river-haze stands for all that England is. (The Safety of St. Paul's. Methuen. 2s. 6d.)
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