THE NOVEMBER MAGAZINES.
THE Nineteenth Century has an article in reply to Dr. Addison, under the title of " National Housing : The Case for the Present Administration," by Sir Charles T. Ruthen, Director-General of Housing in the Ministry of Health. Whether a Civil servant should engage in public controversy with his late chief may ho doubted. But the article, though temperately worded, is, in fact, a scathing exposure of Dr. Addison's extravagant methods. He first made a bad bargain with the local authorities, who we Ps to spend as much as they liked on houses and yet would nevas have to levy more than an additional penny rate. Then ho urged the local bodies to make contracts for vast numbers of houses, regardless of cost, at a time when the building trades had more work than they could do. The result was that wages and prices went up by leaps and bounds, while production declined. The State is now committed to an expenditure of £200,000,000 for housing, and if Dr. Addison had had his way that amount would have been far exceeded. Mr. Clynes writes on " Labour and Unemployment," and, while criticizing the Government, admits that restriction of output is neither wise nor honest. He commits himself to the astonishing statement that " greater wisdom and patience before the coal stoppage, with a frank revelation to the miners' leaders of the inevitability of wage reductions," would have averted the strike. Yet Mr. Clynes ought to know that the negotiations with the miners, leaders lasted for five months before the Miners' Federation declared the strike. Sir John Willison describes the complex political situation in Canada on the eve of the general election ; he remarks incidentally that " all Canadian political parties are Protectionist in office." Lord Sydenham discusses " The Jewish World Problem," maintaining that the Jews cannot have a dual citizenship and enjoy the full rights of Englishmen. or Americans while they are " internationally organized for purposes of their own." He shows how the notorious " Protocols " foretold what has taken place before our eyes in Russia and nearer home, and he quotes some striking passages from Mr. Ford's paper, the Dearborn Independent, which opposes what it regards as the undue influence of the Jews in America. Mr. C. E. Leatherland, a Socialist and an ex-Service man, puts the question " Could Revolution Win ? " and answers it with a decided negative. The trade unionists, who do not even trouble to vote for Labour oandidates, would not, he thinks, sacrifice their lives and their comfort in a mad enterprise at the bidding of Lenin's British agents. Sir William Soulaby, the Lord Mayor's private secretary, gives an authoritative account of the Mansion House. Sir Francis Piggott, in an instructive article an " The Declaration of Paris and Lord Carteret," clears the memory of Carteret from the charge that he promised to let Prussian ships carry ships' timber to France and then had them confiscated. The charge, out of which Frederick the Great made much political capital, was apparently invented by that unscrupulous monarch and his counsellors. Lord Teignmouth writes on " Our Manifest Destiny—Egypt." Mrs. Walter Forbes contributes some interesting reminiscences of " A Visit to Balliol, 1879," when Jowett was in his prime. She recalls the story of Lord Bowen who, on a wet day in Oxford, awoke in a depressed frame of mind and talked all the morning to the Master about the sad fate of England ; when he paused, the Master said, with a smile, " Well, you know, Bowen, you must put your trust in God and you'll feel better after lunch." When the fifty Balliol washerwomen struck for higher wages, the Master received them, listened in silence to all that they had to say, and then, ringing the bell for his servant, said, " Mr. Knight, have the kindness to show these ladies out and to procure me fifty other washerwomen." Whereupon, as the story goes, the strikers repented and went back to their washtubs.— We are glad to see in the Fortnightly Review the full text of Mr. James M. Beck's powerful address on " The Revolt against Authority," which excited much attention in America a few weeks ago. He comments, for example, on the defects of our mechanical age, in which the individual is submerged into a group or class and moral responsibility is dissipated. The nine- teenth century " not only accepted progress as an immutable fact—mistaking, however, acceleration and facilitation for pro- gress—but in its mad pride believed in an immutable law of progress which, working with the blind forces of machinery, would propel man forward." Mr. Beck is anxious, but not with- out hope. Mr. J. D. Whelpley contributes a thoughtful article, Tom the American standpoint, on " America and her Place in the Sun," with special reference to the Washington Conference : he is obviously much concerned about Japan's intentions. Mr. Archibald Hurd, on the other hand, in an article on " The Washington Conference and the Naval Issue," says that Japan's naval programme has been exaggerated in America, and that " not only has the British Government definitely abandoned the Two-Power Standard, but it is a misuse of words even to suggest that it is now maintaining a One-Power Standard Fleet," whereas America is building a much larger navy than ours. Part of the diary kept by the first Lord Acton on a visit to America in 1853 is printed for the first time ; it is highly interesting, for the future historian was a shrewd observer. Mr. Maxwell Macartney discusses the relations between " Bavaria and the German Reich," maintaining that Munich is the centre of the Monarchist intrigues, but that the reactionaries do not contem- plate immediate action. Lord Askwith, in an instructive paper on " The Executive Section of Industry," deals with the ten- dency of the technical experts to combine in defence of their own interests and urges the capitalists to co-operate with them la a friendly spirit lest their sympathy be captured for extended State control of industry. Mr. Robert Wilton gives a curious and detailed account of the turmoil in Siberia from the Armistice to the present time ; he comments severely on what he regards as the mistakes of the Allies and on " the conflicting aims and interests of Japan and the United States " in Eastern biberia. Mr. E. V. Lucas writes pleasantly on The Evolution of Whimsicality," from Cowper and Lamb, who " must be con. victed of the sweet offence of bringing whimsicality into litera. ture and making it all the easier for our own artists in that medium to make a living."—In the Contemporary Mr. Charles Roberts describes " The Assembly at Geneva " with tempered optimism. He observes that France would be far less reluctant to discuss the limitation of armaments " had the joint treaty of guarantee by the United States and Britain stood," or if Great Britain alone would give her a guarantee against aggression by any other Power. Mr. H. W. Horwill gives an interesting account of the career of Mr. Charles E. Hughes, who, as Secretary of State, will be America's chief representative at the Washington Can- ference. Miss Gertrude Tuckwell sketches " The Story of the Trade Boards Acts," defending the Boards against their critics and suggesting that the delays in fixing wage-rates are often due to the "cumbersome methods " of the Ministry of Labour. Dr. E. J. Dillon, in an article on " Mexico Revisited," declares that President Obregon is doing good work, though the illiteracy of the people and the large powers of the Federal States make his task very difficult. Captain Harold E. Goad, writing on " Latin and Teuton in the Alto Adige," says that the German inhabitants of Northern Trentino are settling down under the mild Italian rule, though the German priests and schoolmasters are trying to stir up trouble. Professor Holland Rose gives his Impressions of American Universities " in the Middle West as well as in the East. He dwells on " the enthusiasm of a young and growing nation for the Universities which are assisting its development, and on the warmth of welcome which a Briton would everywhere receive if he delivers his message without stiffness, pedantry or affectation." Bishop Welldon has a notable paper on " The Ancient Faith and Modern Churchman- ship," with special reference to the recent Conference of Modern Churchmen. He fears lest they aI• "prepared to surrender the essential power of Christianity." " They may bring some few trembling sceptical souls home to the Church ; but it is only too probable that they will drive more souls away."— The National Review gives an instructive " Japanese View of the Washington Conference," by Mr. T. Okamoto, London correspondent of the Aeahi, who maintains that the Shantung question might have been settled long ago were it not that " no Peking Government has been strong enough to take any responsi- bility for international diplomatic decisions." He describes briefly the chaos in China and urges the Powers to " consider the joint economic administration of Chinese resources " in return for a loan to Peking. He suggests, as a method of reducing armaments, that the Powers should agree not to build any more large warships, but be content with small vessels for commerce protection and coast defence. A recent resident in Russia discusses " Foreign Illusions concerning Soviet Russia " ; he thinks that the Bolsheviks, who rule solely by terror, will main- tain themselves in power for a time because the peasantry are accustomed to an iron rule. Colonel Repington sketches lightly the new " Personalities in Europe." Mr. J. R. Innes gives an interesting account of " The Protectorate System in the Malay States," which has been wonderfully successful, largely through the good sense and tact of the District Officers.— Blackwood's brings the remarkable series of " Tales of the R.I.C.'' to a conclusion, with the so-called " truce " which, the author says, saved a large body of rebels from destruction in the south- west of Ireland. The author maintains that the rebellion might have been put down long ago if the Government, " frightened by the howls of the Radicals incited by Sinn Fein propaganda," had not hampered the troops and police in their work. The " truce," he declares, has been disregarded by the rebels from
the outset. •
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