SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Notice in this column dos not n000ssarily products ouboopoont rovitio.1 THE OCTOBER MONTELIES.—The Nineteenth Century is a highly interesting number. Mr. J. R. Fisher, writing on" Ireland, America, and the War," disposes of the absurd fallacies in the Nationalist "Appeal to America," and points out that, for every four men whom Great Britain has sent to the war, in proportion to her population, Ireland has sent only one. That discreditable feet America will not overlook and Great Britain will not forget. Lord Dunraven, re- garding this moment as "The Federal Opportunity," pleads for the concession to Ireland not of "Dominion rights" but of " States rights," though he does not know whether this would satisfy the insatiable Nationalists, to say nothing of Sinn Fein. Lord Sydenham, replying to Sir Theodore Morison, condemns the proposal to make ex-German East Africa an Indian colony ; he does not believe that India can spare enough capable native officials to manage such a colony, or that native India is developed sufficiently to undertake such a task. Sir Andrew Fraser contributes a cautious article on the Montagu-Chelmeford Report, favouring it in principle, but insisting on great care in its application. He refers to a series of criticisms which he is offering to Mr. Montagu, but does not say what they are. Two instructive articles on the moral effects of war are "Boy and Girl War-Produots their Reconstruction," by Miss Edith Sellers, and "The Changing Moral Standard," by Mrs. Neville-Rolfe, who takes a grave view of the growing laxity which she has observed. Mr. W. H. Pollock pays a well-deserved tribute to the late William Winter as "An American England. Lover," and Mr. Frederic Harrison contributes an interesting retrospect of the Nineteenth Century, now in its five-hundredth number ; he and Sir William Crookes are the only survivors of those who wrote in the first volume in 1877. Let us mention, too, a timely narrative by Miss Mary F. Sanders of the famous battle of Vaimy in the Argonne, not far from where the French and American offensive is now again turning the tide of German aggression. —Sir Frederick Maurice contributes to the Fortnightly a valuable and timely article on" Great Britain's Eastern Ventures." Although, like all soldiers, he knows that the war can be decided only on the Western Front, he freely admits the necessity of the Palestine and Mesopotamian campaigns, which are " both primarily defensive in character." " In Mesopotamia we are defending India ; in Palestine we are defending Egypt ; and so long as we employ for these pur- poses only such forces as are required for defence, they are strategic- ally justifiable." Moreover, we have been able to use in these regions large Indian forces which we oould not employ to such advantage in France, while the Turk has been prevented from assisting the Germans in Europe. Sir Frederick Maurice points out that the " unfortunate and mismanaged " enterprise at Gallipoli, undertaken to help Russia, delayed for a year the Turkish attack on Egypt. Mr. J. A. R. Marriott in a thoughtful article on "Polities and Politicians" discusses the possible consequences of the new "leap in the dark," and tells the lately enfranchised millions not to expect the Golden Age. "A wise constituency will ride a good member with a light rein," instead of expecting him to vote mechanically. Mr. Marriott bases all his hopes for the future on a better system of popular education. Illiterate Russia points the awful moral. Mr. J. D. Whelpley, writing on "A Real Alliance," thinks that the unwritten Briti sh-American alliance—a free alliance of free peoples—is far stronger than any written bond, and he reminds IN that America will have no compromise with Germany, short of a military victory. Mr. Julius M. Price describes from past experience the conditions of "A Winter Campaign in Siberia," and Mr. Frederic Harrison continues his racy " °biter Scripta."— In the Contemporary Sir Edwin Pears discuses "Turkey, Islam, and Turanianism," and concludes that the Pan-Turanian move- ment, which some English writers take very seriously, is of no Importance, as it runs contrary to Islamic) sentiment. The extreme Turkish Nationalists have angered the Arabs and many Turks by proposing to make a Turkish version of the Koran compulsory; but the Turanian zealots would abolish Mohammedanism, just as their German friends have abandoned Christianity to worship Hindenburg. Senor de Madariaga describes in very plain terms " Spain's Home War," meaning the apparently irreconcilable feuds between rival parties and Interests which compel Spain to maintain neutrality and prevent her from making any progress. Mrs. Fawcett puts the case very well for the principle of" Equal Pay for Equal Value," as between men and women. The war, she thinks, has freed women from economic bondage. In a curious article on "The Irish Bishops, the War, and Home Rule," Mr. Marlowe suggests that the Roman Catholic prelates in opposing Conscription are partly actuated by fear "of the effect which the great' trip abroad' might have upon Young Irish manhood," and that "the Church in Ireland does like to keep Ireland shut off as far as possible from the rest of the world" in self-satisfied ignorance. Yet Mr. Marlowe is apparently an admirer of these Bishops.—The National Review contains an excellent article by Sir Frederick Maurice on "The End of the Kaiser-Battle," commenting on the enemy's bad generalship.
holds that the declining efficiency of the German armies is duo to the excessive use of "storm troops," picked from the infantry specially trained and specially rewarded. The enemy thought to finish the war this year, and therefore took the risk of weakening an ordinary line battalions. Now that the "storm troops " an exhausted, the weakened infantry alone remains. We must add that General Maurice's view is not shared by all officers at the front. The editor, Mr. Maxse, contributes a highly interesting description of "The Battle of the Fifth Army in March," based apparently on the accounts of eyewitnesses. He lays stress on the advantage which the Germans derived from the thick mists, on the enormous numbers which they flung into the attack regardless of losses, and on the exceeding steadiness and courage of our very thin khaki line. We trust that Sir Douglas Haig's despatch on thib battle will not be withheld indefinitely by the War Cabinet. Meanwhile Mr. Manse's account is very welcome. It is much the fullest and most coherent account we have seen of the retreat of the Fifth Army, and it should not be missed by any student of the war. Mr. Austin Dobson's account of "The Journeys of John Howard," the reformer of prisons, is well worth reading.
Blackwood's contains tho first part of a remarkable narrative, by a gunner, of the reverse of Maroh 21st last and the retreat on the Somme. We have heard so little about that battle that this de- tailed acoount of the experiences of one artillery brigade is of great Interest. It appease that the German attack was expected a fort- night before it came. The author gives some admirable instances of the coolness of the officers and men, particularly a sergeant with two forward guns, who dispersed the stormers by rifle-fire, spiked hi:; pieces, and marched his detachment away to safety. The enemy's losses in the author's sector were very heavy. There are other good war sketches, and a highly interesting article, "Among Moham- medans in the Punjab," which throws a curious side-light on Me Montagu's scheme.
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