19 FEBRUARY 1910

Page 1

- The programme which the Government were understood to have

The Spectator

decided on, and which may fairly be regarded as the only course open to them, was first to get the Budget through, and then either by Resolution, or by a statement of policy...

It is understood that as soon as the Government scheme

The Spectator

for dealing with the Lords had been stated in outline, the Cabinet, recognising the essential duties of govern- ment, would proceed with the necessary work of Parlia- ment,—the...

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

The Spectator

• A S we write at the close of the week there seems to be a general impression that the situation has suddenly developed in a manner by no means favourable to the Govern- ment....

We venture to say that any one who has studied

The Spectator

the situa tion from the point of vie* of Ministers, and who recognises that they are not merely the instruments of party but trustees for the safe and good government of the...

It is quite possible that before another week has passed

The Spectator

the situation will have again changed, and reason will have triumphed even in the minds of the extremists. We should not be surprised if, when Mr. Asquith has set forth the...

On this we may remark that not only would it

The Spectator

be absolutely -impossible for the King, no matter what his private opinions, to grant such a request, but also that no body of responsible Ministers could, in view of the very...

But though this is our view of what will probably

The Spectator

happen, we had better set forth the somewhat alarming facts which tell against our optimistic forecast. To begin with, on Thursday Mr. Barnes, the newly elected Chairman of the...

* 4 * The Editors cannot undertake to return Manuscript, in any

The Spectator

case.

Page 2

No comment is necessary on either of these manifestoes except

The Spectator

to state our belief that the extremists will find themselves woefully mistaken if they think the country will be pleased by having another General Election forced upon it, as...

The next minatory fact is the statement that Mr. Bello°

The Spectator

is to move, and Mr. Wedgwood to second, on behalf of the Radical stalwarts, an amendment to the Address expressing. regret that the Government have not seen their way to seek...

In the middle of last week the prolonged disagreements in

The Spectator

the Spanish Cabinet ended in the fall of Sams Moret. The King was advised by those whom he consulted that it was desirable to keep the Liberal Party in power, and he therefore...

Equally sensational and menacing is an article explaining

The Spectator

the position of the Nationalists contributed by Mr. T. P. O'Connor to this week's Berwlds's Newspaper, Mr. T. P. O'Connor, it may be remembered, is one of the leaders associated...

M. Venezelo, the Cretan politician who was acting as dews

The Spectator

ez machina a few days ago in the critical affairs of Greece, returned from Crete to Athens on Monday, and once more began to inspire the Military League with new and strange...

The changes in the Cabinet caused by the appointment of

The Spectator

Mr. Herbert Gladstone to the Governorship of South Africa were announced on Tuesday, and proved entirely unsensational. Mr. Winston Churchill, who had been marked out for...

Mr. Merriman's speech of last week has rendered the situa-

The Spectator

tion in South Africa very uncertain. The suggestion that the first Government of united South Africa should be a Coalition Ministry in which British and Dutch should be...

Moreover, the first Union Ministry will have to appoint the

The Spectator

Administrators of the Provincial Governments, the Attorneys- General, the Court of Appeal, the Civil Service Commission, and other officials and official bodies. Surely it is...

Page 3

Rome is threatened with an act of official vandalism,— nothing

The Spectator

less than the." Haussmannising " of the Appian Way. This desecration is all the more to be deplored since it seemed to have been successfully evaded by the scheme, growing out...

A Royal Warrant has been issued ordering that a Roll

The Spectator

of Baronets shall be prepared and kept in the Home Office. No one whose name does not appear on the roll will be recog- nised as a Baronet. Those who think they are unjustly...

Mr. Harold Cox in his reply declared that under the

The Spectator

hi-party system freedom of debate was impossible in the Commons, and as long as it continued so long would the country be compelled to obey laws which it had never approved. The...

, Lord Rosebery presided at the dinner given to Mr.

The Spectator

Harold Cox by the British Constitution Association on Tuesday and delivered a remarkable speech. The party system was based on this, that while every man had a conscience, or...

We note with great satisfaction the Order issued on Tuesday

The Spectator

by General Sir H. L. Smith-Donieu at Aldershot. It has been brought to his notice that betting en the result of football matches is very prevalent amongst soldiers, and that in...

On Wednesday at Turin the Duke of the Abruzzi delivered

The Spectator

a lecture on his expedition in the Himalayas. According to Reuter's report, the Duke and his party first tried to climb the huge pyramid known as K2. Failing in this, they moved...

Lord Cromer in proposing the toast of the British Constitu-

The Spectator

tion Association expressed the hope that the leader of the Unionist Party would take up the question of the reform of the House of Lords in no timorous spirit:— " So far as...

Bank Rate, 3 per cent., changed from 3. per cent.

The Spectator

Feb. 10th. Consols (24) were on Friday 82—Friday week 82k.

Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The Spectator

A BED-ROCK FOUNDATION FOR THE CONSTITUTION. NV IIE NE VE R , as at the present moment, the question of great Constitutional changes is being debated, a. certain note of...

Page 5

THE PRUSSIAN FRANCHISE AND ITS MEANING-. rpnE speech in which

The Spectator

Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg 1 introduced his Bill in the Prussian Diet on Thursday week for reforming the Prussian franchise was an extra- ordinary essay in the philosophy of a...

Page 6

THE DINNER TO MR. HAROLD COX.

The Spectator

A RE the electors of Preston so wholly enslaved to the caucus and the party system as to be beyond the reach, not only of argument, but of the opinion of the most thoughtful...

Page 7

THE " EIGHT HOURS " FOLLY.

The Spectator

I N private life there is always a natural resentment against the man who, when events turn out as he predicted, persistently reminds his friends that he told them so. In public...

Page 8

THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTION.

The Spectator

W E do not propose to trouble our readers with a detailed comparison between the Progressive and the Municipal Reform programmes in the coming election for the London County...

Page 9

THE SPIRIT OF FASTING.

The Spectator

C ANON HENSLEY HENSON in a Lenten sermon last week made some excellent applications of the essential Christian truth that the letter of the law must not be mistaken for the...

Page 10

HISTORY BY FLASH OF LIGHTNING. III. — THE DEATH OF . SURAJAH DO

The Spectator

VVLAH. T HE historical night which surrounds the beginnings of our rule in India is not penetrated by many flashes of lightning. We do not mean by this that there are not...

Page 11

THE GAMEKEEPER'S "BLACK LIST."

The Spectator

F EBRUARY and March, under the modern system of game preservation, have come to be the months in which the gamekeeper devotes his chief energies to trapping. They are the months...

Page 12

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Spectator

PULPIT AND POLITICS. [TO THE EDITOR OP Pas " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—There can be no doubt that politics are discussed in certain pulpits more loudly and frequently than they used to...

Page 13

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

The Spectator

PARTICULARISM IN THE BRITISH COMMON- WEALTH. rro IMF EDITOR or THR "SFECTLTOR.1 Sin,—Doubtless your Sussex correspondent who writes in your last number on " The Disparagement...

THE "FEUDAL SCREW."

The Spectator

[To THR EDITOR OF TEE "SPEOTATOR.'1 SIR,—Thirty years ago you were good enough to print a long letter from my friend Sir Robert Hunter detailing the treat- ment I received at...

Page 14

[To Paz EDITOR OP TER " spwriTos."1

The Spectator

Sin,—Allowing, as I am perfectly willing to do, that the accusations made by Liberals of intimidation on the part of Tories are of an exceedingly vague and paltry nature, is it...

lJND1TE INFLUENCE.

The Spectator

[To ERR EDFPOR OP TRIO " SPECTAT01."] Srn,—I must confess to some surprise at your unqualified reply of "No" to Mr. Athelstan Renders question in your last issue as to whether...

[To Tirs EDITOR Or EMI " SPECTATOR." J

The Spectator

SIR,—It is a well-known saying of Burke's that the generality of men are fifty years behindhand in their politics, and that while they declaim virtuously against dying or tlistd...

[TO TEE EDITOR OF rim " SPECTATOZ.'1

The Spectator

Sin,—It must be very distressing to many people to read the complaints of defeated candidates at the General Election. The charges of bribery and intimidation could not be more...

[To THE EDITOR OF TED "ErsorAros.")

The Spectator

SIR,—The Liberal canvasser "A. C." who writes on the above subject in your last week's issue ought to be very grateful for the mildness with which your editorial note dismisses...

[To TEE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. ") SIR,— Referring to my letter

The Spectator

in last week's 'Spectator, I have tried to get from my friends the names of the persons threatening to remove their custom if Liberal bills were dis- played. I am sorry to find...

Page 15

THE PROBLEM OF THE LORDS.

The Spectator

[TO THE EDITOR OF TES "BPECTATOR."1 Srn, — I am a constant reader of the Spectator, and as a rule I agree with the political opinions of the paper. I regret to be constrained...

[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPIICTATOR."1

The Spectator

Srn,—May I offer a suggestion towards a reformed Second Chamber P The University Members are pretty surely doomed to extinction in any Reform Bill, whether as anachronisms or...

Page 16

THE ADMIRALTY AND THE PRESS.

The Spectator

LTO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—During the last few years the Spectator's articles on the Fisher regime leave the impression on my mind that writers who supported the...

THE BURDENS ON LAND.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—I have been astonished at the wild views published in the Press, and the extraordinary ignorance of the land question shown by all the...

A NAVAL LOAN AND A SECOND CHAMBER.

The Spectator

LTO TEE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—May I make two suggestions—inspired by reading articles in your last issue—which are not so entirely dis- connected as they appear to...

CANADA AND THE NAVY.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR.'] Sin,—In the article on " Canada and the Navy" in your issue of January 15th you say:—" Sir Wilfrid Laurier, on being asked to define an '...

Page 17

THE REVISION OF THE PRAYER-BOOK.

The Spectator

LTO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECT&TOR...] SIR,—My answer to " Presbyter " shall be brief, as it seems to me there are only two matters to which I need refer. Your readers can judge...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] Sin,—Your correspondent "Presbyter," in

The Spectator

writing with regard to changes in respect to the Athanasian Creed, says that "certainly . to leave it in the Prayer-book is not to sacrifice it, unless it is also sacrificed in...

AN ELECTION ADDRESS.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR. .7 1 SIR, — Is it not the case that the jest of one generation becomes the serious politics of another ? The following jeu d esprit, written...

Page 18

THE BAD SIDE OF GOLF.

The Spectator

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR." . 1 Sin,—The letter in your last issue regarding employment of caddies deals with a somewhat important subject. Your correspondent rightly...

ENGLAND AND GERMANY.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:9 SIR, With the consent of the writer, a foreign gentleman of high standing and experience resident not here but in his home on the Continent,...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTITOR." .. 1 Sin,—With reference to

The Spectator

" Golfer's " letter under the above title in last week's issue, might I suggest that there is an easy way out of the difficulty for all golf clubs within reasonable reach of a...

Page 19

"PUMPERNICKEL."

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Sin,—Now that no political or party significance attaches to the subject, you may be interested to know the origin, as told me by a German...

THE HUMAN BIRD.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR 07 THE " SPECTATOR. " ] SIR,—The writer of the article in last week's Spectator on " The Human Bird," after speaking of the sense of the human in the bird and of...

THE EIGHTH VACATION TERM FOR BIBLICAL STUDY AT OXFORD.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sni,—May we draw the attention of your readers to the eighth Vacation Term for Biblical Study, which will be held this year from July 23rd...

THE DIAL OF KING AHAZ.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—May I make a suggestion with reference to the follow- ing words contained in a review paragraph in last week's Spectator on the "...

CLEON AND ALCIBIADES.

The Spectator

[TO THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR."' SIR, —In a recent number of your paper I saw a reference to the legions of Varna. Perchance the following quotations from Langhorne's "...

CROCE'S "AESTHETIC."

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sea, — In your recent review of my translation of Signor Croce's " Aesthetic " I see that fault is found with certain (unspecified) portions...

Page 20

BOOKS.

The Spectator

ORDERS AND UNITY.* THE Bishop of Birmingham in a sermon on " The Peril of Drifting" preached before the University of Cambridge, and printed at the end of this volume, entreats...

POETRY.

The Spectator

A PRAYER. LORD, not for light in darkness do we pray, Not that the veil be lifted from our eyes, Nor that the slow ascension of our day Be otherwise. Not for a clearer vision...

NOTICE.—When Articles or "Correspondence" are signed with the writer's name

The Spectator

or initials, or with a pseudonym, or are marked "Communicated," the Editor must not necessarily be held to be in agreement with the views therein expressed or with the mode of...

*** BHARTOEM CATHEDRAL FUND.—WO have to acknowledge, at the request

The Spectator

of " M. A.," a contribution of 5s. to the above fund.

Page 21

THE TURKISH COUNTER-REVOLUTION.* SIR WILLIAM RAMSAY is one of those

The Spectator

exceptional scholars who can make archaeology and historical research attractive to the ordinary reader. With him Biblical scholarship is the fruit of personal adventure, and it...

Page 22

F. W. MAITLAND.*

The Spectator

THE appearance of Maitland's Equity affords the opportunity for considering two aspects of his rare genius which are for ever Equity; also the Forms of Action at Common Law. Two...

Page 23

NATURAL HISTORY BOOKS.*

The Spectator

MR. CARL HAGENBECR'S Beasts and Men has been extremely well translated into English by Mr. Hugh Elliot and Mr. A. G. Thacker. The great firm whose business in animals is known...

Page 24

BOLOGNA.* THIS fine book, with its many and interesting illustrations,

The Spectator

may well cause regret in the minds of those too numerous travellers who, as Miss James remarks, "have rested, at Bologna," have strolled through the streets and markets, glanced...

THE DAYS OF THE DIRECTOIRE.f.

The Spectator

MB. ALLINSON'S book on the Directoire is in great measure a frank compilation, chiefly from contemporary authorities, such as Thibaudeau's Memoirs, the Souvenirs of Meister, and...

Page 25

NOVELS.

The Spectator

FAIRYLANDS FORLORN:t TEE belles-lettres of South Africa, which Mr. Cripps has already enriched by the volume of poems noticed in the Spectator of July 17th, 1909, have received...

DR. WAY'S SOPHOCLES.*

The Spectator

IT is now thirty years since Dr. Way published his first efforts in translation from the classics, his version of the Odyssey. The bare enumeration of what he has done since...

BRITISH NORTH AMERICA.*

The Spectator

Miss LAMP'S volume has been written, it would seem, to supply a generally felt want of a single-volume history of Canada; it gives accordingly in some four hundred pages a...

Page 26

A Book of Precious Stones. By Julius Wodiska. (G. P.

The Spectator

Putnam's Sons. 10s. 6d.)—Mr. Julius Wodiska writes well. His chapters on the classification of precious atones, on the discovery of the diamond, and on the intricate maze of...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

The Spectator

[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as have not bin reserved for review in other forms.] The Life of Martin Blake, B.D. By John Frederick Chanter. (John Lane....

No.19. By Edgar Jepson. (Mills and Boon. 6s.)—This is a

The Spectator

story concerned with the blackest of black magic, and creatures of the Abyss are freely invoked in its pages by a learned gentleman who lives in a suburb. Mr. Jepson contrives...

READABLE NOVELS. —Paths Perilous. By Sidney Pickering. (Chapman and Hall.

The Spectator

68.)—A powerfully written story of the French Revolution. Meralda is a specially fine study.—Gilbert Livingston. By John Urquhart. (Marshall Brothers. 6s.)—The scene is laid in...

Page 27

In "Expositions of Holy Scripture," by Alexander Maclaren, D.D. (Hodder

The Spectator

and Stoughton, 7s. 6d.), we have Philippians, Colossians, .1 and 2 Thessalonians, and 1 Timothy. There are yet four volumes to come ; these will complete the number of...

Oxford : its Buildings and Gardens. By Ralph Durand. With

The Spectator

32 Drawings by William A Wildman. (Grant Richards. 21s. net.) —Mr. Durand has given us here an eminently readable book. It is largely historical, though of course it is the...

A Book about Sweet Peas. By Walter P. Wright. (Headley

The Spectator

Brothers. 2s. net.)—" The most charming of all annual flowers" is Mr. Wright's just description of the sweet pea. And, as it is the most charming, it also gives the best return...

In " The Finsbury Library " (Robert Colley, ls. net

The Spectator

per vol.) we have Dante's Three Visions : Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso, Trans- lated by John Wesley Thomas, 3 vols. ; The Early Journal of Charles Wesley; and William Cobbett's...

Anti-ifias: an Essay in Isometry. By R. J. Walker. 2

The Spectator

vols. (Macmillan and Co. 21s. net.)—We must be content with explaining what Mr. Walker has attempted to do. The metrical law of Greek lyric verse, as it is found in Pindar and...

Chapters of My Life. By Samuel Waddington. (Chapman and Hall.

The Spectator

7s. 6d. net.)—Mr. Waddington gives us hero an account of his mental development, and is careful to make us understand that it is wholly his own doing. "Throughout life," he...

Travels in Spain. By Philip Sanford Harden. (A. Constable and

The Spectator

Co. 10s. 6d. net.)—Many men and women have told the story of travel in Spain, and not a few of their number with as good qualification for the task as Mr. Harden can be supposed...

Our House of Lords the Nation's Safeguard. By Professor Knight.

The Spectator

(Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. 2d.)—This pamphlet contains three articles reprinted from the Yorkshire Post, and forms an =compromising defence of the House of Lords. " It would be...

The Iliad of Homer, Translated into English by E. H.

The Spectator

Blakeney, M.A. (George Bell and Sons. 5s.)—This is a volume of "Bohn's Classical Library," and is certainly a great improvement on Mr. T. A. Buckley's version, which has...

Castles and Châteaux of Old Burgundy and the Border Provinces.

The Spectator

By Francis Miltoun. (Sir I. Pitman and Sons. 78. 6d. net.)— Most of us know some Burgundian names familiarly,—Nuiti, for instance, Macon, Beaune, and Dijon, where the vintages...