27 JULY 1929

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Celebrating . the Peace Pact At the White House on Wednesday

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there was a formal celebration of the coming into effect . of the Peace Pact. Particular point was given to the . ceremony by the successful _ invocation of the Pact to which we...

EDITORIAL AND PUBLISHING OFFICES : 99 Gower Street, London, W.C.1.—A

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Subscription to the SPECTATOR C0818 Thirty Shillings per annum, including postage, to any part of the world. The SPECTATOR is registered as a Newspaper. The Postage on this...

The Washington correspondent of the Times says that the American

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Government consider that there ought to be a return to the status quo in Manchuria—in other words that the Soviet Government are entitled to demand the restoration of Russian...

News of the Week Russia and China S EVERAL important things

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have already been done by the Government for strengthening the structure of peace. This was the aspect of their policy which we wrote about in advance with complete con-...

Great Britain unreservedly supported the Franco- American action. Japan expressed

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some surprise' at not having been consulted before the message was sent, but she unquestionably approves of its object. If there had been no exact basis in any Treaty for...

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The School-leaving Age In the House of Commons on Thursday,

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July 18th, Sir Charles Trevelyan announced that the Government were preparing to raise the school-leaving age to 15 as from April 1st, 1931. There would be maintenance grants...

British Naval Reduction In the House of Commons, on Wednesday,

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the Prime Minister announced the cuts which the Government have decided upon in naval building. We are entirely of their view that this reduction is justified before there has...

Great Britain and the Soviet The Russian reply to the

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proposal of the British Government to restore diplomatic relations has been despatched but not received when we write. It states apparently that the Soviet Ambassador in Paris,...

Lord Lloyd's Resignation The House of Commons was startled on

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Wednesday by Vie Government's announcement of the resignation of Lord Lloyd, High Commissioner of Egypt and the Sudan ; but the vehemence of the questioning to which the...

Mr. William Graham, the President of the Board of Trade,

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answering a question in the House of Commons on Tuesday, said that the indebtedness of the Soviet Government to British investors amounted to approxi- mately £41,000,000. There...

The French Debts In the small hours of last Sunday,

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the French Chamber decided upon ratification of the French Debt Agreement with the United States by the narrow margin of eight votes. The Churchill-Caillaux Agreement was then...

Unfortunately the Deputies were deaf to M. Briand's admonition that

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it is impossible to say " Yes " and " No " at the same time. Some of them forced the passage Qf a resolution which, in effect, does make a serious reserva- tion. It opens the...

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The Bremen ' The new German Atlantic liner ' Bremen

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' has beaten the Mauretania's ' " record " for the passage from Cherbourg to New York by 8 hours 17 minutes. Germany is rightly proud of the performance. It has often been said...

The Home Development Bill On Friday, July 19th, Mr. J.

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H. Thomas was not at his best in explaining the details of the Government's Home Development Bill. He piled up his resentment against Mr. Churchill and . Mr. Lloyd, George for...

Squares and the Children At this time of the year

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we should like again to remind the Committees and others who control the Square gardens, and other enclosures, in London, that, though the privileged residents will probably be...

Bank Rate, 51 per cent., changed from 41 per cent.,

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on February 7th, 1929. War Loan (5 per cent.) was on Wednesday 1001 ; on Wednesday week 10011; a year ago, 102, Funding Loan (4 per cent.) was on Wednesday 85/ ; on Wednesday...

Housing In the House of Commons on Monday the most

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interesting speeches were those which speculated on alternatives to the ordinary subsidy. Sir Tudor Walters, for example, suggested that sound national finance, with the...

The Cotton Crisis Unless the employers and the trade unions

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in the cotton industry come to terms by the end of this week there will be a stoppage affecting 500,000 persons. Unhappily, the conference which searched for a basis of...

Mr. Lloyd George wanted more precision, namely, a Treasury declaration

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that grants should not exceed a certain figure during the Recess. This demand was both Constitutional and traditional, and there was no reason at all for the angry interruptions...

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Imperial Fiscal Policy

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T "position of Sir John Ferguson, the Unionist candidate at the Twickenham by-election, is a nice illustration of the confusion which is being imported day by day into the...

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The Charing Cross Bridge

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J ULY 30th will be one of the most important dates in the history of London, for 'then the decision must be taken whether the great Scheme for transferring Charing Cross station...

THE INDEX TO VOLUME 142 OF THE " SPECTATOR "

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IS NOW READY. Readers resident outside the British Isles, and Libraries Overseas, are asked to inform the SiscrAToR Office in advance as to the number of copies of the Index...

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The Week in Parliament

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IRE Government has secured the third reading of the _Development Bill, the Colonial Development Bill, and the Housing (Revision of Contributions) Bill. All three have had...

The Individualism of the Independents

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W HEREVER there is a fairly free democratic form . ' of government the independent form of religious expression is very predominant. It is found in England and America,...

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The Aero Exhibition

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I N the days when I was a poor benighted observer in the Air Force, the contraption of stick and string from which I used to look at the Tnrks was no windier than a fast car,...

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England in 194o

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TOLD BY CAPTAIN FORRESTER, R.E. 1.—The British Development Service T EXPECTED, of course, that England would be -I- different. No one who has spent ten years in the British...

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The Bog Stream

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I T rose, we thought, in the blue hills on the horizon : that irregular triangle of ethereal blue that held the eyes if one lifted them from the serious business of looking for...

[MODERN FRENCH PAINTINGS. THE LEICESTER AND LEFEVRE

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GALLERIES.] Two exhibitions of modern French paintings are now running, and both deserve a visit, The exhibition at the Leicester Galleries is the larger of the two having over...

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The Theatre

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[" BITTER SWEET." By NOEL COWARD. AT HIS MAJESTY'S. " BEAUTY." By MICHAEL MORTON. FROM THE FRENCH OF JACQUES DEVAL. AT THE STRAND THEATRE.] USUALLY, the programme of a comic...

The Cinema

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[" THE TRIAL OF MARY DUGAN." AT THE EMPIRE THEATRE: - " THE CABINET OF DOCTOR CALIGARL" AT THE AVENUE' PAVILION.] " RYE/4 on these hot evenings, it is not surprising that the...

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Correspondence

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A LETTER FROM BERMUDA. [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—We, like England, have been enduring a drought through. out the winter which only our visitors, seeking sunshine...

A Hundred Years Ago

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At the Berkshire Sessions, held at Abingdon last Tuesday, before a full bench of Magistrates, a long discussion took place upon the propriety of making some alteration in the...

Poetry

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Lanes Ti.: lanes I love are winding lanes Threading the countryside like veins Whose dancing youtl►ful sap can run Down quickening hedges in the sun, Or like the whorls within...

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The rapid and widespread extension of industrial and financial consolidations,

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which has been a marked feature of economic development in the United States this year, is attracting greater attention, both from legislators and from the public. The chief...

A movement is growing up for the extension of old

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age pension schemes throughout the United States, and in con- nexion with it this week an interesting example of charac- teristic American private philanthropy has been much...

INFLUENCE OF MINORITY ORGANIZATIONS.

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Minority group organizations, which are directed towards special ends and equipped with a highly developed technique for influencing legislation, and have come to play an...

The remarkable growth which aviation has made in the United

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States in 1928 has been continued through the first six months of 1929. The total mileage of 8,000,000, flown by air transport operators during the first half year, is com-...

The Treasury Department has redeemed many hundred million dollars of

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Liberty Bonds issued to carry on the War. These redemptions have been widely advertised, but in spite of that fact some $40,000,000 worth remain outstanding. It is evident that...

Britons, now resident in the United States, and Americans who

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served side by side with them in the British forces during the Great War, have formed an organization to promote Anglo-American friendship and world peace. The movement...

American Notes of the Week

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(By Cable) ECONOMY. While Congressmen are enjoying their summer vacation, except the Senate Finance Committee, which is busy with tariff revision, President Hoover remains...

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The League of Nations

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New Measures Against The Drug Evil THE Opium Central Board at its recent meeting at Geneva got its constitution settled and framed plans for its immediate action. That...

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Country Life

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EVERY unusual bout of weather produces quick reactions in animals and plants. The July drought has brought an abnormal crop of such changes. Let the birds come first. They have...

Tae: BLACK RAT.

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A query in natural history is disturbing some of the specialists. It has been stated lately that the old English black rat, which was ousted by the coarser and more destruc-...

FIRST HARVESTS.

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Harvest has actually and in fact begun. On light land crops ripened " almost in a night," as a farmer said. He did not remember so , surprising an acceleration. All the crops,...

A GOLDFISH QUERY.

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A query as odd as Lewis Carroll's "Do cats eat bats ? " reaches me. It concerns the reaction of goldfish to the presence of tadpoles ! Now goldfish, which we know from the poets...

WOOL OR WHEAT ?

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W001 is not a substitute for wheat and we are never likely to return to the days when English wool was, the most famous in Europe. But the fleeces of our sheep are peculiarly...

As for gardeners, were birds ever quite so severe on

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fruit ? One garden I know with a stream through it has been almost immune in most years. The fruit is uncovered and there is plenty both for birds and owner. He hardly notices...

Bums IN DROUGHT.

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A really droughty drought is almost as hard for birds as a frost, indeed for many it is worse. The reason lies in the date. Partridges become in winter natural grazers. They...

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SEA AND AIR

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The very interesting article under the heading " Great Britain and Aviation " in your issue of July - 20th, draws attention to the...

Letters to the Editor

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THE OPTIONAL CLAUSE [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sra,—In your article on " The Optional Clause " of July 18th, you criticize the , argument that we should be risking too...

RELIGION WITHOUT THE CREEDS

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The fact that I did not read " Religion without the Creeds " of Mr. Noyes is not, to me, sufficient reason for ignoring the letter on the...

THE REVISED PRAYER BOOK AND THE BISHOPS

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sur,—The discussion of the Prayer Book of 1928 has become stifling we want fresh air. The Book has merits, but rests on a false foundation, for...

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HONG-KONG UNIVERSITY – [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR, —The

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Vice-chancellor of Hong-Kong ,University has made out a good case for action regarding the needs of his Univer- sity. It will be recalled that the date of opening was in March,...

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AMATEUR

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,— Mr. Basil Maine, in his article in your issue of April 20th, contradicts himself in several instances. In one sentence he tells us that...

[To the. Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

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Sin,—We English are not a litigious people—although Lord Sankey seems to assume that we are—and there is therefore no need to continue to lengthen simple justice into trade "...

SHANGHAI AND EXTRA-TERRITORIALITY

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sia,—The most extreme anti-Imperialist would, if he realized what it meant, refuse to consider the latest Chinese demand to abolish even the...

THE COST OF LITIGATION

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR, —In your article this week you allude to the costs of transfer of land as illustrating the costs of litigation. You say " to prove the...

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CRUELTY IN SPORT

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In the issue of the Spectator of June 15th you publish two letters upon hunting which well illustrate that ignorance of country life and...

THE DOG IN THE NEWS

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- • [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] am - rather distressed to see that a contributor to the Spectator, Mr. Wilson McCarty, in your issue of the lath, should repeat yet once...

THE MADONNA OF THE LITTLE BEES

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The title of the charming article under the above heading carries me back to 1917, when I was fortunate enough to be billetted at the "...

PRESERVING THE COUNTRYSIDE

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—One has not noticed any adverse views in the Press regarding this laudable subject, and yet it is significant how many journals have been...

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ENGLISH BIOGRAPHIES

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR, —Your issue of July 6 contains an admirable review by Mr. Gilbert Thomas of Mr. Whitfield's book on Mrs. Gaskell, and it is refreshing to...

A GOAT STORY FROM SOUTH AFRICA

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[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The amusing article by H. M. has moved me to recount an experience of my own with goats. Some years ago I was living in the Western...

POINTS FROM LETTERS

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DISESTABI.ISIIM I NT. In the controversy- between Mr. Noyes and L. M. Turner, on when and how Christianity reached England, is it allowable to • ask if it matters much `t•...

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The many new members will doubtless buy and study with

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care Mr. G. F. M. Campion's Introduction to the Procedure of the House of Commons (Philip Allan, 12s. 6d.), for Mr. Campion is Second Clerk Assistant of the House, and his chief...

Some Books of the Week

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WHEN, at Loc.-arm, the late Foreign Secretary bound this country to keep the peace in Western Europe, and refused to enter into any parallel undertaking in Eastern Europe, he...

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Inasmuch as the Boswell family papers are now in a

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private American library, it is not surprising that the first exhaustive account of Boswell's writings should have been prepared by an American scholar. Mr. F. A. Pottle, of...

Spanish Gardens (Batsford, 25s.) is one of a series on

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the arts and crafts of Spain, and speaks well for the series. After a hot day in London one can almost fancy, from Miss Villiers- Stuart's book, that one has just wandered in...

In a tract against " roundabout " dancing, the Rector

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of Abbenhall wrote in 1870: " I have had a glimpse and a glance, at this objectionable mode of dancing. I saw three couples go round and round, like a flash of lightning ; and...

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" They ate no meat, nor drank anything but water,

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and the common people go without shoes or stockings all the year round. I pitied their poverty, but observed the people were fresh and lusty and did not seem to be under any...

* * *

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If the literary lecture habit were not developing in response to a quite definite public demand, it might seem to some of us that the practice of writing books about books was...

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Louis Botha

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No one who reads this Life of Louis Botha (written originally in Afrikaans by one of his greatest friends) will question that Botha had all the chief elements of greatness. He...

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Socialism Without Marx

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Portrait of the Labou r Party. By Egon Wertheimer. (Putnam. 5s.) By Fabian out of Trade Union the British thoroughbred filly, Labour, is destined, in the opinion of Herr...

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A Vista of Humanity

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The Waters of Africa. By Aloysius Horn. Edited by Ethelreda Lewis. (Cape. 7s. 6d.) INFINITE gratitude is owed to Mrs. Ethelreda Lewis for rescuing a bit of romantic and...

The Group and the Person

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THE time is passing, fortunately, when everyone felt it a point of honour to consider himself a self-made man. We are beginning to observe how deeply we are influenced by the...

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An English War Story

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THE volume before us is yet another realistic War story. recently the crop of such books has been very heavy, but they have been chiefly accounts of the War as seen from the...

A Salt-Water Philosopher

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Private Opinions of a British Bluejacket. Edited by Hamish MacLaren. (Peter Davies. 6s.) OCCASIONALLY the seemingly omniscient reviewer is beaten. Here is such an occasion, for...

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ANOTHER PART OF THE WOOD. By Denis Mackail. (Hodder and

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Stoughton. 7s. 6d.)—Mr. Mackail takes his title from the stage directions to A Midsummer Night's Dream ; but this modern fairy tale is a tinsel affair and never persuades us, as...

Fiction

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Old Friends and New Windfall's Eve. By E. V. Lucas. (Methuen. 7s. fid.) Frolic Wind. By Richard Oke. (Oollancz. 7s. 6d.) REVIEWERS are among the many people gently and...

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Report of the Holiday Competition and A New Competition

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NATURALLY enough, most of the contributions to the Holiday Competition were accounts of past holidays which have been enjoyed and are consequently vividly remembered ; some were...

T ravel

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[We publish in this column articles and notes which may help our readers in their plans for travel al home and abroad. They will be written by correspondents who have visited...

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General Knowledge Questions

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OUR weekly.prize of one guinea for the best thirteen Questions submitted is awarded this week to John Gibbons, 46 Rosebery Gardens, Crouch End, N. 8, for the following :....

THE SPECTATOR.

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Before going abroad or away from home readers are advised to place an order for the SPECTATOR. The journal will be forwarded to any address at the following rates :— One Month...

Page 28

Mr. Edmund Blunden contributes to his new edition of The

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Poems of William Collins (Haslewood Press, 18s.) a clearly written and sympathetic study of his author. He has long felt an intimate in Collins, and he has one or two new facts...

The Prussian King whom Bismarck made German Em- peror was

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not an interesting personage. Item Paul Wiegler has taken pains with his biography of William the First (Allen and Unwin, 21s.), and has tried to enliven it with anecdotes and...

Dr. James Dreyer and Miss Margaret Drummond have little that

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is new to tell us in The Psychology of the Pre-School Child (Partridge. 6s.). In fact, anyone who went to it as to a parents' guide would probably be disappointed. They do give...

The many people who, when driving or walking through the

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countryside, make a practice of inspecting every church, will be delighted with Mr. E. A. Greening Lamborn's excellent little book on The English Parish Church (Clarendon Press,...

T • A Library List REFERENCE BOORS :—Laws for Printers

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and Publishers. By B. M. Cloutman and F. W. Luck. (John Bale, Sons and Danielsson. 17s. 6d.)—The Annual Charities Register and Digest. (Longmans, Green. 8s. 6d.) The...

Now that Grenoble is a popular centre for English students

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and their families, there should be a good many readers for Miss Caroline Walker's attractive and intelligent book on The Dauphiny (Oxford : Blackwell, 7s. 6d.). She sketches...

When Herman Melville (born in 1819) died in 1891, the

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newspapers of his own country of the United States did not know who he was. Better that he had chosen to die this side of the Atlantic, for we in England—many of us—still read...

An interesting and attractive volume of photographs, illus- trating The

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Minor Architecture of Suffolk, has been edited by Mr. Dexter Morand (John Tiranti and Co,.17s. 6d.). There is a brief general introduction, followed by a " - synopsis of Suffolk...

More Books of the Week

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(Continued from page 129.) Scotland Yard and the Metropolitan Police, by Mr. J. F. Moylan, is one of the Whitehall Series, and as such designed rather to instruct than to amuse....

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Financial Notes

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DEPRESSED MARKETS. IT is some time since the market for high-class investment securities presented so depressed an appearance as that which has characterized it during the past...

Economic conditions in South Africa have been favourably affected during

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the past year by much-needed rains, while as regards the gold industry of the Rand the previous record pro- duction in 1927 was exceeded in 1928, the value of the output being...

After suffering severely through drought in Queensland and in New

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South Wales, the Australian Estates and Mortgage Company's profits showed an improvement over last year, and the dividend was restored to 5 per cent. after having been 4 per...

BANKING IN SOUTH AFRICA.

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At the annual meeting of the Standard Bank of South Africa, held on Wednesday, the Chairman—and also the veteran ex-Manager—Mr. William Smart, had a very satis- factory report...

AN INTERESTING SPEECH.

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As usual, the speech of the Chairman, Mr. Andrew William- son, at the annual meeting held on Tuesday, was exceedingly interesting, Mr. Williamson dealing at some length with the...

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GOLDFIELDS OF VENEZUELA.

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Sir William D. Henry, speaking at the annual meeting of the New Goldfields of Venezuela, gave a full and satisfactory explanation to the shareholders of why original estimates...

STEEL RATIONALIZATION.

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Not the least interesting part of the speech of Sir Arthur Du Cros at the recent meeting of the Parent Trust and Finance Company, was his reference to the part taken by the...

ROYAL MAIL AFFAIRS.

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Without entering into the points of controversy raised by Lord St. Davids in connexion with his circular to shareholders, suggesting that he should be relieved of his duties as...

A PROSPEROUS BREWERY.

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The latest report of Hoare and Company indicated con- tinued prosperity in the brewing industry, the profits for the year having increased from £44,000 to £553,000. This good...

GAS TAOIST AND COKE RESULTS.

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Once again the dividend declared by the Gas Light and Coke Company is a good one, the distribution for the first halt of the year being at the rate of £5 12s. per cent. per...

Answers to Questions on Wars and Rumours of Wars

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1. Hector Macdonald.-2. Arthur Machen. 3. Prince Louis of Battenberg.------4. Hamel.-5. Long Itemounts. —7. Takhaar.--8. iittafeking.-9.Limoges.-10. The sinking of the...

TIN Paorrrs.

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In view of the heavy fall in the price of Tin, it is scarcely surprising that the year's results of the Tavoy Tin Dredging Corporation, Limited, should have shown a fall in the...