merchant- men over 1,600 tons, one smaller vessel, and one fishing-boat. The losses were numerically less than in the previous week, when thirteen large vessels and three...

T HE Navy will begin the New Year under a new chief. Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, who has been First Sea Lord since November, 1916, hat been replaced by Vice-Admiral Sir Rosalyn...

of last week to a series of trench raids at various points, which had little success, but showed that the enemy is now very much on the alert. Last Saturday the Germans made a...

Foreign Minister, Count Czernin, with Bulgarian and Turkish delegates, met the Russian Anarchist representatives at Brest-Litovsk last Saturday to begin peace negotiations. Herr...

the civil war in Southern Russia. But the Ukraine Government have declared against the Anarehiste of Petrograd, and have taken over the Staffs of the Fourth, Eighth, and...

where the gunners alone have been active. But the great battle in which our Italian Allies are engaged, in the hills over- looking the Brenta Valley, has continued without...

be able to use its immense resources in a new and more vigorous manner. Many good reasons may doubtless be given for the defensive policy which the Navy has hitherto pursued....

pushing forward his left and his right flanks. Our troops on the coast, supported by warships, crossed the Nahr-el-Auja near its mouth and advanced four miles by last Saturday....

Saturday evening. The first group wr.s repulsed by gunfire ; one machine was brought down, and its crew of three was captured. A second group, coming three hours later, dropped...

" will give definite orders to their newsagents for a copy of the "Spectator" to be reserved for them each week till countermanded.

regarding man-power and war aims, on the motion for the adjourn- ment of the House till January 14th. He spoke hopefully of the progress made in the shipyards, and said that the...

week again rejected Compulsory service by a majority of 1,050,000 to 870,000. The votes of the soldiers and the absent civilians have not all been counted, but are not expected...

which was printed in last Saturday's Timm, conveys a sharp reminder to the Nationalists that the attitude of their kinsmen across the Atlantic has been completely changed by the...

uttered sword of warning as to the multiplication of Departments, which tended to discourage voluntary effort and to increase ex- penditure because the Departments were not...

2, to suspend the Parliamentary inuriunity of M. Caillaux so that he might be tried for high treason. M. Caillaux in a long and im- passioned speech denied the charges brought...

Agricultural Committees on Friday week, appealed to farmers to plough up as much land as pessible during the next three months so as to increase the supply of homegrown food and...

terms laid down in his speech at Glasgow on June 29th last, and declared that they still held good, except that, as Russia had entered Into separate negotiations with the enemy,...

arranged with the shipowners that every homeward-bound ship shall fill its spare store-rooms and um:recopied cabins with foodstuffs. It is pointed out that, though all liners...

armistice had imposed new and serionis obligationa upon the Allies. We must make greater sacrifices in the New Year to strengthen our armies in the field, and to increase the...

devise and enforce schemes for controlling the distribution and consumption of any article of food. The Committees will be empowered to regulate the sale of tea, butter, bacon,...

of recent events, emphasized by the widespread intrigues of the German Government to deceive and mislead the peace-loving people of the world," the Carnegie Endowment has...

experiments in the arts that we dislike the very idea of crushing high-spirited developments even when they are crude, we recognize that such a sentiment as ours cannot be the...

the fourth winter of the war, for we know by experience how hard it is to get obviously useful ideas translated into practice in this country. Nine months ago we ventured to...

has long had her Lincoln statue. Lincoln educated himself, yet he had none of the faults of the self-educated man. His style was not only one of the best in English literature,...

Peace a truly significant communication. We are informed that the Trustees of the Endowment, among whom are Mr. Elihu Root and Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, passed the following...

Mr. Barnard's statue of Lincoln continues. We wrote on the subject a few months ago, but return to it now for what seems to us a sufficient reason. Although the right of...

view, the idealized St. Gaudens statue would be the best for London. But for out part we must confess that, from all we have heard of it, we have a hankering also after the...

last week, agreed to a scheme for the recog- nition of "shop stewards," to be elected in a factory by the Trade Unionists employed there, and to be controlled by the Trade...

that Lieutenant Joseph Lee, of the King's Royal Rifles, is reported missing. Mr. Lee was one of the many young soldiers who found, in the new and trying experiences of war, that...

April 5th.

NEW YEAR RESOLVES. "He by his wisdom delivered the city." T HIS is the time of New Year resolutions. Devoutly do 1 we wish that we had the power to dictate a resolution which...

W E dealt last week with Mr. Lloyd George as an orator, and pointed out his great qualities in that respect. But though we are willing to give him every possible credit as a...

I ET any one look at Mr. Lloyd George's prorogation speech and see how he dealt with these problems. In the matter of Man-Power, an essential matter, the account of his...

W E wrote last week on the general issues raised in the second Report of the Select Committee on National Expenditure. This week we propose to deal with some of the details of...

T HE love of London is a sort of little patriotism n within a patriotism. Her sons—many of them—love her dearly, but not, we think, so dearly as her daughters. The position for...

TT is easier to get the Ward-Room in right perspective from this comfortable armchair in a shore billet. It is blowing from the south-west, in fact it is a poisonously dirty...

doubt that the line taken in the article bearing the above title in your issue of December 8th is the correct one. It is interesting at this critical time to recall the opinion...

[Letters of the length of one of our leading paragraphs are often snore read, and therefore more efiectire, than those which fill treble the space.] THE VATICAN AND THE WAR....

Tat " Sescrawa.") Son,—Twelve months ago I was permitted to write in the Spectator on the progress of religious unity. We are now on the eve of the finest expression of that...

(To rue Eonma or rns " nrscirros.") Sia,—Surely in a Church claiming to be national the declaration of membership should rest, not with the Church, beet with each individual...

(To rug Enrroa or rem " fescravon.") San,—In your issue of the 15th ink. you publish some extracts from the writings of John Bright, from a correspondent "A. W. D." on the...

(To ens Emma or wiz " fesseraros."1 Sur,—The article by " Artifex " in the Spectator of October 13th, which seeks to make monotonous employment the cause of in- dustrial...

[To nes Emma or sae " SPECTWOR."3 Sins,—On the 18th inst. Lord Rhondda said: "I leave under con- sideration . . . a proposal for compelling every customer . . to register in...

EPECTATOR."] Sea,—In your items of December 15th mention is made of Bunyan's Holy War and its noble lessons and Watchwords for these times. The following presage from Tire Life...

[To rag Berme or nse " Sexcrerox."1 SIR,—At this time, when all eyes turn to Italy, the martial inter. pretation of a crux in the Divina Commedia may interest your readers. For...

but,—I do not think that the ordinary "Old Buy" will look upon The Loom of Youth as a completely accurate description of Public School life. The picture drawn of the athletic...

me " SPECTATOR:1 SIR,—Perhaps people in England are not aware that the Govern- ment have now issued Regulations by which all persons convicted Of offences against the Defence a...

[To ran Emma or vire " firrereroa."J Soo.—I mould supplement what "R. F." says about the dis- advantages of lip-reading as compared with the facility of the hand alphabet, by...

Ds,—In answer to your correspondent "Lancs.," may I point out that one of the objects of this Bureau is to give all possible information to inquirers on mattero relating to the...

Ito THZ EDITOR or THE &ROTATOR:1 gag,—In view of the recent correspondence in your columns con- terming The Loom of Youth, the enclosed written by a Charter- house boy may...

(To TER EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."1 Sin,—Possibly the enclosed Bridge Acrostics might amuse your Bridge-playing readers, and divert their thoughts for a few minutes from the...

(To Tan EDITO3 Or THE " SPECTATOR.") Sis,—Great has been the generosity of the public towards the sick and wounded in this world-wide war, but greater and ever- increasing have...

[To rat Emma or no " &Terme."' Sin—An Irish farmer owned a few years ago a large English black-and-tan sheep-dog who at times displayed a wonderful amount of intelligent...

(To no Eorroa or Tan " Eirscrares."I SIR—After reading letters in the Spectator regarding the intelli- gence of animals, I thought it might interest your readers to hear of the...

[To von Emma or rat " Sescraroa."1 Sin, —Would you please insert in your paper my gratitude to the lady or gentleman who sends me a copy of your paper so regu- larly 7 And...

THE FOURTH CHRISTMAS. Oh, shepherd, shepherd, did you see, Belore day broke, one gleantiny star 1" Flashes of light continually Where the contending armies are, But no star...

[To TBZ EMT... Or no " SPECTATOR.") S1R,—If your correspondent •' Kismet" desires a Latin phrase to express, not the peculiarly English metaphor but the underlying ideal. he...

name or initials, or with a pseudonym, or are marked "Communicated," the Editor moat not necessarily be held lobe in agree- ment with the views therein expressed or with the...

BOOKS ON THE WAR. IN the flood of war books, of which it is impossible for the most voracious reader to keep abreast, three main streams are now discernible, apart from the...

full of romance. His was one of those unusual characters whose extreme versatility is in itself romantic. His imagination and natural energy found their food and outlet in many...

dramatic poem, Philip of Spain, will, we think, delight equally in Good Friday, his now play in one act, written throughout in rhymed verse. The subject of the play is the story...

CUE writer of this little book, who has had eighteen months' ex- perience as Chaplain to the Forces, has taken the opportunity to record his impressions, not so much of the men,...

IT has often been said, and as often denied, that American public opinion has been rendered unfriendly to Great Britain by the influence of the historical text-books used in the...

and Unwin. Se.)—An Indian story, the heroine of which has an English father and an Afghan mother. Her • The Spy in Blatt. By J. Storer Glendon. London: W. Blackwood aue Sews....

net.)—To Professor Murray's reprinted articles on the war, on thopossibility of making peace with a reformed Germany, and on the domestic outlook after peace is roistered, Lord...

THE SPY IN BLACK.. EVER since the days of The Lunatic at Large we have looked to Mr. Storer Clouston for high-spirited and hilarious entertainment and have never been...

le,)— This admirable paper, the Creighton Lecture for 1917, supplies just such "a comparison between the war with Napoleon and the present war" as many people who arc not...

Mika in ate columns dOGS not neeettarUy preclude subsequent mean] Mr. Alf red T. Davies, the energetic Direotor of the British Prieonere of War Book Scheme (Educational), has...

net.)—Mr. Fiennee's interesting sketch of naval history, and above all of the rise of the British Navy, is addressed not to experts but to the man in the street and the child in...

6d. net.)—This satire on the "ruthlessness" which had become a pet word in Germany before the war, and 1188 81880 been applied In practice, is cast in the form of a drama, and...

3s. 6d. net.)—Sir William Crookes has maimed his remarkable address to the British Association in 1898 for this third edition, which will assuredly attract more attention than...

sends a copy of a Report adopted by the Court on the canal problem. The Court recommends the transfer of all our inland waterways to a central body like the Port of London...

and Unw:n. 10s. 6d. net.)—Mr. Pooley's elaborate study of the present condition of Japan is distinctly critical and controversial in tone. Ho thinks that we have never heard the...

University Press. is. net.)—Profossor Wilkinson in this suggestive lecture declares that, since Sir William Robertson was appointed Chief of the Imperial General Staff, "the...

Modern Palestine and Syria (Is. 6d. net), on a scale of about ten miles to an inch, with an inset of the Sinai Peninsula. The map extends far enough north to show Alexandretta...

by an inch or more as a result of the Napoleonic Wars is shown by Mr. II. H. O'Farrell in War and the Stature of Population, a paper reprinted from the Eugenics Review for...