29 JULY 1911

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NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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T HE crisis in foreign affairs still remains very grave, and though it may be said that the indications of Friday were more favourable than those of Thursday, we are bound to...

Mr. Balfour followed Mr. Asquith in a speech which em-

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phasizes what we have said elsewhere as to the absurdity of supposing that any internal crisis or party division or em- bittered controversy here can for one moment affect our...

Before we record in detail the story of the Home

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Crisis we may state that as we write on Friday all the indications point to a non-revolutionary solution—i.e., to there being no creation of peers—and so to a complete victory...

In estimating the forces contributing to the happy result just

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described we must note how staunchly the majority of the chief Tariff Reformers (for example, to name only two of many, Mr. Bonar Law and Mr. Arthur Lee) have held to their...

• On Thursday the Prime Minister, instead of the Foreign

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Secretary—a sign in itself of the gravity of the position— made a statement in the House of Commons as to the situa- tion. The facts, as he stated them, are : (1) Conversations...

Mr. Asquith went on to point out that if France

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and Germany cannot come to a settlement of the kind indicated, we should become an active party to the discussions. That is 'our right under the Treaty of Algeciras, and it...

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

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case.

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If th4 - .; dinner was a fiasco, as regards those who

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attended it, it woe.: till more of a fiasco in the matter of argument. Every speech made contained one colossal non sequitur and generally two. The speakers praised the Honse of...

We wish to make it quite clear that in our

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opinion those who promoted the dinner desire to oust Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Balfour from the leadership. It is idle to pretend other- wise. There is, of course, nothing morally...

The chief exception that we can find to this topsy-turvy

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display of loyalty was Mr. Austen Chamberlain. He had the good taste not to pretend that be was loyally following his leader by hitting him over the head, and the audience seems...

Lord Lansdowne's advice was not accepted by a section of

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the Unionist peers, and on Saturday afternoon notice was issued that a dinner was to be given to Lord Halsbury to thank him for the part he bad taken in the Constitutional...

The complete change in the political situation since our last

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issue must now be recorded. On Saturday last the papers gave a report of the meeting of Unionist peers held on the previous day at which Lord Lansdowne read a letter addressed...

Before we leave the subject of the dinner we must

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mention, though with great reluctance, the message from Mr. Chamberlain to Lord Selborne, which was read out at the beginning of the proceedings. It was as follows :— " I hear...

In the House of Commons on Monday there was a

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scene of unparalleled passion and disorder when Mr. Asquith attempted to justify the rejection of the Lords' amend- ments to the Parliament Bill. The pandemonium reached such a...

The dinner to Lord Halsbury must, we imagine, have proved

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a very deep disappointment to its promoters. It is, indeed, hardly too much to say that it was a fiasco. There were a good number of revolting Members of Parliament and a gcod...

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Mr. Balfour, who of course spoke in ignorance of what

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arguments exactly Mr. Asquith would have used, ridiculed the notion that the action of the Lords justified a revolution. The Government were misusing the prerogative of the...

When Mr. Balfour rose it was thought that he, too,

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might be refused a hearing, but the Liberals listened to him quietly enough, and such attempts at interruption as there were were suppressed from the Liberal side. We will...

Bank Rate, 3 per cent., changed from 31 per cent.

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Mar. 9th. Consols (29) were on Friday 781—Friday week 781.

Last Sunday, on the third anniversary of the Con- stitution

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at Constantinople, a disastrous fire broke out which destroyed, in Stambul, 2,500 houses and sixteen mosques. The fact that the fire broke out in more than one place, and that...

It will be convenient here to give the substance of

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Mr. Asquith's undelivered speech which was issued to the Press in the evening. After reviewing the history of the Parliament Bill it discusses the tribunal which it is proposed...

On Wednesday in the House of Commons Mr. Montagu made

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the annual statement upon Indian Affairs. He drew attention to the result of the recent census, which showed that the population was 315 millions as against 294 millions in...

The papers of Wednesday published a letter, addressed to Lord

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Newton, in which Mr. Balfour defined his policy in face of the Constitutional crisis. "I agree with the advice Lord Lansdowne has given to his friends; with Lord Lansdowne I...

Without doubt the most remarkable demonstration of flying yet given

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was seen this week in the race for £10,000 offered by the Daily Mail. The race was won by M. Conneau (whose nom d'air is "Beaumont "), a lieutenant in the French Navy. His...

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TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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" HE WHO WILLS 'I±E END WILLS THE MEANS." -Fr E who wills the end wills the means." Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Balfour recognize that a creation of peers means disaster. Therefore...

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THE MOROCCO CRISIS.

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T AST Saturday we pointed out that Germany would be very foolish indeed if she imagined that because the Liberal Government and the Liberal Party try hard to be sympathetic...

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THE RECIPROCITY BILL.

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T AST Saturday the proposed Reciprocity Agreement between the United States and Canada passed the American Senate by 53 votes to 27. For some time a. strangely assorted...

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THE FUTURE OF THE INSURANCE BILL. T HE recent discussion of

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the Insurance Bill in the House of Commons shows that the Government have a difficult, almost a hopeless, task before them. Their critics are largely of their own household, and...

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SMALL BOATS AND BIG SEAS.

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I T was announced not long ago that a small yawl of thirteen tons, yacht measurement (nine tons net register), had arrived at St. Helena on a voyage round the world, having...

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A COMEDY OF FLAMES.

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I T was a day for children to play with buttercups, for lovers to walk lingeringly, for the old to deny that they had ever felt old. It took me some time, when the chauffeur was...

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FLOWERING WEEDS.

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T HAT "grows like a weed" is said often enough of a handsome flower—not so often, perhaps, of a flower which is merely graceful or of a delicate colour. You cannot imagine the...

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CORRESPONDENCE.

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A NEW EDUCATION BILL. SOME ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF THE EDUCATIONAL SETTLEMENT COMMITTEE'S SCHEME. [To THE EDITOR Or THE "SPECTATOR."] Stu,—There is a flippant tale told of a...

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

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TOO MUCH GOVERNWFINT. [TO THY EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "' Sra,—The Insurance Bill is serving a very useful purpose in many ways. It is opening the eyes of the people to the...

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MR. JOHN MURRAY AND THE WELSH NATIONAL LIBRARY.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR:1 • SIB,—As your correspondent " X " (Spectator, July 22nd) has referred to me by name in connection with the books to be supplied to the new...

CHRISTIAN UNITY.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—As Mr. Sutton Nelthorpe remarks in the Spectator of July 15th, there used to obtain two or three generations ago much more practical...

[To THE EDITOR or THE "SPECTATOR:1 Sin,—May I correct an

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error into which a Northern Noncon. formist (Spectator, July 22nd) has fallen in stating that I ascribe to the Free Churches all the blame for the disunion now prevailing...

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VETERAN RESERVE.

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[To THE EDITOR OE THE "SPECTATOR.'] Sra,—Knowing, as a constant reader of the Spectator, the keen interest you take in this subject, I feel sure that you will excuse my asking...

THE MEANEST PIECE OF POLITICAL OPPORTUNISM.

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[TO THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECT.110R.'] SIR,—In your issue of the 22nd instant " Liberal " gives a presentation of our electoral conditions which is quite frag- mentary, by no...

THE POSITION OF MR. REDMOND.

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[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIB.,—The powerful article of the Times on July 22nd ends with these words: " Mr. Asquith has undeniably made history, but not history which...

[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."]

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Sra,—There are veterans in the North of England just as loyal and enthusiastic as those in the South. I can particularly speak for many in Lancashire who only await an...

MR. BALFOUR'S LEADERSHIP.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."] Sin,—Later, in a cooler state of the atmosphere in and out of Parliament, I hope the Unionist Party will unite in expres- sion of gratitude...

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THE INDUSTRIAL LAW COMMITTEE.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR, — The Industrial Law Committee has just issued its re- port, and I desire to commend it to your readers. The Committee has steadily...

PASSION OR REASON.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF TH8 "SPECTATOR. " ] Sin, — A good instance of the way in which passion can obliterate reason occurs in the letter of Sir Edward Carson in the Times of 26th...

TROUT STREAMS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."3 Sin,—Referring to my letter published in your issue of July 15th, I enclose a list of the numbers and weights of trout killed on my fishing...

THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER AND THE INSURANCE SCHEME.

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[To THE EDITOR. OF THE "SPECTATOR."1 Sin,—According to my experience there is no class of the community that the Insurance Bill will help so materially as it will the...

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HOME SCIENCE.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR. " ] Sin,—Your interesting article on Home Science in your issua of June 3rd has been under my notice. With your high appreciation of the value...

OLD HOUSES AT WESTMINSTER.

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[To THE-EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR. "] SIB, — May we ask for your powerful aid in a crusade that some of ns who are citizens of Westminster are carrying on in defence of the old...

THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT'S- POLICY OF SPIRITUAL SECLUSION.

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[To THE EDITOR OP TEE "SPECTATOR. "] Sin, — Without any malice whatever, I will say that the present Government, more from her own method in handling the Socialists than from...

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TWENTY-TWO.

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[TO THE EDITOR OE THE " SPECTATOR.1 SIR, —Mr. Godley's suggestion (Spectator, July 22nd) as to the Greek origin of the Slavonic use of 22 to express numbers is interesting but...

" DOTH " AND n FIGGIT."

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPEER . ..ITO/1.1 Sitt,—In the sentence of the Te Deum, " The Holy Church doth acknowledge Thee," doth is probably plural. Doth and bath are frequently...

*** ERRATUM—We regret that in last week's issue the name

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of the late Mr. H. G. Dakyns in Mr. H. Plunket Greene's letter was printed by mistake "H. E. Dakyns."—En. Spectator.

POETRY.

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NEWS FROM THE NORTH. As I went down by London Bridge (And I not long on land), I met a lad from the North country, And gripped him by the hand, And said : " If you be late from...

[TO THE EDITOR Or THE "SPECTkTOR."1

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SIR,—The letter of your correspondent, Mr. A. D. Godley, on the use of No. twenty-two to indicate a large number sug- gests to me the parallel use of No. four (quattro) in the...

BOOKS.

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THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.* " WITH the accession of George I. and the government of the Tory Party the Speakership acquired a permanent character hitherto unknown in its...

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

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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...

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A POOR LAW REFORMER.*

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THE two ladies — one of them a granddaughter of Dr. Chalmers —who are responsible for the publication of this little volume are to be congratulated on the opportune Mordent of...

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. F. W. MAITLAND'S ESSAYS.* THESE papers, collected under the

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careful editorship of Mr. EL A. L. Fisher, represent the whole of Maitland's scattered • The CoUected Papers of Frederic William Maitland. Edited by IL Fisher. 3 vols. Cambridge...

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MARRIAGE AND THE EMPIRE.•

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A BOOK like Messrs. Eversley and Craies' Marriage Laws of the British Empire brings out with striking clearness what must always be one of the greatest difficulties of Imperial...

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NATURAL CHRISTIANITY.*

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DEAN FREMANTLE has written a little book of much interest and charm. In it he makes an attempt " to harmonize and in a certain sense identify Christianity with the natural...

SEA-POWER AND THE FUTURE.* THE reader who sees magic in

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the phrase " Two-Power Standard" will derive comfort from the earlier portion of Mr. Fiennes' most interesting book. There is shown to be little need for apprehension at present...

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A PHILOSOPHER IN HARLEY STREET.t

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DR. PETER HARDING is supposed to live in a, well.known street, where physicians most do congregate, and to write the letters which we have in this volume. They cover a period of...

NOVELS.

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Q17EED.s THE author of this novel belongs to the hereditary tribe of story-tellers whose roots are buried deep in the past; all life for him would most conveniently fall under...

A LEAP IN THE DARK.*

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PROFESSOR DICEY published this book in 1893, while the Home Rule Bill of that year was still under the consideration of Parliament, before, indeed, it had been sent up to the...

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Letters from India. By Lady Wilson (A.- C. Macleod). (W.

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Blackwood and Sons. 78. 6d. net.)—These letters cover a period of twenty years. They are written by the wife of an Indian official, who is Financial Commissioner of the Punjaub....

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as have not been reserved for review in other forms.] In the Hand of the Potter. By Harold Begbie. (Hodder and Stoughton....

Lilamani. By Maud Diver. (Hutchinson and Co. 6s.)—This is the

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story of the marriage of a young artist with a high-caste Hindu lady. The scene, however, is not, as might be thought from this description, laid in India, but on the Riviera...

BEADABLS Novare.—The Marriage of Quixote. By Donald Armstrong. (Martin Seeker.

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6s.)—A fine study of life and character, though not always pleasant to read.—The Hon. Peggy. By G. B. Lancaster. (Constable and Co. 6s.)—A novel of the Baedeker kind and...

The Gift of the Gods. By Flora Annie SteeL (W.

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Heinemann. 2s. net..)—The scene of this novel is laid in the Highlands, ground not unfamiliar to Mrs. Steel, but not so attractive as the usual Oriental setting of her stories....

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In the Time of the Pharaohs. By Alexandre Keret. Translated

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by Mme. Moret. (G. P. Putnam's Sons. 7s. 6d. net.)—This volume contains six essays originally published in the Bemis de Paris. They are not continuous, but they have the common...

The Locomotive Publishing Company send us some specimens of their

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Railway Pictorial Postcards. (2s. per dozen.) They are very effective representations of locomotive engines of our many railways, home and foreign. We can imagine two classes of...

The Dawn of Mediterranean Civilization. By Angelo Mossi Translated by

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Marian C. Harrison. (T. Fisher Unwin. 16s. net.) —Signer Mossi followed up his " Palaces of Crete and their Builders" by the work now before us in which he deals with the...

Sicily in Shadow and in Sun. By Maud Howe. (Stanley

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Paul and Co. 12s. 6d. net.)—Here we have a, very graphically written story of the catastrophe of Messina. It begins with a pleasant little dinner of four on December 28th, 1908....

The Song Companion to the Scriptures. Compiled by the Rev.

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G. Campbell Morgan. (Morgan and Scott)—" This Hymn-book," we read in the preface, "has been prepared to meet the demand created by the growth of the Bible-School Movement." It...