29 NOVEMBER 1919

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NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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O N Thursday it was announced that the Government had issued a Proclamation suppressing the Sinn Fein and kindred organizations in all parts of Ireland. The Proclamation is...

The Irish Government announced last Saturday that convicted prisoners would

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no longer receive specially favourable treatment in gaol, and that those who resorted to a " hunger-strike " would not be released in any circumstances. It is common knowledge...

Germany, the French believe, is already seeking to profit by

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the supposed unwillingness of America to ratify the Versailles Treaty. On Monday the Supreme Council in Paris found that the German delegates had returned home, instead of...

Lord Curzon in the House of Lords on Tuesday made

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a firm and lucid statement concerning Egypt. He reminded all con- cerned that the British Protectorate, accepted by the Powers, was an established fact. The British Empire must...

Grave anxiety has been occasioned in France by the failure

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of the American Senate to ratify the Peace Treaty or the Franco- American Treaty. The French remember that, as Mr. Bonar Law told the House on Friday week, the Franco-British...

4 %,* The Editor cannot accept responsibility for any articles or

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letters submitted to him, but when stamped and addressed envelopes are sent he tvill do his best to return contributions in case of rejection.

It remains to be seen whether the Government will consist-

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ently maintain their new policy, or whether, as unfortunately in so many other instances, they will dodge back either under threats from the Irish extremists or in obedience to...

There were serious riots in Cairo and Alexandria last week

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as the outcome of the violent Nationalist agitation. A British officer was murdered in a Cairo street. The Ministry of Mahomed Said Pasha had resigned, by way of protest against...

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It had been difficult in the building trade to get

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skilled men ; it had been difficult for Local Authorities to raise the money for their schemes. Se- great were the financial difficulties that the Government had decided upon a...

On Friday week Dr. Addison, as the Minister in charge,

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opened the debate in the House of Commons on Housing in a very long speech. He said that he was in no apologetic humour, and denied that the GoVernment housing scheme had...

The International Labour Conference at Washington, which is the first

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visible outcome of the Peace Treaty, agreed at the end of last week on the principle of an eight-hours day and a forty- eight-hours week. The regular working day was not to...

Lord. Robert Cecil regretted that Dr. Addison proposed to stand

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by his scheme. " Houses were not in fact being built." In rural district the housing conditions were " really tragic." The labourer was " entirely at the mercy of his employer."...

Sir Auckland Geddes announced on Monday in the House or

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Commons that the price of coal to domestic consumers would be reduced next Monday by ten shillings a ton. We ought not, after the past two years' experience, to be surprised at...

Finance was, he agreed, the central difficulty. He-wished the municipalities

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to raise local loans in order - that local public opinion should be enlisted on the side of economical building. Economy was essential. But above all he appealed to the building...

The American Rights League issues a striking appeal to its

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members, urging them to do all in their power to support the League of Nations. The manifesto points out that a deliberate attempt is being made to confuse the American people...

The gallant little Lettish Army, advancing from Riga, drove the

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Germans out of Mitan on Friday week. If they are properly supported by the Allies, they should be able' to free' Courland from the invader. The German army of occupation, now...

The world, the manifesto continues, is in a state of

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unrest and trouble. Great communities are starving and destitute. The nations are looking to America, now the strongest and richest of the countries of the world :- " The...

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We feel no need for making any effort to meet

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the charge of a rapid change of view. We are quite content to say that we had not when we last wrote the benefit of the Committee's opinion. It would be ridiculous to be ashamed...

Two by-election results have been declared as we go to

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press this week. In the purely mining constituency of Chester-le- Street., Durham, the local miners' nominee, Mr. Lawson, was returned, defeating Mr. Gilmour, a Scottish miners'...

We have dealt in our leading columns with the Government's

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amazing handling of the coal industry. Here we may try to guess whether there is any meaning in their wild and zigzag policy, and if so, what.. In Webster's play, Bosola • ,...

The Prime Minister was guarded in his reply to the

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depu- tation from the Temperance Council of the Churches, which waited on him last week. The official report, issued on Wednes- day night, suggests that the Government mean to...

The statement issued by the National Savings Committee on Monday

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is not only a document of great interest and Importance, but in our opinion alters the whole situation as regards the problem of Premium Bonds. Against the issue of this...

In his statement on Monday Sir Auckland Geddes admitted that

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coal used in this country was sold at an average price below the average cost of production, and that this was " a very unsatisfactory and very dangerous position." He inferred,...

The Imports and Exports Regulation Bill, introduced into the House

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of Commons last week, proves to be a good deal more than a Bill against " dumping "—which is defined as the importation of goods the " foreign value " of which exceeds the...

So high an opinion do we entertain, not only of

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the duties per- formed by the National Savings Committee, but of their knowledge of the habits of small investors—that now means the financial habits of the vast majority of the...

Bank rate, 6 per cent.,changed from 5 per cent. Nov.

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6, 1919.

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TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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THE PRINCE OF WALES. T HE Prince of Wales during his visit to Canada and the United States has done great things on the posi- tive side, and deserves all the gratitude and all...

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NATIONAL MISMANAGEMENT.—III. FINANCE.

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W E are unhappily obliged to include finance in our series of articles dealing with national mismanage- ment. But though we are forced to include it, we must be careful to...

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THE COAL IMBROGLIO. T HE Government's worst enemy could not have

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wished for a clearer instance of their slovenly handling of economic problems than is afforded by their dealings with the coal trade. We have written in the preceding article...

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THE IRISH IN AMERICA.

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M OST people in Englai cl believe that America is • satisfied with her Irish citizens, and proud of the part which they have played in her history. They think that Americans...

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" THE DUCHESS OF MALFL"

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"THE Phoenix,"* an offshoot of the Stage Society, has opened its first eeason by the production, at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, of Webster's Duchess of Malfi. The Society is...

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THEROMANCE OF DISAPPEARANCE.

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R OMANCE clings to the thought of disappearance. At- lantis and the Land of Lyonesse arouse in our minds a sense of wonder not untouched with emotion. Did Plato really get the...

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Sin, —I have read

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with much interest Mrs. Kinnell's letter and your article on " Women and their Work " in the Spectator of November 15th. The arguments raised move some of us to inquire : Has...

NATIONALIZATION AND THE LIQUOR TRADE. [To THE EDITOR OF THE

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" SPECTATOR.") SIR,—Liverpool Justices are always illuminating when they discuss the regulation of the Liquor Trade, and Sir Thomas Hughes's letter is no exception when he...

[To THE EDITOR OP TEE " SPECTATOR.") &a, —Your correspondence

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columns reflect the very large body of sober opinion in the country which is concerned lest the tightening grip of the liquor traffic may yet strangle our hope for a cleaner...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.")

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8114—While it is true that a strong prejudice against women's work exists at the present time in some quarters, it is also true that certain firms would gladly have retained the...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

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[Letters of the length of one of our leading paragraphs are often more read, and therefore more effective, than those which fill treble the space.] WOMEN'S WORK. [To THE...

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."' Sta,—Surely your correspondent

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in your issue of November 15th has done the Church of England very little service by his arguments against the declaration clause in the Enabling Bill. To enforce a declaration...

THE ENABLING BILL: AN ANGLO-INDIAN VIEW. [To Ins EDITOR OF

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THE " SPECTATOR."' SIR,—Would you kindly allow me to thank you for the effort you are making to broaden out the Church of England, and to give an example as to why I think this...

THE ENABLING BILL.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTLTOR."3 SIR,—I have found it the greatest possible advantage, both as an English incumbent and a Colonial Archdeacon, to be able to take the...

FREE CHURCH OPINION ON INTERCHANGE OF PULPITS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."' Sre,—The letter of Dr. Davey Biggs, so far as it touches upon the relation between the Church and Nonconformity, raises a question which he...

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THE DISCIPLINE OF THE GUARDS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,.—May I also be allowed to add to your criticism of November 15th on .4 Private in the Guards I had the privi- lege of joining the...

LABOUR IN AUSTRALIA.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."I Sin,—In connexion with the Industrial Courts Bill, the follow- ing letter from an Australian business man may .be of interest. I may say...

THE MINORITY VOTE.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."I SIR,—The letter of Mr. Tom Gibson in your issue of the 22nd inst. raises the whole question of the representation arising from...

A MIDDLE-CLASS FACTORY.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."' SIR,—As a middle-class woman, I have read with enthusiasm your article upon "A Middle-Class Factory" in your issue of October 25th. It...

" SAKUNTALA."

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR, — The best production of Sakuntala that has been seen in London was given on November 14th and 21st at the Winter Garden Theatre in...

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WAR MEMORIAL COTTAGES.

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—In view of the great shortage of housing accommodation, I venture to draw your attention to a paragraph in the Daily Chronicle of...

SOCIAL GIFTS.

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—In reference to your article on " Social Gifts " in your last number, would you allow me (as a lonely old widower of seventy, partly...

POETS AND POVERTY.

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• (To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—If " Senex " has not lately read the " Moretum " he might find comfort in it. It is a short hexameter poem, probably by Virgil, and...

THE PAINTINGS OF POPE.

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Ssa,—Since my last communication on this subject I have met with a passage in Allan Cunningham's Lives of the Most Eminent British Painters,...

THE PLUMAGE TRADE.

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• [TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Stn,—Will you allow me to make a brief statement upon this question? In the first place, I desire to express my full grati- tude to the...

THE LONDON DIOCESAN FUND.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] shall be grateful if you will kindly allow me a space in your columns for this letter, which is addressed to the Church men and women of...

NORFOLK BROADS.

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(To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—In reply to " Senex," the nearest point to the sea that can be reached in a boat is by way of the Hundred Stream off Horsey Mere, which...

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STEPHEN REYNOLDS.

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(To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR, —My friend Stephen Reynolds, who died last February, left a will in which I was instructed to have possession of all his letters and...

POETRY.

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TWO EPITAPHS. COMPENSATION. Farm% should I live your epitaph to write, I would that loving memory should recite This compensation for your saddened days : That, passing down...

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

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name 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...

BOOKS.

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NAVAL MEDALS.* " The Medal, faithful to its charge of fame, Thro' climes and ages bears each form and name : In one short view subjected to our eye, Gods, Emperors, Heroes,...

WOMEN'S SERVICE.

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Ws have pleasure in acknowledging the receipt of £2 from Mrs. England and £1 from Miss A. Richardson for the London Society for Women's Service. The following donations :- £ s....

Cht *prrt tan We suggest that there can be no

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better Present in Pesos or War than an Annual Subscription to the Spectator. He or she who gives the Spectator as a present will give a weekly pleasure, as well as a weekly...

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JOHN REDMOND'S LAST YEARS.* Jr there were many Irish Nationalists

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like Captain Stephen Gwynn, it would be a comparatively simple matter to come to terms with them. Captain Gwynn's memoir of his late leader, though in no sense a dispassionate...

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. THE DARDANELLES.*

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GENERAL CALLWELL'S valuable study of the Dardanelles cain- eiaign, from a military standpoint, appears opportunely as the complement of the Dardanelles Commission's Report on...

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SAMUEL BUTLER.*

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TIM title-page of this monumental biography runs : " Samuel Butler, Author of Erewhon," and Mr. Festing Jones is probably right in singling out that strange and brilliant satire...

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THE UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA.*

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IT is, we may be allowed to hope, a proof of the imperturbable progress of India under British rule that the three older Uni- versities of India, at Calcutta, Bombay, and...

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MOUNTAIN ECHOES.* THE architecturally minded are apt to class the

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rock garden with the greenhouse, and to long to consign them both to bottomless perdition. Both are so often allowed to interrupt the scheme of an otherwise fine formal garden,...

SMALL COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY.*

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UnDER this title Mr. Lawrence Weaver treats of what might be called the " upper-middling " sort of houses, though they range from the studio-cottage up to the admirable lesser...

A FRENCH VIEW OF IRELAND.t

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WE commended M. Eseouflaire's accurate and spirited little book on Ireland when it appeared in French last winter. We are glad to see that it has been translated. M. Escoufiaire...

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READABLE NOVELS.—The Further Side of the Door. By the Author

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of The Pointim Man. (Hutchinson. 6s.. 9d. net.)— • Tree Love. By Allan Monkbome. tendon: Collins. 17a. net] The story of an officer, gravely disfigured in the war, u ho takes a...

GIFT - BOOKS.

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STORIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. MR. L. Corn Costacroan has written a pleasant and witty story, The Fairy Man (Dent, Os. net), in which by supernatural agency the prosaic households...

FICTION.

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TRUE LOVE.* Ma. MONKTIOUSE'S new book is at once a picture of intellectual society in a great provincial city and a war problem novel. The action is mainly concentrated in two...

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CHILDREN'S BOOKS.*

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Ls The Arkunsaw Bear' Mr. Albert Bigelow Paine tells a delight- ful story that goes with a swing from the first meeting of the little boy called Rosephus and the big bear...

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The Peace Conference. By Dr. E. J. Dillon. (Hutchinson. 21s.

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net.)—This book does not add to Dr. Dillon's reputation. It is a long and sustained indictment of the " Big Five," the chief Allied Powers at the Paris Conference, and ends with...

L'Aveu rte la Male Allemande. (Paris : La Renaissance du

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Liver. 5 fr.)—This is a translation, by Captain Koeltz of the French General Staff, of the recent German official publi- cation on The Origins cf the Armistice. Extracts from it...

The Revival of Criticism. By J. S. Phillimore. (Oxford :

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Blackwell. Is. Oil. net.)—Professor Phillimore writes so well —and so little—that his paper, read to the Classical Association last May, deserves a friendly word. He rejoices...

Hour Jerusalem was Won. By W. T. Massey. (Constable. 21s.

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net.) —Mr. Massey was the official correspondent of- the London Press with General Alicuby. In this interesting book he describes General Allenby's first campaign from . the...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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Macs In ear Musa does uot necessarily preclude subsequent resists.) The Revolt of Labour against Civilization. By W. H. V. Reade. (Oxford: Blackwell. 3s. net.)—In this clever...

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Aspects, Aorists, and the Classical Tripos. By Jane E. Harrison.

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(Cambridge University Press. 2s. 6d. net.)—Miss Harrison's cryptic title conceals a clever and witty essay in praise of the Russian language as a key to the Russian character....

The Samaritans : their Testimony to the Religion of Israel.

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By the Rev. J. E. H. Thomson. (Oliver and Boyd. 16s. net.)— Dr. Thomson's learned work, based on a close acquaintance with the last surviving Samaritan community at Nablus as...