4 SEPTEMBER 1920

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NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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T HE threat of a general holding up of industry—for a Coal strike would mean nothing less—still hangs over the country when we go to press on Thursday. We summarize below the...

If the nation allows itself to be dictated to in

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this instance oy self-appointed rulers instead of by its constitutional repre- sentatives, it will have to bow again and again to the same authority. Sir Robert Home, who is...

On Thursday morning the miners' delegates met and decided to

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give notice of a strike from September 25th. But the " Triple Alliance," which had met again on Wed- nesday, carefully abstained from promising its active support to Mr....

The Bolsheviks on Thursday week agreed to the demand of

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the British and Italian Governments that Poland should not be asked to arm a large militia of " workers," constituting a " Red " or Communist army controlled from Moscow. In...

It is to be noted also that the Yorkshire miners

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are in no mood for violent measures. They decided by a narrow majority of 2,551 for a strike, but the figures-58,530 for, and 55,979 against—speak for themselves. Their leader,...

The Miners' Federation announced on Tuesday the result of the

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ballot of the miners - on the question of a strike. It appeared that 606,782 miners voted for a strike and 239,865 voted against rt. The two-thirds majority required by the...

The Miners' Federation on Tuesday formally asked its partners in

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the " Triple Alliance " for approval and support. The railwaymen's and the transport workers' executives with equal formality agreed that Mr. Smillie's demands were " both...

*** 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 will do his beat to return contributions in case of rejection.

TO OUR READERS.

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Should our readers experience any difficulty in obtaining the Smc.raTorr during the summer holidays from Newsagents or Railway Bookstalle, will they please communicate at once...

NOTICE.

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Owing to the Government having taken over our old premises, we have now removed to new offices, 13 York Street. Covent Garden, W.C. 2, where all communications should be addressed.

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The Polish victory over the Bolshevik invaders seems to be

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complete. Up to Friday week the Poles had taken 107,000 prisoners. The Bolshevik losses in killed and wounded were estimated at 50,000, and 30,000 men had taken refuge with the...

The final report of the British Labour delegation to Russia

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has been published. Among the signatories are Mr. Tom Shaw, Mr. Robert Williams, Mrs. Snowden, and Mr. C. R. Buxton. After calling attention to the exaggerations which have been...

Tchitcherin's reply is characteristic of the Russian intellect. From its

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peculiar point of view it displays much dialectical ability. It might be said justly enough that throughout the negotiations the Russian diplomatic messages have shown a verbal...

If the Polish terms outlined in the Daily Express of

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Thursday are authentic, the peace conference should have no difficulty, when it reassembles, in coming to an agreement. Poland will accept the frontier fixed by the Allies,...

That of course, though it may be true, is mere

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guesswork. Even if it be true, the Russians had no right whatever to try to depose the Polish Government. That is for the Polish people to do if they do not like their...

The tribal unrest in Mesopotamia is spreading. North

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of Baghdad the Tigris railway and the Dials line, towards Persia, have been broken by small bands. Bakuba, in the Diala valley, has been reoccupied. To the south of Baghdad...

The peace negotiations between Poland and the Bolsheviks at Minsk

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came to nothing, owing to the arrogance of the Bolshevik terms and to the inability of the Poles to communicate with Warsaw. It is understood that the conference will be resumed...

The Morning Post of Tuesday published a letter from a

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correspondent who described a strange episode in the business conduct of the Daily Herald. A friend of the writer was approached by the Advertisement Manager of the Daily...

For our part we have always thought that the stories

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about Jewish plots, in the form in which they usually appear, are gross exaggerations. But whatever the truth may be, it can only be served by publicity. It is curious, to say...

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The Roman Church divides suicides into " positive and direct

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suicide," " positive and indirect suicide," " negative and direct suicide," and " indirect and negative suicide." Lot us suppose that Mr. MacSwiney's act may be described as...

As our readers may have forgotten the circumstances in which

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Dr. Cohalan was appointed to the Bishopric of Cork, we will repeat them. During the war Count Bernstorff, the German Ambassador at Washington, interested himself strongly in...

The French Consulate at Breslau was sacked by a mob

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on Thursday week, and the Consul narrowly escaped death. The German police made no attempt to interfere. The French Government have demanded exemplary reparation for the damage...

The Mayor of Cork, when we write on Thursday, is

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still alive be Brixton gaol. The reports of his condition are extraordinarily confusing. Some lead us to believe that he may die at any moment and others speak of his improved...

Mr. T. Mallalieu, general secretary to the Felt-Hatters Union and

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President of the General Federation of Trade Unions, has spoken out strongly about the Council of Action. His words deserve to be very widely read. They are the words of a...

The Times of Saturday published a long letter from Dr.

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Cohalan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork, about Mr. MacSwiney. The letter is a typical product of the Irish mind. Any stranger who read it without knowing anything of the history...

The sectarian riots in Belfast which broke out after the

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brutal murder of Inspector Swanzy by a Sum Fein gang at Lisburn on Sunday week have been very violent. As the Sinn Fein mob was well armed with revolvers and the troops had to...

But, then, what are we to say of the poem

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by " A. E." published in the Times of Thursday ? This poem glorifies Mr. MacSwiney, his acts, and all that he stands for. The literary excellence of the poem, which we...

A most wrong-headed attempt has been made to induce the

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King to exercise his prerogative of mercy on behalf of Mr. MacSwiney. We are sorry to see that the pressure which is being exerted to try to persuade the King to act over the...

Bank rate, 7 per cent., changed from 6 per cent.

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Apr, 15, 1920; 5 per cent. War Loan was on Thursday, 8&I; Thursday week, 841; a year ago, 941.

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TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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MR. SMILLIE AND MR. LANSBURY—WILL THEY CLEAR THEIR CHARACTERS ? T HERE is a very sound maxim of law that those who come to the Courts for help must come with clean hands. The...

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THE IRISH PROBLEM.

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W HO ought not to feel indignation and contempt for the attitude of a large section, or what at any rate appears to be a large section, of the British public in regard to the...

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ACTION SHOULD BE MET BY ACTION.

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A FORTNIGHT ago we expressed the opinion that in dealing with the Council of Action action ought to be met by action. We had in mind the failure of Parlia- ment to protest...

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CHILDREN AND BOLSHEVISM. R EADERS of the Spectator are evidently much

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interested in the statements which Mr. Tom Anderson, the well-known Glasgow revolutionary, has made about the teaching of revolution to children. We have received more letters...

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BORN TO RULE.

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" E N the first place, pray encourage your subordinates to 1 speak up, and to tell you when they do not agree with you." These words were written by Lord Cromer to Kitchener...

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" NOT OUT."

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T HEceicket season comes to a close this week, and no more splendidly dramatic ending could have been imagined than the great match between Middlesex and Surrey. Until the...

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FINANCE—PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.

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THE INVESTOR'S OPPORTUNITY (I). (To THE EDITOR Or THE " $PECTrrOR "3 Sic,— Despite the present severe depression in gilt-edged securities, he would be a bold man who dared to...

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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.] • CHILDREN AND BOLSHEVISM....

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."J am delighted to

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find at last a supporter of Bolshevism who can define his doctrine with such admirable clarity, and would like to place on record my gratitude to Mr. Tom Anderson, who has by...

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[To TIIE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTITOR."] SIE,—It is evident

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that Mr. Tom Anderson does not under- stand his adversaries, and perhaps some of us find it hard to understand him. He wishes for some form of government : the proletariat is to...

REFORMING THE BALLOT. [To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."]

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Sra,—The suggestion of Mr. E. T. Good (Spectator, August 21st) that the steady and stable elements should have extra voting powers in miners' ballots, however good in itself,...

OF THE UNMARRIED MAN IN THE TRADE UNION BALLOT.

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[To THE EDITOR Of THE " SPECTAT011."] THE POWER SIR,—" It's the single men who will vote for a strike; for they have nothing to carry and no kiddies to feed. Our Association...

[To THE EDITOR OE THE " SPECTATOR."1

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Sts,—Mr. Tom Anderson prefers correspondents who " deal in realities," and implies very plainly that Lady Waldegrave and others who write from the Christian standpoint are...

[To THE Eerron Of THE " SPECTLTOR."] Star–Mr. Torn Anderson

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ends his letter with the superfluous infer - I:nation that "BoletioviSm is based on the 'materialistic conception of history and the dictatorship of the proletariat.' For that...

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ACTION SHOULD BE MET BY ACTION.

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[To THE _ EDITOR or THE SIKCIA.T01.") 8'14—With reference to your article headed as above in the Spectator of August Mt, the average middle-glass man has no particular influence...

MODERN CHURCHMEN IN COUNCIL.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECILTOR.") 5'14—The annual conference organized by the Churchmen's Union took place last week at Oxford, in Somerville College, which was kindly placed...

PROPOSED LEAGUE OF BRITISH CITIZENSHIP. [To THE EDITOR or DEM

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" EP ERTATQE." Sia,—With reference to the letter of your correspondent " Loyal Citizen " in last week's Spectator, suggesting the formation of a League of British Citizenship,...

THE MIDDLE CLASSES UNION.

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/To raiz Burros OF THE " SPECTaT OR ."3 Sxa,—May I claim the courtesy of your columns in order -to remove one or two misapprehensions which appear to exist in the mind of "A...

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A SCENE IN VILLAGE LIFE.

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[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."' Sia,—A short time a g o the Spectator emphasized the ur g ent need of fuller understandin g between the g reat English- speakin g nations by...

TRADE WITH CANADA.

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[To THE EDITOR. OP THE " SPECNATOR."] Sia,—The letter from Mr. F. W. Green in your issue of Au g ust 28th upon the situation of our trade with New Zealand constrains me to...

DEAR OR CHEAP MONEY?

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[To THE EDITOR or THE, " SPECTATOR. "] Sus.,—Permit me to disagree with Professor Cassel and with "Ohlooker." After I have provided for my necessities (say, for the year), I...

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Walling this hollow land

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Write something black that I Find hard to understand. Belshazzar in his hall, Belshazzar and those lords Saw suddenly on the wall Great crooked words A doom, a doom of fear ....

OUR ORIENTAL EMPIRE.

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[To THY EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR:1 SIR,—Your article on " Our Oriental Empire " in the Spectator impels me to put to you, and through you to the doctrinaires, Plato's...

THE THEATRE.

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" THE BEGGAR'S OPERA " : 100TH PERFORMANCE. ON September 1st the production of The Beggar's Opera at the Lyric, Hammersmith, reached its 100th performance. I trust that all...

POETRY.

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SUMMER. SUMMER ! Summer ! What have yOu done? The dreams are flown; The lust of the sun Has overblown Daffodil, lily, and lilac bloom, Scattered their petals, hot bridegroom,...

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...

The Mptrtatar

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TERMS 01? SUBSCRIPTION. Including postage to any part of the Yearly. United Kingdom .. • • • • • • £2 1 2 OVERSEAS POSTAGE. Including postage to any of the British Dominions...

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BOOKS.

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THE IRISH REBELLION OF 1641.* LORD ERNEST HAMILTON, continuing his studies of Ulster history, has written an interesting book on the Plantation of 1610, the rebellion of 1641...

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THE LAND SETTLEMENT OF EX-SERVICE MEN IN THE DOMINIONS.* THIS

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need of a more productive cultivation of the land of the British Isles has its counterpart on a large scale in the Dominions. If it is necessary for our safety that agriculture...

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DR. GRENFELL OF LABRADOR.* THE famous doctor who has devoted

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himself for a generation past to caring for the poor fisher-folk of Labrador and Northern Newfoundland has written a profoundly interesting autobio- graphy. Dr. Grenfell is one...

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A CHILD OF THE ALPS.*

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THOSE who, while they like " reflective essays," " vignettes of travel," " idylls of the soil," and, above all, idylls of Alpine scenery, like them well stirred up with fiction...

A COMPANY OF TANKS.*

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MAJOR WATSON'S A Company of Tanks is a personal narrative. Perhaps to those who have not had the experiences which he describes his methods do not quite call up a picture. If we...

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FICTION.

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PEREGRINE IN LOVE.• Miss Fox &urn has chosen an attractive title for her story, which is excellent of its amphibious kind, though we could have done with more of the seafaring...

TROUT FISHING.*

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THERE is a certain type of sporting book—the subject, perhaps, is oftener shooting than fishing—which the reader lays down with irritation more than with envy. Its author is too...

The White Hen. By Phyllis Campbell. (Mills and Boon. 7s.

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6d. net.)—This book is most arresting to the English reader, although as fiction it is full of faults, having an invincible senti- mentality and a fairy tale quality which...

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SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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[Notice in this column does not necessarily preclude subsequent review.] THE SartaWtiaa Maoazarras.—The Nineteenth Century contains a long account by Captain Francis McCullagh...

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New Light on the Pilgrim Story. By the Rev. T.

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W. Mason and the Rev. B. Nightingale. (Congregational Union. 7a. 6d. net.)—This interesting but somewhat discursive volume consists of short essays on some of the men who went...

The Fall of the Birth-rate. By G. Udny Yule. (Cambridge

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University Press. 4s. net.)—This statistical inquiry into a difficult problem leads the author to conclude that married women in this country are not capable of bearing so many...

India at the Crossings. By Lord Meston. (Cambridge University Press.

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3s. 6d. net.)—Lord Meston's recent Rede Lecture is, in effect, an admission that the Montagu-Chelmsford scheme is a gamble. He points out that India has never known anything...

We have received a copy of Beardmore News, a works

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journal published weekly at threepence for the many thousands of work- people employed by William Beardmore and Company. It is a well-written and well-illustrated paper, in...

The Advancement of Science, IWO. f Murray. 6s.)—The British Association

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has done a very sensible thing in publishing in one compact pamphlet, at a moderate price, the presidential and sectional addresses delivered at its Cardiff meeting. These...

To its scholarly and valuable series of " Helps for

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Students of History " the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge has just added Seals, by H. S. Kingsford (Is. 3d. net)—a, compact sketch of an interesting branch of...

Zanzibar. By Major F. B. Pearce. (T. Fisher Unwin. 30s.

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net.)—The British Resident at Zanzibar has written an admirable history and description of the Sultanate, including Pemba. He shows that the islands have always been important...

Secrets of Crewe House. By Sir Campbell Stuart. (Hodder and

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Stoughton. 7s. 6d. net.)—This interesting book describes the work done by Lord Northcliffe as Director of Propaganda in Enemy Countries from February to November, 1918. The...