5 AUGUST 1911

Page 1

We cannot find space to describe in detail all the

The Spectator

politica comings and goings of the week which have led to the results which we have just sketched. Some of them have ceased to be important, and some are still too confidential...

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

The Spectator

O N Wednesday the House of Lords will receive the Parlia- ment Bill and decide its fate. The Government have decided to assume, and as we think wisely, that the Lords'...

Once more we assert our confident belief that commonsense will

The Spectator

prevail and that in the last resort there will be a sufficient number of wise, moderate, and independent-minded peers to say that party spite and party fury shall not wreck the...

We must apologize to our readers for our reiteration of

The Spectator

this point, but it is the essential factor of the new situation, and therefore we have felt bound to make it absolutely clear. The notion to which the Halsburyites have been...

* a * The Editors cannot undertake to return Manuscript in any

The Spectator

case.

A point of very great importance must be noted in

The Spectator

the determination of the Government to run the risk of their Bill being defeated in the Lords with all the inconveniences and delays which would then arise owing to the...

Page 2

Turkey is also claiming sovereignty over the head waters of

The Spectator

the Gulf. For more than fifty years Great Britain has lighted and buoyed the bar across the mouth of the Shatt-nl-Arab- the British India Company did it till last whiter, when...

Apart from these considerations we are by no means satisfied

The Spectator

that the Chamberlain-Smithite section of the Unionists will be in the least placated by Mr. Balfour's action. If it had been arranged with them that they should in the course of...

On Wednesday a very considerable sensation was caused by the

The Spectator

announcement by Mr. Balfour that he would move a Vote of Censure on the Government, a - Vote which it has been arranged shall take place on Monday. Mr. Balfour also gave notice...

The Special Correspondent of the Times, who is writing articles

The Spectator

on "British Interests in the Persian Gulf," describes in Tuesday's paper serious and ominous aggressions by Turkey. Certain territory of the Sheikh of Koweyt has been occupied...

The British and Russian Legations at Teheran have addressed an

The Spectator

identical Note to the Persian Government announcing that their Governments recognize that the ex-Shah is no longer entitled to his pension. Further it is stated that the two...

We have dealt with the Morocco crisis elsewhere. All it

The Spectator

is advisable to say here is that on Friday the situation, though still very grave, showed some signs of amelioration. The secret of the conversations is well kept, and the...

In the House of Commons on Monday the Insurance Bill

The Spectator

was again discussed in Committee, the twelfth clause being considered. One of the provisions of this clause is to the effect that if an insured person is in a hospital no...

The Turkish Government has promised to grant virtually all the

The Spectator

twelve demands put forward by the Malissori in Albania. According to the papers of Friday the promise has been accepted. The Malissori were reluctant to trust the Turks, but...

After all commonsense is to prevail even in the conduct

The Spectator

of the Insurance Bill. The Government have decided that they will not proceed further with the Bill this summer, but that there shall be an autumn session at which its...

The Copyright Bill, as amended by the Standing Com- mittee,

The Spectator

came up for consideration in the House of Commons yesterday week. Mr. Booth moved that the Bill should be recommitted to a Select Committee on the ground that it had been...

Page 3

Two by-elections have been held since our last issue. The

The Spectator

vacancy in South-west Bethnal Green, caused by the appointment of Mr. Pickeragill to a Metropolitan Police magistrateship, has been filled by the return of Mr. Masterman....

The fourteenth and fifteenth clauses were disposed of in a

The Spectator

long sitting on Wednesday. The former of these raised the question of the terms to be accorded to doctors. 'Sir Philip Magnus moved an amendment to the effect that in the case...

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

The Spectator

Mar. 9th. Consols (2i) were on Friday 74--Friday week 78k. Bank Rate, 3 per cent., changed from 3t per cent. Mar. 9th. Consols (2i) were on Friday 74--Friday week 78k.

We have to record with much regret the death after

The Spectator

a brief illness of Dr. Paget, the Bishop of Oxford, the second of the four sons—all distinguished in different ways—of the late Sir James Paget. Dr. Paget, who was a brilliant...

Last Saturday the Canadian Parliament was dissolved and the General

The Spectator

Election was fixed for September 21st. The election, of course, will be fought almost entirely on the question of reciprocity with the United States. It is to be noted that the...

Last week the Court of Appeal gave a judgment which

The Spectator

puts an end to the " latchkey " vote. A latchkey occupier is one who rents rooms from a landlord who himself lives in the house. The Court of Appeal held that to retain his vote...

With the discussion of the thirteenth clause, which was taken

The Spectator

on Tuesday, the House reached the controversial portion of the Bill which decides the position of the doctors. The clause provides that the medical benefit shall be adminis-...

The appeal of Mr. Bottomley, M.P., against a verdict of

The Spectator

£50,000 returned by a jury before the Lord Chief Justice was dismissed by a majority of the Judges in the Court of Appeal on Monday. The case of the plaintiff, Mrs. Curtis, was...

Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The Spectator

THE CRISIS AND THE POSITION OF THE ICING "There was no sacrifice which he was not ready to make, no obloquy that he was not willing io incur, no misrepresentation that he was...

Page 5

GERMAN DIPLOMACY. A S the Franco-German negotiations, or rather conversa- tions—we

The Spectator

have not yet passed the point where, in diplomatic language, conversations become negotiations— are not yet completed, silence must still be imposed in regard to the details of...

Page 6

THE DOMINION NAVIES.

The Spectator

T EIE Naval defence scheme adopted by the Imperial Conference was presented to the Canadian House of Commons on Friday week. It was made known m Canada before it was...

Page 7

SOCIALISM AND THE INSURANCE BILL.

The Spectator

M R. LLOYD GEORGE'S Insurance Bill owed its momentary popularity to an error which it is sometimes very hard to avoid. The object of it was excellent. Sickness and unemployment...

Page 8

GOING TO SEA.

The Spectator

T HE country has learned with much satisfaction, but without surprise, that the King has decided that the Prince of Wales shall continue his training in the Navy. The Prince has...

Page 9

MY FRIENDS' CHILDREN.

The Spectator

S TORIES throwing a chance gleam of light upon the work.. ings of the childish mind are always popular, but few people attempt to analyse and classify them, or to draw any...

Page 11

SUMMER STORMS.

The Spectator

A MONG the remarkable features of the thunderstorms which broke over London on Friday and over various parts of the country on Saturday last week the most extra- ordinary were...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

The Spectator

AN AUSTRIAN VIEW OF THE MOROCCAN CRISIS. [TO THE EDITOR OP TEl "SPECTATOR ") Sin,—The following expresses an expert * opinion as coming from an Austrian diplomatic source :—"...

Page 12

THE LORDS AND THE VETO.

The Spectator

[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."1 SIR,—Are you not in your recommendation of the policy of surrender attaching too great an importance to the "'destruction of the House of...

THE CRISIS OF 1832.

The Spectator

[TO THE EDITOR OT THE " SPECTATOR."1 SIR,—I venture to send you enclosed letters which were writes to my grandfather, Sir James Stronge, Bart., by his step- father, Mr. William...

THE BALKAN PROBLEM.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR.") Sin,—Last summer you printed some correspondence on the position of the Vlachs (Macedo-Roumanians) in Macedonia. The following may...

THE VETO BILL.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR Or TRH "SPECTATOR."] SIR, —There are two points in connexion with the Veto Bill which do not seem to have received adequate consideration. First, the Lords have...

Page 13

HENRY GRAHAM DAKYNS.

The Spectator

[To Tlia EDITOR OF TB8 spserAms.~.1 Sin,—Henry Graham Dakyns was a dear friend of mine, and I read Mr. Plunket Greene ' s appreciation of him in the Spectator of July 22nd with...

10 Grafton Street, London, May 22nd, 1832. MY DEAR jicans,—I

The Spectator

have received your few lines this morning, and tho' I have nothing pleasant to communicate to you, still, in these extraordinary times, a line from headquarters is always...

THE NATIONAL INSURANCE BILL. [To mos EDITOR OF TSB "SPECTATOs.")

The Spectator

Sra,—At the present moment you may perhaps think the views of a general practitioner about the Insurance Bill will be of interest to your readers. I will try not to repeat...

Page 14

MR. DASENT'S "SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS."

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OP THY "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—In thanking you for the appreciative notice of my " Speakers of the House of Commons " in the Spectator of July 29th, may I be allowed...

THE SCENE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The Spectator

[To THE EDFTOR OF THR "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—As a political pariah, that is to say, a Unionist Free Trader, may I make an impartial comment on last week's scene in the House of...

THE AGRICULTURAL LABOURER AND THE INSURANCE SCHE ME. [To THE EDITOR

The Spectator

OF THE "SPECTATOR "] cordially agree with Mr. Buchanan's letter in your last issue. I am a country doctor, and I know, from personal experience, what a hard lot is the life of...

Page 15

IRISH TOURIST DEVELOPMENT.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SFECTATOB."1 SIR, —The Irish tourist season has rarely opened under more favourable auspices. The visit of their Majesties the King and Queen to Dublin...

SCOTTISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECS/TOR...1 SIR,—In the interesting review of Messrs. Eversley and Craie's "Marriage Laws of the British Empire" (Spectator, July 29th) your reviewer...

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."1 SIR,—Mr. Sutton Nelthorpe

The Spectator

begs the question entirely when he asserts that "the Free Churches are compassing the destruction of the Church of England." Nothing could be further from the minds of Free...

CHRISTIAN UNITY.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR:1 SIR,—I have followed with great interest the discussion on Christian Unity, not because I agree in the least with the views of yourself or...

Page 16

A CORONATION POEM FROM AUSTRALIA.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. " ] SIR—I venture to bring under your attention the subjoined verses which appeared in the " Argus " on the day following the Coronation. They...

Not backward through the grandeur of past years, Renown of

The Spectator

monarchs dead or pageants played, Shall turn our eyes when the new King appears In stateliest pomp arrayed, His royal throne by world-wide pillars stayed, But strain towards...

COWPER'S " RETIREMENT."

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR or THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—In Cowper's poem "Retirement" there occur the well- known lines on solitude :— "I praise the Frenchman, his remark was shrewd— How...

THE JOHN BULL ALPHABET.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") Szn,—I am entertaining the hypothesis that modern "accepted English " and the " conventional long and short vowels" (the John Bull alphabet,...

MENTAL ACTIVITY AND MEMORY.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR 01 THE "SPECTATOR.") find in the Spectator, page 65, on July 8th of this year a brief article which seems to be a statement in regard to some verse dreamed and...

Page 17

VETERAN RESERVE.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."1 SIR,—I notice in your issue of the 22nd instant a reference to the Scottish Veteran Reservists who were inspected by His Majesty the King. I...

TROUT STREAMS.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR—I am delighted to learn that your correspondent "R. K. H " finds Test trout "of pink flesh and very good to eat." I have never seen one...

THE WORDS " NINE " AND "NEW."

The Spectator

[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR, —Looking back to your issue of July 8th I notice that Mr. Mayhew just misses " the mark." He is right in saying that "eight" (oktou) is...

WHICH P

The Spectator

" BIRTH-DAT or Earth-day, Which the true mirth-day P Earth-day or birth-day, Which the well-worth day?"

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

The Spectator

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...

" DOTH."

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR. "] SIR, — Yonr correspondent, Mr. Howard Candler, says "doth" is "probably plural," instancing "The Holy Church dot h acknow- ledge Thee." If...

THE NAPLES SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR. "] SIR,—Would you kindly spare the space to acknowledge the receipt of £1 from " A reader of the Spectator and a great lover of animals " to...

THE VIGESIMAL AND DECIMAL SCALES.

The Spectator

[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR. "] SIR, —Surely the co-existence of the vigesimal and decimal scales can be explained by reference to the circumstances in which they...

FLORENCE.•

The Spectator

APRIL FIRST. " Conn, let us be the willing fools Of April's earliest day, And dream we own all pleasant things The years have reft away. 'Tis but to take the poet's wand, A...

Page 18

POETRY.

The Spectator

THE FEAST. Fly low swallows, Hills grow clear, All the little leaves know Someone's near. All along the hedgerow, Hark, and you shall her Little cups and saucers Clinking,...

BOOKS.

The Spectator

A HISTORY OF ENGLAND.* WE are told in the Preface that this attractive and stimulating book is written for all boys and girls who are interested in the story of Great Britain...

Page 19

TUDOR HOUSES.* A purely English style of domestic architecture was

The Spectator

born at the end of the Wars of the Roses and came to perfection under the Tudors, and lovers of it will welcome these two monumental folios. In them we have photographs,...

Page 20

VICTORIA I., EDOLTARD VIL, GEORGES V.* M. JAcquEs Beanoux, professor

The Spectator

in the Ecole des Sciences Politiques, is well known as one of the most capable—probably the most capable—of those French writers who colour their narratives of contemporary...

Page 21

THE ENGLISH SPIRIT.*

The Spectator

Fr would surely be mere affectation to refrain from acknow- ledging some transitory glow of Pharisaic satisfaction at the turn of opinion which latterly has brought across the...

Page 22

THE CHARM OF COPENHAGEN.* THE author of this book has

The Spectator

attempted far too much. Under the title of the " Charm of Copenhagen" she deals with Danish character and scenery, with past and present Danish art, literature, and science ;...

HISTORY OF THE LINLITHGOW AND STIRLINGSHIRE HIINT.t MR. RIITHERPHRD may

The Spectator

be congratulated on having made an interesting contribution to the history of foxhunting. His book is well written, he has worked laboriously in collecting material from...

Page 23

TRUTHS OR TRUISMS.t

The Spectator

Ma. STESEING might very well have added a third word to the title of his essays—Paradoxes. Now a paradox is often a very attractive thing to a reader, but it is apt to be trying...

'11:LE VOYAGE OF THE ' WHY NOT P

The Spectator

Da. CH1ECOT, who had commanded the Francais' in an earlier expedition, started in the Pourquoi Pas from Guernsey on September 5th, 1908, and reached Havre on June 4th, 1910....

MAGAZINES.

The Spectator

In the Nineteenth Century Professor J. H. Morgan discusses "The King and his Prerogative." The main purpose of his argument is to show that there is nothing arbitrary in the...

Page 25

NOVELS.

The Spectator

WHEN THE RED GODS CALL.* SUCH a novel as Miss Grimshaw's illustrates in a most forcible way the enormous change that has come over the woman novel-writer since the days—we will...

Page 26

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

The Spectator

[Under this hooding we setts. such Books of the wish so ham net been reserved for review in other forma.] William H. Seward. By Edward Everett Hale, Jun. (Phila- delphia: G. W....

An Exchange of Souls. By Barry Pain. (Eveleigh Nash. 25.

The Spectator

net.) —This is a pseudo-scientific novel with, as its theme, the experiment of an eminent doctor of exchanging souls with the young lady to whom he is engaged. His attempts are...

The Kingdom of Slender Swords. By Hallie Ermine Rives. (Everett

The Spectator

and Co. 6s.)—The Japanese part of this novel is far more attractive and original than the doings of the English persons round whom the story revolves. The aeroplane flight in...

The Escape Agents. By C. J. Cutcliffe Hyne. (T. Werner

The Spectator

Laurie. 6s.)—This is a collection of short stories, and through about half of them one thread of interest runs. The arrangement of the volume is most bewildering, as the stories...

Rssnanin NovELs.—Love—and the People. By Edith Anne Stewart. (Lynwood and

The Spectator

Co. 6s.)—A story which, as its title in- dicates, deals both with Socialism and with the tender passion. The heroine marries a working man, who fortunately is killed before she...

Page 27

Messrs. George Harrap and Co. send us tt series of

The Spectator

volumes entitled Harrap's Dramatic Readers. The " foreword" tells us that the series aims at serving three purposes : to arouse a greater interest in oral reading; to develop an...

To the series of " Baedeker Handbooks for Travellers" (T.

The Spectator

Fisher Malvin) has been added The Mediterranean, by Karl Baedeker, 12s. It should be explained that the volume contains more than the title, strictly taken, would indicate. The...

Dr. John Walker and " The Sufferings of the Clergy." By

The Spectator

G. B. Tatham, M.A. (Cambridge University Press. 6s.)—This essay, which obtained the Prince Consort Prize in 1910, is an eernA/Ant piece of work. Of John Walker we know little...