Lord Cecil disclosed a curious little bit of personal history in acknowledging the gift of his portrait (not, by thc 'iv, aln altogether eonvinleiiig portrait) oil MIonday....

I suppose it must be regarded as something of a tribute to Lancashire that Blackpool should be about to ac(qluicI the largest hotel in Europe. With its 2,500 rooms it n1uit...

The commemoration of " the founder of Australil ' reminds me of the platform speaker (Mr. Norwood, (AL the City Temple, I believe) who remarked of tlec Australians that " after...

When years ago-in 1910, I think-MIr. Seebolllii RIowntree published his well-known book, Pot-erty, the figure (21s. 8d.) he gave as the minimum necessary Ior the bare...

I have been a great deal interested in the autobiography of The Times, for that seems the right description of the slender volume issued from Printing House Sqtuar(. recording...

Let Mr's. Mtooney land in England ! ' F'romlI the st rangers gallery of the House of Commons oll Wednesday tllis demand was ma(le, ill tones that reminded the ol(ler mnenmhers...

A Spectator's Notebook I WISH I had s.pace to discuss a(1cdluatelv the very interesting. but to myv mind very disputable, observation made by 'Mr. Oliver Stanley in the debate...

BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE. It must always be to the credit of Britain that slit was the first to recognize all that was involved ini fllis problem of War Debts an(l Reparations, and...

POST-WAlI CONDITIONS. 'Not one of these conditions, however, wvas fullilljl and without going into the question of wlhlether tlu, amount of War Debts and Reparations, as...

TImE STR AIN ON GOLD AiN-D CREDIT. This, in its turn, required increased settlemeit. of Debts through shipments of gold, and this gold Ahlet received bv the United States was...

TiIt. RF.ki, Pj(oBiF.-M. 'Moreover, 'while the shipment at thle present mom-lent td about £19,000,000 in gold or the remittance of the e(quttivalent of that amount inl dollar...

ABNORMAL INFLUENCES. - 1)iirincg the four years of the War Germnans and the European allies were in the position of having to receive from the neutral eountries enormous stores...

Finance-Public & Private The War Debts Problem ' On tiebte and( reparations we have been the school-mistress of ]Europe. lYo have spent years in e(lucating France with such...

PiR 1E-XIVXR EQi -ILITIBRIIl %1. Previous to the War-and although protective tariffs, esIecially in the United States, were in existenceflhere was a more or less general...

THE JUNIOR OUTLINE OF HISTORY By I. 0. Evans 'Tliis is a Welilsian -world-history for the fourleen-vear-old, l)ase(l on AMr. I1. (. Wells' Oulline of Ilist/ory, and appcarinag...

THl DECEMBER REVIEWS The (onleniporary, among several timeily articl(s. 1iis an interesting study of The Second Roosevelt "-the Presidentelect-by Mr. S. K. Rateliffe, who,...

Current Literature A SHORT HISTORY OF BRITISH COLONIAL POLICY By H. E. Egerton 'I'lTe late Profe-.,sor Egerton's Shart Histor/y of Brilish (olonaijl Policy, 1(606-1909 is so...

CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN ENGLAND Bv F. J. Harvey Darton 1( Ias talen several centuries for ehildren's books to Lecome natural. In the years hefore Alice they all had morals and...

BRITISH SLAVE EMANCIPATION By W. L. Mathieson The precise effects of abolition of slavery in the Acst Indies and Mlauritius have seldom been studied in recent years, so that...

Regulating Dog-Racing 'rTe (dceision o( the Goverriinulit. to !acilitalte the progress of a private Ateinher's ic:istire is rare eniouglh Ioxwadavs, an(l there is every reison...

A League of Nations Prophet No tribute Avis ever b)(tter merited tliain that paid to Lord ceeil of (cliciood oil lMondty, whlieni his portrait b! Mr. (le Laszlo wa1S p)resented...

Iniprisonment for Debt Most readers of The Pickwzick Pape)s or Little Dorrit jI¢;tiLiUlc that imprisoned debtors, 'hom Dickens described 1his own father's experience, vanished...

A London Desecration Loiidon is apt to be self-centred about its own affairs, hu)lt, after all, such a thoroughfare as the Mall belonlgs ilot. to London, but to the whole of...

A New Health Conscience Sir George Newnian, the Chief Medical Offleer of the Woard of Education, relieves a wlidespread anxiety by leclaring in his report for last y-ear that...

Conquering Distemper Victory over distemper in dogs is something comnl1ara"ble to victory over tuberculosis in human beings. Indeed it means a grood deal more than that, for...

The Victory at Sydney Thc Test Match victory comiies at a 1i10i11('1t vhCII any piece of cheerful newvs from a.wlIere is welcomic, and the more iopular daily pape)s s0oo1 put...

Gramophone Notes TIlE recording of Sir Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto in B minor by Yehudi Menuhin and the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer (H.M.V....

Prosperity in Agriculture BY VISCOUINT LyMIN-CTON, M.P. IN last week's issue of the Spectator some very I pertinent questions were asked about our agricultural position. From...

MORE INIM-SQUASIT. In the many discussions of late of the threat of the musquash, musk-rat, or if you will Fiber Zibeticiis, it is curious that little or nothing has been said...

FOREIGN WOODCOCK. A considerable number of students are attempting to number birds of various species. I gave the other day a rough list of the enumerated species, including...

SCOUTS AND STARLIN'GS. A leader of " Rovers," or adult boy scouts, has obtained for me through his team of skilful observers some very interesting figures about the number of...

'The truth. I suppose, is, that our climate is indeed suitable to the plant, but unsulitalble to its harvesting. The mechanizers hold that the new drying processes virtually...

Country Life TH'IlE WHIEAT PLANTr. It has been said lv Sir Rowland Bilfin (who has done 'eonian " service for wheOatgrowing, if he will excuse the paronomnasia, play ')o'...

His hostility to wheat has suggested to Mr. Street a very neat and pretty little comparison; and though " analogy is no argumient " as my Oxford tutor used to say, it may...

NIIXED SEASONS. The charming vagaries of our climate have prodtucu side by side the flowers of summer and winter with soeie surprising effects. Who, for example, could have...

T'ventv-four lhours later those two came to sily gro(I-I)yC to me. They m-ere goingl home. .No more I f Pe Pe " for them; their bare legs wvere torn. As for " Dturme Durme...

A Firefly to Steer By 13Y STEIJ.1 1 BENSON. T WILL tell no more--I will write no morC about the rooted sights and established enterprises of l)laces Visite(l on my journeys....

A Polite Accomplishment The Art of Carving. By the Rev. Dr. John Trusler. (Callnl)l iblrti University Press. 2s. 6d.) DR. TRUSLEIR, from whose Ilonours of the Table these...

Mr. Davies' New Lyrics Poems 1930--31. B3y W1'. H. Davies. (Ca)e. 3s. 6d.) THAT there sllOul(1 be voluminious commentary on certain kinds of poetry is not hard to understand...

Poetry In These Our Winter Days INi these our minter days Death's iron tongue is glib Numbing with fear all flesh upon A fiery-hearted globe. An age onee green is buried....

Interregnum Ur-i-i.ci the fever this long convalescence. Chapped blood and growing pains, waiting for lift., Turning away fronm hope, too du1ll for speculation. How (li( We...

Music Ba"'s Fourth Symphony N-,,x of the conspicuous success with which 1Bax's Fourth synyphony had been played under Mr. Basil Cameron at San lFnrancisco last March was...

It is arguable, obviously, that tc whole sittlatioII i'(Mt better bc faced finally now. That, no doubt, is (Ile of the questions Mr. MAacDonald and M1r. Chainverlain Wvcit to...

News of the Week THIEF American Debt paymient falls (ldue next Thursday, landl while there is every reason to believe it wvill b)c (dill made so far as this country is...

Clearer Skies in Germany General von Scllcicher's new government is making a better start than its p)redecessor. The Rcichstag is in session and has settled down to steady work...

Correspondence TIain Street and the Debts [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] St. Louis, M1o. Sin,- In the coming colossal struggle with the debts and reparations of the World...

Early Lives of Milton Trhe Early Lives of Milton. IClit"l b\- Helen ).iilij. X ,,istable. lmps.) ,1'111.!1 is 1)erhaps no man wvio has sustained more bioglraphizing t -1n...

Marshal Joffre as Historian The Miemoirs of Marshal Joffre. 'I'i~nwInt'd lo ('ol. '1. Bent It Mott andi Lt.-t'ol. Is .J. Lowe. Two Volunles. (("Voffrev Ble.-. 1 8. each)...

Fiction By L. A. G. STRONG The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for God. liv Bcrnard Shlam. (Constable. 2s. 6d1.) Two Tales of Shem and Shaun. By James Joyce....

The Persian Oil Dispute Neither the Persian Government nor anyone else h1a; so far produced any facts tending to justify that Gov-ern. ment's action in cancelling the...

The Prohibition Fight The anti-Prohibition leaders in Washington have provide(d the American peolelc with one more example of the ironies of national Prohibition. After the...

Rent Restriction The thorny question of limiting the war rcstrictions on house rent is faced at last, and on the whole very fairly, in the Government's new Bill, which follows...

The New Housing Programme Full consi(leration of the Government s housing proposals must be deferred till the text of the new Bill is available, which. it is not as we write....

The Decision on Manchukuo In ulis wise and conciliatory speech at the dinner given in his honour on Tuesday Lord Lytton made it clear that his Commission reached unanimious...

TIlE LIMITATION OF ARMAMNENTS [To tIle Editor of the SPEcTATroR.1 .ill:. A a constant rea(ler of your paper and others, I haVe been following the various I)rol)osals for the...

"GOLDEN HORN" AND TIHE TURKS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Siit,--May I obtain, through your courtesy, a hearing ill the interest of truth ? An absorbing book by Mr....

CURRI('ULA AND CAREERS I To the Editor of the SPECTATrO1u. Sll,-Whatever one may think of General Curling's eritjciziii of the school curriculum, lie is clearly in error in...

Dangers at Geneva T HlIE I)isarmamenit ConLerencCe has plasse(d into a v-ery T questionable p)hase. I notlicial Five Power eon-crsations, fronm which b)oth the President of the...

Our Northern Neighbours N EGOTIATIONS arc at present in progress or inl train between this country and three of its Northern Eiuropean ncighbotirs, Norway, Sweden and Denmark....

THIl 1B1R ITISI N l\STITUTE OF PHI( I LOSOPYIIX' I IT) t/Ce (IiIir oif IMe S. xIATOR. Miii.-- The Illectill to conlilleillorate thle ter(celitllar of Spinoza was held under the...

YEAH.R D)RA\W'S TO THlE -GOLD)EN PRIME" 1I'T the Editor of the Si TT l.. Smu.----efore the year lhas (uite riun out, let ine call your attention to a strange (liality in its...

INTERNATIO-NAL MORALITY I'J'o the Editor of the SI'Exr.kroT.] Sin,-(Claudiaii mjiayx, perluips, be pliermitte(d to couimmoent oil the p)rcsent initerniationial situatio : ". al...

TfHE SPIRIT OF FEAR [To t11 Editor of the SPEcTrATOR] SIR.--It is possible to exaggerate the part played by fear in prinitive religion, and not all anthropologists arc agreed...

HOUSING SUBSI1)IES [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.J SilIt--'rThe article by Mr. B. Seebolni RoNvntrec in vo-o 'lSt issue raises the question whether ]housing suibsidlies '(111...

Letters to the Editor [Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reason ably pos.si7le. The mo!s suitable length is that of one of our INews of the Week...

THIE COLONN (OLONI ES ITo the ],editor (of All SA c'ri'.i'ioit. 1 Sm. -- My attention has been drawn to somnc letters publislled in the Sjpwclator re the Cerman Colonies,...

Radio drama still continues to draw the majority of its more important contributions from adaptations of novels and stage plays. These adaptations are often ingeniousbut they...

For the disadvantage of Effects, in any form of radio drama, is that they have been so fully publicized that it is now impossible to listen to any play in which they are at all...

The E lgar Festival closes next week, with a Symphony Concert (devoted to The Kingdonm) on WednesdaY, and a perforlmance of Falstaff on Sunday. We have heard all the major...

The Radio Review Tin.; Saturday night broadcast trials, " Consider your Verdict," end next week. The series looked far better on paper than it proved to be in reality....

Passant Regardant Ticanto BY PETER ILEMING. A THIN, curious, and wavering ery eame out of the A scrub in front of us. We stop)ped. Ever-th ing was jigging in the heat. Again...

Ourselves and Spinoza 13Y Silt HERBERT S--%.%tL-Li,. H E seems remote froni us, this B3aruclh Spinoza: remote in time-we have been celebrating a few day-s ago. the...

.. Applying reason to realityl he saw that by no J)ossi- AilitV could the universe as we know it be self-contained "(1 Ielf-sufficing. There must be Deity as wvell. And...

It is at (oIUIIIollphiee to say t hat wc fix-( ill a} og( f Or iItellectiaC l oliltisioi0. TIhie imip)1act of s(cinc 1ip( 1o the okl( orth o1o(oxies (doinii1etCs anl(d...

The Works of Pindar The Works of Pindar. Translated with Literary. and Critical Commentaries bv Lewis Richard Farnell, D.Litt. 3 vols. with Illustrations. Translation in...

What Young China Learns Nationalism and Education in Modern China. By Cyrus If. I'eake. (Oxford University Press. 19s.) IN this timely monograph the lecturer in Chinese at...

The Young Child The Moral Judgment of the Child. By Jean IPiaget. (Kegaii Paul. 12s. Od.) IN this book M. Jean Piaget conducts an investigation into the moral judgement of...

Erotion Love Lyrics from Five Centuries. E dited by George G. Ilarrap. Ilarrap. 12s. 6d.) IN appearance this voluirc belongs more to the category of album" than that of...

The Book of the Month Stamboul Train. By Grahttm Greene. (Heinemaiii. 7s. 6(1.) IT is good and reassuring to see widespread recognition come to an artist who has all the time...

A Christian's Faith-II BE- Siin ARNOLD WIILXSO. 'The lthird arlicle in this series, to ap)peaCr f next zvcehk, is by D)r. Rcmavley Glover, Public Orator at Cambridge.] I...

The Navy of To-morrow Imperial Defence and Capture at Sea in War. By Admisal Sir H. WA'. Richmond. (Hutchinson. lOs. 6d.) Tills book brings the subject of Imperial Defence...

The Modern Home " This Foreign Stuff" IIoN% often does one hear it urged against modern architecture tlmat it is German or, still more horrible thought, RussianIt any rate, it...

The Diminution of Poverty By R. C. K. ENsoni. PULAITING on one side temporary conditions due to a worldcrisis whtich for the moment obscures normialit-, where do we stand...