SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as hare not been reserved for review in other forms.] England Day by Day. By the Authors of " Wisdom While You Wait." (Methuen and Co. ls. net.)—To understand to the full all the fun in this little book is not, we take it, for every one. It shows that you must be " in the swim," that you are familiar with things before and behind the scenes, with politics, journalism, the drama, the music-hall,—In fact, with quidquid agunt homines. Still, readers who cannot boast so much knowledge may find abundance of entertainment in it. Such items as "Duke of Devonshire offered post of sleeper on the Baghdad Railway " ; the monthly recurrence of "Lord Rosebery reconciles Liberal party " ; "Mr. Winston Churchill, Lam Nov. 14, 1871," and "formulates his first Army scheme Nov. 15, 1871 " ; " Mr. Alfred Austin corks his face and is introduced to the President "; " Mr. McNeill asks King Leopold whether it is true that some cannibal soldiers of the Congo Free State, on being brought to Belgium, refused to eat Brussels sprouts,"—such things we all understand. Of course, it is not fair to the book to choose even the most ludicrous items. We have to get used to the atmosphere—this, it is true, is very soon done—and then we have as much laughter as is good for us, —possibly more. And we have the laughter without the amari aliquid. It is possible that some of the gentlemen and ladies whose names our authors make use of with a quite unrestricted freedom may " laugh with alien lips," but they certainly will not bear malice. The edge of the satire is sharp enough— "passive resisters armed to the teeth," for example=but it is never poisoned.
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