THIS WEEK'S BOOKS
IN More Changes, More Chances (Nisbet) Mr. II. W. Nevinson continues his reminiscences. He paints himself (paradoxical as ever) as a quiet, peaceable man, shrinking with horror from all strife and noise. " I seek peace and ensue it, and the sweet reasonableness that Swift and Matthew Arnold com- mended is in me carried to an excess that falls into hesitation." Did Swift commend sweet reasonableness ? Then, perhaps, we have a similar turn of mind there to Mr. Nevinson's ; the same moderation deliberately abandoned for the sake of polemics—or, perhaps, the same self-deception. But it is good fun to follow Mr. Nevinson through all his disputes and arguments, and to read his running comment, designed to show us how uncontentious and mild he really was through it all. It is pleasant to see his wide-eyed protests, as when he remarks, of his leaders for the Nation, that they were
• " sometimes cut all to pieces as being ' too violent '—an amazing charge to bring against a man of timid moderation." He quotes, as a suitable epitaph for himself, the comment upon him made by the editor of a prominent Bombay paper : " Outwardly he has the appearance of a gentleman, but . at heart he is no better than a Socialist." Mr, Nevinson has been through many adventures, and has had his hand in many notable events.; he carried with him a quick and vigorous intelligence ; and he writes with that utter freedom from stylisms and difficulties which is the particular virtue of the ablest journalists. _
Previous page
