A VOLUME OF REMINISCENCES.*
THE name of James Stuart would have been more familial- fifteen years ago than it is now. He had then been for some years a Liberal member of Parliament, not exactly belonging to the "extreme left," but not far removed from it. He sat for Hoxton for sixteen years (1886-1900), lost his seat in the " khaki " election, was returned for Sunderland when Radi- calism had its flood time in 1906, and lost it again in the partial ebb of 1910, He was also a member of the London County Council for eighteen years, for half the time as an alderman and for half as representing Huggerston. He does not say much about this part of his life. He admires, as ie not unnatural,. the work of the Progressive party in the Council, and thinks that it was a mistake to burden that body with the care of education. His reminiscences of Parliament are chiefly personal. He makes a noteworthy remark on House of Commons speaking as having changed from the oratorical, as represented by Mr. Gladstone, to the colloquial, which we owe, it seems, to Mr. Joseph Chamberlain and to the closure. If you know that your time for speech is limited you do not use "frills." Memories of childhood and boyhood occupy nearly half the volume, and we find among them not a few pleasant little pictures of Scottish life as it was in early Victorian days. Not the least interesting is that of the some- what heterodox grandmother with her admiration for Pope and the Universal Prayer. In 1862 Mr. Stuart went lip to Cambridge, having won a minor scholarship at Trinity College—the minor scholarship was then a recent invention, filling up the time which commonly intervened before the gaining of the scholarship proper. He graduated as Third Wrangler, was elected Fellow in the following year, and elected First Professor of Applied Mechanics in 1875. The Cambridge chapter is, perhaps, the best in the book, to many readers at least, so well known are the characters which cross the stage. One good story we must quote. In the mimeo of conversation the subject of Socialism had turned up and was hotly debated. " What really we ought to have," said the Socialist champion, "is all things in common." One of the company, mute till then, exclaimed, " What about false teeth P "
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