The Quarterly.
An anonymous and well-informed writer discusses " Ger- many's Capacity to Pay " with abundant facts and figures. He is convinced that the multiplication of the paper currency till it has become worthless masks a great deal of real wealth. He maintains that, if German workmen .cared to increase their output to the pre-war standard, Germany could easily become solvent. Her taxes are light and are not seriously enforced, large sums are being spent on public works, and the State railways are deliberately run at a heavy loss. Germany, he infers, is a fraudulent bankrupt. Sir Charles Bright sets forth the reasons for " An Imperial Air Policy," such as, to a large extent, has recently been adopted by the Cabinet, though it was in effect discountenanced by the Geddes Com- mittee. He does not overstate the case for developing civil aviation, which will bring the scattered parts of the Empire into closer touch with one another. Mr. F. Whyte gives an interesting personal sketch of M. Poineare, who, he thinks, is greatly misunderstood by many Englishmen. Sir A. Griffith-Boscawen reviews the housing question in an informing article ; he expresses the hope that sufficient houses will be built by the end of 1925 to enable both sub- sidies and rent restrictions to be brought to an end. Mr. Geoffrey Drage, in a valuable article on " The Dole and Demoralization," states the reasons why " the Government should render an accurate account of the public money annually spent and professed to be spent on public assistance. If this were done, an " immense sum " now spent from rates and taxes might, he thinks, be saved. We are glad that Mr. Drage continues to advocate so clearly and temperately this most necessary measure of reform ; no one knows how much is being spent or whether it is spent wisely or waste- fully. The Dean of St. Paul's has a notable article on " Catholicism at the Cross-roads." " No one supposes," he observes, " that Protestantism as we have known it in the nineteenth century has a great future " ; but he is none the less convinced that the Roman Church will not regain its old sway over England, because our national character forbids. We must draw attention also to a warmly appreciative estimate of Coventry Patmore's prose and poetry by Mr. John Freeman and to an engaging paper by Mr. Granville Barker on " The Heritage of the Actor," who, he thinks, is too much subordinated nowadays to the author and the scene-painter.
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