22 SEPTEMBER 1917, Page 20

SOME BOOBS OF THE WEEK.

Malice in this column does set neceesarily Mead, cnbcdPeni The August number of The New East, the new magazine no ably edited by Mr. Robertson-Scott (Tokyo : 12 Ichibei -Cho Niehomo, Azahu ; London : 30 Southampton Street, Strand), which has just reached this country, is as good al its predecessors. All those who care for and are intematsd in things Japanese and in the problems of the Empire of the Far East will be delighted with the charm and variety of its contents. On the present occasion wo must be content with the quotation of the following letter from one of the correspondents of the paper :- " Stn,—Viscount Bryee's article in the July number of Tits New East is most opportune in that it explains once more why the Allies are at war with the Central Powers. But the Viscount's article has a very inappropriate ending, namely : ' We may hope that the German people, a people which in time past we hove admired for its many intellectual gifts, will shake off the yoke of their tyran- nical Government and will, as a free nation, again cultivate good relations with the rest of the world. The desire of the Allies, as they have repeatedly declared, is not to ruin the German people, but to prevent the present rulers of Germany from continuing to threaten the peace and progress of mankind by their aggressive designs.' Lord Bryce apparently holds the same theory as the President of the United States. President Wilson declared in the American Congress that by declining war on Germany America only fights the Gorman Government and not the German peopiej But why only the German Government and net the German people ? Has the German people shown during the War any superiority in morals and chivalry over its Government ? Haa any section of the Gorman people openly protested against the wanton barbarism of the German Army and Navy, backed by the German Govern- ment f Have any Germans--main and female—protested against the invasion of Belgium and the wholesale meausere of Belgian civilians, men, women and children ? Or against the poisoning of wells in France and Africa ? Or against the violations of women ? Or against the bombardments of unfortifled ports, resulting in the death of hundreds of civilians, especially women and children Or against the baby-killing campaigns of the Zeppelins ! Or against the sinking of the' Luelitania,` resulting in the loss of 1,200 souls', The answer to all these questions in an emphatic ' No I ' How then can we honestly declare that we are only fighting the Gorman Government and not the German people ? If Germany comes out victorious—I only say if—the Gorman Government will surely see to it that the Allied peoples are crushed beyond all chances of recovery. In that case, is it likely that the German people will protest against it ? Will a people which lute countenanced all the acts of indecency and barbarism perpetrated during the War by its Army and Navy, backed by its Government. be likely to protest against similar acts after the War f—Yours truly, S. R. ow C J085."