The Kingdom. By H. E. Goad. (William Heinemann. 6s.) —The
main interest of this reflective writer's book does not lie in the plot, but in the views conveyed of the Catholic Church in Italy to-day. The story tells of a clever boy brought up by an affectionate father in a studious, unworldly atmosphere. After reading much modern philosophy he goes into business, hoping to marry a beloved cousin. She, how- ever, falls in love with his great friend, and our hero takes orders as a friar. Through the man's weakness the married pair fall apart, and are brought together at the end by their friend. Interspersed are chapters which do not carry the story forward, but illuminate the general picture and show the development of an ecstatic saintliness mingled with practical goodness and intellectual power. Mr. Goad seems to have little sympathy with modernism, but sensibly accepts its advance as inevitable. It is sad to find that one who knows Italy so well should believe that economic progress is destructive of real religion. The fault cannot be in co- operation and such movements themselves, though the progressive leaders may have wearied of external mediaeval- ism and swung with a false impetus towards atheism. The author finds the modernist historian's position remote from the real issue, because he (the modernist) sees in the Church "no more than a survival of an obsolete intellectual or political tradition, while ignoring her unique embodiment of spiritual life." But again, "if the Church is losing power over the modern world, it is not from intellectual but spiritual reasons." In this way the writer reveals his consciousness that the essential work of the Church must lie in spiritual matters, and if she lags there she is doomed. The writing is generally careful: only once (on p. 103) is there a sentence where epithets seem overloaded verbiage.
In Old Madras. By Mrs. B. M. Croker. (Hutchinson and Co. 6s.)—Mrs. Croker here describes the adventures of a young man in India in search of an uncle who has disappeared. The hero gets on the track of all the people in the country who are living in temporary seclusion, and the result of his adventures is like that prophesied by Stevenson as the outcome of indiscreet questions : "Some bland old bird is knocked over in his back garden, and the family have to change their name." The book is as cheerful as Mrs. Croker's work usually is, and it has the conventional happy ending.
READABLE NOVELS.—Unposted Letters. (Mills and Boon. 6s.)—A series of letters addressed by a young journalist to the woman whom he has loved and lost sight of. As both characters are entirely shadowy it is impossible to feel much interest in either of them, though the book is pleasantly written.—Olivia's Latchkey. By Hubert Bland. (T. Werner Laurie. 2s.)—Another story told in correspondence, but here the characters meet frequently between the letters. There is a good deal of clever work in the book, though the plot is not remarkable for originality.
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