CURRENT LITERATURE.
THE QUARTERLIES.
The Edinburgh Review opens with a very able and judicious article on "The Political Situation." The writer is convinced that the main issue at the Election was Free-trade, though the electors had made up their minds on the question long before the actual Dissolution. He thinks that whatever fate be reserved for the present Government, it will never be replaced by a Protec- tionist Administration, and that if the Conservative Party remains attached to its present fiscal creed it will stay out of office till the Greek Kalends. The writer also protests—a view we thoroughly agree with—against the policy of the Opposition trying to "corner" the Government on certain extreme utterances with regard to Chinese labour,—a course both short-sighted and unpatriotic. He defends the appointment of the Franchise Com- mission, and urges that the mistake England has always made in South Africa is trying to do things in a hurry. Turning to the composition of the new House of Commons, he welcomes the presence of a large Labour contingent, but points out the change which this implies in the way of regarding questions like payment of Members and old-age pensions. " In the old House they were resisted on principle ; in the new House they are simply postponed on the ground that ways and means are not available for dealing with them." The main difficulty of the new Government will be finance, and the writer argues in favour of giving the poorer classes some direct interest in the reduction of direct taxation by extending the House-tax to all houses of the value of £10, and making it rise and fall with the Income-tax,—a suggestion which is worth serious consideration, provided that there is a corresponding lightening of indirect taxation.—An article, "Criticisms of Life in Ireland," deal withthe diagnosis of the ills of Ireland provided by certain recent novelists, notably Mr. George Moore and Mr. George A. Birmingham. Mr. Moore's thesis is that the Church in Ireland is killing all the interest of life in the people, Mr. Birmingham's that the power of the Church is dependent upon English control and would weaken under Home-rule. The writer, while admitting a certain truth in both views, gives good reasons for thinking that they are greatly exaggerated. On one point he agrees with the writers he criticises. "The central, the essential fact about Ireland, is not the power of the priesthood, but the reality of Ireland's religious life."—In "Some Aspects of International Law" the view is maintained that large portions of international usage are now fit to be formulated in a code, and by such codifica- tion made binding on civilised nations.—A learned article on "Canning and the Treaty of Tilsit" discusses the various theories as to where Canning got the news from Tilsit which led him to destroy the Danish Fleet, and comes to the conclusion that he acted by a kind of foresight, without any adequate information. —Of the other papers, we would especially commend a charming study of "In Memoriam" in the light of Tennyson's own corrections.
In an admirably written article in the Quarterly on "The Political Situation" it is argued that the swing of the pendulum was due to an "aggregate of divers unpopularities." The result was a general impression of some conspiracy on the part of pluto- cracy and privilege, and the masses took the opportunity of showing their power as against the classes. The election cries were, however, mainly conservative and negative, which is a new lesson in political tactics. Mr. Balfour's statesmanship is commended, but his party leadership strongly criticised. The writer does not dread the growth of the Labour Party, which is helpless without Liberal support, but regrets the weakness of the Conservative Opposition, which must continue till Chamber- lainism is frankly relinquished. "Then we shall be clear of the damning imputation of plutocracy ; then we shall be able to welcome an understanding with that large body of, moderate Liberal opinion which is so plainly ill at ease where it is." The paper on "The Education Bill" condemns unsparingly the Government measure. It considers that the only remedy for the difficulty lies in the adoption and adaptation of "some principle like the allocation of rates by members of different religious bodies to separate schools maintained by their own bodies, which is in force in Canada, or like the special provision of religious instruc- tion for minorities, at local and national charges, adopted in Prussia."—"The Government and South Africa" is an elaborate examination of the Constitutional questions involved in Lord Elgin's recent action. One principle is maintained which we have often emphasised in these columns,—that the Empire is not a monopoly of either party, and that "any British Cabinet must be assumed to desire to cherish the fortunes of each colony and dependency as jealously as they foster the prosperity of these islands."—Other papers of note in an excellent number are a study of the Disruption of 1843, and of Candlish, who more than Chalmers was the real motive force in the movement ; a sensible article on "Trade Unions and the Law "; and a remarkably brilliant. and subtle study of Antony and Cleopatra, by Professor A. C. Bradley. Coleridge praised the play for its impression of "angelic strength," and Professor Bradley analyses with great charm and insight the sources of this "happy valiancy of style."
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