Letters to the Editor
Side Lines of History Professor Desmond Williams Photographs in Munich William Gregory `Dear Sir or Madam' R. E. Simms Railway Safety H. Brebner Science and the Philosopher's Stone W . J. Sparrow Reporting Bishops Douglas Brownie Top' Fiction J. W. Drawbell. Victor Anant The German `Miracle' John Allan May The New Colonialists C. G. Lynain Stalky and Co. H. P. Croom-Johnson Soft Soap B. L. Day National Service Michael Leainium
SIDE LINES OF HISTORY SIR,—Sir Lewis Namier, in his introduction, recom- mends 'a reading of the essay to those who regret the destruction of the Habsburg monarchy.' If this is not a practical purpose,, what is? It is not the date of publication, but of composition, which matters. Since the essay on the downfall of the Habsburg monarchy is, on his own statement, the fruit of his war work. when did Sir Lewis first formulate the thesis contained in the essay?
The title of the chapter to which he refers reads 'line Amide Amoureuse' with the subtitle 'Francis Joseph and Frau Schratt.' 1 apologise.
Concerning his final query; Sir Lewis is 'staggered' to find Lueger, leader of the clerical Christian Social- ists, included among the German Nationalists. He must remain staggered. Karl Lueger was a German Nationalist (not a pan-German) 'between 1876 and 1891; and even in 1897 he joined with other German Nationalists in the protest against the Badeni Decree (April 5, 1897) which placed the Czech language on a position of legal equality with German in Bohemia. Sir Lewis would surely not deny that Sir Winston Churchill was once a Liberal, even if he ended his political career as leader of the Tory Party. Sir Lewis may be staggered further to learn that the variety of attitudes and behaviours among German Nationalists was even greater, that Victor Adler, the Jewish leader of the Austrian Marxists, was also for a considerable number of years a German Nationalist.—Yours faithfully,
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