2 JULY 1937

Page 1

X FROM JULY 2nd TO DECEMBER 31st, 1937, INCLUSIVE. . IN

The Spectator

TOPICS OF THE BDULLAH, the Emir • - 233 ..j-k Adam, H. Pearl, Article by.. 417 Agriculture and Defence .. 793 — a Balanced Ahmed Ali, Article by .. 796 Air Flight at High...

Page 4

Printed in Great Britain by W. SPBAIGHT AND SONS, LTD.,

The Spectator

98 and 99 Fetter Lane, London,_ E.C. 4, and published by Tali SPECTATOR, LTD., at their offices, No. 99 Gower Street, London, W.C. I-Friday, January 28, 1938.

Page 5

NEWS OF THE WEEK

The Spectator

T HE interest in Spanish affairs lies still in the diplomatic field rather than the military. No fighting of import- ance is taking place, the advance of General Franco's forces...

The Franc in Danger Monday's debate at Westminster was swiftly

The Spectator

followed by the announcement of the new French Government's measures to restore financial stability, which involve allowing the franc to sink once more flow its exchange rate of...

The Exchange Account Last week it was announced that the

The Spectator

Exchange Equalisation Account, the " exchange control," would be increased by £200,000,000 to £575,000,000 ; and on Monday Sir John Simon, in the debate on the money resolution...

Page 6

Confusion in Belgium M. van Zeeland's Bill granting an amnesty

The Spectator

to War-time traitors (persons sentenced for treason during the War) has had unexpectedly serious results. Last week ex-service men rioted in the streets of Brussels, cast away...

M. van Zeeland in America These events, which open a

The Spectator

new period of currency uncertainty, give added point to the mission M. van Zeeland has fulfilled during the last week in the United States. It will be remembered that, when the...

The Harworth Sentences Comment on the severity of the sentences

The Spectator

in connexion with the disorders arising out of the Hayworth colliery dispute has by no means been confined to the political Left. When the surrounding circumstances, the heat of...

Command of the Air The air display at Hendon last

The Spectator

Saturday was the most imposing numerically ever arranged in this country. The programme went through as intended without a hitch, and no accident of any kind marred the...

The Lords and the Marriage Bill The fact that the

The Spectator

House of Lords has given the Marriage Bill a second reading without a division does not mean that the committee stage will be all plain sailing. In particular the clause...

Page 7

Mr. W. S. Morrison, rapidly strengthening his position in the

The Spectator

House, introduced on Tuesday several far-reaching proposals dealing with agriculture. Money was required for the provision of fertilisers, cereal crops, drainage, the curing and...

There is not space to deal with the debates on

The Spectator

the Finance Bill, but here again we see the relationship between foreign and home affairs. The National Defence' Contribution is a tax with no other justification than to...

* * The debate on the proposed expansion of the

The Spectator

Exchange Equalisation Fund was a continuation in another form of a debate on Foreign Affairs, for everyone recognised that this was a result of the financial situation in...

Britain's Preparedness Sir Thomas Inskip, Minister for the Co-ordination of

The Spectator

Defence, gave a remarkably optimistic account of Britain's preparedness for war in his speech to a meeting organised by the London Chamber of Commerce on Monday. If his...

Physical Training in Germany The Board of Education has published

The Spectator

an interesting report on a visit to Germany by a delegation of education officials who studied methods of physical training there. The report makes curious reading, for the...

The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : In

The Spectator

pre-War days a debate on foreign affairs was a rare occurrence. One or two per year was the limit. Nowadays it is strange, indeed, if there is an interval of more than two or...

Page 8

THE END OF NON-INTERVENTION ?

The Spectator

N OTHING has happened in the past week to supply a clear answer to the question raised in the last issue of The Spectator what Germany's real aims in Spain (and, for that...

Page 9

MR. COSGRAVE'S CHANCES

The Spectator

B Y the time this issue of The Spectator has appeared, the elections in the Irish Free State (or Eire, as we must accustom ourselves to call it, if Mr. de Valera's draft...

Page 10

For the next three weeks I hope to be in

The Spectator

a more spacious place than the temple of Janus. During that period the contents of another spectator's notebook will appear here— the notebook being that of Sir Arnold Wilson,...

The historic admonition to be off with the old love

The Spectator

before you are on with the new has lost a little of its force since the Law Lords gave their decision (on Tuesday) in the case of Fender v. Mildmay. Sir Anthony Mildmay, it will...

I was sorry not to see Mr. Frank MacDermot's name

The Spectator

in the list of candidates in the Irish Free State elections. No doubt he has his own reasons for not seeking re-election, but on public grounds his decision is greatly to be...

A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK

The Spectator

IT is surprising that so little attention should have been paid to Mr. Mackenzie King's visit to Herr Hitler on Tuesday —compared, for example, to the publicity lavished on Mr....

I have often wondered how much more secure the peace

The Spectator

of Europe would be if Mr. Eden would buy a suit of clothes from Lord Cecil. I fancy a good deal. For the Foreign Secretary suffers seriously from the perfection of his wardrobe....

Replies to my query about the authorship of " Tamerton

The Spectator

Church Tower " have come in with a rapidity, and in a volume, which is itself a rebuke. " Tamerton Church Tower " is one of Coventry Patmore's early poems. To all who have sent...

Page 11

THE FUTURE IN SPAIN

The Spectator

By GEORGE L. STEER W HEN I went to Bilbao at the beginning of April I assessed the Spanish war in simple terms. If Franco gets Bilbao, he has won the war : if he does not get...

Page 12

THE RIGHTS OF THE INSURED

The Spectator

By A LEGAL CORRESPONDENT T HE case of Groom v. Crocker and Others, which was dealt with in a recent article in The Spectator, no more than touches the fringe of a serious and...

Page 13

THE CASE FOR WALTER BAGEHOT

The Spectator

By G. M. YOUNG M R. S. K. RATCLIFFE, courteously but bluntly, says that to call Bagehot the greatest Victorian is nonsense, and the Editor chivalrously subjoins that it was his...

Page 14

ROYALTY IN SCOTLAND

The Spectator

By GEORGE BLAKE - W HEN the plans for next week's Royal visit to Scotland were published it was noted at once that Their Majesties were committed only to a relatively small...

Page 15

IS CHRISTIANITY LOSING GROUND ?

The Spectator

By KENNETH INGRAM A T this stage of our inquiries I am starting from the assumption that we are entering a period of history similar in type to that of the sixteenth century,...

Page 16

H. W. FOWLER'S ENGLISHMAN

The Spectator

By KENNETH STILES Tj W. FOWLER'S Dictionary of Modern English Usage .1.1.• is known to all who are interested in the writing of English as a mine of sound and entertaining...

Page 17

IN THE SOUTH

The Spectator

WHAT solitary sail leans to the wind Upon my steady sea ? What summer light Paints my horizon's taut and silver line ? Mediterranean vision—in the pause Between tomorrow of...

MARGINAL COMMENTS

The Spectator

By CHRISTOPHER SYKES R ECENTLY I spoke with an inhabitant of one of the great squares upon the agitation to remove the railings. He deplored the movement. He said that he felt...

Page 18

Commonwealth and Foreign ANGLO-ARGENTINE RELATIONS

The Spectator

By WILBUR BURTON Buenos Ayres. ECONOMICALLY, Argentina has long been virtually a British colony. The United Kingdom is both the best customer and the chief source of imports of...

Page 19

STAGE AND SCREEN

The Spectator

THE BALLET A Wind from the West THE devotees of Ballet cannot complain that they are ill- supplied, at least in the matter of quantity. At the moment of writing there are two "...

THE CINEMA "Der Herrscher." At the Berkeley - "We from Kron- stadt."

The Spectator

At the Academy IT is pleasant to see good work again from the studios of Germany and Russia. But neither of these films, in spite of their many excellent qualities, can...

Page 20

ART

The Spectator

State Sales WHEN a London art dealer wants to put on view all the miscel- laneous paintings which he has in stock in order to make an exhibition to fill a gap between more...

CONTRADICTIONS

The Spectator

[D'un correspondant parislen] CE matin le journal disait : " Ce qui n'est pas clair n'est pas francais." Le soir un autre reprenait : " La France, pays de clarte." Des " c'est...

Page 21

COUNTRY LIFE

The Spectator

An Historic Village Parish Councils, whose powers at best are small, have begun—or such is my impression—to nurse higher ambitions. This opportunity has come with the movement...

Oil on the Waters

The Spectator

There is reason to believe that the question of oil on the waters is to be seriously considered by the League of Nations. It is essentially an international affair, for some of...

Wimbledon Botany

The Spectator

The world does not go to Wimbledon to study gardening ; but some of the Wimbledon gardening is worth attention by those who can direct their eyes for a moment from the lawn...

Councils and Preservation

The Spectator

A real advance in the methods of preserving rural England has been made by the proposed new alliance between local councils and the National Trust. A great deal of land and a...

Polluted Rivers

The Spectator

It is a question how far waste oil from ships adversely affects the fish of the sea. There is no question about the effect of less visible pollution on the fish of the rivers,...

Earthwork Preservation

The Spectator

Preservers of England's early history have not yet fully learned the lesson of Avebury, where unique records of days before history were destroyed by local farmers for the...

Where are the Crakes?

The Spectator

In many parts of England the lament :s heard that the corncrake, once very common indeed, has quite vanished. It used to be said of a great headmaster who was not a great...

Page 22

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR, —I have been wondering

The Spectator

as I read the correspondence on " the greatest Victorian," as to what is the criterion of greatness. Is it originality of thought ? Is it effect upon the select few, or upon the...

CHANGING IRELAND

The Spectator

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Slit,—Your correspondent Mr. R. Y. Keers propounds for us the well-known Unionist theory that in Ireland the " North " and " South " are " two...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Spectator

[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. The most suitable length is that of one of our " News of the Week" paragraphs. Signed...

Page 23

QUEEN VICTORIA AND MR. GLADSTONE [To the Editor of THE

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] Sta,—In your issue of June 25th Mr. Christopher Hobhouse alludes to " The old lady who made Bismarck sweat with fright " (sic) and " handled " Mr. Gladstone, " whom...

SENIOR SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS [To the Editor of THE

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] Sn1,—The two letters in your last issue do little to justify the policy of giving a preference to non-provided senior schools in places where only a single senior...

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Snt,-I should like, if

The Spectator

I may, to qualify some of the statements made by Mr. Crook on the subject of Ireland in your issue of June 18th, from the viewpoint of an Ulster Unionist. First, there is a...

Page 24

CHRISTIANITY IN KENYA

The Spectator

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—I think it would interest Mr. Allen to study the system in vogue in India for providing services where there is a dearth of chaplains, as...

THE ABYSSINIA ASSOCIATION

The Spectator

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sia,—May I crave the hospitality of your columns to make an appeal to your readers to enrol themselves as members of the Abyssinia Association...

BACK TO PURITANISM

The Spectator

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Sist,—In your interesting article on this subject you say " there never was a time when serious literature appealed to so many people." On the...

THE DESECRATION OF ENGLAND

The Spectator

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Your article of last week is timely, We have to face the fact that in this country the vast majority of the people hate beauty. In every...

CHRISTIANITY AND THE CHURCH

The Spectator

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The services of the Church are rather like a soup-kitchen, where sustenance is handed to us sometimes in pleasing vessels by orderly,...

[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Snt,—Mr. Kenneth Ingram has

The Spectator

done a service to religious thought by drawing attention to the urgent need for an ideological basis of Christianity in the light of the existing " type of cultural and...

Page 25

THE EPSTEIN STATUES [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—"

The Spectator

The disappearance of the Epstein figures from the Rhodesian Government offices in the Strand is likely to break few hearts except Mr. Epstein's," writes " Janus " (June 25th,...

SIR RICHARD GRENVILLE [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—In

The Spectator

your issue of June 18th there was an interesting review of Mr. Rowse's book on Sir Richard Grenville, in which, and it would appear also in the book under notice, Sir Richard's...

HARRIET MARTINEAU [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

Sta,—I have read with great interest the article on Harriet Martineau in your issue of May - 21st, but I feel that full justice was not done to her by omission of all mention of...

THE BRADFIELD " OEDIPUS " [To the Editor of THE

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Although undertaking to reply to Mr. MacNeice's criticism of Oedipus Tyrannus, I will first make clear that I am no more than an ordinary Bradfieldian, and have...

GUERNICA AND BADAJOS [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—My

The Spectator

attention has been called to an editorial note in your issue of June ,8th, regarding the reports of the two The Times correspondents on Guernica. My article in The Tablet, of...

Page 26

BOOKS OF THE DAY

The Spectator

Rudyard Kipling (Orlo Williams) .. .. 22 Renaissance Warfare (A. L. Rowse) .. . . 23 The Working-Class Movement (W. T. Wells) .. .. 23 The Philosophical Base of Theism (Evelyn...

Page 27

THE WORKING-CLASS MOVEMENT

The Spectator

The Post-War History of the British Working-Class. By Allen Hum (Gollancz. 6s.) PERHAPS the most significant fact about this able and effective bdok is that its title is...

RENAISSANCE WARFARE

The Spectator

A History of the Art of War in the Sixteenth - Century: By Sir Charles Oman. (Methuen. 3os.) SIR CHARLES OMAN must now be the doyen of historical scholarship in this country....

Page 28

REASONABLE FAITH

The Spectator

The Philosophical Bases of Theism. By G. Dawes Hicks, M.A., Litt.D. (Allen and Unwin. Ss. 6d.) PROFESSOR DAWES Hicxs' Hibbert Lectures are designed by declaration for the...

Page 30

LEON BLUM

The Spectator

L'Experience Blum : Un an de Front Populaire. (Editions du Sagittaire. 15 francs.) Leon Blum : From Poet to Premier. By Richard L. Stokes. (Jarrold's. 12s. 6d.) PUBLISHED a few...

Page 31

CIVILISATION AND CULTURE

The Spectator

ALTHOUGH Strange Wonders is not in fact Mr. Sykes's first book, one may greet him as a new writer. Wassmuss was of interest to a restricted public ; Strange Wonders will be a...

Page 32

LADY AND LEGEND Florence Nightingale. By Margaret Goldsmith. (Hodder and

The Spectator

Stoughton. 15s.) THE common sense of women has often prevailed against the whole-hearted incompetence of men, but never more victori- ously, more hugely, than in the case of...

Page 34

- A GREAT SCIENTIST - - - Pavlov and His

The Spectator

School. By Y. P. Frolov. (Kegan Paul. 12S. 6d.) To anyone with a taste for scientific reading and not afraid of a certain amount of technical physiology, this is a charming...

THE MUSCULAR CHRISTIAN

The Spectator

Charles Kingsley. By Margaret Farrand Thorp. (Princeton University Press : Oxford University Press. t4s.) CHARLES KINGSLEY is a good subject for a biographer, and hardly less...

Page 36

FICTION

The Spectator

By CATHERINE CARSWELL " I HAVE decided that life is both sad and glorious, if you can make up your mind not to do anything sudden that you might be sorry for." This...

Page 38

RUNNING THE GAUNTLET By George Mossop

The Spectator

Mr. Mossop was born in Natal and has remained a man of the veld all his life. At the age of seventy-five he has written his reminiscences, Running the Gauntlet (Nelson, 8s. 6d.)...

CURRENT LITERATURE

The Spectator

REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE Prepared by P. E. P. The problems of world trade have ceased to be merely the concern of manufacturers and traders ; they link up with the most...

THE STORY OF DICTATORSHIP By E. E. Kellett

The Spectator

That the whole Greek world regarded tyranny as fit only for barbarians while the modern world is inclined to tolerate it is one of the disconcerting truths brought out in Mr....

COMPANION INTO LAKELAND By Maxwell Fraser

The Spectator

There are plenty of books about the Lake country but Mr. Fraser's interesting volume (Methuen, 7s. 6d.) will hold its own with the best of them. He knows the whole district...

ENGLAND : CRADLE OF CO-OPERATION By Sydney. R. Elliott

The Spectator

Mr. Elliott's account of the Co- operative movement, which was started at Rochdale in 1844 (Faber, 8s. 6d.) is marred by a good deal of invective against " Capitalism " and the...

IN THE EYES OF THE LAW By G. Evelyn Miles

The Spectator

and Dorothy K. Dix The purpose of this book (Arnold, 3s. 6d.) is to explain the elements of the English legal system and its everyday working in terms which can be under- stood...

THE ENGLISH HERITAGE By Rex Weldon Finn

The Spectator

Mr. Finn is very scornful in his comments on the ordinary text-book or guide-book, but it may be doubted whether his own sketch of English history (Heinemann, 7s. 6d.) serves...

Page 39

TRAVEL NOTES

The Spectator

SUMMER TOURS AND CRUISES A SERIES of Holiday Tours to Canada have been arranged this year by the Canadian Pacific Railway, which continue through the summer until late...

Page 40

WISE IN VESTIVI8NT

The Spectator

As I anticipated three weeks ago, recovery in - the stock markets is proving a tedious process. Tvio of the market's bogeys— the growth of profits tax and the hold price...

piEW BASIS OF, YIELDS A glance at the prices of

The Spectator

industrial ordinary shares now shows very- clearly that the recent 'setback has put many promising issues on an attractive yield basis. Here is a group of half a dozen of the...

A PREFERENCE SHARE GROUP Investors who cannot afford to take

The Spectator

the risks of industrial eqUitiei but must seek a reasonable income in the fixed-interest field have now a wide range of issues available to them. Each of the following shares...

TWO ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT SHARES

The Spectator

My recent references to the ki ordinary shares of the English Electric Company, quoted around 33s., have prompted a correspondent to put in a word for the £t ordinaries of the i...

Venturers' Corner

The Spectator

Here is a speculation for those who do not mind taking a chance on an international trade revival. With its business centred in the shipment :of machinery and merchandise to the...

Page 42

Motoring TWO GOOD CARS THIS week I have two quite

The Spectator

exceptionally interesting cars to discuss, the new 14 Rover and the new ill-litre (nominal - 12-h.p.) Riley called the Sprite-Kestrel. There is no sort of resemblance between...

Page 44

FINANCE

The Spectator

BRITAIN'S GOLD HOLDINGS IN 1931 this country, for causes which I need not now discuss, was forced off the gold standard and our holding of gold in the Bank of England at that...

Page 45

COMPANY MEETING

The Spectator

AMALGAMATED PRESS Tan annual general meeting of the Amalgamated Press Ltd. was held on June 28th at Southern House, Cannon Street, London, E.C. Lord Carnrose (Chairman of the...

COMPANY MEETING -

The Spectator

HOVIS LIMITED RECORD PROFITS Tan thirty-ninth ordinary general meeting of Hovis, Limited, was held on June 30th, at Caxton Hall, London, S.W. Mr. A. H. Dence, J.P. (the...

Page 46

JOHN ISMAY AND SONS.

The Spectator

At the recent Annual General Meeting of John Ismay and Sons Ltd., the Chairman, Mr. John Ismay, was able to present a very satisfactory Report, stating, among other things, that...

* * * * BANKING IN EUROPE.

The Spectator

It is good in these days when there seems to be so little that is cheering in the financial condition of European countries to find that at the recent Annual Meeting of the...

IMPERIAL AIRWAYS ISSUE.

The Spectator

Not the least interesting event of the week has been the issue by the Imperial Airways of z,000,000 new shares of £r each at 3os. per share. Inasmuch as the price of these...

AN INTERESTING SHIPPING DEAL.

The Spectator

As indicating the depressed tendency of markets and the failure to respond to favourable developments, a recent important shipping deal failed to have any marked effect upon...

A PROSPEROUS UNDERTAKING.

The Spectator

A Company which has shown excellent results for the past year is John Brown and Co. The profits, before pro- viding for Depreciation, amount to £714,379, as com- pared with...

PHILIP HILL AND PARTNERS.

The Spectator

Like most financiers associated with the promotion of new enterprises, Mr. Philip Hill is an optimist, but the hopeful views expressed by him at the recent Annual Meeting of...

A RUBBER AND TIN SHARES TRUST.

The Spectator

Yet another addition is made to the-list of Unit Trusts, Ltd., in the shape of an undertaking entitled Trust of Rubber and Tin Shares. The management of the Trust are...

IMPENDING THEATRE ISSUE.

The Spectator

During his speech to shareholders Mr. Philip Hill made an interesting • announcement with regard to the impending issue by the Company of Debenture stock of Odeon 'Theatres, the...

FINANCIAL NOTES

The Spectator

DEPRESSING FACTORS. THE favourable influence created in some markets, and especially in gold shares, by the large addition to the Exchange Equalisation Account has been offset...

Page 47

COMPANY MEETINGS

The Spectator

JOHN ISMAY AND SONS LIMITED A SATISFACTORY REPORT FURTHER EXPANSION THE fourth ordinary general meeting of John Ismay and Sons Limited was held on Friday, June 25th, at the...

NATIONAL BANK OF NEW ZEALAND

The Spectator

SIR AUSTIN E. HARRIS'S SPEECH THE sixty-fifth ordinary general meeting of the National Bank of New Zealand, Limited, was held on June 3oth at 8 Moorgate, London, E.C. Sir...

Page 48

SIR GEORGE BEHARRELL.-We are informed that Sir George Beharrell, D.S.O.,

The Spectator

has been elected Chairman of Imperial Airways, Ltd., and Dunlop Rubber Co., Ltd., in succession to the late Sir Eric Geddes.

AMALGAMATED PRESS PROGRESS.

The Spectator

While at the recent Annual Meeting of Amalgamated Press, Lord Camrose naturally expressed some concern with regard to the rising tendency of costs, he was able nevertheless to...

TELEPHONE RENTALS.

The Spectator

The Spectator of last week contained a summary of the proceedings at the Annual Meeting of Telephone Rentals, Limited, when the Chairman, Mr. Fred T. Jackson, presented an...

BRITISH HOUSING CORPORATION.

The Spectator

In The Spectator of June 18th when commenting upon the undertaking known as the British Housing Corporation and the excellent work on which it was engaged, I also referred to...

" THE SPECTATOR " CROSSWORD No. 249

The Spectator

BY ZENO [A prize of a Book Token for one guinea will be given to the sender the first correct solution of this week's crossword puzzle to be opens- Envelopes should be marked "...

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD NO. 248 T OIR T El I

The Spectator

IN I • EIKI El RIO " NI EI RIM jy ' LILIMPANELEM CI PIA II El R CIHI HI PI TII C KILI I I II EI OI N ILIIIIIM E ILQWE L R MI E P 1E T11 G DMUOUULMOURAW. The winner of...

A HUNDRED YEARS AGO

The Spectator

[" THE SPECTATOR," JULY IST, 1837.] The scarcity of money has not in any degree diminished ; rather, indeed, the pressure during the last few days seems to have increased. This...