The Reviews Reviewed. 



THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. 



A PERUSAL of this month's Fortnightly is a 

 liberal education in itself; affairs at home and 

 abroad are illuminated by writers who have 

 achieved the proud position of prophets and 

 popes; chiefest among these is Mr. Sidney Low, 

 whose article " Towards an Imperial Foreign 

 Policy " shows how far we have travelled since 

 the Treaty of Berlin, of which he caustically 

 says : — 



But the provisions of that Act have been so per- 

 sistently ignored and so grossly violated that it would 

 be superfluous magnanimity on our part to sacrifice our- 

 selves in order to maintain its tarnished sanctity. Turkey 

 is no longer our protege. The grievances of the Eastern 

 Christians, though we may sympathise with them as 

 humane individuals, do not concern us as politicians. 



And Mr. Low goes on to point out that : — 



Our duty lies elsewhere. It is to secure, consolidate, 

 and develop the world-dominion of which the British 

 Islands constitute the European outwork and centre. We 

 must have allies, it is true, but the allies should be those 

 of our own Empire. We should maintain our naval 

 superiority, not by calling to our assistance another 

 Iiuropean navy or another navy in the Far East, but by 

 developing the maritime resources of our own self- 

 governing States. And we should recognise that though 

 the period of expansion for us may have passed into the 

 stage of concentration, this is not the case with others. 

 We must look without hostility or undue jealousy upon 

 the efforts of our Continental neighbours to create areas 

 of activity and exploitation for themselves. Our term 

 of commercial and maritime greatness is not closed ; 

 but the monopoly has gone from us, and we must make 

 our count with the fact. 



We deal elsewhere with the vexed question of 

 Conservative policy outlined in two articles, 

 " Unionist Prospects " and " Conservatism and 

 Free Trade," and can only note Mr. A. G. 

 Gardiner's estimation of " Mr. Churchill and 

 Federation " when he writes : — 



The operations of these little parliaments would not 

 subserve any national tradition, for no cunning geo- 

 graphical patchwork could be made to reflect any real 

 divisions of race, speech, custom, tradition, or even 

 industry. England is one and indivisible. 



No less than three writers deal with some 

 issue of the Balkan trouble. Mr. Percy F. 

 Martin inveighs against Sir Edward Grey's too 

 ready adhesion to " The Monroe Doctrine," and 

 Mr. Zangwill is interesting in his article " The 

 Awkward Age of the Women's Movement," 

 although he has but cold comfort to offer those 

 who refuse to " wait and see." His prognosti- 

 cation is not hopeful : — 



All things considered, I am afraid the Suffrage Move- 

 ment will have to make up its mind to wait for the next 

 Parliament. There is more hope for the premature 

 collapse of this Parliament than for its passing of a 



Suffrage Bill or clause. And at the general election, 

 whenever it comes. Votes for Women will be put on the 

 programme of both parties. The Conservatives will 

 offer a mild dose, the Liberals a democratic. Whichever 

 fails at the polls, the principle of Women's Suffrage will 

 be safe. 



THE CONTEMPORARY REVIEW. 



Sir Max Waechter has few rivals as a 

 ciusader, and he is now shaming the petty poli- 

 ticians by a campaign which should secure the 

 future peace of the world. The main argument 

 is set forth by Sir Max in his article " The 

 Federation of Europe — Is it possible?" The 

 average man will answer " No ! " and con- 

 tentedly go on paying his ever-increasing taxes 

 instead of joining himself to the crusade for 

 peace — and economy. Here is the shame : — 



I have proposed to the Sovereign and the Govern- 

 ment of every country in Europe that there should 

 be a political federation of all the European :3tates on 

 this basis, that all countries should accept the status 

 QUO, and that the independence of the several States 

 should be maintained to the fullest extent. Only abso- 

 lutely necessary sacrifices should be asked for the fede- 

 ration of States, and all that is really required can be 

 reduced to two points : — 



1. That the Foreign Office should always, and the 

 Military and Naval Command should, in time of war, 

 be under one control— most probably in the hands of a 

 permanent Conference of the Great Powers. 



2. That there should be, for the whole of Europe, one 

 tariff, and Free Trade throughout Europe, or condi- 

 tions approximating as nearly as possible to Free Trade 

 if insuperable difficulties should make absolute Free 

 Trade unobtainable. 



There is a growing feeling of restiveness 

 amongst conscientious M.P.'s at their impotence 

 in all matters under the close hand of the 

 Foreign Office. This feeling is voiced by Mr. 

 Philip Morrell in his article " The Control of 

 Foreign Affairs," in which he suggests the 

 formation of a Standing Committee. Mr. J. 

 Howard Whitehouse deals with " Parliament 

 and the White Slave Traffic Bill," and claims 

 that Clause L is vital to the effective working of 

 the Act when passed. Dr. Richard Maclaurin 

 writes on "Presidential Candidates and the 

 Irust Problem in America"; and Professor 

 Edward Browne shows Russia to be the enemv 

 to Persian nationality in his review of " The 

 Present Situation in Persia." He writes 

 despairingly : — 



fv^'^^^j^^^ *^^° ^ miracle can now save Persia, and 

 those who now teach the doctrine that there is no 

 morality in international politics have long thought, in 

 practice if not in words, the necessary preliminary Ihat 

 there IS no God of Justice, ahd therefore no hope of 

 any Divine intervention on behalf of a nation which is 

 bleeding to death before our eyes. 



