Review of Reviews, 



The Reviews Reviewed. 



20I 



THE ITALIAN REVIEWS. 



Antonio Fogazzaro's new novel, " II Santo,'' is the 

 subject of much discussion in the Italian magazines 

 for December. It is a religious novel, written from a 

 Liberal Catholic point of view, and pleads for less ex- 

 ternal pietv and a more evangelistic snirit within the 

 Church. The ultra-orthodox Civilta Cattolica is, na- 

 turally enough, very severe in condemnation of the 

 book, scoffs at the author's theology, derides his no- 

 tions of saintship, and asserts that it is not the Church 

 that requires reforming, but society that rejects the 

 teaching of the Church. The Rivista per le Signorine 

 gives an enthusiastic resume of the story, and warmly 

 recommends it to its readers. The Nitora Antologia 

 has entrusted the volume to the distinguished poet 

 and critic, Professor Arturo Graf, who, while admit- 

 ting the almost insuperable difficulty of depicting a 

 true saint in a work of fiction, confesses himself only 

 partly satisfied with the result. Artistically, he places 

 the novel very high, and declares it to be full of beau- 

 tiful language and delicate thought ; and from a reli- 

 gious standpoint he regards it as a noteworthy sign of 

 the times, and as a book that cannot fail to exercise 

 an ennobling influence on its readers. 



The Nuova Antologia contains a number of other 

 excellent articles. The editor, Maggiorino Ferraris, 

 devotes thirty pages to describing the method of coping 

 with the housing problem of Germany, where the 

 State advances capital to co-operative building so- 

 cieties in order that they may build dwellings for em- 

 ployes and working men wherever circumstances ren- 

 der it necessary. Signor Ferraris believes that the 

 problem might be solved in Rome and other Italian 

 cities on similar lines. Professor C. Segre, who has 

 been visiting England, writes critically of " The Mar- 

 riage of William Asche " and with warm admiration 

 of Mrs. Humphry Ward personally and her home-life 

 at Stocks. The article is illustrated and contains. 

 inter alia, an amusing criticism of the British Sabbath 

 from an Italian point of view. T. Salvini writes on 

 the secret of great acting, dwelling on the necessity of 

 character as well as talent in the actor, and records 

 how the knowledge of the evanescent nature of his art 

 is the torment of every really great actor. A long 

 article by the lady who signs herself " Sfinge " de- 

 scribes the career of Anita Garibaldi, the heroic wife 

 of the patriot, who eloped with him from her Brazilian 

 home, bore him four children, and followed his wan- 

 dering fortunes for ten years, dying at the commence- 

 ment of the Italian struggle for independence. 



To II Secolo XX. Fanny Zampini Salazar, the well- 

 known novelist, contributes a well-informed account, 

 very fully illustrated, of the home-life of Queen Mar- 

 gherita. A large part of the article is devoted to her 

 works of charity, carried on in great measure in con- 

 junction with Father Whitmee, the popular English 

 Rector of San Silvestro in Rome. An interesting de- 

 tail is that in order to be able personally to superin- 

 tend the work of a beautifully organised creche she has 

 founded near her palace she has had an underground 

 connection made so that her going and coining may be 

 unobserved. 



The Bassegna Nazionale is able to publish a poem by 

 Fogazzaro, ''In the Cemetery at Padua," lines written 

 in reality in memory of Jeaune, the heroine of " II 

 Santo." In honour of Christmas there is an interest- 

 ing historical article on Bethlehem, and an important 

 contribution to the recherche de la paternite problem by 

 Count della Torre di Lavagna. E. S. Kingswan, whose 

 literary causerie remains one of the most attractive 

 features of the Rassegna, gives much space to English 

 topics treated in a sympathetic spirit, studies the con- 

 dition of the Catholic Church in Ireland, the rehabili- 



tation of Mrs. Fitzherberc. and Mr. Stead's views on 

 Russia. 



The Rivista d'ltalia publishes an excellent article by 

 G. Vitali on Ruskin and his social and artistic ideals. 



THE CORRESPONDANT. 



There are several articles on Peace in the French 

 reviews of December. 



THE PEACE DOCTRINE. 



General Kessler, who writes in the Correspondant of 

 December 10th, deplores the effect of humanitarian and 

 peace doctrines on the public spirit of France. The 

 " pacifist," he says, is an effeminate person who loves 

 his ease and can, only be moved when peace is threat- 

 ened. He lacks virile energy. The hereditary tem- 

 perament of the French race is naturally opposed to 

 the sophisms and the lies of humanitarianism. 



THE WOMEN OF THE GERMAN RED CROSS. 

 In an article on the Red Cross Movement in Ger- 

 many, L. Fiedler notes the extraordinary prominent 

 part played by women in German Red Cross work. 

 The spirit of association is remarkably strong in the 

 feminine element, and the number of women's societies 

 is very large, especially in North Germany. Each so- 

 ciety is well organised, and is under the authority of 

 the 'Central Committee. Thus the women's societies 

 constitute a vast association. The Women's Patriotic 

 Society, for instance, has 252,401 members, and is 

 managed by a mixed committee at Berlin. The Ger- 

 man Empress nominates the president, the vice-presi- 

 dent, the treasurer, and two members. 



GERMAN PARLIAMENTARISM. 

 In the second December .number, E. Wetterle, a 

 Deputy in the Reichstag, has a very interesting article 

 on the* Parliamentary Institutions of the German Em- 

 pire. He says the "German Empire is not a State, 

 but a federation of independent States. Each State 

 has its own constitution and laws, so that in Germany 

 it is possible to study almost every variety of govern- 

 ment, every electoral system, and every form of taxa- 

 tion—the Republican constitution of Hamburg, the 

 absolutism of the two Mecklenburgs. universal suffrage 

 in the Grand Duchy of Baden, progressive taxation in 

 Wurttemburg, etc. 



There is no Emperor of Germany, but a German 

 Emperor. The federal character of Germany makes 

 parliamentarism very difficult, and causes confusion in 

 the finances of the Empire and those of the individual 

 States. Yet this federation is Germany's strength. 



The writer explains which legislation is reserved for 

 the Empire, he tells how the Reichstag is elected, 

 gives particulars ,.i' the different parties and groups 

 and their places in the Reichstag, tells how the new 

 Laws are discussed and passed, describes the functions 

 of the Bundesrath <>r Federal Council, etc. 



THE REVUE DE PARIS. 



There is nol much in the first December number of 

 the ReviM <l< Paris to interest Australian readers. 



IIl'NCJAKV AND CROATIA. 

 The second number contains two articles on the 

 Eastern Question in Europe. Charles Loiseau takes 

 Eurigary and Croatia for his subject. Prom the in- 

 ternational point of view a Hungary which would cease 

 to be divided against itself must, he says, serve the 

 cause of progress and civilisation. A really Constitu- 

 tional Hungary would liberate the little Balkan States 

 from the contradictory Influences which have never 

 failed to act on them since the Treaty of Berlin. An 

 entpnte between Hungary and Croatia is worthy of all 

 sympathy. 



