606 



The Reviews Reviewed, 



THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. 



The Fortnightly Ranew of December is one of the 

 best all round numbers ever issued. It establishes 

 the Fortnightly as the best review published in the 

 English language. Alike in selection of subjects and 

 of writers, it is almost an ideal number. Only one 

 article is missing. Nothing is said on the subject of 

 woman's suffrage. Otherwise the number is almost 

 above criticism. I quote elsewhere from the most 

 important political papers. 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF BERGSON. 



Mr. Joseph Solomon devotes a tlioughtful essay to 

 show the originality and importance of the work of 

 this new French thinker. Mr. Solomon says : — 



He has shown us the true field and nature of the operation of 

 evolution, and has definitely distinguished it from those narrow 

 and merely practical mechanical principles in terms of which 

 Spencer thought it was properly expressed. In so doing he has 

 removed the blight which the thought of it tended to cast on all 

 our energy and aspirations. 



THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUN. 



Mr. E. V. Heward, in a brilliant paper on the Sun, 

 Light and Life of the World, thus sums up the latest 

 facts ascertained : — 



The sun is distant from the earth 92,874,000 miles. .Analysis 

 of its spectrum shows that the sun is surrounded by an enormous 

 layer of cloud, built up of solid (or liquid) particles, and that 

 this layer is covered by an absorbing gaseous atmosphere. The 

 body of the sun, a gaseous, self-luminous mass, has a density 

 compared with water of 1-4— the e.irth's density is as 5'66. 

 Though the sun's volume exceeds the size of the earth a million 

 time.~, when placed in the mathematician's balance it is only 

 300,000 times as heavy. The earth's materials are four and a 

 half times more densely compacted than those of the sun. His 

 actual di.ameter is 866,200 miles. From boundary line of the 

 solar system to its opposite the distance is 5,580,000,000 miles, 

 the sun being in the centre. 



THE WAGES OF RAILWAVMEN. 



Mr. W. T. Layton, writing on the wages question 

 in the railway service, after quoting largely from 

 many figures as to wages and prices, says : — 



If these various statistics are to be trusted, there is at least a 

 prima facie case for a i-ise of wages, assuming that wages in 

 other industries and the cost of living arc tests of "fairness." 

 Two points emerge by way of conclusion : In the first place, a 

 good deal of unprofitable discussion would be obviated if some 

 •agreement could be arrived at as to how far such tests should 

 be applied, and, if rejected, what is to be substituted in their 

 place. Secondly, it is imperative that adequate statistics should 

 be compiled by an impartial authority, showing, over a period 

 of years, changes in the cost of living and in wages in various 

 localities. 



LITERARY ARTICLES. 



Mr. Darrell Figgis writes on "The .■\rt of J. M. 

 Synge." Mr. Laurence Housman discour.ses eloquently 

 .ipon " Reality in Poetry," and the Hon. Gilbert 

 Coleridge writes with sympathetic appreciation of 

 Montaigne and La Boetie as Friend and Husband. 

 A new Russian serial, " A Leader : Scenes of Revo- 

 lutionary Life in Russia," is begun in this number. 



THE CONTEMPORARY REVIEW. 



The Contemporary Rniew publishes several articles 

 on topics of the day, which are noticed elsewhere ; the 

 remaining articles do not call for any detailed men- 

 tion, with the exception of Mr. E. D. Morel's paper on 

 France and her Congo. There seems to be a curse 

 on the Congo. Mr. Morel has long ago familiarised 

 us with the infamies of the Belgian administration, 

 now it would seem from this paper that the French 

 Congo is almost as bad, if not worse. It would be 

 interesting to see if the curse clings to the part of the 

 Congo that is handed over to Germany. Mr. Philip 

 Morrell, writing on the Government and the Rural 

 Problem, thinks that Mr. Runciman has got a good 

 deal to do before he can wake up rural districts. Th 

 Small Holdings Act can only become a lasting factor 

 in the recovery of the land if the following four condi- 

 tions are complied with :— 



(1) Direct action by the Commissioners. 



(2) Improved v.aluation. 



(3) Exemption of improvements from rating, and 



(4) The promotion of co-operation and credit banks. 



Mr. S. K. Ratcliffe discusses the relations between 

 the Crown and the Indian princes. He thinks that 

 we might utilise the Indian princes by making more, 

 use of the resources of the Indian States. Mr. A. C 

 Benson writes an essay on Fiction and Romance 

 Sir Arthur Evans pays a tribute to the memory of 

 Miss A. P. Irby ; and an anonymous writer signing 

 himself "Discipulus" reviews Mr. J. M. Thompson' 

 book, "Miracles in the New Testament." 



BLACKWOOD. 



"Mu.siNGS Without Method" have lo.st their olc 

 pungency since the defeat of the Peers. The chie 

 feature this month is based on Viscount Morle)' 

 expressed desire that he might walk up and down th. 

 corridor of the House of Lords with Aristotle on oni 

 arm and Machiavelli on the other. The writer delight 

 himself by picturing the vigorous condemnation which 

 Aristotle would mete out to Lord Morley. Mr. Balfour'i 

 resignation is the subject of a very loyal appreciation 

 The rumour that Mr. Winston Churchill means tc 

 combine in himself the functions of First Lord of the 

 Admiralty and Secretary of War is discussed in anothci 

 article, the writer recalling that some such idea was in 

 the mind of Lord Randolph Churchill. Pie think' 

 that the rumour is not unworthy of consideration 

 The Italians in Tripoli have been separately noticed 

 Colonel Callwell recalls some Service reminisccncr: 

 from India. There is a paper on first-class cricket ii 

 191 1, in which the writer thinks that there has hardl> 

 ever been quite so fine a cricket season from start 1 

 finish as that of 191 1. 



