6l2 



The Review of Reviews. 



THE SPANISH REVIEWS. 



"Carlos II. and His Court" foniib the opening 

 contribution to Espana Moderna. It is a review of a 

 book on the life of that Spanish monarch, and this 

 article deals with the political and social conditions 

 existing at the time of his birth and during his early 

 years; the period embraced is 1661 to 1669. It 

 throws a light on Spanish history of considerable 

 interest to students of those times. British readers of 

 Espana Modenia will, however, probably turn first of 

 all to Professor Vicente Gay's article on " Modern 

 America," in which is discussed the question of 

 British capital in Argentina. According to Mr. 

 Paish, there appears to be rather more than 

 ^269,000,000 sterling invested in the Argentine 

 Republic. The people are beginning to chafe at the 

 idea that so much money has to be paid away every 

 year in dividends and interest ; as usually happens, 

 the amount of borrowed capital (and the interest 

 thereon) is much exaggerated, even by those who 

 should be well informed. Another fact noted in the 

 article is that Italian immigration is on the decline, 

 while Spanish immigration is increasing. 



JViietro JiVw/c contains an article on the history 

 of the See of Callahora that will delight those who 

 study Catholic ecclesiastical affairs of the past. Senor 

 Mariano Marfil, in his monthly contribution on 

 " Foreign Politics," writes exhaustively on the Moroc- 

 can question. This is followed by an article on 

 Spanish commerce. The writer gives two lists — one 

 of those countries which buy more from Spain than 

 they sell to her, the other of those which sell to her 

 more than they buy. The former represents a surplus 

 for the national balance-sheet, the latter a deficit. 

 The first list is headed by Great Britain, which is a 

 long way in advance of all others in the same 

 category ; in the second list we find Russia and 

 Germany. 



In Ciudad de Dios .Senor Teodoro Rodriguez con- 

 tinues his essays on State Intervention in Economic 

 Problems, and, dealing with the aspirations of 

 Socialist workers, he appears to be in favour of the 

 eight-hours day. His definition of Socialist groups 

 is scathing. 



Lx Lediira has an article on Professor William 

 James, his ideas and teachings in philosophy and 

 metaphjsics. As a remarkable man he receives 

 a well-merited compliment from the Spanish author. 

 A second article is on Charles II. of Spain, and 

 concerns the positions of the French and Spanish 

 at the end of the seventeenth century ; many of the 

 details are curious and interesting. Foreigners of 

 all kinds were regarded as a danger to Spain in 

 those days ; they were looked upon as people who 

 took all the good things for themselves and left tlie 

 Spaniards bare. The French were the most numerous 

 and the most obnoxious ; all Frenchmen, whether in 

 Spain or France, were supposed to be working to 

 the detriment of Spain and her people, and for the 

 pecuniary and political advantage of France. 



I 

 THE DUTCH REVIEWS. \ 



A WRITER in De Gids dwells on the unsatisfactory' 

 manner in which the archives of the Netherlands arei 

 kept and the necessity for completing the catalogue 

 commenced many years ago to show what was con- 

 tained therein. " New Paths for the Sinologist " is an! 

 article on the modernisation of China. What equiva-'- 

 lents has the Chinese language for such modern words! 

 and terms as " automobile," " wireless telegraphy,'' 

 and a host of others ? The writer gives some 

 examples of what has been done. To telephone is 

 to " hold lightning conversations," while wireless 

 telegraphy is " making a lightning report withou'. 

 wire." A new dictionary is sadly wanted, so tht: 

 Shangkcii Press has published a very good one — 

 English-Chinese. English classics, with Chinese 

 notes, are also being published, one of the latest 

 being " Tales from Shakespeare." In a favourable 

 review of " The Great Illusion " the writer of that 

 book is complimented, but doubt is expressed con- 

 cerning the possibility of general disarmament. 



As usual, Elsevier is very interesting. There are 

 two art articles or biographical sketches — one of 

 Hendrik Luyten, the painter, and another of David 

 Edstrom, the sculptor. The article on Japanese 

 colour prints is continued. Probably the most attrac- 

 tive of the contributions, however, is that entitled 

 " Something about Old Paris," with illustrations of 

 the Tour du Louvre, the Tour de Nesle, the Louvre 

 in 1620, the old Porte Saint-Martin, and other places. 



De Tijdspiegel has a scathing article on the way in 

 which Holland trains her soldiers, the reference being 

 to the infantry in the main. After the wars of 1866 

 and 1S70 Holland thought that copipulsory service 

 should be introduced, and then the people seem to 

 have rested content, without realising that the army, 

 in a bad condition even then, has steadily grown 

 worse. It is all very well to enrol men, but it is 

 necessary to understand how to make a serviceable 

 army of them, and that knowledge appears to be 

 lacking — at least, it does not seem to have been 

 utilised if those in power possessed it. The next 

 article deals with the vicissitudes of the fortress of 

 Naarden, of which town a history is given. A lite- 

 rary contribution on Vondel and Shelley shows a 

 deep knowledge of and profound reverence for the 

 works of both poetl 



The education of girls has occupied the attention 

 of a special commission on the reorganisation of 

 methods of teaching and the subjects to be taught in 

 Holland ; a criticism of the recommendations of tliis 

 commission appears in Vnigen des Tij'ds. In olden 

 times the education of girls was based entirely on the 

 fact that they were to become wives and mothers, not 

 that they were to earn their own livelihood and take 

 an active part in the battle of life. Conditions have 

 changed, but, on the whole, the system of feminine 

 education has not been altered. The writer sketches 

 its history and deals with the necessity for training in 

 various callings as well as in household duties. 



