Review of Reviews, SO/S/OG. 



The Reviews Reviewed. 



313 



THE CORRESPUNDANT. 



la both January numbers of the Correspondant, P. 

 Thureau-Dangin writes on the "Catholic Revival in 

 England in the Nineteenth Century." 



A CRUSADE AGAIlSrST ENGLAND. 



Writing in the number for January 10, Vicomte 

 Combes de Lestrade reviews an extraordinary book 

 recent Iv published by Paul Delni and M. A. von Peez 

 on '-German World Policy." 



Herr von Peez. who writes tlie preface, begins by 

 examining the new forces which tlie developmeut of 

 America in the nineteenth century and the power of 

 Japan revealed in the twentieth century have intro- 

 duced into the universe. These forces have prepared 

 new perils for Europe. And what does Europe do? 



The dissensions of the Continent have delivered the 

 world into the hands of England. It is much more to 

 bellicose France than to English generals or admirals 

 that England owes her immense empire. Herr von 

 Peez preaches a crusade against England, and that 

 is the fundamental idea of the book by Paul Dehn, 

 which in a few days ran into a third edition in Ger- 

 many. 



Herr Dehn says it is a great mistake to economise 

 on the navy. It is England's maritime supremacy 

 which gives her the supremacy over the whole world, 

 and naturally she wishes to retain it. The three 

 things which England has always apprehended have 

 come about with surprising rapidity — namely, the in- 

 tensity of German competition in the world's mar- 

 kets, (Germany's acquisition of colonies, and the 

 giowtii of the German fleet. 



THE SHORTEST R.\ILWAY ROUTE TO INDIA. 



In another article Andre Cheradame describes the 

 project of M. Les.sar for the construction of a railway 

 tlirough .\fghani.stan. The scheme is simply this : To 

 utilise the existing lines between London and Berlin 

 to Baku : t-o cross the Caspian from Baku to Krasno- 

 vodsk : to utilise the existing railway from Kra.sno- 

 vmlsk to Kouchk, the terminus of the Russian lines 

 on the frontier of Afghanistan; to make the new rail- 

 way from Kouchk to New Chaman ; and to utilise the 

 existing railway from New Chaman to Bombay. Cal- 

 cutta, etc. Were this railway to New Chaman made, 

 it would be possible to go from London to India in 

 about seven days. 



THE FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW. 



The political articles in the Fortnightly for Feb- 

 ruary are ratJier poor. Count Tolstoy concludes his 

 discourse in favour of anarchy plun. lynching. 



THE RUSSIAN • REVOLUTION." 



" .\lmar and Jayare," whoever he or they may be, 

 give a somewhat gazetteerish account of the liussian 

 Revolution, of which they say " there never was and 

 never will be any such thing in Uussia." All that 

 will liappen is " more riots and murders." They be- 

 lieve in Witte, an<I demand the following necessary 

 reforms, which necKl not be very far-reaching : — ■ 



Wliat is souglit is a form ot constitutional {rovenunent; 

 an open discussion of tlie budget to avoid the eiiending of 

 money in wrong channels; liberty of the Press; liberty of 

 speech ; old-age pensions for workmen. Such a programme 

 would satisfy all the I-iberty Part.\-, including Strouve and 

 Osvobojdenie. as well .in all Russijt. Poland, and tlie pro- 

 vinces. 



THE FUTURE OF THE ARMENIANS. 



Mr. L. Villari, writing on " The Anarchy in the 

 Caucasus,' speaks highly of the Armenians. He 

 savs : — 



They have huilt up the trade and industry of the Cau- 

 casus, and they form active and intelligent business colo- 

 nies in every city of Turkey. Persia and Soutliern Russia. 

 They are devoted to education, and spare neither effort nor 

 moiiey to send their children to good schools. There i9 

 many' an illiterate Armenian peasant in the wilds of Asia 

 whose sons are studying at St. Petersburg, or Berlin, or 

 Paris. In the Caucasus, indeed, t.hey are the only element 

 of real civilisation, and I am convinced that they will end 

 bv becoming the predominant race, that they will play the 

 part of the Bulgarians in the Balkans, with whom they 

 have many noints of resemblance. If Russia learns wis- 

 dom they will prove a most useful element, both in her 

 internal and her foreign policy. For without the friendship 

 of the Armenians no nation can rule in the Middle Ea.st. 



M. LOUBET: THEN AND NOW. 

 Mr. J. F. Macdonald. writing on Paris and M. 



Loubet. thus sums up the matter: — 



In 1899 it would have been difficult to exaggerate M. 

 Louhefs unpopularity. In 1906 it would be impossible to 

 over-estimate his popularity. And this change of attitude 

 and of opinion is typical of the French nation. For. what- 

 ever his passions, whatever his prejudices, the dominant 

 characteristic of the average Frenchman is his reasonable- 

 ness. Never has he failed to appreciate noble sincerity. 

 Never yet has he failed to be just, generous, and humane. 

 And never will he lose his inherent, inborn veneration for 

 the attachment to the idea. 



THE CORN LAW BEYMER. 

 Mr. H. C. Shellev recalls the memory of Ebenezer 

 Elliott, the Sheffield Corn Law lUiymer. The follow- 

 ing quotation from "The Ranter" is an argument 

 for Fref-trade based upon the laws of nature : — 



Look on the clouds, the streams, the earth, the sky! 



Lo, all is intercliange and harmony! 



Where is the gorgeous pomp which, yester morn, 



Curtain'd yon orb. with amber fold on fold? 



Behold it in the blue of Rivelin borne 



To feed the all-feeding seas! the molten gold 



Is flowing pale in Loxley's crystal cold. 



To kindle into l)eauty tree and flower. 



And wake to verdant life hill, vale, and plain. 



Cloud trades with river, and exchange is power: 



But should the clouds, the streams, the winds disdain 



Harmonious intercourse, nor dew nor rain 



Would foiest-crown the mountains; airless day 



Would blast, on Kinderscout, the healthy glow; 



No purply green would meeken into grey. 



O'er Don at eve; no sound at river's flow 



Disturb the sepulchre of :ill Ijelow. 



A LOAFER REFORMATORY. 

 Miss Fxlith Sellers describes the prison-house for 

 Weary \Villie which has been established in Lower 

 Austria. The countryside was overrun with beggnrs. 

 Hence the establishment of the Zwangsarbeitshaus, 

 to which vagrants can be committ<^d, and in which 

 they are made to work from five in the morning till 

 seven at night. The great majority settle down to 

 work quite diligently. They earn about 80 per cent, 

 of the cost of their maintenance. 



OTHER ARTICILES. 

 Lord Monkswell renews once more his ple;i for 

 training the soldier when in the ranks, .so that he may 

 be gcMul for .something when he leaves the Army. Mr. 

 Henrv James begins his "Social Notes" on New 

 York. Mr. I. McLaren, a Fabian and a stonemason, 

 replies to Herbert Vivian's attack upon the Fabian 

 Society and the Labour Party. '■ INlvlit^irist " reviews 

 the 'Military Life of the Duke of Cambridge": and 

 Eden Phillpotts' .serial, "The Whirlwind." is con- 

 tinued. 



In the Windior Maqnzinr there are excellent illus- 

 trations accompanying both the article on the art of 

 Mr. George W. Joy. and the "Chronioles in Cartoon," 

 the latter in colour. The text of the Cartooti article 

 is by Mr. B. Fleteher Robinson, and it recalls some 

 of the most famous political caricatures and person- 

 a.ges of the last twenty-five years. 



