3'8 



The Review of Reviews, 



March io, 1906. 



THE REVUE DE PARIS. 



With the January numbers the Recue de Paris 

 enters on its thirteenth year. 



THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER. 

 Dr. Etienne Burnet, writing in the first number on 

 the Fight with Cancer, notices the research work car- 

 ried on by different countries. Germany, under the 

 auspices of the Kaiser, has, he says, founded a Society 

 for the Study of Cancer, and a "sum (about £60.000) 

 was voted by the Prussian Budget to found a special 

 hospital. In addition, there are branch institutions 

 in various States. Research is also carried on in Hun- 

 gary, Portugal, Greece, Ru.ssia, England, and Ame- 

 rica. France alone does absolutely nothing. Fifteen 

 years ago a committee was appointed, but the writer 

 feels sure it has never met. 



THE MOEOOOAN QUESTION. 



In the two January numbers the editor, Victor 

 Berard, devotes his political articles to the (juestion 

 of Morocco. Referrin<r to the recent Yellow Book, in 

 the first number, he criticises the diplomacy of Prince 

 von Biilow. In March, IDOo, the world miglit well ask 

 what French dignity had to fear from intimate re- 

 lations with Berlin, but to-day, after a penisal of the 

 negotiations, the writ<er concludes that if the Gorman 

 Emperor and the German nation really care for the 

 est-eeni of France, they should realise that their con- 

 fidence in the diplomacy of Prince von Biilow is mis- 

 placed, and he believes this opinion will bo that of 

 the whole civilised world. 



The Whit« Book is noticed in the second number. 

 Franco, in agreeing to meet Germany at the Confer- 

 ence, will respect the following principles: Tlie sove- 

 reignty and independence of the Sultan, the integiity 

 of his kingdom, economic liberty and equality, reforms 

 introduced by international consent, etc. If Europe 

 will give France a few years in Morocco it will be 

 seen that without annexation, or violence, or attempts 

 on the sovereignty or dignity of the Cherif. or inter- 

 ference with the freedom of commerce or the integrity 

 of Morocco. France by a policy of alliance and friend- 

 ship is capable of making the Moroccans take a place 

 among the autonomous nations and the servants of 

 civilisation and peace. 



THE ITALIAN REVIEWS. 



With the new year the Nuova Antologia begins a 

 new ser'al novel describing a matrimonial tragedy in 

 smart Roman socety. by Matilde Serao. under the 

 title '• After the Pardon." Dante scholars will be 

 interested in a discussion by Professor G. Salvadori 

 on the probable relations betw^een Dante and St. Mar- 

 garet of Cortona, a celebratod Franciscan penitent of 

 his day, with whose life he would have been familiar 

 through his many friends in the Franciscan Order. 

 Tlie recent performance of 'Julius Ctesar'' at the 

 Argentine Theatre in Rome is criticised by E. Corra- 

 dini, and it is interesting to hear that after having 

 been long considered in Italy a hopelessly undramatic 

 play, it has now been performed with great success, 

 and will take rank with other plays of Shakespeare 

 much appreciated in Italy. Two important articles 

 in the Januaiy numbers deal with military mattei-s. 

 The well-known Senator, Angelo Mo&so, writes can- 

 didly of the weak spots in Italian military training, 

 of the ill effects of subdividing the forces into 

 small garrisons, of the utter absence of gyninastic 

 exercises, and of the unsuitability of many routine 

 metJiods to the needs of modem warfare. General 



Luohino dal Verme sums up with his usual lucidity 

 the results and lessons of the Ru.sso-Japanese Wax. 

 Finally, the editor, Maggiorino Ferraris, denounces 

 with even more than his usual vigour of language 

 the deplorable condition of mismanagement into which 

 the Italian railways have fallen, a condition which 

 threatens to do permanent injury to Italian industry 

 and commerce. He anticipates that the opening of the 

 Simplon railway will only intensify the existing chaos 

 and congestion. 



The Bassrgna Nazivnale leads off in the new year 

 with an effective and inoderateiy-worded summary 

 of all the reasons, juridical and moral, against the 

 introduction of divorce into Italy. S. E. Deho caiTies 

 on the discussion tliat is still raging in Italy around 

 Fogazzaro's ''II Santo" in an article in which he 

 maintains that the character of the hero, Piero 

 Maironi, is really that of a saint, and has been 

 drawn in harmony with all the teachings of the 

 Catholic Church on saintship. G. A. Borgese dis- 

 courses severely on the idleness and self-indulgence 

 of modem life, and T. Persico attempts to account 

 for the acknowledged lack of distinguished statesmen 

 to-day by the degeneracy of the Parliamentary system. 

 There is a pleasant article on the early Umbrian works 

 of Raphael, and a vigorous piotest from a priest 

 against the superstitious veneration of that legendary 

 Roman saint, Expeditus, whose cause has recently been 

 cluimpioned by the Cirilta Cattolica. 



The F(Aiigrafia Artistica con^inues to be a most 

 attractive periodical. The reproductions are admir- 

 ably executed, and the letterpress contains articles of 

 leal scientific value, as, for instance, a series of 

 articles on astronomical photography by the learned 

 head of the Vatican Observatory, and another by Dr. 

 O. Pes on the discoveries made concerning the human 

 eye by means of photography. 



To the Rivista d'ltalia Professor P. Mantegazza con- 

 tributes an emphatic denunciation of the conclu- 

 sions arrived at by M. Finot in his book, " Le Pre- 

 jtige des Races." Finot agues that scientific theories 

 of race variations dtnstroy true fraternity, and lie at 

 the root of wars and race hatred. Professor Mante- 

 gazza denounces Fi-ench notions of equality as fanciful 

 and harmful, and asserts that tme science makes for 

 universal peace, and that the worst wai-s have had not 

 a race, but a religious, origin, or have taken place 

 between closely allied nations. Much interesting in- 

 formation, with many quotations, is given in an article 

 on Italian vernacular Christmas hymns and rhymes 

 dating from the Middle Ages. Here, too. is a plea for 

 the urgent reform of military training based on the 

 practical experience gained in the Russo-Japanese 

 War. 



The most readable contribution in De Gids this 

 month is that on the relations between Holland and 

 Belgium. There are distinct signs of rapprochement; 

 the rancour caused by the separation more than 

 seventy j'ears ago has passed awaj' ; the present gene- 

 ration knows little about the struggle of 1830 and 

 cares less. The Dutch have forgotten the resentment 

 against the Belgians, just as they have their anger 

 and indignation against the French for what Napoleon 

 did ninety odd years since. There is enougli Flemish 

 still sfKiken in Belgium to make the two peoples feel 

 attracted to one another, and they both see the ad- 

 vantage of establishing some sort of Cu.stoms Union 

 between the two countries, while other measures are 

 also in contemplation that will draw them closer to- 

 gether. It will be interesting to watch the progress 

 of this movement. 



