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The Review of Reviews. 



THE ROUND TABLE. 



The Round Table for March gives the first place, 

 not to the admirably lucid exposition of the effect 

 which war would produce on Lombard Street, but to a 

 paper entitled " The Balkan Danger and Universal 

 Peace." 



THE TRUE PACIFICISM. 



It is a carefully reasoned argument of the absolute 

 futility of the dreams of the conventional pacificist 

 and an inspiring exposition of the British Empire as 

 the model and the omen of the organisation of 

 mankind : — 



The Briti;^h Empire is Ihc oniy attempt wliicli the world lias 

 yet seen at the practical application of those principles which 

 will lead to the ultimate abolition of war. 



Modern war is caused by a conflict of interest, or aspiration, 

 between nations. It will not disappear until that cause is 

 removed, and this would involve two great changes. The 

 prevailing nationalism of the most civilised peoples must be 

 undermined ; the present organisation of humanity into indepen- 

 dent sovereign states must be abolished, in order that the 

 machinery for the maintenance of the reign of law may be 

 extended so as to embrace the whole world. This is a ^tupcn- 

 dous task. 



But it can be solved on the basis of a system as loose 

 and elastic as that of the British Empire. 



OTHER ARTICLES. 



'I'here is a sensible article setting forth the case for 

 the Declaration of London and the Naval Prize Court. 

 It is followed by a short but clear narrative of how- 

 Imperialism wrecked the hopes of Greece. As long as 

 the Confederacy of Delos was organised as the British 

 Empire is organised it was great and flourishing. But 

 when .\thens attempted to compel the Confederated 

 States to contribute to the cost of a fleet which Athens 

 exclusively controlled, the death-blow was given bv a 

 policy which destroyed the enthusiasm of the States, 

 which h;id been reduced to the status of mere depen- 

 dencies. 



does not shrink from further corrupting the English 

 language by disseminating through its pages the 

 jargon known as 'Varsitx slang. The new venture has 

 chosen its own public, and within that limited sphere 

 will doubtless awaken much sympathetic interest. 



THE ARENA. 



This name, which is already familiar to readers cjf 

 .\merican and Continental magazines, now appears as 

 the title of a new shilling monthly, published this 

 month for the first time. The aim of the Arena, which 

 incorporates Vmversity and Puhlie Scluxd l.ije and 

 Auialeur Sport, is to " appeal to the Pulilic School and 

 University men as such, and to deal with all subjects 

 likely to interest anyone who is or has been associated 

 in any capacity with these institutions." These sub- 

 jects are apparently in the main three : academic 

 news and memories ; sport ; and undergraduate 

 humour^a species for which the outer world seems 

 not to possess the requisite organ of appreciation. 

 The illustrations are admirable. The frontispiece, a 

 view of the interior of King's Chapel at Cambridge, is 

 exceptionally fine. There are sketches of the Oxford 

 Union Society, Marlborough College, and of Cambridge 

 streets. Club chronicles liegin with an account of the 

 Blackhcath Football Club, and a full-page coloured 

 portrait ol B. C. Hartley in football gear. The Arena 



THE WORLD'S WORK. 



'The World's Work for March is a very good number. 

 A striking papei' on King George V., along with the 

 paper on Vancouver, and Selma Lagerlof on woman 

 the saviour of the State, have been separately noticed. 



" Why London is the Centre " is the title of a 

 series of papers begun liy Mr. J. H. Collins. He 

 mentions that of two brothers in New England one 

 sold out and brought his capital over to London to 

 start there in his own wav. He meant to extend his 

 business in the United Kingdom, and did so, but found, 

 to his surprise, that he was being drawn into an export 

 trade extending over the whole world. This illustrates 

 how London is the lodestone to foreign trade : — 



London now has vigorous competition not only in other 

 countries but from other great British cities that have arisen at 

 home. But it is still the world's largest seaport in tonnage, and 

 its annual trade, counting goods that come and go by railroad, 

 exceeds _;^4,ooo,ooo,cx)3. The magnitude of this figure may he 

 realised when it is known that it amounts to several million 

 pounds more than the entire manufacturing output of the 

 United States. 



" Home Counties " tells the story of the farmers 

 who could not be daunted — the Dutchmen who have 

 turned their straw into strawboard, potatoes into 

 flour, make money out of moor, and farm contentedly 

 fifteen feet below sea-level — an object-lesson of diffi- 

 culties conquered which may be commended to the 

 grumbling English farmer. 



Arbour Day at Blackley, Manchester, is described 

 by Ben Wilde. Every year for five years the children 

 of the municipal .school ha\ e gone forth to plant trees, 

 and already 103 trees have been planted by the children. 

 'The trees are paid for out of money collected by the 

 children. 'They are planted by the Superintendent of 

 Parks, and the Highways Department arrange the 

 necessary excavating and reflagging. Each child takes 

 part in the actual planting of the trees. Besides 

 lieautifying a very black neighbourhood, the .scheme 

 is a continual education to the children, who watch 

 the growth and learn liow things grow. 



Mr. Frank Norton discusses the progress of the 

 cult of the sweet pea. 



Miss Josephine 'Tozicr continues her description of 

 the Montessori method of teaching children without 

 tears. 



Mr. .Arthur James oilers political parties the despair- 

 ing advice that they should postpone their quarrels 

 and give their attention to the wages question. \ 

 whole session spent upon that question would do 

 more for the peace of the country than cither Tariff 

 Reform or Home Rule, or the enfranchisement of a 

 few million more of new voters. 



The visits of Charles Dickens to America are vividly 

 described by Mr. Joseph Jackson. 



