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The Review of Reviews. 



AN ALTERNATIVE TO CONSCRIPTION. 

 Bv Mr. Archibald Hurd. 



Mr. Archjbald Hurd, in the Fcrlnightly Rei'ieii< 

 for January, declares that Lord Haldane's speech on 

 December ist sounded the death-knell of the National 

 Service Scheme. This being so, Mr. Hurd suggests 

 an alternative national programme, to which he urges 

 the National Service League to turn its vast influence 

 and considerable funds : — 



Let ihose who appreciate the deep patriotic fervour which 

 inspires the country consider what enthusiasm would run riot 

 through the counties and towns and villages if the National 

 Service League adopted some sucli programme as the follow- 

 ing : — 



(1) Compulsory continuation schools for all boys from four- 

 teen to sixteen years of age, the curriculum to include hygiene, 

 technical instruction, and compulsory physical drill. Only 

 those who are familiar with the marvellous results of physical 

 drill upon the lads recruited for the Navy can fully appreciate 

 the influence which this reform would have in developing the 

 pliysique of the nation. 



(2) Voluntary military training in cadet corps. The cost of 

 equipment and camp expenses would be provided by the local 

 education authorities, supplemented by the large voluntary 

 subscriptions which now go to the support of the various lads' 

 organisations with an enrolled strength of about 450,000. 



(3) Encouragement of the Territorial Force fed from the 

 cadet corps. In carrying out this aspect of its work the League 

 would occupy very much the same relation to the Territorial 

 Army as the Navy League occupies towards the Navy. Every 

 branch throughout the country would become an educational 

 agency assisting by meetings and lectures in attracting recruits. 



This, in brief outline, is surely a policy which would be cal- 

 culated to win the enthusiastic support of all classes in the 

 community, irrespective of political complexion or sectarian 

 ditferences. 



Mr. Hurd also suggests that the cost of the Terri- 

 torial Force should be taken off the Army Estimates 

 and provided for by a county rate. His notion is to 

 make the Territorial Force the centre of the county. 

 Those who had served in the Army or Navy, or 

 intended to join them in the current year, or who 

 belonged to the police force, would be exempt from 

 the Territorial rate. 



PoiNis FOR England from Tripoli. 



" Master Mariner " contributes to the Contemporarf 

 Rci'iiw a brief article entitled " The Invasion of 

 Tripoli : a Reassuring Lesson for Great Britain." 

 " Master Mariner " points out that the Turks have 

 made no attempt whatever to land reinforcements in 

 Tripoli, although the coast is much more convenient 

 for such a relieving raid than the English coast upon 

 which the Germans are supposed to menace a descent. 

 He says : — 



If it takes 35,000 troops almost three weeks to carry out an 

 oversea attack, with no opposition whatever, how long would 

 200,000, or even 70,000, take in the face of some very dangerous 

 opposition, even if the bulk of the defending fleet is out of tl e 

 way ? Our coastal torpedo flotillas are always on the spot. .As 

 far as the events of thfs war afford an indication, we should 

 incur no undue risk if we dispatched our battle-fleets to the 

 Cape of Good Hope or Indian Ocean, except to our trade 

 routes near home waters. And these events seem to suggest 

 that those who take the view that the establishment of our 

 Territorial Army is considerably in excess of re(iuiremcnts have 

 some strong arguments on their side. 



HOW RUSSIA MADE ENGLAND. 



In the December Journal of the Royal United 

 Service Institution Captain E. Rason, R.N., contributes 

 a paper on communications between England and 

 Russia. 



in the days of CANUTE. 



He refers first to the days of Canute, whose 

 northern empire, extending over England, Denmark, 

 Norway, Sweden, and a large portion of the Baltic, 

 coast, has been extolled by Freeman. England had 

 been desolated by the Norse invasion. The Norse- 

 men took away in clear gold or silver three times the 

 value of all the land in England. But by clearing 

 the Baltic of piracy, Canute made it possible for the 

 trade from Novgorod to come by Pskoff : — 



The whole distance from Pskoff could be made by water, in 

 the spring, without a portage. The ships which sailed from 

 Pernau or from Oesel Island went to Schleswig, the goods 

 were carted over the small distance of four miles to the Trema, 

 and from thence down the river Trema and Eider to the sea, and 

 by sea either to Bruges or to London. It was in the reign of 

 Canute, you may remember, that London replacedWinchester 

 as the capital city of England. 



The trade of Canute was with and through Russia. 

 It was this trade which made the people of Denmark 

 and England so rich, and Canute's treasury so well 

 filled. This trade probably lasted twenty years. But 

 with Canute's death his empire fell to pieces. 



IN THF, DAYS OF QUEEN BESS. 



Five hundred years Jater England was again in a 

 bad plight. The Roman Catholic countries of Spain 

 and Portugal were growing rich and powerful fiom 

 their valuable trade with the East and West Indies 

 and America. Then Chancellor made the discovery 

 of Russia by way of the Northern Ocean, and Pinker- 

 ton in 1808 says that " the discovery of a maritime 

 intercourse with the Great Empire of Russia, and the 

 consequent extension of commerce and navigation," 

 " was justly regarded by historians as the first dawn of 

 the wealth and naval preponderance of England " : — 



It was owing to the discovery of the Northern Route to 

 Russia that the English naval power arose. Almost negligible 

 at the commencement of Elizabeth's reign, the English Navy 

 was at the end of her reign the most powerful naval force afloat. 



England helped Russia to overthrow the menacing 

 power of Poland, and England was able to overthrow 

 the equally menacing power of Spain. In subsequent 

 wars England helped Russia with troops, and Russia 

 helped England with troops. 



TO-DAY. 



At the present day Russia is the chief employer of 

 British shipping in the Black Sea : — 



Out of the four millions of shipping entering Russian ports, 

 over two million is British, or 50 per cent. ; out of the three 

 million tons of shipping enti-ring Turkish ports, only the very 

 small amount of 23,000 tons is British, or less than } per cent. 



" Dear Old Piccadilly " is the title of a very vivid 

 and stirring sketch in the Canadian Magazine for 

 December, by Newton MacTavish, with illustrations 

 of night scenes. 



