50 



The Review of Reviews. 



LORD COURTNEY ON HOME 

 RULE. 



In the Conteiupnrary Revii'7c Lord Courtney of 

 I'enwith writes on Monne Rule. He says that Mr. 

 Asquith's Bill does not excite enthusiasm or passionate 

 opposition. The two \'ears' interval before it can pass 

 into law contributes to the temper of calm. 



SENATE, POST, AND POLICE. 



Lord ("ourtnev warmly approves the method of first 

 appointing the Senate, which he hails as a confession 

 of the true principle of the constitution of a legislative 

 Chamber. But subsequently all relative experience, 

 colonial and otherwise, suggests that the Irish Senate 

 would soon consist of the nominees of one Party. He 

 earnestly hopes that the scheme of the Proportional 

 Representation Society formed in Dublin will be 

 fa\ourablv considered. It would guarantee that each 

 Chamber should be truly representative of Irish 

 opinion. In some respects Lord Courtney would s:o 

 further than the Government has gone. He regrets the 

 transfer of postal administration to the Irish Govern- 

 ment. He was not aware that a separation of Post 

 Office had ever been an item in the Home Rule pro- 

 gramme. Uniformity of postal organisation is as 

 common a characteristic of federations as uniformity 

 of coinage. He also regrets that the Irish police is not 

 at once to be put under the Irish Parliament. He 

 expects .Mr. Asquith and his colleagues to agree to this 

 I)rinciple. but thinks they are afraid of the timidity of 

 other people. " Having accepted Home Rule in prin- 

 ciple. I would ensure its orderly evolution by giving 

 the future Government power and the responsibility 

 arising from power.'" 



FISCAL AUTONOMV AND ULSTER. 



Lord Courtney's conviction remains unchanged that 

 fiscal autonomy should be the accompaniment nf 

 Home Rule, " and my present acceptance of Home 

 l^ule is not defeated by this addition." " fiscal 

 autonomy would certainly operate in an unenlightened 

 and reactionary direction, but it is desired, it will 

 assuredly be clamoured for, and it had better be con- 

 ceded." The exclusion of Ulster, or a portion ot 

 Ulster, he cannot accept. Nor does he see any room for 

 compulsion. In fact, he asks, where could compulsion 

 come in .' There would be no change in law to 

 re-iist. Taxes, magistrates, police, judges, would lir 

 the same. 



WHY NOT SOI.VK THE I'RoHLKM RV CdNSENT .^ 



Lord Courtney accepts the defeat nl tlir Ilcjiiic Rule 

 Bill this Near as certain. He doubts whether the end 

 can be reached without something hke consent that an 

 end to the controversy is necessary. The Dominion of 

 Canada was not established until Canadian Conser- 



vatives and Liberals went into conference and settled 

 it. Similarly with the Commonwealth of Australia and 

 the Union of South .Yfrica. To the objection that there 

 is no symptom apparent of a disposition to enter 

 into consultation on Home Rule, Lord Courtney 

 replies : — 



In similar ca.sc5 it is quite customary to hold back in 

 apparently unalter.ible disagreement until (he critical moment 

 comes for recognising a new departure. But, indeed, signs 

 h.ave not been wanting of a change. The movements initiated 

 some year or two ago which less wise Home Rulers seemed dis- 

 posed to meet with derision might have been quietly noted by 

 more prudent counsellors as a presage of a settlement accept.-ible 

 to all. 



THE WASTE OF ENERGY IN 

 ILLUMINANTS. 



In Science Progress for April Mr. J. S. Dow discusses 

 the luminous efficiency of illuminants, and presents in 

 the following series of figures proof that the efficiency 

 even of the most modern illuminants is reniarkably 

 low : — 



.SOURCE. LCMINOUS EfPICTES'CV. 



(Percentage of tntnl enercv 

 radiated as visilile light.) 



Petroleum lamp. . , . ... " .. ... o 25 per ceni. 



Incandescent gas : veriita! ... ... ... o'46 ,, ,, 



,! 11 inverted ... ... ... o'ji ,, 



Electric incandescent lam|i : carbon filament .. 2'07 ,, 



i> ,, ., tantalum ,, ... 4^87 ,, 



,. ,, ., tungsten ,, ... 5-36 ,, ,. 



.Arc lamp, D.C. : enclosed ... ... ... i • i6 ,, 



,• ,. ,. open ... ... ... 56 



,, ,, yellow flame .. ...I3"2 ,. 



It will be noticed tliat in tlie case of the great majority of 

 artificial illuminants all but about 5 per cent, or less of the 

 energy supplied is wasted. When to this prodigious waste is 

 .added the considerable loss in the process of conversion of coal 

 into coal-gas or into electrical energy, it will be seen how small 

 a fraction of the original energy is ultimately applied to its 

 intended purpose. 



IS THE LANGUAGE OF OUR BIBLE 

 TOO ANTIQUE r 



In the London (Quarterly Revtezci Mr. E. K. Kellett, 

 M.\.. discusses the need of a new translation of the 

 New Testament. He criticises the archaic Engli.sh 

 deliberately adopted by the translators of three 

 hundred years ago from versions yet hundreiJs of years 

 earlier. Its literalness as well as its uniformly archaic 

 style misrepresent the original Scriptures. He says : — 



What the halo is to the saint of mcdireval art, that~thc dialect 

 of tlie .Aulhorised Version is to the literary aspect of religion : 

 it hides from us the .actuality of Christ, the humanitv of His 

 Apostles, and the holy commonnessof their dailv lives. Toprovc 

 this, it is sufTicient to compare the Gospel of M:irk in the version 

 of Kin with thai in the "Twentieth Century .Vew Testament" 

 . . When the .\postlcs looked round for'words in which lo 

 clothe their message, they found words strong with all the 

 strength of youth. . . We have lu think of iliem as men, and 

 not as automata. Hut this we shall never do until the antiqm? 

 style in which a false reverence has made them speak is dii- 

 carded for ever. 



