96 



The Review of Reviews. 



THE NATIONAL REVIEW. 



When the Sational Review begins, as this month, 

 to discuss the conduct o£ the Liberal Government, it 

 reminds one of a mad monkey let loose with a tar- 

 brush. It dabs its blackness of abuse with charming 

 impartiality. It has such an evident delight as well as 

 genius for bespattering abuse that if it were condemned 

 to the company of immaculate angels it would probably 

 feel the suppression of its gifts in this direction a 

 positive Hades. Mr. Rudyard Kipling's paper has been 

 separately noticed. 



M. Andre Cheradame tells the history of three loans 

 as an illustration of the effect of French public opinion 

 on finance and diplomacy. In 1909 a Hungarian loan 

 of twenty millions sterling about to be sprung upon the 

 French money market was exposed by Le Petit Journal, 

 and consequently had to be withdrawn. In 191 1 

 another Austro-Hungarian loan of forty millions was 

 being carefully engineered in the French money market, 

 but again exposure of the obvious fact that the money 

 would go to strengthen the Triple Alliance against 

 France and her friends destroyed its chances. The third 

 loan is about ten millions sterling for Turkey, the effect 

 of which will be to help Turkey in her war with 

 Italy. The writer pleads for the conclusion of an 

 effective alliance between finance and diplomacy. If 

 the united forces of French and British finance worked 

 together, it would be a valuable addition to the strength 

 of the entente cordiale. 



Mr. Coulson Kernahan deplores the intrusion of 

 politics in the pulpit, and quotes the report of a Sunday 

 afternoon meeting in a chapel where a freethinker 

 openly deplored that humanity had placed too much 

 reliance on Christ. 



Young China and Young Turkey are contrasted by 

 Mr. J. 0. P. Bland, much to the disparagement of the 

 former. The Turkish revolution was justified by 

 necessity, and, to some extent, by its results. The 

 Chinese Republic has been suddenly conferred on a 

 people that neither wants nor understands repre- 

 -sentative government. 



]\[r. W. J- Courthope desires to save the country 

 from the evils of the Party system, yet confesses that 

 nothing has any real chance till adopted by one of the 

 Party machines. He therefore urges that those who 

 would work for a National Party should try to realise 

 their ideals by means of the Tory Party. 



Miss Laurence .Mma Tadema, writing on the suffrage 

 danger, says quite frankly that " there seems no valid 

 reason why women should not vote," but adds that 

 suffragists are not fighting for votes merely, but for the 

 new ideal of womanhood, of an unsexed womanhood. 

 Therefore the movement should be opposed. 



Miss Frances Pitt is grieved with the dead set that is 

 being made against the brown rat. She says that as 

 the brown rat appeared, driving out its weaker rival, 

 the black rat. plague began to di.sappear. She tells a 

 charmin;": story of a baby rat that had lost its mother, 

 which she induced a nursing cat to bring up as her own. 



HISPANI.A. 



The July number of this highly-reputed Spanish 

 magazine proves just as interesting as its forerunners. 

 An article on the political confederation of Latin- 

 America by His E.xcellency S. Perez Triana, the 

 Colombian Minister, discloses the fact that although 

 repeated efforts have been made in 1822, 1S31, 1840, 

 1847, 1856 and 1864 to bring aliout the realisation of 

 this confederation, according to the writer the scheme 

 is nothing but a dream, a will-o'-the-wisp, which 

 diverts the energies of those nations from their true 

 paths towards welfare. It is interesting to note in 

 connection with this article that Simon Bolivar, the 

 Liberator, told a friend of his that his scheme of con- 

 federation of 1823 was simply a bluff, as he did not 

 believe himself in the possibility of its being carried 

 out. He told General Peru de Lacroix that his aim 

 had been to hasten the recognition of the new Republics 

 by Spain as well as by other European Powers. 

 l\Ir. Sanin Cano deals with the panics such as the one 

 that took place in .-\merica in 1907. The Drago Doctrine 

 is stated in its true light by another contributor, who 

 controverts the opinion of Mr. Jlarcial Martinez, the 

 well-known Chilean statesman, who, in a previous 

 number of Hispania, gave the aforesaid Doctrine an 

 altogether different meaning from that which its author 

 intended it to have. Mr. Enrique Perez replies in a 

 well-thought-out article to a previous contribution by 

 Mr. Sanin Cano, who upholds the theory that Parlia- 

 ments should be abolished, taking the standpoint that 

 thev have proved themselves an absolute failure. 

 Mr. Perez asks Mr. Sanin Cano to please present at 

 least one of the formulas that he claims to think coidd 

 take the place of Parliaments. Mr. Perez further adds 

 that, notwithstanding all the shortcomings of the 

 parliamentary system, it is the only means that 

 humanity at present has of e.xpressing itself. The 

 review contains other important articles by Mr. Cun- 

 ninghame-Graham, and many well-known Spanish 

 writers, amongst others Azorin, Acebal, Dr. Drago, 

 Ramiro Merino, etc. 



THE WINDSOR. 



A VERY timely art paper is contributed by Austin 

 Chester on the pastoral and modern landscape, with 

 many pages of beautiful pastoral scenes by various 

 painters. The reign of Queen Anne is dealt with in 

 England's story -in portrait and picture. The portraits 

 are those of Queen .\nne, her consort George, the first 

 Duke and Duche.ss of Marlborough, Earl of Oxford, 

 Viscount Bolingbroke, and Joseph .-\ddison. There 

 are pictures of Defoe in the pillory, and the battles of, 

 Blenheim, Ramillics, Malplaquct, as of the capture ot 

 Gibraltar and its e\acuation by the Spanish troops. 

 There are quaint pictures also of Queen Anne's proces- 

 sion passing along the Strand, and of her death. Mr. 

 Charles G. D. Roberts describes the fate of the salmon 

 attacked by the otter, and of the otter attacked by 

 the eaj^le. 



