Some Books of the Week
Goon works do not always make good reading. The Diaries of Mary Countess of Meath, edited by her husband (Hutchinson, 21s.), are a mere history of good works and would seem dull indeed if it were not that behind the often very bald narrative—we had almost said " minutes "- of charitable doings, we did not catch from time to time a glimpse of a very gracious and charming personality. The Victorian great lady at her best was a character that modern circumstances make almost impossible. A life led under conditions as. perfect as have ever existed since the beginning of the world, protected in youth from all that we cynically label " the realities " of ordinary existence, while it occa- sionally produced characters of diamond hardness, occa- sionally also resulted in a benevolence more serene and perfect, a selflessness less conscious, a gravity less heavy than can be found in those exposed to the rough and tumble of the world. To catch sight of this rare philanthropist it is worth while reading the simple memoranda of her philanthropy. * * * a
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