THE DECEMBER MAGAZINES.
THE Nineteenth Century opens with an article by Colonel Gerald
B. Hurst stressing " The World's Desire for Peace," followed by an instructive account of " Australia's Position " at the Wash- ington Conference by Professor Meredith Atkinson, who defends the policy of a " White Australia " and questions Japan's alleged " right " to overflow into other people's territories.
Lord Robert Cecil explains and justifies the settlement of the Upper Silesian question by the Council of the League. " We have seen," he says, " in various parts of Europe the result of a rigid application of the principle of nationality. Some modification of it is essential to the economic life of Europe." In Upper Silesia a compromise between nationalist and economic claims has been devised and may form a valuable precedent. Mr. A. D. Godley laments over " Greek in Extremis " ; perhaps he is unduly pessimistic when he says that "the whole future of Greek lies on the knees of schoolmasters " and when he exhorts them not to be " intimidated by mere numerical majorities." Dr. Hagberg Wright, in an article on " The Spirit of Russia," shows that some Russian writers retain their faith and their hopefulness despite the horrors of the Communist despotism. Sir Charles Callwell has a thoughtful article on " Service Experts at War Councils " and their proper uses. Miss Eleanor Hall, in " Ireland : its Allegiance to the Crown," has an easy task in showing the historical absurdity of Mr. De Valera's assertion that Ireland never of her own will rendered allegiance to the British Crown ; Mr. De Valera was, of course, trading on the profound ignorance of the Irish public. Major F. R. Radice has a curious and interesting article on " The First Con- quest of Palestine," reviewing Joshua's work in the light of modern military experience. Mr. NV. H. Helm contributes a good paper on " The Making of ' Antique ' Furniture," revealing some of the many tricks of the trade. Captain Cyril Falls describes the work of " The British Legion," which he urges all ex-Service men to join. Mr. Richardson Evans denounces in vigorous terms " The Odious Field Board," that is to say, the advertisement board which defaces the landscape alongside many of our railways. Such boards should, he thinks, be limited in numbers if they cannot be wholly prohibited.
The Fortnightly opens with some verses by Mr. Hardy on " A December Rain-Scene." Mr. J. A. R. Marriott discusses "Empire Partnership" in the light of recent events. It is, he says :- " A sentiment which appeals at least as strongly to Canadians and to Australasians as to Britons of the homeland ; but a senti- ment it remains ; every attempt to translate it into machinery, to embody it in concrete political institutions, has thus far served only to produce a recoil on the part of the overseas partners. The recoil was most marked when the sentiment seemed at the zenith. Is the sentiment strongest when weakest t " Mr. Julius M. Price describes the work of reconstruction in France ; a misprint makes him say that Reims has raised a loan of £120,000,000. Sir G. W. Forrest writes on " Irish Administration." Mr. Herbert Thring, in an article on " Cana- dian Copyright," maintains that the new Canadian Aot will do great injustice to British authors without benefiting Canada. Mr. R. C. Long's Berlin letter on " Bad Money and Good Trade " illustrates the paradoxical conditions now prevailing in Germany. A second instalment of the first Lord Acton's American diaries of seventy years ago is lively reading, especially about Harvard. Three Labour politicians contribute articles. Mrs. Lansdale Ragg's account of Deburau, artiste-mime, who died in 1846, is highly interesting.
The Contemporary gives prominence to hopeful articles on the Washington Conference by Lord Bryce and Lord Robert Cecil. Lord Bryce says that " all reasonable Americans are coming to feel that we have been going as fast and as far as prudence permits in our Indian policy and in the most recent offer to Ireland." " The willingness to reduce our Fleet," he adds, " the evidence given that we have no distrust of the American Navy and that we share the pacific sentiments of the American people, will make co-operation for the peace of the world natural, one might almost say, inevitable." Lord Robert Cecil thinks that the Conference will help the League. " For when the Conference is over, when the tumult and the shouting die, the League remains, remains the permanent and obvious machinery for perpetuating the Washington decisions and for
expanding their operation." Professor Pigou writes cautiously on Unemployment " ; wo need, he says, a revival of business confidence and that depends on the return of a real Captain Wedgwood Benn describes " The Key Industries Act in Working," illustrating its ill-effects in certain directions. Mr. J. H. Harley contributes an account of a visit to Poland which, he declares, is fast recovering from the War. Mr. J. R. lef' Butler examines and refutes Mr. Lansing's attack on the League of Nations. Canon Murray has an interesting article on " The Birthday of Mithra and of Jesus Christ." Mr. M. F. Liddell, in an enthusiastic account of " The Irish Literary Renaissance," admits that the attempt to revive Erse as the ordinary language of Nationalist Ireland has been a failure, " despite even the appearance of Irish signboards in the streets of Dublin."
In Black-wood Miss L. Bowler gives a plain account of " An Englishwoman's Experiences in Bolshevik Prisons." She was captured while with some Polish soldiers in White Russia last year, and was treated with the utmost cruelty by the barbarians. It is hard to believe that even the English admirers of the Bolsheviks could find excuses for their brutality to this lady. Mr. Blacker describes Kelat, " the forbidden fortress of Khura- san." Mr. Compton writes on Samuel Pepys. There is an instructive article on " World Revolution," suggested by Mrs. Webster's notable book.
In the National Review Professor Spenser Wilkinson, under the title of " The Making of a Soldier," discusses Sir William Robertson's book with special reference to his work as Chief of Staff. A " Recent Resident in Russia" writes on "The Jews and the Russian Revolution," declaring that the Jews did not at first play an active part in the Bolshevik movement though they took service under the Bolsheviks when Lenin had gained power. " The Food Department and Commissariat of the Army gradually got entirely in Jewish hands." " It was said by Jewish commissars that one should howl as the wolves till better times come." " It is a fact that in Soviet Russia, in comparison with their numbers, many Jews have more or less important positions, but it is not true that Jews alone are the bearers of the Bolshevik idea." This "Recent Resident" is no doubt right, though, as he admits, the chief Terrorists, Trotsky and Zinovieff, are unquestionably Jews. Professor John Diokio, of Dunedin, contributes " A New Zealand Sidelight on the Irish Question," declaring that " for the last fivo or six years the Church of Rome, through its official organ the N.Z. Tablet, and in other ways, has been actively engaged in an anti-British propaganda of the most virulent and malignant type." The same kind of Roman Catholic agitation has been active in Australia. Captain E. Brown writes on " Unvaccinated England," and the danger to which the country is exposed through the numbers of " conscientious" objectors.
The Round Table for December is specially interesting for its articles on the Washington Conference. American, Japanese and Chinese contributors state the views of their respective countries, British writers discuss the general situation and the naval problem in the Pacific, and the Canadian and Australian correspondents explain the attitude of the Dominions. The Japanese contributor disavows the aggressive designs often imputed to Japan, denies that his country is really governed by a military clique, and expresses readiness for a naval under- standing and for the maintenance of the " open door " in China. The Chinese writer complains of Japanese encroachments and desires to obtain from the Powers "a pledge that they will on no account allow themselves to interfere with the internal politics of China." The American writer declares that " the principle of rigid governmental control of the manufacture of munitions should obtain recognition at Washington " as a preliminary to disarmament on land. An instructive article on the " Currency and Foreign Exchange Problem " urges that our policy should be " to maintain the internal stability of our currency, to aim at keeping prices more or less as they are now, and to come to some settlement with the United States Government as to our War debt " ; and, further, that " Germany must be given more tune to pay." Another writer, dealing with s The Aftermath of Victory," suggests that we should remit at least part of the debts due to us from the Allies on condition that they agree to reduce the reparation payments to be made by Germany. A very long article on Ireland advocates restraint and reticence and prints once more the letters exchanged between the Prime Minister and Mr. De Valera. The issue is simple enough. When the Sinn Feiners say that they want a Republic and take an oath of allegiance to a Republic, do they mean what they say or are they playing to the gallery ? The author of the article, like the Government Press, evades this plain question under a cloud of words.
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