DEFENCE OF THE WEST. By Henri Massis, with a pre-
face by G. K. Chesterton. (Faber and Gwyer. 12s. 6d.)—Mr. Chesterton, who is not always accurate about our own saints, is at least enthusiastic about them. • In the saints of the East he seems to take little pleasure. As to M. Massis, who misspells more Indian words and misinterprets more. Indian ideas in this book than we believed possible in two hundred suppoSedly serious pages, we may quote his comment on Ananda Coomaraswamy's clever essay, comparing Nietzsche with his precursors in the East, as a specimen of his style :—" It is inconceivable the anarchy of thought that such cross-breedings of cultures can produce ; what is far worse is the frightful fecundity, the terrible vitality, of the mixed systems that such monstrous unions engender." Surely culture is strengthened by cross-breeding ? The offspring of comparative religion and scientific method are healthy ideas, say what the author will. Mr. Chesterton is amusing, of course, and he very rightly says that we have " extended to Asia all the accidents of Europe, but we have hardly dared to say a word for the soul of Europe." But why should we refuse to learn from the East ? Wisdom inestimable has come from it.
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