T HE disastrous 1166ds . in London which occurred in the early hours of last Saturday have - caused Londoners to look upon the Thames with new eyes. It is now known that in...

leaves all Englishmen mourning and ve7 intiell'IC456 - rer. - He We:S . the las - i of the great' Vietoilati . writers, but he was in no customary sense a Victorian, -for he...

Ltrodori, W.C. 2. — A SubseriptiOn to the S.rEcTATos ,coals Thirty Shillings per annum, including postage, to any part of the world. The SPECTATOR is registered as a Newspaper....

were flooded. At many points, of course, the flooding was 'gradual, but where the wall s broke suddenly there was a great outrush of water, and basements, as, for instance, in...

the basement of the Tate Gallery have_ not been damaged nearly so much- as was at first supposed. The indefatigable Director of the Gallery, Mr. Aitken, set to work at once with...

disaster would be entirely misdirected. The control of the river has been delegated to the Conservancy, the Port. of London Authority, the London County Council and the Borough...

Fund,. there are the FUnds of the Mayors of Westminster, Lambeth and Hammersmith, and Mr. Edward Strauss has opened a fund for Southwark. On Monday it was decided that relief...

revolt of General Sandino in- Nicaragua should be hating a certain success just when the United States is about to -mobilize for the Pan-American Congress a greater array of...

high place among memorable Papal announcements. It is obviously directed to those who have taken part in. recent congresses to discuss reunion, and in particular, we may...

but may add here the information supplied by the Paris correspondent of the Times that M. Briand has drawn Lord Crewe into the conversations. The formula being discussed is "an...

but went beyond her mark in pure English feeling. Tess of the D' Urbervilks and Jude the Obscure are masterly, both in the study of complex character and in the descrip- tion of...

peoples," but goes on to declare that the same system cannot be applied to religion because it would mean "mixing the true faith with false religions." "It is the duty: of human...

Tuesday, was as follows :— Lt.-Col. C. L'Estrango Malone (Lab.) .. .. 15,173 Capt. A. C4. Renton (Unionist) .. 14,616 S. Cope Morgan (Lib.) • . . .. 9,584 E. A. Ilailwood...

the old Cheka of ill-fame) has taken sudden action against the opponents of the present Soviet rulers. It is said that thirty members -of the Opposition, including Trotsky,...

Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon have unani- mously chosen the design by Miss Elizabeth Scott. Before their final choice they had reduced the seventy .designs entered to six, and...

any justice would seem to be that her modernism does not recall the historical associations of Shakespeare. We certainly do not join in that criticism. Miss Scott has...

within the next few days, but there can be little doubt that the men will be bitterly opposed to the employers' scheme. They will have a strong case if they can prove, as it is...

has conic from America is remarkable. About £200,000 has- been contributed by Americans—in other 'Words, about four times the amount contributed in this country. This is one of...

one of our great intellectual occasions. The addresses by Mr. Baldwin the year before last and Lord Hewart last year are well remembered. On Tuesday, Professpr Conway spoke...

proposals for recovering prosperity. They first make various suggestions for financial reconstruction, saving overhead charges and improving marketing, some - of which have...

growing old, and Governments in their old age-generally have some very inconsiderate, if not brutal, onslaughts made upon them at by-elections. There was no trace of this at...

on April 21st, 1927. War Loan (5 per cent.) was on Wednesday 101*; on Wednesday week 1011 ; a year ago 1001. Funding Loan (4 per cent.) was on Wednesday 881; on Wednesday week...

I r was the unexpectedness of the London floods. which gave a special poignancy to horror and dismay. It was as though a friend had suddenly turned into a homicidal maniac, for...

M BRIAND'S answer to Mr. Kellogg's proposal • that a Treaty between France and America, renouncing war as between themselves, should be expanded into a Treaty embracing all...

folk*, based on researchrs largely unknown to the public, present an aspect of soeial reform too little considered to-day. Mr. Moore in his three succeeding articles will write...

O NE is caught up to the sunniest upland in Switzerland in one of those amusing funiculars which look like toys but .behave like Titans. The Rhone Valley was in fog when I left...

E Gonsm is part and parcel of our human nature: We cannot live, think, feel, and do our work without a certain amount of conscious or subconscious egotism. But therein lies the...

w HEATER forecasting is to-day a recognized science, and, taking the whole year round, it is remark- able how correct are the forecasts. But the finest prophet of all is the...

[THE ROYAL ACADEMY WINTER EXHIBITION] " REMBRANDT," said my interlocutor severely, " Rembrandt; Rubens, Vandyck and Hals—Reynolds, Gitinsborough, Rae- burn and Lawrence, Romney...

[" THE ADDING MACHINE." BY ELMER RICE. AT THE COURT THEATRE.] EVEN if we have not already seen The Adding Machine done by the Stage Society, or the Gate Theatre, or in Birming-...

A LETTER FROM PARIS. [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sia,—Tintes are on the mend. No one, of course, expects a' Very rapid decrease in the cost of living, not at least if the...

' [WILLIAM WALTON'S " SINFONIA CONCERTANTE "1 AMONG English composers still in their twenties, two are already notable, William Walton and Constant Lambert. A new work by the...

After Eight Years [January 10th was the eighth birthday of the League. Lord Cecil's retrospect is interesting, and his forecast must excite attention, though the Spectator does...

or the sons of very poor farmers who have risen from poverty—to be precise, a wage of 12 a year !---to considerable wealth and position. The best of these successful climbers...

The Commissioners are harder and better men of business than the clergy. The glebe is often much less profitable, as well as less usefully employed than it should be, because...

Some curious legal points of ownership arise when trees fall ; and not all landowners appreciate their responsibility. One of the quaintest decisions as to rights in the timber...

The difference between to-day and yesterday in country Villages is startling to all older countrymen who have any memory ; but I do not think I ever realized the contrast quite...

ELMS AND THE GALE. Every other adult countryman has been comparing January, 1928, with March, 1916. While people in towns, especially in Town, hardly noticed the gale before...

The Marquess of Lincolnshire, who will again bring in a Parliamentary Bill on the subject next year, discusses the use of glebe and other church lands for smallholdings in the...

On the subject of animal associations, the Australians are racing greyhounds with monkey riders. The idea is not altogether pleasant, and the monkeys probably enjoy the sport...

Trainers of animals for parlour tricks such as those we - see at Olympia say that dogs especially enjoy their associa- tion with horses. There seems to be some natural affinity...

have brought the huge platform of the roots at right-angles to the road ; and those who know anything of the weight and solidity of the base of an elm with its roots will...

HOUSING AND THE FLOOD [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sia,—Many Londoners have had their eyes opened for the first time by the recent floods to the appalling conditions under...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Encouraged by the Southborough Report and the results of the Carlisle Management, the Directors of the...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,--! was glad to read your sane and courageous article in the issue of the Spectator pleading for the early withdrawal of - the remnant of...

distinguished Editor happy for so small a sum as six shillings must not be missed. Therefore I have just bong ht one dozen Copies of the current Spectator. But if, instead of...

Sth,—Your - correspondent's letter advocating "memorial donations to some central charitable organization" interests me. • A few weeks ago I inserted in the Times, in addition...

SPECTATOR.] .Sm,—Agricultural land in Great Britain, which has been for SO many years victimized by party politics, should be exclu- sively worked on " non-party lines," so as...

Sm,—The very interesting article by Mr. Yeats-Brown in your issue of January 7th contained a comparison of present- day Europe with Protoceratops andrewsi, the dinosaur "who was...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] ,Sia,- 7 Perhaps you will Permit ime to supplement the record of personal experiences which you were good enough to print in your issue of...

[To the Editor of the , . „ . . SIR, — Many of us have much sympathy with those who opposed' the new Prayer Book in the Houk of Commons, although We should hm , e voted against...

of the SrEorAxott.1 Sin,—In American navaL circles it is believed that at the Geneva conference the British Admiralty stood out for the - smaller guns, not only because they...

_ [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sia,—On December 19th, 1927, in the House of -Commons, the Admiralty: definitely refused the privilege of ". walking • out" in mufti to...

the SpEcrivroa.1 Sin,—The opening lines of Mr. Basil Maine's account of the above, in your issue of December 24th, are likely to create an • entirely false impression...

venture to think that, in your leading article on " Parl- lament and the Prayer Book," you rather misconceived the causes that led to the rejection of the Measure. Its advocates...

of fox-hunting ; one of your correspon- dents drew a comparison between it and bull fighting, and it recalled an old hunting song to me that we often - sang after " mess " fifty...

- ''Snt,—Two - friends of mine, mother and daughter, were in the daily habit of feeding a robin with crumbs and other morsels during the winter months. On a certain warm spring...

[To the Editor of the SpE6r4eron..] SIR,-=A biography of the late Earl ifilsbury, Lord Chancellor of England, Is in Course. of Preparation. The work has been entrusted by the...

An Echo DEAR one, dear one, who you are I shall not say, for I know not. The thousand beauties you have been My eyes have seen and have forgot. All the wisdom you have...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—With reference to the epitaphs quoted in the corre- spondence column of your issue of January 7th, the following may be new to-your...

tion of Fowey which 'puzzles your 'correspondent, Mr. King, • is an illustration of the fact that, often, what seems to be a corruption is actually a surviVal. In a quotation...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] • Sin,—A recent correspondent drew attention in your columns to the disfigurement of the cramtrylide-eaused - by roadside advertising placards....

• Sia,—Many of your correspondents have written of hunting from what they consider may be the fox's point . of view,. but no one yet has attempted to "get inside the mind" of...

Messrs. Philip Allan at 5s. The Police Journal is well written and illustrated and contains much Imperial information, also an interesting article on Jack Sheppard.

in the Mental Life if Mankind (Macmillan, 12s. 6d.) deals with the constituents of actuality, dependence, simultaneous arising, rebirth, nirvana and cognate subjects, familiar...

Winter Sportsmen (Philip Allan, 10s. (Id.), by Mr. Brian Lunn, whose father has done so much to popularize Switzerland: Winter Sports Simplified, by Mr. H. G. Stokes (Thornton...

3) sends us an interesting booklet on The Mineral H'ealth of Canada, which deserves the attention of a wider publio than that of the international investor. The greatest oppor-...

17th, on "Books that have Helped Well-known Men," the following post card from H.H. the Aga Khan, who is one of the great chiefs of Islam, will interest our readers : "The three...

is the oldest Church newspaper in England. Although we differ in our views we are one in our desire that peace and good order should prevail in the Church ; to this good end the...

Messrs. John Lane, accept . responsibility for the apparent egotism of the title, which • the author only accepted after strong protest. Captain • j. II. Hardy, indeed, is as...

First is Mr. Hartley Withers's Money. Not only does Mr. Withers succeed in making his subject clear, but he is fair also to the bimetallist and to the anti-gold- :standard...

which has often been attempted before, but we feel that Professor Rice succeeds where others have failed largely because he clears the ground thoroughly in his first five...

Bombay, Rs. 3 annas 8) is a curious little book which will be gibberish to those who have not studied the Tantrik system of philosophy, but which will interest those who have....

THE Editor offers two prizes of ten guineas each for the most practicable programme for the next Unionist Government. One prize will be given to women of under twenty-five years...

The Guests of British Ants. By H. St. J. K. Donisthorpe. (Routledge. 18s. ) The Ant People. By Hans Heinz Ewers. Translated from the German by C. H. Levy. (John Lane. 8s. 6d.)...

The Complete Works of John Webster. New Text with Commentary and Introductions. Edited by F. L. Lucas. 4 Vols. (Chatto and Windus. 18s. each.) IN the later Elizabethans there...

ALTHOUGH distinctly amusing, there is no doubt that Mrs. Sheridan's book leaves a nasty after-taste. The trouble with it, perhaps, is not that it is nuda veritas but that it is...

The Economic Consequences of the League. By Sir Arthur Salter and others. (Europa Publishing Co. 12s. 6d.) Minimum Wage - Fixing Machinery. International Labour Declaration...

MR. JOHN BENN, son of the well-known publisher, when he left Harrow proceeded to the University of Princeton in the United States instead of to Oxford or Cambridge. As a scheme...

READY FOR DELIVERY ON JANUARY 21sr, 1929. Readers resident outside the British Isles and Libraries Overseas are asked to inform the Sam - v.:molt Office in advance as to the...

Eternal Wotna,n stable. 7s. 6d.) - IT is not enough id say that Mr. Erskilie takes liberties with his texts ; he gives them hardly a passing glance : he takes a name; an...

THE CULT OF SANTIAGO. By the Rev. James S. Stone, D.D. (Longmans. 15s.)—The conversion of St. James, the fisherman of Galilee, into that " Padron y Capitan General de las...

(G. Allen and Unwin. 16s.)—Local historians seldom contrive to be both informing and readable. Mr. Hine's new work on Hitchin is a brilliant exception to the rule. He has...

Rutter giyes a Spirited account of the rebellion of a 'dispossessed chieftain, Pangeran Jeludin—this . is only half his name—In Borneo about- twenty years ago.' We have here an...

don Press. 16s.)-To Shakespearean students Mr. McKerrow is well known for his extremely maul notes on book-produc- tion in the Elizabethan and Early Stuait -periods. He has now...

S. King. 10s. 6d.)-Mr.,-Jack, a well- known Scottish economist, has done a very useful thing in colleeting and presenting the main facts with regard to the restoration of the...

'11 - nE weekly prize of one guinea, offered by the Editor for the best thirteen General Knowledge questions submitted to us, is awarded this week to Mr. A. Mackenzie, of Baile...

Tneor.ouv :-Souls of Men. By W. Y. Fullerton. (The Carey Press. ,As.)---L-Religious Conversion. By Sante de Sanctis. (liegan• Paul. 12s. 6d.) The Church in Scotland, 1843;1874....

CHEERFUL MARKETS. ALTHOUGH the Stock Markets, to some extent, have been feeling their way during the opening days of the New Year, the general tone remains one of cheerfulness....

New Year partnerships was the announcement that Messrs. Morgan, Grenfell and Company had taken into partnership Sir Thomas Sivewright C,atto, Bart. A partnership in Messrs....

The yea't 1927 was a good one in the matte of new life asatirance business and the gains in the volume of new business f . are considerable. The - Directors of the Atlas...