18 NOVEMBER 1949

Page 3

POLITICS OVER STEEL

The Spectator

p RACTICAL considerations about the business of producing steel have never at any time influenced the Government very deeply in its struggle to get the Iron and Steel Bill on to...

Travail at Transport House

The Spectator

The birth-pangs of the T.U.C.'s wages policy are formidable and prolonged. After yet another week of discussions the economic committee of the General Council has still not...

Page 4

Hard Times in East Germany

The Spectator

Despite the Russian parade of handing over administration in their zone of Germany to the Lander Governments of the " Democratic Republic," the lot of the people of Eastern...

The Italian Colonies

The Spectator

The large majorities by which the Political Committee of the General Assembly adopted the plan to give eventual independence to Libya and Somaliland and send a commission of...

India and Kashmir

The Spectator

It is a great pity that the Prime Minister of India should have marred his recent and very welcome visit to this country by an unfortunate and quite unjustifiable attack on...

Japan and the Peace Treaty

The Spectator

To questions in the House of Commons about the "-ospects of a peace treaty with Japan the Under-Secretao of State Foreign Affairs returned, last Monday, non-committal replies....

Page 5

M. Vyshinsky on Atomic Control

The Spectator

To discover any justification for hope in M. Vyshinsky's latest speeches on the control of atomic energy it is first of all necessary to divorce manner from content. His...

Catholics and the Schools

The Spectator

It is to be regretted that the Roman Catholics have decided to make the question of increased support for their schools from public funds a General Election issue. The supreme...

AT WESTMINSTER

The Spectator

T HE return of familiar faces to Westminster this week betokened the end of some weeks of great diplomatic activity, and gave new life to the debates. The Attorney General and...

Page 6

THE NEXT STAGE IN GERMANY

The Spectator

T HE time has come when the Western Allies must take risks with Germany. Two alternative courses lie before them, neither of which is entirely free from danger. They can put...

Page 7

A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK

The Spectator

T HESE Liberal and Conservative manoeuvrings arc a little disturbing to anyone who feels that the country has had enough of the present Government, with all its virtues, and...

Page 8

Tito and the Kremlin

The Spectator

By FITZROY MACLLAN, M.P. 66 UCII," I wrote in a report which I sent to Mr. Churchill from German-occupied Yugoslavia in 1943, "will depend on Tito, and whether he sees himself...

Page 9

Tchaikovsky s Fifth Symphony

The Spectator

Heard on the Wireless Heart on his sleeve, yes ; the egoistic hurt dissolved In pity for the world's sorrow, The avid desire of the small hours Decked in the flame of morning...

It's a Large World After All

The Spectator

By D. W. BROGAN 0 F course, in some ways it has grown smaller. I have done even more travelling (against my will) in the past twelve months than usual. I have seen similarities...

Page 10

In the Ruins

The Spectator

By ROSE MACAULAY T HE maze of little streets threading through the wilderness, the broken walls, the great pits with their dense forests of bracken and bramble, golden ragwort...

Page 11

Sporting Manners

The Spectator

B‘ j. P. W. MALLALIEU, M.P. HE other afternoon, Bob Hesford, of Huddersfield, received one of the most prolonged ovations ever given to a goal- keeper. The odds against saving...

Page 12

The Small Ghosts

The Spectator

By PETER FLEMING O N the crest of the ridge I switched off the engine and let the car coast down the hill which sloped, gently at first, towards the still distant sea. The...

Page 13

The Chimney Sweep

The Spectator

By SIR STEPHEN I ALLENTS S S a little Londoner, tramping the streets with his nurse, I used to feel my heart leap up when I beheld a man with a 'black face and a bundle of...

Page 14

The Bull-Fight

The Spectator

By FREYA STARK HE whole of Puebla seemed to be on the way to the bull-ring that winter afternoon. The 23,000 people for whom there was room on the benches were certainly there....

Page 15

Bunny Art

The Spectator

11 MARGHANITA LASKI W HAT the subject really needs, of course, is field-workers and a research grant and something promised on the Third Programme. All sorts of fascinating...

Page 16

Liners in Arms

The Spectator

By F. TENNYSON JESSE "They that go down to the sea in ships: And occupy their business in great waters ; These men see the works of the Lord And his wonders in the deep." T...

Page 17

Peace in Greece ?

The Spectator

g% C. M. WOODHOUSE T HE British and American Governments have both made clear, by implication, their belief that the war in Greece is finished : the British, by announcing the...

" Vie *spectator," November 17, 1849 PuaLic execution of capital

The Spectator

punishment is deemed necessary for the completeness of the example: the public flocked to see the Mannings hanged on Tuesday, and, with the expression of disgust at such an...

Page 18

Holiday Camps in France

The Spectator

By JUDITH }MUM_ k T HE open-air movement in France is vigorous and growing. During the war one of the few good results of the Vichy administration was the impetus which was...

London

The Spectator

THE meter's heart-beat stills. The red flam.: leaves the spines Like prehistoric bones Reared in meticukus lines. The shilling, then, is spent. The fireless, darkened room...

Page 19

UNDERGRADUATE PAGE

The Spectator

The Earthquake By D. G. MACMILLAN (Clare College, Cambridge) T HE Spectator penetrates to some remote places, as does the undergraduate on vacation, and one September day I...

Page 20

MARGINAL COMMENT

The Spectator

HAROLD NICOLSON I ALWAYS feel sorry for those eminent persons who year by year are invited to deliver the main speech at the annual meetings of the National Trust. It is all...

Page 22

CONTEMPORARY ARTS

The Spectator

THE THEATRE Lady Audley's Secret. A Victorian Melodrama with Music, from the Popular Novel by Miss Braddon. (Princes.) To do something badly on purpose it is first necessary...

Effort and Enthusiasm T this time, when all British citizens

The Spectator

arc called upon to make • greater effort, the aircraft industry may be depended upon to give good measure. Indeed, the necessity to count the cost with particular care has had...

MUSIC

The Spectator

THE revival of Strauss's Salome at Covent Garden on November itth has aroused almost universal indignation. The work itself, in spite of the brilliant cleverness of many...

Page 24

GRAMOPHONE NOTES

The Spectator

Au. the gramophone companies seem to have thought of Christmas, and there is a large choice of what are called " light classics " with some not too large (and therefore...

RADIO

The Spectator

FROM time to time complaints arise that the B.B.C. is not, in political affairs, impartial. The complaints are almost invariably made by people who in fact strongly desire the...

Page 26

COUNTRY LIFE

The Spectator

ONE diarist holds that the last leaves usually fall before November Nth. They are often wont to crash after St. Martin's summer. If that is ao, we arc promised a very late...

Page 28

D.N.B. and a Dory phore

The Spectator

Sta r -Thanks to Mr. Harold Nicolson's marginal comment on the D.N.B., my friends tell me that I am a doryphorous, glistening and hardshclled beetle. And all this because filial...

A Doryphore Complains

The Spectator

Sta,—Mr. Nicolson is less than just in his attitude towards the doryphore ; he exposes, scolds and finally threatens (" I challenge the doriphores "), and in so doing manages to...

How Many Anglicans ?

The Spectator

Su t,—Either Janus or the reference-book he has used clearly errs in giving the number of " Anglicans in England, Scotland and Wales " as 2,360,000. What would appear to have...

44 The Indolent Farmer " SIR,—My attention has been drawn

The Spectator

to an article by Mr. Gareth Lima which appears in the Spectator of November 4th, 1949, under the heading The Indolent Farmer, and which contains many distorted statement' and...

Mrs. Maud Gonne MacBride

The Spectator

SIR, —In my review of Professor Ellmann's Yeats: the Man and the I overlooked the possibility that there might be survivors from the pc iasi of Irish history which it covers,...

Page 30

How to Prosper in Farming

The Spectator

SIR-I have always read with great interest the articles on farming matters by your usual contributor, Mr. Walston. To me, a farmer, they seem to show a real practical knowledge...

Hitler and Rearmament SIR,-" It seems a pity to have

The Spectator

translated this book " writes your c ritic of The Fateful Years by M. Francois-Poncet. But surely an inadequate version of so important a contribution to history is better than...

Page 32

Handel's Oratorios

The Spectator

SIR,—May I comment on the first sentence in the review of Dr. P. M. Young's Oratorios of Handel, which appeared in the Spectator of October 28th. The sentence is: " For nearly...

The Church of South India

The Spectator

SIR,—The mention of the authorities of the S.P.G. feeling "bound in conscience " to take the course which they did over the Church of South India by Bishop Roberts in his letter...

Post Office and Public

The Spectator

Sta,—Before the war I lived at Dorchester, Dorset. - To reach London by the first delivery next morning, I could post a letter in the pillar-box at 8.30 p.m.; at the post office...

Page 34

44 The Blot in the Scutcheon "

The Spectator

SIR,—Some months ago Janus gave me a hint of his identity ; since when I have imagined I understand why the Editor tolerates his intolerances. Nevertheless, I hope that he will...

Dr. Huxley and Lysenko

The Spectator

SIR,—I hesitate to cross swords with Dr. Julian Huxley. I have but little experience of controversy, although I have c Cambridge training in science and a liking for objective...

Cosmo Gordon Lang

The Spectator

Sm,—Our loyalty to the departed seems to be supplanted by a mordant and ungenerous disparagement. And to the distress of his many friends our detractors are now hard at work on...

John B. Yeats

The Spectator

SIR,—In your review, by Mr. St. John Ervine, of Professor Ellmann's book on Yeats, there appears a thumbnail estimate of John B. Yeats, the poet's father, so false and virulent...

Harrow Church

The Spectator

Sril,—On a recent Saturday afternoon a gioup of people watching a game on Harrow School cricket fields approached me with the warning that the parish church steeple was on fire....

Page 36

N.H.S. Spectacles

The Spectator

SIR, —Mr. Black and I must clearly agree to differ. He evidently believes that the National Health Service should provide his customers with " articles of dress"; whilst I feel...

Saving Now

The Spectator

Sta,—It was a pleasure to read Honor Croome's intelligent and unbiased article in the Spectator of November 4th on the difficulties in the way of teaching thrift today. Any...

Fragile, Sonorous, Evocative

The Spectator

SIR,—I have taken a keen interest in pictures for a good many years 4 nd may claim to be fairly well informed about painting, but I must confess that I am not much the wiser...

"On a Dark Night "

The Spectator

SIR, —I find the following sentence in what purports to be a criticism of my novel On a Dark Night in the Spectator of October 28th: " This operation (a hanging) took seventeen...

Portrait of Lita

The Spectator

S1R, —For fifty years and more I have read the Spectator every week, except when I have been out of reach of it. Never until this article appeared has it printed anything that...

The "Spectator" Habit

The Spectator

SIR, —In common with other folk I find it very expensive nowadays to indulge in many habits started in easier times, but the habit of reading the Spectator, formed a great many...

A Brickbat Query

The Spectator

SIR, —Mr. Stephen Lcc, in his interesting review of Mr. Ramsey's Henry Ireton in the Spectator of November 11th, has enriched our language with an intriguing new metaphor ;...

Page 38

CHRISTMAS BOOK SUPPLEMENT

The Spectator

Through French Eyes The author of " The Secret of the English." which was awarded the Prix Me of the French Academy in 1947, surveys contemporary English literature. WaiTING...

Page 42

Companions in Adventure

The Spectator

The Early Alpine Guides. By Ronald Clark. (Phoenix House. 159 TILE hardy Switzers of the Middle Ages are said to have lowered the average height of their race by serving as...

Degas and the Ballet

The Spectator

Degas Dancers. By Lillian Browse. (Faber. ,C4 4s.) Ir is easy to see why Degas loved the ballet. It suited hint perfectly, for it provided a complete world, a world that made...

Page 44

Darkest London

The Spectator

South London. The County Books Series. By Harry Williams. (Robert Hale. 15s.) THIS is an admirable book ; and whether the ten Metropolitan Boroughs dealt with can exactly be...

Page 46

Irishwomen

The Spectator

Bricks and Flowers. By Katherine Everett (Constable. 15s.) NEITHER the sober title of this autobiography, nor the illustrations of ladies in Court dress or of houses and...

The Theatre Today

The Spectator

Modern English Drama : A Survey of the Theatre from 1900. lfv Ernest Reynolds - . (Harrap lOs 6d.) THIS is an important book for students of the theatre," especially those...

Page 48

Snowdonia

The Spectator

)5nowdonla: The National l'ark of North Wales. By F. J. North, Bruce Campbell and Richenda Scott. (Collins. 2ls.) tI' ttts is one of the first ten titles announced by the "New...

England in the Novelists' Mirror

The Spectator

England Yesterday and Today. In the Works of the Novelists, 1837 to 1938. Edited and Arranged by F. Alan Walbank. (Batsford. 15s.) MR. WALBANK has set out to prepare an...

Page 50

Mysterious Divorce

The Spectator

Mysterious Marriage. By E. Graham Howe. (Faber. 15s.) THE mysterious marriage of Dr. Howe's new book is " the marriage between spirit and matter, there and here, heaven and...

Goldsmith to Royalty

The Spectator

Peter Carl Faberge, Goldsmith and Jeweller to the Russian Imperial Court and Principal Crowned Heads of Europe. By Henry Charles Bainbridge. (Batsford. ,C7 7s. Od.) WHEN the...

Page 52

Colonial Empires

The Spectator

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 O O 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Europe and a Wider World, 1415-1715. By J. H. Parry....

Page 54

Mr. Blunden and Others .

The Spectator

After the Bombing and other Short Poems. By Edmund Standen. (Macmillan. 6s.) The Pythoness and other Poems. By Kathleen Raine. Hamilton. 6s.) Two Colloquies. By Martyrs...

Page 56

Georgian Architecture

The Spectator

An Introduction to Georgian Architecture. By A. E. Richardson. (Art and Technics. 25s.) THE series to which this book belongs made an excellent start last year with volumes on...

Page 58

Russia in the East

The Spectator

Soviet Russia and the Far East. By David J. Dallin. (Hollis and Carter. 30s.) THE publication of this book, which starts with the Japancs: invasion of Manchuria in 1931, has...

Page 60

Quaker Sportsmen

The Spectator

The Unbroken Thread. By Viscount Templewood (Collins. 15s.) EARLHAM and the delightful circle—Gurneys and Barclays, Buxton; and Hoares—to whom its hospitable roof gave temporary...

Page 62

Revived and Collected

The Spectator

RE : assoss, revisions, revivals, collections of verse and prose, and series of elegant " library editions " have been pouring from the publishers' offices in such numbers that...

Page 64

Fiction

The Spectator

The Heir. By V. Sackville-West. (Richards Press. 6s.) America. By Franz Kafka. (Seater and Warburg. 9s. 6d.) Mice. By Elizabeth Eliot. (Cassell. 8s. 6d.) The Prisoners. By...

Page 66

Children's Books

The Spectator

IN the later months of the year the trickle of books for children becomes a flood. Three-quarters of them are ephemeral—with well-worn themes, slipshod writing and poor...

Page 67

THE UNITED STEEL COMPANIES

The Spectator

NATIONALISATION THREAT SIR WALTER BENTON JONES'S VIEWS Tim annual general meeting of The United Steel Companies Limited was he ld on November 16th in London. Sir Walter Benton...

A SATISFACTORY SHOWING THE twenty-sixth annual general meeting of The

The Spectator

Aviation and Shipping Company, Limited, was held on November 11th in London. Mr. Noel W. Purvis, F.I.C.S. (Chairman and Managing Director), in the course of his speech, said:...

Page 68

SHORTER NOTICES

The Spectator

For King or Parliysent. By Philip Lindsay. (Evans Bros. 10s. 6ti.) CRITICISING publishers, Mr. Harold Nicolson recently wrote: "The worst about many (book) wrappers is that...

Page 70

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

The Spectator

By CUSTOS IT was inevitable that sooner or later the Government would step in to stop the rot in the gilt-edged market. One need not be surprised, therefore, that stabilising...