22 MARCH 1940

Page 1

CONDITIONS OF PEACE

The Spectator

W HAT happened at the conference between Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini in the Brenner Pass on Monday remains a mystery, but it is significant that no less marked than the...

Page 2

The League and Economics

The Spectator

The presence in London of Dr. Colijn, the former Prime Minister of Holland, and his conversations with Mr . Chamberlain, Lord Halifax and other British Ministers, are signs of...

NEWS OF THE WEEK

The Spectator

T HE Prime Minister was able to make a strong case for the Government in the debate on Finland in the House of Commons on Tuesday. At the beginning of the Russian attacks...

Finland's Reconstruction

The Spectator

Though Sweden and Norway were not prepared for the supreme sacrifice on behalf of the country which is a buffer State between them and Russia, it would be extreme in- gratitude...

Rumania and the Iron Guard

The Spectator

There is no time at which German propaganda in the Balkans is not violently active, and of course it exploited to the utmost the amnesty granted by the Rumanian Govern- ment to...

France and Britain Overseas

The Spectator

Another practical development of the intimacy between Britain and France is to be found in the measures which are being taken by Mr. MacDonald and M. Georges Mandel, the French...

Trade With Spain

The Spectator

The conclusion of a trade agreement between this country and Spain is welcome both for its direct commercial conse- quences and as evidence of the complete restoration of normal...

Page 3

Mr. Hore-Belisha is not a popular figure just now. He

The Spectator

has never had many admirers in the Opposition parties, and his popularity on the Government side vanished with his resignation. But even his fiercest critics must admit that he...

Unemployment and the Trade Cycle

The Spectator

The Unemployment Insurance Fund in recent years has accumulated a substantial reserve, which was increased last year by L16,600,000, though provision had been made for...

The Conservatives listened uneasily to Mr. Richard Law. When the

The Spectator

son of a great Tory Prime Minister reveals clearly his distrust of his father's successor, it is, to say the least of it, highly disconcerting. But worse was to follow. Mr....

Mr. Attlee made a somewhat puzzling contribution. Although he left

The Spectator

no doubt as to where his own sympathies lay, he skirted round the awkward topic of Finland. Clearly he was not prepared to choose this ground for a whole- hearted attack. After...

The Week in Parliament

The Spectator

Our Parliamentary correspondent writes: Mr. Chamber- lain made an adroit speech on Tuesday. Seldom, if ever, in recent years has he had a more uphill task. The greater part of...

The Government and the Public Schools

The Spectator

In an address to the Norfolk branch of the National Union of Teachers Lord De La Warr, President of the Board of Education, discussed the possible future relations between the...

Page 4

THE WAR AND EASTER

The Spectator

T HE great festivals of the Christian Church become seasons of deep poignancy in war-time. To those with resolution to confront the facts full-face the irony is tragic almost...

Page 5

MARKING TIME

The Spectator

A T the moment when there is a general expectation that we are at the turning of the ways, and that there must soon be an intensification of the war in the military, or the...

Page 6

Watch George Pond. He may soon become a centenarian. Not

The Spectator

in years ; he is twenty-nine years off the century yet. Not in total convictions, for he is up to I r o in them already. But last week Mr. Pond, who had been charged...

The verse—Revelation xiii, 18—regarding the number of the beast has

The Spectator

received an infinite variety of interpretations in the course of history. I offer one more—as matter for Easter reflections. The verse runs, it will be remembered— Here is...

One of the distressing war-pictures that rises from time to

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time before my eyes is of thousands of people, male and female, young and old, sitting impotently any evening between seven o'clock and midnight, with a telephone receiver glued...

Some of the A.R.P. exercises arranged periodically in different regions

The Spectator

are going like wildfire. In one I have just heard of, a key-man in his area was waiting for the expected telephone-call. It came. He dashed to the instrument, got his...

A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK

The Spectator

AM not sure how much truth there is behind the report I that Sir John Reith is anxious to bring the British Council under the authority of the Ministry of Information. In one...

Contemporary journalism could have had few greater losses than it

The Spectator

has sustained through Herbert Sidebotham's death. Much better known as " Scrutator " of the Sunday Times, and " Candidus " of the Daily Sketch, and to readers of quarter of a...

M. Daladier has come under criticism for having told the

The Spectator

Finnish Minister in Paris that if Finland did not accept the Allies' offer of help they could not guarantee the restoration of the country's territorial integrity after the war....

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THE WAR SURVEYED : POSSIBILITIES IN THE EAST

The Spectator

By STRATEGICUS T HERE is in some quarters a disposition to overrate the results of the Finnish capitulation. We are still ignorant of many of the factors that led up to it ;...

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FEDERAL UNION EXAMINED II

The Spectator

By WILSON HARRIS F EDERAL Union, as I understand it, is advocated on the ground that some effective international organisa- tion, at least in Europe, after the war is the only...

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HITLER AND THE GERMAN OPPOSITION

The Spectator

By HERMANN RAUSCHNING B EFORE the War a view was prevalent regarding the situation in Germany according to which the only way of overthrowing the National Socialist regifne in...

Page 10

THE FUTURE OF HUMANISM

The Spectator

By CANON F. R. BARRY W HEN civilisation decays," says Dr. Gilbert Murray in his latest book,' " philosophy must needs decay with it ; a disintegrating society may produce an...

Page 11

AMERICA'S EARS

The Spectator

By CHARLES J. ROLO G REAT BRITAIN and Germany are fighting a war over neutral territory, a war about which very little has been said or heard in Europe. I refer to the...

Page 12

THE HEART OF THE RECRUIT

The Spectator

By OUR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT T HE medical examinations now going on of many thou- sands of young men, indeed of almost the whole young manhood of the nation, have the advantage...

Page 13

THE LOONY

The Spectator

By FRED URQUHART ivp s MAYFIELD would never have considered the job if she hadn't been trying to escape from the clutches of the Dole. That was the villain with the black...

Page 15

On February 27th last, M. Daladier gave orders that "

The Spectator

complete freedom of political opinion " should be permitted in the French Press. In so far as concerns French news- papers this promise has been more or less observed. Within...

Anglo-French relations can only be maintained in a healthy condition

The Spectator

if we are absolutely frank with each other and air • those grievances which, if suppressed, might become septic. The French have many grievances against us which they are too...

The French contend (and they may be right) that they

The Spectator

are never incompetent about important things. They contend (and in this they are certainly right) that there is no incom- petence about their armed forces. They assert that,...

Let me provide an instance. The Paris correspondent of one

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of our leading daily newspapers wrote a report in which the following sentence occurred: "Not since the beginning of the war has criticism of the Government and of Allied policy...

PEOPLE AND THINGS

The Spectator

By HAROLD NICOLSON T . WONDER sometimes whether extreme efficiency be not I the sign of a second-class mind. For, whereas I myself seldom miss trains, confuse appointments or...

I feel ashamed when they tell me these things, or

The Spectator

when I compare the twilight dignity of Paris with the midnight frivolity of London. I quite understand that they, in their deep seriousness, should be shocked by our conception...

An example of unintelligent censorship was furnished this week by

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the treatment accorded to the reports sent home by British correspondents in Paris regarding the effect upon French opinion of the Finnish capitulation. The French public (which...

Page 16

OPERA

The Spectator

" La Traviata." At Sadler's Wells. Wrrti the revival of La Traviata last week Sadler's Wells has completed its presentation of the three masterpieces of Verdi's first maturity....

STAGE AND SCREEN

The Spectator

THE CINEMA " Pinocchio." At the New Gallery. OF recent years Walt Disney has tended to produce two different types of film—on the one hand slap-stick phantasies involving...

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A Bird Controversy A good deal of rather vague vapouring

The Spectator

about feeding and protecting birds has been heard of late, and some " distinctions that are plain and few" may be usefully recalled. To agricul- ture in general just two species...

ART

The Spectator

Art For and By the People THE British Institute of Adult Education is going to do a good deal for art this year. It has already organised an exhibition of contemporary art at...

A Red Rarity

The Spectator

Among several rather surprising requests that have reached me this week is one from Canada, asking for a graft or even a few seeds of " the bloody Turk," which is a cider apple...

COUNTRY LIFE

The Spectator

Candide's Recruits Never within my memory have quite so many women and children been seen at work on allotments, though the number of new allotments has not been increased as...

Garden Survivors

The Spectator

Among the garden plants that have not been killed by the frosts are two which many people regard as at best tender. One is a passion flower that adorns a south-east wall ; the...

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Spectator

[Correspondents are requested to keep their letters as brief as is reasonably possible. Signed letters are given a preference over those bearing a pseudonym, and the latter must...

SIR,—Mr. Frank Pick's letter is• purely physical without a psychological

The Spectator

suggestion. He says that London " is advancing to a greater synthesis," but gives no indication of the synthetic process. What possible synthesis is going to relieve the motor...

Page 19

SAVING AND SPENDING SIRS I have no wish to join

The Spectator

issue with Mr. Oldmeadow on the general question of saving and spending, in regard to which my views are probably not very different to his own, and he therefore must not accuse...

FARM LABOURERS' WAGES SIR, —The paragraph appearing under the above heading

The Spectator

in your issue of March 15th points to the probability of more attractive conditions for agricultural workers. The tribunals set up for Conscientious Objectors very frequently...

SIR, —After reading General Edmonds' letter of reply to my comment,

The Spectator

I can only imagine that in writing it he was rely- ing on the chance that most of your readers would not trouble to refer back to the previous week's issue of The Spectator....

HOW TO WRITE HISTORY SIR, Mr. Igor Vinogradoff has missed

The Spectator

the whole point of Mr. William Gerhardi's historical biography, The Romanovs, in his statement that Mr. Gerhardi's history is " irrelevant." Mr. Vinogradoff's historical...

Page 20

APATHY AND WASTE SIR,—The letter signed " Salvo " in

The Spectator

your issue of March 8th is a typical reflection of the present official attitude to this subject. I must apologise if my estimate of the tonnage of valuable material which is...

GERMAN PROPAGANDA IN SWEDEN SIR,—I have read with great interest

The Spectator

the article on " German Propaganda in Sweden " by a Special Correspondent, which appeared in your issue of March 1st. It contains, however, one or two remarks which seem to be...

MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES

The Spectator

SIR, —May I ask you to favour me with a small space in your publication for the voicing of a suggestion which I think will be met with pleasure and approval, if adopted, by the...

THE FINNISH OLYMPIA

The Spectator

SIR,—In reading, in The Spectator of March 8th, the article " The Finland I Knew," the writer of which was I believe my comrade-in-arms in Russia towards the end of the Great...

DENTISTRY FOR EVACUEES

The Spectator

SIR,—Parents are urged not to bring their children home from the reception areas. A child in my care was recently taken to the doctor on account of a rash suspected to be...

AMERICA AND AN ARMISTICE

The Spectator

SIR, —It is reported from America that Senator Pittman, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate, has said in a broadcast that " both Germany and Britain must...

Page 21

DID HITLER EXPECT WAR ?

The Spectator

Sta,—The letter of Mr. N. G. S. Corbett taking exception to a statement in the previous issue of The Spectator to the effect that Herr Hitler neither expected nor desired war...

BANNED MUSIC

The Spectator

Slit,—In his article " Herr Schmidt on Culture " your music critic refers to a German broadcast in which it was suggested that England had banned performances of Wagner's music....

GERMAN POTATOES Sta,—Inside information as to the internal economic condition

The Spectator

of Germany is naturally of great interest and value. It will therefore probably be a little disconcerting to a whole-hogger patriot to note from page 352 of last week's...

INVADED BRITAIN

The Spectator

Sia,—In the article entitled " Invaded Britain," in your issue of January 9th, the author writes: " Legend declares that the enemy were frightened by a distant view of...

UNFINISHED VICTORY "

The Spectator

Slu,—Twenty-two years ago, as a young soldier just back from France, I voted Labour not because I took any interest in home politics, but solely because I was revolted by the...

THE NIGHTMARE " OF OFFICE

The Spectator

SIR, —Mr. Harold Nicolson, in his interesting "People and Things " of last week, tells us that his fantasy of becoming Prime Minister is a "day-dream." . . . Surely this is a...

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Books of the Day

The Spectator

Economics and Peace The Economic Basis of a Durable Peace. By J. E. Meade. (Allen and Unwin. 6s.) THE belief that wars are due to exclusively economic causes is a sure sign of...

Christian Addresses

The Spectator

Thoughts in War-Time. By William Temple, Archbishop of York. (Macmillan. 4s. 6d.) THIS little volume is not a new work by the Archbishop of York, but a colleCtion of various...

Page 23

The English Faust

The Spectator

Christopher Marlowe : A Biographical and Critical Study. By F. S. Boas. (Clarendon Press. t5s.) OF all the astonishing and tragic careers of English writers that make the story...

Page 24

The Man who was France

The Spectator

Richelieu. By Carl J. Burckhardt. (Allen and Unwin. 16s.) DR. BURCXHARDT, who has combined the career of a dis- tinguished historian with momentous experiences of practical...

" Education Eating Up Life"

The Spectator

Too Much College. By Stephen Leacock. (John Lane. 7s. 6d.) Tins book, though it has a serious undertone, is not meant to be taken too seriously. The wrapper informs us solemnly...

Page 26

These Teachers

The Spectator

" problem trilogy," following the volumes on The Problem Child and The Problem Parent. Readers who are interested in education, as well as those who want to find out more about...

The Sporran Full of Gold

The Spectator

More West Highland Tales. Translated from the Gaelic by John G. McKay. (Oliver and Boyd. 25s.) J. F. CAMPBELL OF ISLAY, who died in 1885, was an ideal collector of Highland...

Page 28

New Novels

The Spectator

FOR a book of 542 pages, 26 of which have fortunately been left blank, I Shall Not Want is a slim volume ; but as a novel it is too long. The slimness and the pre-war price of...

Page 30

THE SPECTATOR COMPETITIONS No. 28

The Spectator

READERS are invited to state which one of the following six well-known characters they would, if they had been born into the appropriate period, most like to have been, ,nd to...

REPORT ON COMPETITION NO. 26 SHAKESPEARE has been described as

The Spectator

" the most complete man who ever lived." Readers were invited to suggest the name of the most complete woman,. and to give their reasons. This was a most interesting competition...

Page 32

COMPANY MEETING

The Spectator

UNITED KINGDOM LIFE OFFICE THE LAST WAR AND THIS—STRONGER POSITION TODAY SIR ERNEST BENN ON SPENDING AND SAVING THE CENTENARY OF THE INSTITUTION THE ninety-ninth annual...

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LORD STAMP ON RAIL TERMS

The Spectator

Those of us who hoped that Lord Stamp would lighten our darkness on the subject of railway earnings have been disappointed. At the London, Midland and Scottish meet- ing he left...

COMPANY MEETING

The Spectator

LONDON BRICK COMPANY EFFECT OF WAR ON BUILDING SIR P. MALCOLM STEWART'S STATEMENT THE annual general meeting of the London Brick Company, Ltd., was held on Tuesday, March...

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

The Spectator

By CUSTOS IT is now quite apparent that this is to be a 3 per cent. war, at least if the powers-that-be in Whitehall and Thread- needle Street can get their way. Following up...

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COMPANY MEETING

The Spectator

LONDON MIDLAND AND SCOTTISH RAILWAY CO. LORD STAMP'S ADDRESS THE seventeenth annual general meeting of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, held at Friends House,...

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HALIFAX BUILDING SOCIETY

The Spectator

The year 1939 was shaping reasonably well for the build- ing societies until the outbreak of war cut off new business abruptly and stimulated a sudden demand for repayment of...

A CRITIC OF CONTROL

The Spectator

As one would have expected, Sir Ernest Berm, who must be counted among the sturdiest advocates of individual enterprise, took the opportunity at the annual meeting of the United...

Page 36

LANCASHIRE STEEL PROGRESS

The Spectator

It is apparent from Mr. John E. James's review at the meet- ing of the Lancashire Steel Corporation that this important group has advanced another stage in its process of...

LONDON BRICK PROSPECTS

The Spectator

From recently-announced profits and dividends share- holders in building companies have learnt how severely war has cut across the normal activities of their undertakings. Thus,...

COMPANY MEETING

The Spectator

LANCASHIRE STEEL CORPORATION Tim ioth ordinary general meeting of the Lancashire Steel Cor- poration, Limited, was held on March 19th at Warrington. Mr. John E. James...