26 OCTOBER 1951

Page 1

Try-Out by the Canal

The Spectator

Attention in this country is focused on the banks of the Suez Canal. It is there that British and Egyptians face each other and that tragedies could occur. But in the long run...

THE KING'S GOVERNMENT

The Spectator

W HATEVER the result of the election—and these lines are necessarily being written before the result is known—universal agreement on -one point can be assumed: the King's...

Page 2

Dr. Moussadek's Triumph Dr. Moussadek has had a triumph in

The Spectator

New York. This was not in any way due to his presence there or to anything that he said or - did ; it was entirely due to what the Security Council failed to do. The British...

In No–man's Land The question of an armistice in Korea

The Spectator

has long been outside the province of hope and fear. Negotiations concerning the resumption of negotiations have now been concluded, and the armistice talks have been resumed at...

European Army The European army, of which M. Alphand, the

The Spectator

French repre- ,!mntative, talked to the Atlantic Council Deputies on Monday, Is a French idea—originally called the Pleven Plan—which enjoys Active American support and is...

Trouble at Tilbury The popular impression that there is always

The Spectator

trouble with dockers, especially London dockers, and that nothing is ever done about the root causes of it, is not far from the truth. The current quarrel between a firm of...

Page 3

THE REIGN OF LAW

The Spectator

H UMANITY seems condemned to the frustration of its ideals. The First War gave birth to the League of Nations ; its fate is written in history. The Second brought the United...

Page 4

These choreographers—how impressive "they all are. I am afraid I

The Spectator

missed the performance of " Ann Tregenna " by the Buxton Festival Group last month—a misfortune whose extent can be measured by the fact that the choreography for different...

One other item in the Cambridge Review has its pungency—a

The Spectator

comment in the Union report on a certain peer who recently visited that institution : " I had heard Lord Blank once before. I thought then I would never hear a worse speech. I...

I have not invited suggested alternatives for the more or

The Spectator

less officially approved " airstop," as name for a – helicopter landing- ground, but one - or two have been volunteered. One is " hover- stop," the other " hoverground." I...

A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK W ELL: it's all over, or will be

The Spectator

very soon after these lines appear. And then the prophets will stand arraigned. There are plenty of them, and they must be judged by their predictions. One thing they have in...

The various volumes and editions of that singularly attractive combination

The Spectator

of diary and commonplace-book and countryman's jottings bearing the title Small Talk at Wreyland are still, I sup- pose, known only to a comparatively small circle of readers,...

The question of superannuation is discussed to some purpose in

The Spectator

the current Cambridge Review. The Chancellor of the Exchequer (possibly " the late " by the time this is read) and others equally eminent have rightly been emphasising the im-...

For sufficient reason I have said nothing during this election

The Spectator

about university representation. Nor, I think, has the Spectator. That is as it should be, for no one could claim that the restoration of the university seats, desirable as that...

Page 5

The Ghosts of Potsdam and Rapallo

The Spectator

By ERNST FRIEDLAENDER D R. SCHUMACHER, leader of the Opposition in Western Germany, recently said the Western Powers ought to revoke the .Potsdam Agreement clearly and unequi-...

Page 6

Atomics in the Field

The Spectator

By LAIN COLQUHOUN I . N lives and property the cold war may be less wasteful than the hot, but it is quite as extravagant in the treasure it pours out in research into lethal...

Page 7

Season of Mists By J. P. W. MALLALIEU I AM now

The Spectator

forty-two years, three months and some weeks old. That is a stocktaking age, an age of fruitfulness if not of mellowness, an age when the world is ripe if no longer young ; and...

Page 8

Cycling To Vienna

The Spectator

By D. C HILLS MONG the minor trials of life in Munich are the dust and confusion of rebuilding, and hammering of contractors' workmen which begins throughout the town at six and...

Page 9

The Men in Black

The Spectator

By BRIAN INGLIS C OLONEL HIS HIGHNESS REAMMON MOLTON SEAGHAN, The O'Brien, Prince of the Dalcassians of Thomond and Pogla, LL.B. (cum laude), K.M., Ph.D., M.D., 14th Count of...

Page 10

iife in the m y iny NAOMI J. ZIMAN (St. Hilda's

The Spectator

College, Oxford) N July 28th of this year a dance was held in Bonn am Rhein on the flat roof of a former air-raid shelter. This dance was part of the festivities arran g ed to...

TO ENSURE REGULAR RECEIPT OF

The Spectator

THE SPECTATOR readers are urged to place a firm order with their newsagent or to take out a subscription. Newsagents cannot afford to take the risk of carrying stock, as unsold...

Mrs. Milton Votes

The Spectator

So hee ; and she consenting went her waye, Yet unconvinced, and, still deceitful Eve, With outward gesture play'd the Woman's part, Though els with Craft provokt and inward...

Page 11

MARGINAL COMMENT

The Spectator

By HAROLD NICOLSON W HEN this article appears in print the General Election of 1951 will already have started to drift away from us into the wake of history. The dustbins of...

Page 12

And So to Bed." By J. B: Fagan. (New.) THIS

The Spectator

amorous day in the- life of Pepys returns to the stage freshly adorned with music and lyrics by Vivian Ellis and with Leslie Henson lending himself (and no - codding) to the...

“ Figure of Fun." By Andre Roussin. Adapted by Arthur

The Spectator

Macrae. (Aldwych.) IN the first act of this ingenious comedy we see an artist, suddenly deserted by his beautiful wife, reacting to the catastrophe with spineless fatalism. In...

CINEMA

The Spectator

" High Treason." (Gaumont and Marble Arch Pavilion.)—" Justice est Faite." (Rialto.) — “ Lady Godiva Rides Again." (Carlton.) High Treason is directed by Mr. Roy Boulting...

MR. GEORGE FORMBY has arrived at the West End in

The Spectator

the first big British musical play to emulate the brisk tactics of the modern American. It has a touch or two of Oklahoma, Carousel, Kiss Me Kate, &c. (and a shipboard scene...

CONTEMPORARY ARTS

The Spectator

THEATRE 1 4 Othello." By William Shakespeare. (St. James's.) THE point about volcanoes is, of course, that they erupt ; but one of their salient characteristics is that they...

Page 13

MUSIC •

The Spectator

SIR JOHN BARBIROLLI returned to Covent Garden on Monday, for the first time since 1937, to open the new season with Turandot. He was warmly welcomed, and took the final curtain...

BALLET

The Spectator

The Rambert Ballet. (King's Theatre, Hammersmith.)—Ballet Workshop. (Mercury.) — Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas. (Cambridge.) THE Rambert Ballet company is celebrating...

Page 14

an the Nare's _Head Sp man makes deserts and reclaims

The Spectator

them. The Nare's Head between the long arms of the Dodman and`the Lizard is a sea - girt headland where the wild and the pastoral are on terms of mutual confidence. The rugged...

EXHIBITION

The Spectator

THE Society of Scribes and Illuminators is showing an exhibition devoted to the art of calligraphy, lettering and illuminating at the Crafts Centre of Great Britain, 16-17, Hay...

COUNTRY LIFE

The Spectator

NOBODY with two eyes in his head can travel the byroads of England without, I should have thought, being horrified at the enormous acreage of wasteland he encounters everywhere....

In the Garden This is the time when the only

The Spectator

scented clernatis — flammu/a or Maiden's Bower—embalms the autumnal fulfilment. It is rather a nuisance to grow because its dense foliation' takes up room, but I mi. , mine...

A Farm in the Wilderness As Cobbett well knew, there

The Spectator

is all the difference in the world between a natural and an artificial wilderness. As an example of the former, the North Cornish coast takes some beating. Yet when that grand...

Page 16

SPECTATOR COMPETITION No. 89

The Spectator

Set by Richard Usborne . The following arrive at the Pearly Gates : Father Brown, Berry Pleydell, Sherlock Holmes, Walter Mitty, Lord Ernsworth, Lord Peter Wimsey, Mr....

h e eppettator " Jattober 25th, 1851

The Spectator

• HERMAN MELVILLE'S WHALE Tins sea novel is a singular medley of naval observation, magazine article writing, satiric reflection upon the conven- tionalisms of civilised...

SPECTATOR COMPETITION No. 86 Report by R. J. P. Hewison

The Spectator

A prize of LS was offered for the title and first six lines of poems which might have been, but never were, written by any two of Marvell, Dryden, Keats, Browning, Hardy, D. H....

Page 18

What Way for Youth ?

The Spectator

Sirt,—None of your articles on the abo‘e whject -has mentioned the short-term school. Yet this is a most imporkant adjunct to the existing youth services, and an equally,...

SIR, —Your correspondents in. recent issues of the Spectator -appear to

The Spectator

be out of touch with the exact nature of the work of Children's Depart- ments. Mrs. MacKaill suggests that children's officers may have -to employ deputies for the purpose of...

High-minded Revolutionaries

The Spectator

SIR. —I imagine I cannot be the only one of Your readers - who would welcome a - word of explanation from Sir Norman Angell regarding the passage in his recent article where...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Spectator

Foster-Homes Stn„—The solution advocated by Mrs. MacKaill and by "Social Worker" would certainly provide an immediate increase in the number of social workers available in...

Page 19

Sweet Williams

The Spectator

SIR,—In his article on Ripley's New Believe It or Not, in your issue of October 12th, Mr. Harold Nicolson mentions the statement made in the book that the sweet william got...

Standards of Persecution

The Spectator

SIR, — I am not sure whether Miss Macaulay is attributing to me the view that our age is more cruel than past ages. I did not say or imply this. I understood her to be...

General Anders

The Spectator

SIR, — Janus gives the figure of damages awarded to General Anders in his libel action against the Daily Worker as £1,500. It should have

Disappearing Clergy

The Spectator

SIR.—" A Country Rector " is quite correct when he says that the beliefs behind my letter are not orthodox Christianity ; indeed my argument was based on the premise that...

SIR, — The Spectator of October 12th has just reached here, but

The Spectator

there is a serious error in my letter as printed. The Piccolo Casa Della Divina Providenza was founded by Cottolenzo in 1828, not 1928. That is what makes its survival and...

Camomile

The Spectator

SIR, — It was surprising that Mr. Harold Nicolson, writing in the Spectator of October 12th, should not remember that the words about the rapid growth of the camomile are not...

Sm,—William Fowler (my great-great-grandfather) was born in 1696, and died

The Spectator

in 1804 in his 108th year. Thus this one life-span takes in three cen- turies and covers a period of over 107 years. He migrated from Yorkshire to the Midlands, and his tomb,...

Sign of the Times

The Spectator

Sta,—The winning entry in your competition last week was a supposed extract from The Times that contained a grammatical mistake—" to whomsoever may suffer." I shall be...

" Women of Twilight"

The Spectator

Sm,—Your critic of the play Women of Twilight, which deals with the unmarried mother and her child, states that he " is left wondering just what does happen to such girls, who...

Time-Spans

The Spectator

Sta,—I have a friend still living in the Isle of Wight whose father, William Price, was buried on November 19th, 1860, aged 77 years, in the Kingston Cemetery, Portsmouth....

Page 20

Stalin and the Peasant

The Spectator

Marx Against the Peasant. By David Mitrany. (Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 2 Ss.) ECONOMICS and political science are taught in Britain, the United States and Western Europe as if...

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

The Spectator

A Real Man THERE are born at times great warriors, and it is fortunate when a good cause has one on its -side. Lord Keyes was a great warrior, and it was fortunate for our...

Page 22

Hymns for the Home

The Spectator

The B.B.C. Hymn Book. (Oxford University Press for the B.B.C. With music us. 6d., words only 6s.) To produce a new hymn book at the present time must surely be worse than venial...

The Corny Lot

The Spectator

Memoirs of a Sword-Swallower. By Dan Mannix. (Harnish Hamil- ton. 12s. 6d.) ONE is bound to feel a great deal of curiosity about those men whose occupations appear to be remote...

Page 24

Drake : Fact and Legend

The Spectator

Sir Francis Drake. By James A. Williamson. (Collins. is. 6d.) A LIFE of Sir Francis Drake is a happy introduction to a new series, entitled " Brief Lives," which Collins is...

Page 26

Design and Illustration IN these days, when the price of

The Spectator

any book containin g illustrations is apt to be prohibitive to the pockets of art students, it is a relief to be able to recommend two books on the two important counts of...

• Body—Snatching WESTMINSTER ABBEY is, by g eneral admission, over-full of

The Spectator

monu- leo ntal masonry erected to the memory of the g reat in their day, hose fame is now for g otten. No one, however, has yet su gg ested at their tombs shall be demolished...

Page 28

Fiction

The Spectator

THIS is a week for the amateur of the novel rather than for the general reader, for the major merits of the novels under review are of the kind that demand some work from the...

Page 30

FINANCE AND INVESTMENT

The Spectator

By CUSTOS As I write on the eve of the poll investors are still registering a confident expectation of a change of Government. It finds expres- sion not only, as everybody would...

Page 31

SOLVTION TO CROSS ORD No. 647

The Spectator

mnammammm mamma m 13;a a a 12 3 ammmumemnamarsm aeon , 0 mamma a .,:smama a a mam.bs , m UR*241.4 10 a :MBIOMM SI Ell L o L A ICI M EMMMOM a a ammnumn CI WORNMEIG Upriginnn...

THE " SPECTATOR " CROSSWORD No. 649

The Spectator

11M1111111151•11•N WI • • • i • 111111111111 ii•••111•11111111•111 • • • • • • III 111111•1111 WEN= 111111111111 11 • • <> 111 • •...