2 JULY 1927

Page 1

INDEX FROM JULY 2nd TO DECEMBER 31st, 1927, INCLUSIVE.

The Spectator

TOPICS OF THE DAY. "A DOPT, Adapt, and Improve " : I. Seeking for the Normal 209 II. Seeking for the Normal Overseas .. .. 248 HI. High Wages and Low Prices, or— ? .. 276...

Page 4

London : Printed by W. SPEAIGHT AHD SONS, LTD., 98

The Spectator

and 99 Fetter Lane,. EC. 4, and Published by THE ,SpEL'TATOR, LTD., at their Offices, No, 13.York Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C. 2. - Saturday, January 21, 1928.

Page 5

The grand mistake of the Government's scheme for a general

The Spectator

reform of the Lords was that it went much farther than the mere fiat of a Cabinet Committee justi- fied. There was blundering which it is not pleasant to contemplate. At first...

For our part, we should like to see consultation extended

The Spectator

far beyond the Unionist Party. As we have pointed out in an examination of Mr. Lloyd George's proposals of 1922, there is not nearly so much difference between the Unionists and...

Since the earliest times the Commons have been the authority

The Spectator

in all pure matters of finance. This was inevitable ; Kings were sure of their feudal revenues from the barons, but they had to call the merchants together to raise money in...

We have discussed this subject in our first leading article

The Spectator

and will only express here the hope that if the nature of it Money Bp is, as seems likely; to become the immediate point of dispute, the Government will see the . propriety of...

At the half-yearly meeting of the Central Council of the

The Spectator

National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associ- ations on Tuesday, Sir John Marriott moved a resolution promising " wholehearted support " to the Government in passing a...

EDITORIAL AND PUBLISHING OFFICES : 13 York Street, Covent Carden,

The Spectator

London, W.C. 2.—A Subscription to the SPECTATOR costs Thirty Shillings per annum, including postage, to any part of the world. The SPECTATOR is registered as a Newspaper. The...

News of the Week

The Spectator

A STRONG revolt in the Unionist Party has con- vinced the Government that they were going about the business of reforming the House of Lords in the wrong way. The proposals of...

Page 6

Although the British, American and Japanese delegates on the Naval

The Spectator

Limitation Conference at Geneva have been at cross-purposes, tempers are good and therefore the prospect of agreement is fair. The British delegation started off with a proposal...

As the whole discussion will probably now take a different

The Spectator

course, we earnestly beg the friends of the Referendum to come forward and point out in Parliament what complete security from constitutional clashes this instrument would give...

Feng Yu-hsiang, the Chinese Christian General, has reached the end

The Spectator

of his wavering and has joined definitely with Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the moderate Nationalists. Moscow is lamenting Feng's " treachery." Chang Tso-lin, the Manchurian...

Meanwhile the Labour Party has given notice of a motion

The Spectator

of censure upon the Government. A Unionist amendment will, of course, be moved and we sincerely hope that the Government will come down on the side of some form of general...

On Monday the Duke and Duchess of York returned home

The Spectator

after an absence of six months. They received an enthusiastic welcome, which they thoroughly deserved after carrying through their mission with a rare com- bination of dignity,...

Evidently the motto in America is " Equality, equality, and

The Spectator

again equality." In these circumstances we feel that our right policy is to go out of our way to accept equality while still pressing for our own proposals. There is no reason...

The conduct of the British case has been notable for

The Spectator

its candour and earnestness, and though the United States is _ thoroughly entitled to disagree we could wish that opinion in America would not read into our policy intentions...

Page 7

On Thursday, June 23rd, Mr. Cosgrave patriotically accepted, as we

The Spectator

felt sure he would, the invitation of the Dail to form a new Ministry } Mr. De Valera's Republicans presented themselves at the Dail, and seemed seriously to think that they...

We have received from independent sources con- firmation of the

The Spectator

terrible facts which Sir William Beach Thomas has reported in connexion with the trapping of rabbits, particularly in the West of England and Wales. The facts are much worse...

Again, private companies are to be under disabilities if they

The Spectator

are controlled by five or fewer shareholders. There is no apparent justification for this innovation, except a desire to harass the taxpayer on the mere suspicion that he is...

One result of the excitements of the Trade Unions Bill,

The Spectator

the Russian expulsion and the House of Lords crisis was that the public almost forgot the Budget, but this week they have been unpleasantly reminded of its exist- ence. Mr....

By a miracle of good luck Giggleswick, where the Astronomer

The Spectator

Royal had pitched his astronomical camp, was one of the very few places from which the total eclipse of the sun was perfectly seen on Wednesday morning. And even there the...

Bank Rate, 41 per cent., changed from 5 per cent.,

The Spectator

on April 21st, 1927. War Loan (5 per cent.) was on Wednesday 100 it ; on Wednesday week 100-# ; a year ago 1004. Funding Loan (4 per cent.) was on Wednesday 86 ; on Wednesday...

The result of the Brixton by-election was declared on Monday

The Spectator

as follows : Mr. Nigel Colman (Unionist) Mr. James Adams (Lab.) .. Mr. F. J. Laverack (L.) .. .. 10,358 .. 6,032 .. 5,134 Unionist majority .. • • 4,326 The result of the...

Page 8

The Constitutional Controversy A LTHOUGH in our view the Government's reform

The Spectator

scheme—now to be reconsidered and perhaps abandoned—contained a grave defect, and was injured by an equally grave omission, much of the criticism by the Opposition has been so...

Page 9

Standard English

The Spectator

W E need a standard for English just as we need a standard for money. Uncertainty as to the meaning of words or the construction of sentences may be as harmful to intercourse...

Page 10

The Slums of Westminster II

The Spectator

A LTHOUGH there are worse districts in London than the Victoria Ward of Westminster, this slum is in the richest borough in London, with a rateable value of between £9,000,000...

Page 11

The Week in Parliament 910WARDS the end of last week

The Spectator

a murmur arose amongst certain Unionist members of Parliament concerning the proposals of Lords Cave, Birkenhead, and Salisbury for the reform of the House of Lords. These...

Page 12

The Conservative Objection to the Trade Unions Bill

The Spectator

(We publish this article by an exceptionally well-informed cor- respondent, not because we necessarily agree with his views, but because we think it is in the interests of the...

Page 13

York Minster

The Spectator

[We publish this article by the Precentor of York on the occasion of the beginning of the celebrations marking the 1300th anniversary of the Cathedral.--En. Spectator.] G REGORY...

Page 14

National Baby Week

The Spectator

THE notion of a special week for a special theme - 1 . conies from the United States, whence we took Baby Week and its name. I have always wished that we had called it Mother...

Page 15

Europe by Air in a Week

The Spectator

No. r.—Five Cities in Seven Days W E flew over a light haze. The Channel glittered under the pale morning sun. Through the clouds Romney Marsh shone a bright blue. This first...

Page 17

Art

The Spectator

THE NEW WALL PAINTINGS IN ST. STEPHEN'S HALL.] THERE is no place where His Majesty's lieges are more liable to be kept impatiently waiting than in the antechamber to the Houses...

Page 18

Correspondence

The Spectator

A LETTER FROM ANGORA. [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR, — It is a crime in Turkey to make invidious comparisons between Constantinople and Angora, and the only English...

THE INDEX TO VOLUME 138 OP THE " SPECTATOR "

The Spectator

WILL BE READY FOR DELIVERY ON JULY 20.ra; 1927. Readers resident outside the British Isles and Libraries Overseas; are asked to inform the SPECTATOR Office in advance as to the...

THE SPECTATOR.

The Spectator

Before going abroad or on their holidays readers are advised to place an order for the SpEcrwroa. The journal will be forwarded to any address at the following rates One Month...

Page 19

A FARMER'S PHILOSOPHY.

The Spectator

It may throw some light on a present crisis to record the gist of a conversation with a farmer who grows proportionately as much wheat on his immense farm as anyone in the...

A MUCH-MARRIED BIRD.

The Spectator

How long do wild birds live ? My own belief is that most of the bigger birds have rather longer lives than is generally believed, when they do not suffer a violent death. A...

GOOD LAND AT 4s.

The Spectator

The contrasts on the farms of East Anglia are singularly abrupt, both in appearance and in essence. I never saw farms look so well as in the rich district of South Lincolnshire...

Country Life

The Spectator

AN ESCAPE FROM CRUELTY. One word more, not on the cruelty and illegality of steel- traps set in the open, but on the alternatives. The cry for reform is not to be allowed to...

Poetry

The Spectator

Song for a Piccadilly Flower Girl Fon many a year, and many a year, since times were young and gay, I've sold my pretty roses to the passers by the way, My dewy white...

I asked him for his solution. He had several of

The Spectator

which nothing need be said here and now, but it is worth notice— whether we agree or disagree—that he stressed very strongly the national folly, as he called it, of admitting...

Page 20

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] 1411,—I was simply delighted

The Spectator

when I saw this morning, on opening the Spectator, that you had taken up this question of the slums. There is no doubt whatever that it is at the root of all political c,utions....

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sm,—I read with deep

The Spectator

interest your article on the " Housing' in Westminster." But may I call your attention to one fact not generally known ? Westminster is the richest harvest for beggars in all...

Letters to the Editor

The Spectator

THE SLUMS OF WESTMINSTER [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—May I offer my congratulations to the Spectator for so courageously making public the appalling conditions in...

THE FREE CHURCHES AND REPRESEN- TATION IN THE HOUSE OF

The Spectator

LORDS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—The recent debate in the Lords on the Reform of the Upper House elicited from the Archbishop of Canterbury an interesting statement...

Page 21

LABOUR AND THE REFERENDUM [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

SIR,--I have been an admirer of the Spectator for some time, although I am a keen Socialist. It is therefore with distress that I find you attributing to the Labour Party a...

WHAT ADVERTISING MIGHT BECOME

The Spectator

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] 8114—While quite a number of business men have thanked me for what they term useful hints in the series of articles on ," What Advertising...

Page 22

AN AGRICULTURAL REGISTER [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] the

The Spectator

issue of the Spectator for May. 28th appears a very interesting article by Mr. Norman Angell entitled " What Advertising Might Become," and as he lays stress upon farming...

THE OLD MILL AT BERKHAMSTED [To the Editor of the

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] " In hac rips molae steterunt mille per annos alimentumque praebuerunt donee utilitatibus scholae aeque altricis cesserunt ammo domini MCMXXVII." Sin,—A few weeks...

AN APPEAL FOR SUNLIGHT [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

Sit,---This week there comes into force, on July 1st, the Public Health (Smoke Abatement) Act, 1926, being the first piece of general legislation against the plague-cloud, as...

Page 23

SCHOOLBOY SPELLING [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR, -I

The Spectator

shall always treasure Mr. Nelson's letter on spelling and accuracy. He asserts that script is " much too slow for use in everyday life." I would remind him that the " time " of...

THE HORRORS OF THE STEEL TRAP [To the Editor of

The Spectator

the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Any kindly disposed person who has lived like myself in the West Country or other trapping districts must be gravely concerned to learn of an increase in...

RABBIT AND BIRD TRAPS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

Sia,—In company I doubt not with many others, I consider the thanks of the public are due to you for the valuable article Country Life and Sport " published by you in your issue...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—It is possible for

The Spectator

the public to lessen the use of steel traps by refusing absolutely to buy any rabbits that have been trapped. Years ago, near the river Wye, I came upon about two dozen traps...

WANTED A FOURTH PARTY [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

SIR,—It is a curious coincidence that in your issue of June 18th you have an article asking, in the name of Mr. Evans, for a fourth party in the House of Commons. I have just...

Page 24

THE CLERGY REST HOUSE AT MERROW [To the Editor of

The Spectator

the SPECTATOR.] Stn,—You have on several occasions been good enough to publish an appeal made by me on behalf of the Clergy Rest House at Merrow where some of the poorer clergy...

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sin,---Keble wrote (in the

The Spectator

Advertisement of The Christian Year, and dated May 30th, 1827) of " that soothing tendency in the Prayer Book." We shall none of us be here in 2027, but I am ready to vaticinate...

THE CRISIS IN THE CHURCH [To the Editor of the

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] • am sorry to have to agree with Mr. Sidney Dark at last ; but it certainly seems that the " Sacrifice " of the " Mass" is emphasized by the new Canon, and the...

LIGHTING A WOOD FIRE [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

SIR, " E. II. G." says in your issue of May 21st that the " ovoid " of his Cape Cod lighter has cracked and causes him anxiety. My experience is that these ovoids (plungers, I...

THE HABIT OF SWIFTS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

SIR,—Your readers may be interested to hear of a very wonderful experience I had a few weeks ago in Montreux, Switzerland. A flock of swifts arrived from Africa and kept flying...

LONELY ANGLO-INDIAN CHILDREN [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

S1R,--Wc have to thank you for making it known in your issue of June 18th that the Mothers' Union is always ready to find good homes for children of parents living overseas. We...

A GOOD CUP OF COFFEE [To the Editor of the

The Spectator

SPECTATOR.] Sin,— The way coffee is brewed matters ; but what matters more is the origin of the coffee used. It would seem that English coffee merchants only know of, or will...

OLD TESTAMENT QUESTIONS [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

The Spectator

Stn,— I should like to have added another to Miss Winnington_ Ingram's interesting Old Testament questions, and wonder how many students could answer this : Who mentions salt in...

Page 25

This Week's Books

The Spectator

Mn. BELLMAN, the general manager of the Abbey Road Building Society, has done a service to the public by writing his lucid account of The Building Society Movement (with an...

Having said that Mr. W. G. Bond's The Wanderings of

The Spectator

Charles I. (Cornish, 7s. 6d.) records the various marches of Charles I., the product at once of royal irresolution and what Clarendon calls " a disjointed imagination," we can...

The City Librarian of Norwich is to be congratulated on

The Spectator

his 100 pictures of The Norfolk Broads (Jarrold. 2s. 6d.). The pictures he has chosen of East Anglia are as attractive as the text which he has subscribed is apt. * * * *

Report on the Last Competition

The Spectator

THE Editor offered a prize of £5 for the best philosophy of life which could be written on the back of a postcard, and we are glad to find that the majority of the entries are...

The Wonder Book of Aircraft (Ward, Lock and Co., Os.)

The Spectator

is not only wonderful value for the money, and one of the best boys' books we have seen for a long time ; it is also a book that will delight the " air-minded " adult. We notice...

Colonel Goldschmidt writes with authority and experience and in very

The Spectator

pleasant style in Bridle Wise (Country Life 12s. 6d.). His distinction between bolting and running away is one that we can endorse from our own experience. A bolting horse can...

Page 26

York and its Minster

The Spectator

Our Holy and Beautiful House. By G. Austen, Chancellor and Canon Residentiary of York. (S.P.C.K. 5s.) Everyman's York. Written and illustrated by C. R. Swift. (Scott. 3s. 5d.)...

The Problem of the Pacific Peoples and Problems of the

The Spectator

Pacific. By J. Macmillan Brown. 2 Vols., illustrated. (Fisher lJnwin. 50s.) l'utt good or for ill the feet of India have been set by us on the path which leads towards...

Page 27

On the Top of the World THE extreme attraction of

The Spectator

mountain climbing (which is nothing less than its connexion with spiritual aspiration) has been a matter of common knowledge since literature began— since the Psalmist exhorted...

Brain v. Brawn THE tendency of industry to supplant mankind

The Spectator

by machines has been a popular theme for the prophet, essayist and novelist ever since M. Claude Farrere wrote that brilliant novel, Les Condantnes a Mort, but no one, perhaps,...

Page 28

A Lord of Lilies

The Spectator

Tins book is an effort to explain Professor Patrick Geddes, who takes all knowledge for his province. How it may affect those who are strange to him I do not know. Those who are...

A Great Policeman

The Spectator

Reminiscences by an Ex-Detective. By Francis Carlin. (Hutchinson and Co. 18s. net.) REMINISCENCES of great detectives are always interesting, and Messrs. Hutchinson are to be...

Page 29

The Tragedy of Freyne. By Anthony Gilbert. (Collins and Co.,

The Spectator

Ltd. 7s. 6d.)—Sir Simon Chandos is found dead in his locked library, from morphine, and as he is doomed to a lin- gering death from cancer, and the fact is known, everything...

Fiction

The Spectator

Some Detective Stories The Case of Sherlock Holmes. By Arthur Conan Doyle. Murray. 7s. 6d.)—It is thirty-eight years ago that Sir Arthur first brought Sherlock Holmes into the...

Mobility in War

The Spectator

The Remaking of Modern Armies. By Captain Liddell Hart. (Murray. 10s. 6EL) " THANK Heavens ! Now we shall be able to get back to real soldiering," is a saying attributed to an...

Page 30

Current Literature

The Spectator

HOW EUROPE MADE PEACE WITHOUT AMERICA. By Frank H. Simonds. (Heinemann. 21 s.)—Dr. Simonds's racy and well-informed sketch of the diplomatic history of Europe from the Treaty of...

POEMS BY JOHN KEATS. (Noel Douglas. 5s.). ADONAIS. By Percy

The Spectator

Bysshe Shelley. (Noel Douglas.4s. 6d.) —These two books are the latest additions to Mr. Noel Douglas's admirable " Replica " series of literary classics. These books have...

THE PLAYGOERS' HANDBOOK TO THE ENGLISH RENAISSANCE DRAMA. By Agnes

The Spectator

Mure Mackenzie. (Cape. 5s.)—Miss Mackenzie writes with a broad-mindedness that is as refreshing as it is sane. She emphasizes the fact that there are " different sets' of...

Daniel Quayne. By J. S. Fletcher. (Herbert Jenkins, Ltd. 2s.

The Spectator

6d.)—Mr. Fletcher has given us a well-told story, in which love, faithlessness and a final tragedy of revenge bear their part. The setting is a country farm, the...

Big Foot. By Edgar Wallace. (John Long, Ltd. • 7s.

The Spectator

6d.) and Terror Keep. By the same author. (Hodder and Stoughton, Ltd. 7s. 6d.)—As an expert in sensational fiction, Mr. Edgar Wallace holds a very high place, and both his...

Page 33

WASHINGTON. By Joseph Dillaway Sawyer. (Mac- millan. 2 vols. 84s.)-As

The Spectator

a pictorial record of George Washington's career Mr. Sawyer's massive volumes are to be commended - to those who love the minute details of biography. Nothing that could be...

A Library List

The Spectator

PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY :- Exsays in Philosophy. By James Ward. (Cambridge University Press. 16s.) Changing Backgrounds in Religion and Ethics. By H. Wildon Carr....

General Knowledge Competition No prize is given for the solution

The Spectator

of General Knowledge questions, but only for their compilation. The prize of one guinea which the Editor offers each week for the best paper submitted is awarded to " C. M....

NATIONAL CHARACTER. By Ernest Barker. (Methuen. 10s. 6d.)-In a sense

The Spectator

this informing study of Civics has been published already, for it is based on a series of Stevenson lectures delivered in Glasgow during the winter of 1925-6. It only remains,...

THE MEMOIRS OF SUSAN SIBBALD 1783-1812. Edited by F. P.

The Spectator

Heft. (Lane. 18s.)-The memoirs of an old Scottish lady married to a Scottish soldier-laird ought to be interesting, but are not perhaps so interesting as other books of the kind...

SOUTH AFRICA. A series of. pencil sketches by \V. M.

The Spectator

Timlin. (Black. 8s. 6d.)-These admirable drawings tiring back clearly the architectural charm of Odpetown and the surrounding regions. They possess-some of them-such colour that...

Page 34

Motoring Notes

The Spectator

Seaside Touring from the Country IT has become a habit of motorists going on holiday to make for an interesting seaside place, and from there to tour nearby inland beauty...

Insurance

The Spectator

WITH OR WITHOUT PROFITS I WAS explaining last week the reasons for a with-profit life policy in a first-class assurance company being a more attractive contract than...

Page 37

INADEQUATE AMENDMENTS.

The Spectator

In response to the storm of criticism aroused in business circles by the inquisitorial and interfering character of the Finance Bill proposals, Mr. Churchill has tabled a number...

ROOT CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.

The Spectator

Nor is it possible to ignore one feature of the situation which more than any other perhaps deserves attention— viz., the enormous growth in the National expenditure which is...

To PREVENT EVASION.

The Spectator

It can at once be admitted that the aim of the Inland Revenue Authorities, on behalf of the Exchequer, is to make it difficult for taxpayers to evade the proper claims of the...

MONOPOLIST TYRANNIES.

The Spectator

All the same, it behoves all public bodies, and for that matter private enterprises, to devise means for protecting their revenues from the attempts of the fraudulent, without...

How EVASION IS' EFFECTED.

The Spectator

I have already said that the Inland Revenue Authori- ties have some ground for assuming that attempts are occasionally made by some Super Tax payers to escape from -the .full...

CURE WORSE THAN DISEASE.

The Spectator

But having made all these admissions it is pretty clear from an examination of the various clauses in the new Finance Bill that the remedy is to be worse than the disease, for...

Finance—Public and Private

The Spectator

Harassing the Taxpayer IT looks as though there might have to be a reversal of opinion with regard to Mr. Winston Churchill's Budget for the current fiscal year. It was regarded...

Page 38

MARKETS AND MONEY.

The Spectator

Although the Stock Markets as a whole show signs of returning confidence, in the absence of further heavy with- drawals of gold from the Bank of England in the last few weeks,...

Financial Notes

The Spectator

CENTRAL BANKS CONFER. In view of the extent to which the international financial outlook is affected by the policy of the Central Banks of the leading countries, it is not...