FICTION. Mrs. Martin's Man. By St. John G. Ervine. (Maunsel & Co., 6s.) HERE is a fine study of a woman who just made the best of the mistake of her life her marriage. Beneath the harsh discords of her life her husband's infidelity with her own sister, his desertion of her, and the sordid inquisition by her relatives-runs the sweet melody of her own faith. She forgets the poignancy of her own sufferings in helping those around her, even those who have ill-treated her. Very human withal is she in her bursts of righteous indignation and her withdrawal to lonely places when her spirit fails her and flesh and blood rebel. Her husband was just one of those callous brutes a woman might well abandon as hopeless, but she never thought of shelving her responsibility thus, and we leave her physically weary, indeed, in well-doing, but unconsciously upheld by the spiritual satisfaction of having set the feet of her son, at least, and probably her daughter and sister, on the upward path. The Veiled Life. By Henrietta Goldie. (Heinemann, 6s.) THE reading of a tale of ordinary life in an extraordinary time may well help us to mental balance, and so we can welcome Mrs. Goldie's work. On second thoughts we must confess that the happy ending in the former kitchen - maid's marriage to the kindly doctor is not ordinary; it is the girl's experiences in service which have impressed us as being unfortunately typical. The contrast between her work and the pleasures of those above her explains her acceptance of the advances of a cad, though she is instinctively repelled by his vulgarity. The man's selfish callousness towards her when his object is obtained is again ordinary enough, but so also is the sterling worth, veiled beneath a harsh exterior, of a woman whose hitherto frustrated maternal instinct lavishes itself on the girl's broken life. Mrs. Goldie, in fact, shows an extraordinary discernment in revealing the intensity of the passions which make the sorrow and joy of normal life. The Soul of England. By Austen Verney. (Heath & Cranton, 68.) It THIS is not a novel of the ordinary sort, for it has no plot, no character-drawing, no pathos, and no humour. is practically a series of conversations held by a number of persons who typify the various conflicting schools of thought of the present day. Conservatism, Militarism, Liberalism, Socialism, Social Work, the Woman's Movement, and Religious Dissensions-all have mouthpieces, who express their respective tenets with clarity and comprehension. The writer is evidently a keen and painstaking student with wide knowledge and insight. There is no bias shown towards any shade of opinion; each secures an unprejudiced hearing, and the best and worst is recounted. The reader is left to form his own judgment. The Undying Race. By René Milan. Blessington's Folly. By Theodore Good(Stanley Paul & Co., 68.) A BOLDER conception for a story-writer than the plan of this book it would be hard to imagine. One is not surprised to learn that its author is a French torpedo-boat commander, and just now serving in our gallant ally's naval flying corps. Such a man is little likely to lack confidence or courage; and both are needed in a writer who undertakes to produce a story of Attila and the Huns, whose first hero is Yaleuz the Tartar, fighting out his career some two thousand and five hundred years ago. Through some seventy succeeding generations the descendants of the redoubtable Yaleuz are followed, till we arrive at a record of the achievements of their living representative, Maurice Verteille, the brave French soldier. One notes with interest that the original conception was worked out, and the writing of the book completed, among our own English Cotswolds-before the war, of course. The book shows much industry and a considerable gift of imagination, guided by a strong romantic sense. The narrative has been done into English by Mr. Henry Havelock. In view of the vast scope of his canvas, the author is to be congratulated upon his even workmanship, and the manner in which the threads of the story are held together. Cupid in the Car. By Lindsay Bashford. (Chapman & Hall, 6s.) MR. BASHFORD considers that an essay or a mere chronicle of daily happenings cannot reach that wider public whose doors open readily to romance-or, at frankly we do not see in his book a "bestleast, to novels. He may be right, but seller.' It is well enough for style; the country which would form the theatre scenery a motor tour through the of a war between France and Germany is adequately described, and the plot reasonably worked out; but that is not enough in competition against sentiment and sensation, nor is it enough in itself. 66 Mr. Bashford's descriptions, good as they are, do not go far beneath the surface, or beyond the commonplace of the "special article" in a halfpenny paper. He strikes no note of inspiration either for Germany or France; nor does he find any definite leitmotiv of thought. His characters are plausible-of the .. genre " novelist order: the saturnine chauffeur, the pretty girl, the fiery old general, are good after their kind. The boy, a precocious fourteen-yearold, is a trifle overdone. Would such a youth really "reconstruct the stately palace of Constantine from its ruins Trèves? Not outside the pages of Farrar, we fancy. "" at The best saying in the book-Mr. Bashford might well have taken it as his text-is that "War and Empire, Bismarck and 1870, united and made effective German sentikilled German sentimentalism, while they ment," ridge Roberts. (John Long, 6s.) MR. ROBERTS has the pen of a ready writer. A Canadian himself, he writes about his own people and land. In this book the scene is the Labrador coast, to the wild beauties of which full justice is done. Among the simple, kindly inhabitants of this little-known land the author has introduced people from “the great world," thus securing an entertaining variety of figures. The plot is sensible and well worked out, and the characters have a distinct individuality. The Secret Calling. By Olivia Ramsey. (John Long, 6s.) MISS RAMSEY fills her book with characters with whom she is but superficially acquainted. Decision is difficult as to whether she intends some of them to be genuine types or caricatures-e.g., Binks, whose advocacy of any cause would be its ruin. The only character with a definite outline is Claudia, but she destroys herself by her unemotional and not too interested acceptance of her father's murder by her uncle. The plot shows poor construction, the incidents being loosely strung together and too melo dramatic. The Duchess Ilsa. By E. Vernon Blackburn. (Simpkin & Marshall, 3s. 6d.) In his Introduction the author says that "it may be of some interest to place before our readers this picture of the old peaceful days [in Germany] in the first half of the Real nineteenth century....the Germany." This announcement raises false hopes. Without it the book would be accepted what halting manner. as a simple little romance told in a someThis romance is woven round the Duke of a fictitious 66 German state, and certainly gives an impression of the Court life of the period. But to depict a natural life the more types portrayed the better, and an insight must be given into the homes of 'the people" themselves. Mr. Blackburn does not even attempt this, and the reader is left still in ignorance as to "the Real Germany." The Red Tavern. By C. R. Macauley. (Appleton & Co., 6s.) As a THE author's imagination is fertile, and exceeds the fluency of his pen. story the book has a certain merit-the merit of moving action, well sustained and coherent. But it is told in a halting, affected style which is a grave handicap. The archaic language is much exaggerated, and introduced into the narrative and descriptive portions. Had the writer done the whole book in the style and wording of a medieval romance such as 'Aucassin,' it would have been a different matter; but he merely introduces archaic words and the second person into modern English. Benson (Robert Hugh), POEMS, 2/6 net. an Burns & Oates A collection of religious poems, with Introduction by Mr. Wilfrid Meynell, and an Appendix by Canon Sharrock. Duncombe-Anderson (B. L.), SONGS OF THE GREEN WORLD, 1/ net. Jarrold A collection of short poems on the varying aspects of the months. Field (S. G.), THE WORLD'S GREATEST WAR, 6d. net. Stratford-on-Avon, Shakespeare Press A long patriotic piece. How (Louis), BARRICADES, $1 Boston, Sherman, French & Co. A volume of sonnets and lyrics, including some unusual metrical forms. Kipling (Rudyard), BARRACK-ROOM BALLADS, AND OTHER VERSES, 2 vols., 2/6 net each. Macmillan Two volumes in the "Service Kipling." See review in The Athenæum, May 14, 1892, p. 629. Logan (Robert Restalrig), LICHENS FROM THE TEMPLE, 3/6 net. Putnam Some of these pieces are reproduced from The Forum and The American Magazine. Poems of War and Battle, selected by V. H. Collins, 1/6 Oxford, Clarendon Press A war anthology, extending in its scope from Drayton to Mr. Alfred Noyes. Safroni-Middleton (A.), BUSH SONGS AND OVERSEA VOICES, 5/ net. Long Colonial poems, including songs of the South Sea Islands, Australia, &c. Watching the War: THOUGHTS FOR THE PEOPLE, PART II., 6d. net. A collection of verses on the war. With Courage, 6d. net. Allenson Routledge This booklet contains some sonnets written by Wordsworth during the Napoleonic war, and some sonnets and verses on the present war by Mr. Henry John Bulkeley. HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. Calendar of the Close Rolls preserved in the Public Record Office, RICHARD II. Vol. I.: A.D. 1377-81. Stationery Office The text has been prepared by Mr. W. H. B. Bird, and Mr. C. T. Flower has compiled the Index. Groser (Horace G.), LORD ROBERTS, a Bio- tion. Irvine (Alexander), FROM THE BOTTOM Ur, a A new edition. See notice in The Athenæum, June 4, 1910, p. 668. Milne (A. H.), SIR ALFRED LEWIS JONES, 2/6 net. Liverpool, Young A short review of the life and work of Sir Alfred Jones, with some account of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Moreton (Lady), A PLAYMATE OF PHILIP II., Reminiscences and unpublished letters of the poet, and his marginalia on 'The Story of an African Farm.' The bibliography has been compiled by Mr. H. Guy Harrison. Russell (Right Hon. George W. E.), FIFTEEN Scott (Ernest), THE LIFE OF CAPTAIN MATTHEW Selbie (W. B.), THE LIFE OF ANDREW MARTIN History of the War in Sixty-One Cartoons, edited by Satori Kato, 6d. net. The Shimpo, 14, College Court, W. A series of cartoons on the war by Japanese artists. Hopkins (Tighe), PRISONERS OF WAR, 2/ net. Simpkin Some historical details of prisoners of war in former times as compared with those taken in the present war. Image (Selwyn), ART, MORALS, AND THE WAR, 6d. net. Milford A lecture delivered in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, last month. Keep the Flag Flying, 6d. net. Simpkin & Marshall A selection of inspiring thoughts to " dispel despondency, create hopefulness, and convey sympathy," compiled by J. E. Marching Songs and Tommies' Tunes, 6d. net. Stanley Paul National songs and original songs adapted to popular airs in marching time. Oxford Pamphlets: WHAT EUROPE OWES TO BELGIUM, by H. W. C. Davis, 2d. net; THE WAR AND ITS ECONOMIC ASPECTS, by W. J. Ashley, 2d. net; THE BATTLES OF THE MARNE AND Milford AISNE, by H. W. C. Davis, 4d. net. Further pamphlets in this series. The lastnamed is illustrated with a map. Papers for War Time: CHRISTIAN CONDUCT IN WAR TIME, by W. H. Moberly; THE WAR SPIRIT IN OUR NATIONAL LIFE, by A. Herbert Gray, 2d. each. Milford See p. 620. Roberts (Field-Marshal Earl), THE SUPREME DUTY Hodder & Stoughton A comparison of the British and German methods of organizing and training armies, and of their fighting qualities, based on the Letters' of Prince Kraft zu Hohenlohe Ingelfingen, with an Introduction and critical commentary by Mr. Edmund Dane. Wilkinson (Spenser), AUGUST, 1914: THE COMING A sermon on rejoicing. Hodder (Reginald), FAMOUS FIGHTS OF INDIAN This Daily Telegraph War Book includes a general description of the Indian Army, of the more famous units, and of the great wars in which they have taken part. Squad, Section, Platoon, and Company Drill, 1/6 net. Gale & Polden Drill made easy for four-company organization in accordance with Infantry Training,' revised and brought up to date by an adjutant. POLITICS. " Davis (H. W. C.), THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF HEINRICH VON TREITSCHKE, 6/ net. Constable This book consists mainly of selections from Treitschke's work, and " has not been put together with a controversial purpose, but in the belief that Englishmen may find it worth their while to understand the political philosophy which is now the vogue in Germany.' Wedderburn (Sir David), PROTECTED PRINCES IN INDIA, 3d. British Committee of the Indian National Congress This is No. 7 of 'The Congress Green Book,' and is reprinted from The Nineteenth Century of July, 1878. SOCIOLOGY. Joseph (Samuel), JEWISH IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES FROM 1881 To 1910, 6/ King The author gives an account of the main features of this movement, discusses its causes and its most important social qualities, and adds statistical tables. Robbins (Edwin Clyde), RAILWAY CONDUCTORS, a Study in Organized Labor, 6/ King The study is arranged under the headings History and Government,' Trade Regulations and Means of Enforcement,' and 'Beneficiary Features.' Barclay (Florence L.), MY HEART 'S RIGHT THERE, 1/ net. Putnam A topical story of a soldier and his wife and baby. Benson (E. F.), THE LUCK OF THE VAILS, 7d. net. Nelson A cheap reprint. Dowdall (Hon. Mrs.), JOKING APART, 5/ net. Duckworth Sketches of the commonplaces of everyday life, and the foibles of the genus neighbour,' with original drawings by the author. Frazer (Lady), LA MAISON AUX PANONCEAUX, 5/ net. Cambridge University Press A story of life in a quiet French provincial town, with occasional scenes of fighting in Morocco and pictures of life in a convent. Harris (Frank), THE YELLOW TICKET, 6/ Forum, 25 cents. Mitchell Kennerley The con tents of the December number include Sma shing the War Machines,' by Mr. Edwin Björkman; Leaves from my Notebook,' by Mr. Robert E. Jones; 'Feminism and Polygamy,' by Mr. Henry Walker; and 'The Vision of Bergson,' by Miss Mary White Slater. Geographical Journal, DECEMBER, 2 / 'The Baghdad Railway,' by Capt. S. F. Newcombe and Lieut. J. P. S. Greig ; The Gulf Stream,' by Commander W. W. Campbell Hepworth; and Mr. Douglas W. Freshfield's presidential address, are features of this number. Indian Magazine, 3d. National Indian Association The December number contains Reminiscences of Lord Roberts,' by Lieut.-Col. Kanta Prasad, and several articles on India and the War.' Mannin, NOVEMBER, 1 / net. Douglas, Manx Society This number opens with An Expedition to the Isle of Man,' being a hitherto unpublished diary by George Borrow, written in 1855. Other features are Rafnsey,' by Mr. P. M. C. Kermode, and Celtic Nations and the War,' by Mr. E. E. Fournier d'Albe. · Month, DECEMBER, 1/ Longmans Features of the present issue are Contemporary Miracles,' by the Rev. Sydney F. Smith; De Quincey and Scholastic Latin,' by the Rev. Kevin Clark; and verses At the Crib,' by Mr. Theodore Maynard. Newnes The number for December 5th contains special articles on The German 28-centimetre Howitzer' and 'The Sultan's Army.' Navy and Army Illustrated, 6d. ་ North American Review, NOVEMBER, 1/ net. Heinemann Features of this number are The Case against Wilson,' by Mr. George Harvey; 'The Hegemony of the Far East,' by Mr. John C. Ferguson; and 'Our Quest of Foreign Trade,' by Mr. C. T. Revere. Porch, NOVEMBER, 6d. net. 21, Cecil Court, Charing Cross Road, W.C. This number contains a reprint of a sermon, 'The Clouds in which Christ Comes,' preached by Peter Sterry before the House of Commons in 1647. Round Table, 2/6 Macmillan The contents of this number include 'Lord Roberts,' After Four Months' War,' Nationalism and Liberty,' The Doctrine of Ascendancy,' 'Russia and her Ideals,' and War and Financial Exhaustion.' School World, DECEMBER, 6d. · Macmillan Dr. M. E. Sadler contributes an article on 'Reading in War Time,' Mr. A. T. Simmons discusses Science in the School Curriculum,' and Mr. James Oliphant writes on Education and Sex Aptitudes.' Stead's Review of Reviews, Oct.-Nov., 6d. Melbourne, Osborne This number includes articles by Norman Angell on The Unsound Foundation,' and by Mr. H. W. Nevinson on Berlin in War Time.' Town Planning Review, 2/6 net. Liverpool, University Press The editor, Mr. Patrick Abercrombie, contributesThe Era of Architectural Town Planning' and The New Wirral Road.' 'The Democratic View of Town Planning' is by Prof. S. D. Adshead. Pitman United Empire, DECEMBER, 1/ net. The Overseas Contingents,' by Mr. H. Montagu Bell; Who are British Subjects in the U.S.A.,' by Mr. Stephen Merry; and British and German Trade in Nigeria,' by Mr. R. E. Dennett, are articles in this issue. United Service Magazine, 2/ Clowes The December number includes articles on 'The Navy and the War,' by "Adiniral"; "The Eternal Laws of War,' by Mr. Kenelm Cotes; and The Man of Peace, or the Devil Himself,' a "Sarcasm" by "Aliph Cheem." ALMANACS. Live Stock Journal, 1915, ALMANAC, 1/ Vinton 6 Some of the features of this issue are The Future Supply of Horses,' by Col. G. C. Ricardo ; 'More Pure-bred Cattle for Farmers,' by Mr. A. P. Turner; and 'Oxford Down Sheep in 1914,' by Mr. Howard Sammons. GENERAL. Andrews (Harry), TRAINING FOR THE TRACK, Women's Employment Publishing Co. Fourth edition of The Fingerpost,' a guide to the professions and occupations of educated women and girls. Chisholm (A. Stuart M.), RECREATIONS OF A PHYSICIAN, 7/6 net. Putnam A collection of essays, some of which are on literary subjects, and others are addressed to medical men. Fosbroke (Gerard Elton), CHARACTER READING THROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE FEATURES, 10/6 net. Putnam A manual of physiognomy, illustrated with pencil drawings by Mr. Carl Bohnen. Lee (Annie Louisa), OLD ROADS AND EARLY ABBEYS, 2/6 net. Elliot Stock Vol. I. of the "Lover of London Series," with an Introduction by Mr. T. Fairman Ordish. Morgan (Mary), GLIMPSES INTO THE LETTERS OF Wickersham (George W.), THE CHANGING ORDER, 5/ net. Putnam A series of essays on problems of Government and education, written during 1909-13, when the author was head of the United States Department of Justice. Williams (Henry Smith), ADDING YEARS TO YOUR LIFE, 3/6 net. Nash The author touches on questions of health, hygiene, heredity, and eugenics. SCIENCE. Lloyd (R. E.), WHAT IS ADAPTATION? 2/6 net. Longmans A discussion of a side issue of the subject dealt with in the author's Growth of Groups in the Animal Kingdom.' Süssmilch (C. A.), AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GEOLOGY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, 7/6 net. Milford A second edition, revised and enlarged, with 100 illustrations and maps. Transactions of the Paisley Naturalists' Society, Vol. II., 3/6 net. Paisley, Gardner Lists of Renfrewshire plants, Macro-Lepidoptera, freshwater fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and other papers, with a geological map of the county and introductory notes by the editor, the Rev. Charles A. Hall. Waterhouse (G. A.) and Lyell (George), THE BUTTERFLIES OF AUSTRALIA, 42/ net. Sydney, Angus & Robertson A monograph on the Australian Rhopalocera, including a complete scheme of structural classification, and descriptions and illustrations of all the butterflies found in Australia. NOTES FROM OXFORD. OXFORD is in khaki. Some two-thirds of the members of the actual University— including more than 50 Fellows of Colleges and 200 Scholars-are already serving with His Majesty's forces; and of those who are still here, mostly the very young, the vast majority is engaged in making ready against the day when the call comes. Yet, despite this revolution in our mode of life, we remain on the whole calm. After all, there is the example of the country at large to teach us how to keep our heads. At the same time those whose special business is the higher education cannot fail to rejoice that the supreme test of experience is fully justifying their faith in the type of training provided by the older Universities. Φιλοσοφοῦμεν ἄνευ μαλακίας. The pale cast of thought " has not "sicklied 66 o'er our native hue of resolution." Indeed, it now becomes evident that there was nothing intrinsically absurd in the idea-first mooted at Cambridge, but warmly supported at Oxford also-that some sort of military instruction should normally form part of the Degree course. The undergraduate is evidently prepared on his own initiative to undertake the functions of a Platonic "guardian," together with the together with the corresponding obligations attached thereto. By good fortune, perhaps, rather than by conscious design, our Universities have conformed somewhat closely to the model prescribed in Plato's Republic of all treatises that were ever written on the perplexed subject of education by far the soundest and best. It is not generally realized, for instance, how closely the life of a College approximates to that of a camp. In a quiet way a good deal of discipline is imposed on the undergraduate. Indeed, if the British youth takes so kindly to it, his innate respect for ancient use and wont is to thank; whereas his cousin from the United States is often hard put to it at first to make a virtue of the necessity of roll 66 calls, gate-bills, and the like. Plato would likewise approve heartily of our system of common meals, which indeed, both on social and economic grounds, might fruitfully be extended beyond its present limits; nor would he sympathize with complaints concerning Spartan fare, such as are occasionally whispered in the dark corners of College staircases. It is unnecessary to go on to dilate on that well-worn theme, the moral value of games. If, however, our young barbarians " are in no sense pedantic," if they are normally ready both to think and to act for themselves, instead of trusting blindly to a textbook, they must be allowed to have picked up the habit partly in the playing-field; though they owe it partly also to the debating society and to the tutor's study, where initiative and valour-even if it sometimes be the valour of ignorance-always command respect. The University, then, might do worse than set a seal upon its scheme of moral and political education by recognizing the military art as an intrinsic part of the gymnastic which is pursued for the sake of the soul." 66 As for the gymnastic which is pursued for mere pleasure, as distinguished from legitimate recreation, it would seem that, despite the hard things said in the past about our frivolity and self-indulgence by certain moralists of the gloomier sort-moralists whose vaticinations would seem to have been taken all too literally by the ponderous Teuton, to judge by his contemptuous references to our love of sport-there exists in our youth a healthy capacity either to make sport a business or to turn the stern business of life into a sport, just as occasion may demand. No pressure has been put upon the undergraduate to relinquish his games. He has dropped them instinctively and as a matter of course, because there are more serious things to do. After all, he is not a looker-on, but a doer; nor is he paid for what he does. So the river and the football field, so long branded as the resorts of pleasure-a pleasure expressible in terms of blisters and hard knocks-are as silent as the grave, while the High and the Broad resound with bugles and with the tramp of armed men. Curiously enough, though the practical life is bound for the time being to predominate over the theoretic, the claims of the latter are by no means utterly unheeded, and the now familiar sight of the black gown worn over the khaki is not without its appropriate symbolism. College tutors report that never were lectures more regularly attended, or essays more nearly completed up to time. The Dean and the Proctor, meanwhile, grow passing fat on sinecures. The midnight reveller is an almost pathetic memory of the past. Yet in peace-time, if the Vice-Chancellor were himself to sound the Last Post punctually at half-past nine with the full strength of his lungs, would a studious calm descend instantly on street and quadrangle ? would the sober reading-lamps shine out upon the tangled text of the Posterior Analytics, or, it may be, on the scarcely less crabbed apophthegms of Infantry Training, 1914'? As Thomas Atkins has made it fashionable to say, we do not think. 6 66 in which inspiration is vouchsafed; or, if he have just returned from drilling in New College field with the Veteran Corps, is it strange that his facts and his figures continue to wheel and form to left and right at the tip of his pen ? Woeful indeed would be his plight if it were not that the German Professors have taken the field, so that at least he can go for " them. The Clarendon Press is as busy as the Birmingham Small Arms Factory, and it is rumoured that an academic aeroplane will shortly be dispatched to make the round of the enemy Universities and rain down our famous series of pamphlets -every one of them warranted to explode on contact with anything in the shape of a mind. There is, however, plenty to do in a practical way for those of paullo-postmilitary age. They have to keep the University going. The tradition of Oxford must be handed on unimpaired through these troublous times, so that there shall be no setback in the culture-not mere Kultur, but Bildung, cultivation of the soul-for which the British Commonwealth stands. The lecturer must bravely give of his best to the sadly depleted benches. The Professor must maintain the full curriculum of his department, though American Rhodes Scholars and members of the Women's Colleges be alone likely to profit thereby. Meanwhile there is a real opportunity for each to cultivate his garden," because the bickerings of University politics have for the present ceased. A truce has been declared between reformers and unreformables. Nothing controversial has been before our legislators, save only a small matter relating to the examination known as Divinity Moderations, the upshot being that the myrmidons of the President of Corpus, during the drill-hour of the Veteran Corps, threw out the proposal to allow four Gospels in English to be offered in the place of two Gospels in Greek. For the rest, the University, flying directly in the face of the principle that two heads are better than one, has by common consent cut down the representation on Council of the Heads of Houses from six to three, thus affording to democracy, in the shape of the general body of Congregation, nine voices instead of six. carrying Apart, too, from the duty of " on," those of us who are left have plenty to occupy us in the sordid calculation of ways and means. It is, perhaps, hardly meet or expedient to enlarge too fully here on the problems of finance which perplex Colleges and University alike. It is clear, however, that we must all expect to live on very short commons so long as the Colleges are more than half empty. Happily, it has proved possible to deal liberally with those who are off to the war. The Scholars will find their endowments waiting for them when they come back. The Fellows also, it would seem, will be no poorer for their patriotism. Alma mater herself, however, is in imminent danger of the workhouse. Her dependents-professors, examiners, and so on-have of their own freewill consented to take something less than their due. But even so, unless some of the richer among her children, the Colleges, come forward with substantial gifts or at least loans, it is certain that she cannot meet her creditors, not if the common purse be stripped of its last cobweb. The pacificists may demonstrate to their own satisfaction that it is economically unsound to impose a monetary indemnity on a vanquished foe, but there are some of us here who are ready to take all risks if a little of the extorted gold in question-and, let us hope, in prospect-is shot into that aching void, the University Indeed, if any one is demoralized it is not the undergraduate, but the don at any rate, the unfortunate senior Fellow who, having offered his senile services to his country in vain, has to close with the bitter alternative of prosecuting "business in the form of his long-projected magnum opus. Somehow, rushing round to the Union for the latest telegrams does not conduce to that mood of tense abstraction' Chest. as usual M. COL. PRIDEAUX. His WE much regret to record the death, on Saturday last, of Col. William Francis Prideaux, C.S.I., at his house in St. Peter'sin-Thanet. He was 74, and till quite recently his vigour was unimpaired by advancing age and his service in the East. There he did excellent work for many years, finishing his official career as Resident in Jeypore, Oodeypore, and Kashmir. experiences included a mission to King Theodore of Abyssinia, which led to his being confined at Magdala as a prisoner for two years in imminent danger of death. On the walls of his house in Kent he kept the chains which he had worn. A shrewd man of the world, he was also a man of excellent education, and on his retirement settled down to the life of an accomplished bookman. His admirable library was full of treasures, and he had a genuine interest in scholarship as well as a wide knowledge of books. Further, he was no praiser of the past at the expense of the present, but followed with zest the doings of to-day, and frequently wrote letters to The Pall Mall Gazette and other papers letters which were always worth reading, as he had seen and remembered much. he was Of The Athenæum from his earliest days an assiduous reader, and he contributed to it from time to time reviews on one of his special subjects. He had an excellent knowledge of older London, and of archæology in general. He was also a keen and learned student of the eighteenth century. talents as In Notes and Queries he found, perhaps, his most congenial field, covering a wide range of information, and exercising his an impeccable bibliographer. Precise to a comma, he was indignant about inaccuracy, but always ready to serve the cause of good letters. His 'Notes for a Bibliography of Edward FitzGerald' and his Bibliography of Stevenson' are first-rate guides. The latter in particular is invaluable in its careful collation of details. He had planned a new edition, but characteristically put off its publication in view of an accession of new matter. A pamphlet, 'The Lay of the Himyarites,' shows his interest in Oriental languages; and he was one of the members of the Omar Khayyam Club who were entitled to an opinion on the 'Rubaiyat.' A genial man with a sense of humour, he will be missed by many friends and correspondents. He had not indulged in modernity so far as to give up the writing of solid and agreeable letters. His reminiscences would have been entertaining, and he had arranged to write them; but little advance had been made with them, we believe, at the time of his death. He also contemplated a series of essays on the contents of his library, and was delighted with the suggestion that it might bear the title Prospero's Dukedom.' A neat allusion or a happy touch in a review always secured his appreciation. Of such accomplished men, who do not seek the applause of the many-headed, the world knows too little. (4) That, following the precedent set by the British Government in the case of our own White Paper, The Times is completing arrangements for making the volume more accessible to the public as soon as the present issue is exhausted.' So far as "interested quarters are concerned, we may point out the fact, as it does not appear to be obvious, that the whole public is interested in what The Times itself describes as the most complete documentary evidence yet published as to the origin of and responsibility for the war.” 66 As for the special points made: (1) We are informed that the object of The Times in undertaking the publication was to familiarize the British public with the book. This is highly laudable, but the familiarization has, it appears, its limits, since (4) tells us that, as soon as the present issue is exhausted," the arrangements of The Times will make "the volume more accessible to the public," following the precedent of the White Paper. A cheaper edition of a successful work hardly needs a precedent. But the White Paper did set a precedent which, we think, is notable, in the price of 9d. for its first issue. Complete translations of the Belgian and Russian Papers cost, we may add, 44d. and 3d. respectively; and The New York Times announces that it will publish the French Yellow Book verbatim to-morrow with its ordinary issue, so that it will be available at 5 cents. (1) also suggests that, unless The Times had intervened, the public would have had the documents only in fragmentary form." Our Government has lately undertaken to advantage things that it was not wise to leave to private enterprise. If it hesitated in this instance, are our publishers of to-day lacking in enterprise, or can The Times alone be trusted to translate the whole of this important French into English? (2) The laws of supply and demand seem surprisingly upset in this case. A second edition has already been printed, and there is an enormous demand." Publishers in vide " such cases do not find it necessary to pro: a large amount of gratuitous labour." The book pays. (3) Restriction on the quotation of the volume would hardly have tended to that familiarization which The Times desires, and might well have been the subject of general and effective protest. The supply of free copies in time for early notice is usual, and is a matter, not of generosity, but of business. The critic who notices such a volume does work for its advantage (again the fact seems obvious) which is worth far more than the price of the copy he uses. In fact, to employ the crude language of commerce, he advertises it. Even so, the free supply has been restricted, we learn, to "the principal British papers. Do these represent satisfactorily the "British public' which The Times wishes to familiarize with its publication? Papers of recognized standing have been ignored. Yet the weeklies, with their more considered judgment concerning facts and rumours, have their uses and their readers to-day. Literary Gossip. MR. G. DEVINE, Director of the Future Career Association, sends us a letter regarding the present time of stress and the prospects of the middle-class boy. He points out that "hundreds of boys who have looked forward to a University education will have to forgo that privilege, and the large Public Schools will also feel the strain. Two practical suggestions may be made: first, that all pensions to officers or their dependents be made free of income tax; and, secondly, that there be scholarships instituted on a generous scale for the children of officers killed or disabled in the war. The cost would not be heavy, and it would meet part of the difficulty.' As for the Army as a career, "Lord Kitchener has already submitted to the Treasury his scheme for the better remuneration for officers in the Army, and the course of instruction at Woolwich and Sandhurst has been reduced from 13 years to 6 months and 3 months respectively. The fees, which stood at 150l., have been entirely suspended for the present, with the exception of 351. due for books, uniform, &c. Thus the profession of a soldier is easier to enter, and more attractive financially, than it has ever been before." This is well, for the Army authorities have much to learn in the treatment of the best material offered to them. For the next few years there will be a marked shortage of doctors :— "For fifteen years the medical profession has been insufficiently recruited. Last year the number of students increased, but this autumn it has dropped again, and there are large numbers of openings in the medical profession, like hospital appointments, which will be vacant owing to lack of suitable candidates. I have been asked by the Secretary of the Conjoint Board of Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons to make these facts as widely known as possible among the Public Schools. The need for doctors is aggravated by the fact that thousands of practitioners are fully employed over the wounded under circumstances in which their own death-rate must be abnormal." Mr. Devine sums up with a suggestion that "all school and college bills should be exempt from income tax." Such a concession might be wise, but is, we fear, hardly likely to be made. Parliament in these days relies on the dismal docility of the middle classes. IN their report of the year's work the Council of the Scottish Text Society refer to the loss of Dr. David Patrick, who had been a member from the beginning. Two volumes of the Old Series have been issued to members: the second volume of Gilbert of the Hayes' prose manuscript, "The Buke of the Ordre of Knychthede,' and The Buke of the Governaunce of Princis,' under the editorship of Mr. J. H. Stevenson. Three volumes remain to be issued of the Old Series: the late Mr. F. J. Amours's edition of the Original Chronicle of Andrew of Wyntoun, prepared by Dr. George Neilson and Mr. J. T. T. Brown; Vol. I. of Prof. Gregory Smith's edition of the Poems of Henryson; and |