LITERARY NOTES ON THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2420, 27 March 1915, Page 33

LITERARY NOTES ON THE WAR

Professor Cramb on Imperial Britain. ] ~ striking popularity achieral' -by..the late Professor Cramb's book, "Germany and England," has brought about tlie republication of a series of lectures delivered by him in 1900, upon "The Reign and Destiny of Imperial Bri- ■ John Murray). In these , earlier lectures Professor Cramb traces the growth of Imperialism,- whether conscious cr unconscious, from the earliest times. He shows how it 7,ml t -governed-by what he calls 1 tie .Law of Tragedy," and how it ha's been' effected by the Religious Ideal, and,, finally, as the climax, he deals with'the future of Great Britain and of her Imperial system, and-, mission. It is needless to tell those who have' read the _lectures entitled-. .'.'Girikdnyi l -and! England" _ that these earliest lectures display painstaking industry evidences of erudite study, and careful research, an earnestness and enthusiasm for the ideals championed, and a true eloquence which all combine to make them most fascinating reading Undoubtedly it is to Carlyle -that Cramb ewes his trick of audacious, yet ever effective, metaP r > -l" s for photographing, in a-phrase or two, some great historical event, or some prominent actor on the world 1 s historical stage. Curiously enough, it may also be remarked, there are not a few passages in these lectures- which prove how largely in his manner of presenting bis theories' and - arguments, the author -Vas 'actually indebted to writers of that nation which he clearly designates as Britain's future, most certain, and most deadly enemy. But, after al(. ,it is not the style" ; that counts in.a book such as this,'but the subject:-matter'and "the treatment thereof:'""Cra'inh coidd not ignore the fact that there is much to admire in the makings of the German Empire. German Imperial unity he honestly _ admired as "an imposing, a. far-reaching achievement." . But be came"-to see that without the combination „"Imperiuni et libertas" no lasting good; can come out of) even a muchdesired national unity. What, then, is the Imperialism, the Imperialism of the better kind, that Cramb desired ' the future- to produce? This is-his definition; "It is patriotism traf sfigureti "by a light from the aspirations of -universal humanity; it is the]; passion "of Marathon* of Flodden, "-'or: Trafalgar, '-'the ardour of ar Montfort or a Grenville, intensified to a serener flame by the ideals of a Condorcet or a Fichte. This, assuredly, is not the Imperialism of the

Prussian variety, the Imperialism of the Kaiser, of Von Bernhardi, and the Huns. Space'limitations forbid a longer reference to a book which, all well cdu- : ;cated people .will- want to a-ead.. .A ■ . short'- biographical not© - precedesthe I ...lectures, and ft portrait, of c th<s.-• author i-is given.as. a frontispiece. :'(N£w-'-Zoa?* •' land price, 65.)"" ' ■ "Germany and England." The wide circulation which was.'attained by the earlier • and more expen-, sive editions of Professor-Cramb's now famous book, "Germany and England" (it has been reprinted twelve times , in its original form), has not' exhausted its popularity. A new and even 1 larger public should be reacLed by a new and cheaper edition (Now Zealand price, Is. 3d.),, just issued by the publisher, Mr. John Murray. To this edition has now been added, as. a preface, the introduction written ' for "the American edition by .the Hon. Joseph Choate, forinerly United States Ambassador -to"' Great' Britain. Mr. Chdate's comments upon the lectures and upon what has happened in Europe since they were delivered, have already been alluded to and quoted from.'n this journal, and it is unnecessary to say more to-day than to commend: their pe-'usal; by all who have iot as yet read this fine tribute' to Great Britain's honesty of purpose and to the justice of the cause for which the Allies are fighting. Kultur Cartoons. , Both artist and publisher are to be complimented upon the collection of drawings by Will Dyson, "Kultur Cartoons" (Stanley Paul and Co.). The young Australian artist, whose -clever political caricatures aroused so much interest in artistic circles in, London when they first appeared on the front page'of the Labour daily, "The Herald," has now. turned his attention, to the :war, 'and more particularly , to." the. grotesque and sinister figure of the'selfc entitled War Lord of the Hohenzollerns. Not since the - far-afray days of the 'seventies of the last century, when Matt Morgan was producing his brilliant and audacious cartoons in the now half-forgotten weekly journal,.-"The Tomahawk," has a political satirist produced a series of such dramatically effective designs as those .now collected under the title of "Kultur Cartoons." There are just a score of these drawings, each on its own brown paper mount, - and. not one fails to: hit the mark. "Venomous and malignant pictorial, libels on our' beloved Kaiser,"will probably be tlie verdict of the' German Press, but to Englishmen Mr. Dyson's drawings should give as great delight as did the biting caricatures ,of "Boney,"- which Gillray and Rowland-

son produced a little over a century ago to our great-grandfathers. Perhaps the finest of Mr. Dyson's efforts is that in which not the Kaiser, but a figure entitled "The Modern Circe," and symbolising 'the deadly spirit of Prussian militarism, is the leading feature. Circe is depicted as' pouring out the poisonous wine of that brutal militarism so dear to the hearts of ,Von Bernhardi and Co., whilst 'hundreds of German swine, many with hu- , Sian faces,. struggle forward to imbibe tlie deadly poison. In another cartoon wesee the Kaiser and the Crown Prince embracing on the top of a mound, whereon.lie thousands of human bodies. Grim is the satire of-the cartoon entitled "Kultur Protection," portraying those famous Germans, Goethe, Beethoven, and Wagner, prostrating themselves before a throne upon which sits the great Herr 'Krupg, . surrounded by :his engines of destruction.;;- "Hail Saviour Krupp! How can' wo\ ever- thank thee," is the legend beneath. But Mr. Dyson is not always tragic, or even merely grim, in these clever designs of his. 'There is a touch of real humour, for-instance, in.the - cartoon entitled "City of Faith,", where the War. Lord stands side by side by a. cringing Mussulman, who is saying his prayers. "Illiterate fool of a Mussulman," says the Kaiser, "why prayest-thou turned - in that direction? Potsdam is. over here!" Truly prophetic too, at least, so I dearly hope—and believe—is the cartoon "The-Spread of Terror," in which we' see the Shade of Bismarck standing, with the Shade of Moltke, on an eminence, and watching a huge multitude ~of;- German fugitives \trudging wearily to Berlin! Bismarck's comment on the Kaiser's enterprise' is: ''All, my dear Moltke, he is succeeding in ■ spreading terror —but it is in the wrong direction!" These "Kultur" cartoons should be bought by all who admire fine draughtsmanship andvclever satire. Mr. H. G. Wells contributes a brief; but excellent, preface. "(New-Zea-land price, 35.) The War and Democracy.' The four writers who are. responsible for the volume entitled "The War and Democracy" (Macmillan and Co., per S. and W. Mackay) state, in their preface, that the title given to ; tlie book has been due to the ''guiding idea" of the authors, which, has been "a sense of the grea new responsibiliies, both ! of thought and action, which the pre-' sent situation lays upon the British Democracy, and on believers ■ in .' Democracy throughout the world." ".It is safe to say that if- Professor Cramb's' book is far and away the most important . publication dealing with-events precedent to " the war, "The AVar,_ Democracy" is . equally .prominent amongst the books published since the war began. In tho introductory chapter, Mr. Alfred E. Zimmern, M.A., rightly declares this .to' be- "a-testing time for; democracy. The people of Great Britain, to whom all the world looks as the trustees, together with France and America, of the great democratic tradition, are: brought' face to face, for the first time, with their full _ ultimate, responsibility as British citizens.' Upon the way in which' that-responsibility i 6 realised and discharged depends the future of the democratic principle, not only in these islands, but. throughout'the world." Mr.

Zimmern discourses upon this text very clearly, and verry sensibly, and then makes place for Mr. J. Dover Wilson, M.A.,_ of Cambridge, late Lecturer in the University of Holsiugfors, Finland, who gives a succinct but most illumining summary of'tho growth of "The (National Idea in Europe, 1789-1914," examining especially - tho development of ' the spirit of nationality in Poland, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. Next como chapters doaiing with German, AustroHiuigarian, Russia, and Balkan history, •tho authors boing Mr. Zimmern, Mr. Dover Wilson, and Dr. It. ,W. SetonWat6on. A chapter by an anonymous author on "'Foreign Policy," explaining tho working of the various Foreign Offices of the Powers, and contending by the way, for a complete reform of a system by which tho people's elected, representatives' are excluded from having any l say in tho methods and actions'.of'the'diplOmate—and those who .oontroi them—is. followed by an essay on '."rhe Issues of the War." The authors disclaim, most emphatically, all idea of dividing the lion's skin before the animal has been killed. They say: "Our obpect has not been to prophesy, but merely to stimulate thought and discussion. The field is so vast and _ complicated , that unless public opinion begins to mobilise without further delay and to form clear ideas as to how the principles laid down by our statesmen are to be converted into practice, it may find itself confronted, as it was confronted in 1814, with a situation ' which it can neither understand nor control, and with, a. settlement which will perpetuate many of tho abuses which; this war ought to remove." In the concluding chapters Mr. Arthur Greenwood,' Lecturer in Economics at the University of Leeds, deals with the "Social and Economic Aspects of the War," and Mr. Zimmern with "German Culture and the British Commonwealth." A number of well-pro-duced maps enhance the value of the text. ' The book is dedicated, I notice,' to the Workers' Educational Association. Its contents have evidently been prepared with a special view to removing misconceptions and furthering the knowledge of the basic facts with regard to the war, its causes, its progress, its I. probable issues, and especially the importance of these issues to the democracy.'..A careful perusal of its pages not only by'the better educated class of artizan, hut by all classes of _ the community, cannot fail to be of individual . and national benefit. The evidences of .careful research and checking of facts the sobriety and prudence with which theories, are set forth, the clear, unpretentious stjle.-'and the dominating sense of responsibility, which all_ characterise this book, are beyond praise. It is easily- first' in importance of all ' recent publications on the- war, and deserves to he widely and carefully read. The British Navy In War. One of the . best and most useful popular expositions of the part played by the British Navy in the great war that I have yet come across is that set forth in the pages ,of Mr. L. G. Carr Laughton's little book, "The British Navy in War" (Methuen's Shilling Library ; New Zealand price, Is. 3d.). The author first gives, a' sliort description of tho nature of naval operations, with particular reference to the conditions of the.present struggle. This is followed by ; chapter's explaining in detail the or-

ganisation of the Navy, showing what different typos of ships it contains, and what are the special duties of each type; how it is governed; and how it is manned. 1 In view of recent happenings tho .chapter relating to submarines will be read with special interest. The author contends that ns the Germans can have no supply ships which can show themselves openly on the" sea, those of the enemy s submarines which have succeedcd in replenishing their fuel at sea can only have done so by a fraudulent use of neutral, flags.; Tho more rigorous blockade recently set up should largely decrease the danger from this possibility. The Gorman. Army In War, " Another recent addition to. tho samo useful _ series (Methuen's Shilling Library) is entitled "The German Army in War," by Miv. A. Hilliard Atteridge. Mr. Atteridge is an accepted authority on military historv, and has made a special study of their organisation and methods of the German : Army. Although no pessimist a 6 to future events, he is insistent upon the grave necessity which exists for "more men." As to the numerical strength upon which tho enemy can draw, ho writes: — Tile classes from 15 to 60 years of 'age give a total of over eighteen millions. Deducting one-third (six millions) for youths too young to serve, and older men incapable of military service, or debarred by necessary civil works, w© have twelve million possible recruits. With four millions under arms at the outset, the reserve would be eight millions, mostly - untrained. Two. millions of them are said to have been enrolled in various ways sinco the first month of war. These are, of course, only rough estimates, but they show that there ■must be still an' abundance of material for the military machine of the German Army; and suggest that it would be a dangerous folly to relax our own efforts in recruiting and training men for the war. ■ _ A specially interesting chapter is entitled "Germany on the Defensive," In which the author describes in detail l the extent and character of the two great lines of defence, along the Rhine and on-.-the Posen, Glogau and Breslau lines. Breslau has generally been believed to be a perfectly open city, but Mr. Atteridge says it is now protected by a circle of earthworks and redoubts. It is_ believed, he adds, that the river crossings above Breslau are being strongly fortified, the chain of dofences being thus carried on to the Austrian fortress of Cracow, which he describes as a fortress of the first rank. Germany's War Mania. Lloyd George has said, in one of his many inspiring speeches on the war: "Have you read the Kaiser's speeches? If you have not a copy 1 advise you to buy it." An enterprising English publisher (A. W. Shaw) has now afforded the British public an opportunity of. reading not only what the Kaiser has said on tho War, but what ha* been said and written recently and some years past, by leading German statesmen, generals, historians, and professors. The title of this interesting and valuable compilation is "Germany's War Mania—The Teutonic Point of View as Officially Stated by Ger-

many'a Leaders." • Many of the speeches, lectures, and articles now collected have appeared in otlier books, but it is useful to have them within the one cover. An eloquently worded preface is contributed by Viscount Bryce, who specially denounces tho. brutal cynicism with which that darling of tho ,modern Huns, General Von Bernhardi, .promulgated his vile'doctrine of "Might versus Right." (New Zealand price, 2s. 6d.). Practical Warfare. A well-printed and well-illustrated book which is worth reading at the present time is "Practical Warfare, Chapters, on Annies and Navies in Action" (London, Eveloigh Nash; New Zealand price, 45.). It is a collection'of articles descriptive of modern warfare, tho working organisation of armies in the field, tho detailed character of the various movements, and the part -played therein by each arm of the servico, and many other subjects upon which tho non-military mind is rarely well informed., Amongst other subjects dealt with arc the important part played in modern battles by unseen artillery; the "nerves of an army"; "war in-the air" ; "what -a modern sea fight is like" ; "the submarine, submarine mines": "how the motor is affecting the war, etc., etc. Those who may have treasured up Mr. Churchill's suggestion as to digging out the Germans like ratsdigging them _ out of the. Elbe or the Kiel Canal —will find some interesting facts set forth in the chapter headed "Britain's Control of the Sea," in which some .very..ingenious and plausible theories are sot up with regard to the role which has" been played and' may bo played by the German fleet. In addition to a number of full-page illustrations, the book contains several useful diagrams, those referring to miues being specially interesting.