BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 205, 24 May 1919, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

"Luxemburg and Its Neighbours." The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg is • one of tho smallest of . the European States, yet it played no unimportant part iu the greatest. of wars, for onco Uermany 'had embarked "upon her criminally insane enterprise in July, 191 ; i, she violated the. neutrality of Luxemburg just as callously as she aid that oi Belgium. In tho. late war Luxemburg was. not a ; battle-ground as she had been so often in the past. The name of Luxembourg (the "Little Fort") is .constantly cropping up in European ■ history, and it is good that now, for the first tliue I believe, we should be able to. read a compact, well-written history of thu State. This 'wo get in a handvolume, entitled "Luxemburg and i<4 Neighbours"-(New .York and London, G. P. l'utnanr and Sons). The author, IJiss Ruth Putnam, is .an American lady /frho has specialised in the history of .France and the Netherlands—two of her earlier books, on "William the Silent" and the ".Revolt of tho Netherlands," having won well-deserved commendation from experts in' European history. Miss Putnam roughly traces the history of Luxemburg. from the first century up to the end of the eighteenth century. Tho fertilo plateau between tho Meuse and the Moselle; with Rhenish Prussia oil the north and east and Lorraine on the south, was and is still a borderland between tho Teutonic, Gallic, and Belgie , 1-uues,. and as such was frequently a battle-ground. The end of the eighteenth century .'found Luxemburg 111 possession ' 11/ Austria as part of tho Austrian Netherlands. France eamo into rivalry with.Austria, and in -June, 1795, the duchy • lii'cani.o incorporated in the French Republic, as the French Department of ; Forests. The peasants revolted in 1798, ■ ami when Napoleon arrived at full ' ]iov,'or lie granted them religious toleration and greatly ■ improved conditions generally. After the fall of Napoleon, tlio Peaco of 1815 settled .Luxemburg's future on a new basis. J.t censed to be a French Department, and became once more a principality, with the rank of a grand duchy, being given to the Dutch lung as a family possession,, in compensation for the ancestral possessions of Nassau, which were merged in the Grown of Prussia. A Prussian force garrisoned tho capital, that ancient fortress which had witnessed so many in earlier times, and finally the right of succession was given' to the German branch of the House of Nassau; Government by a Dutch monarch did not work well,'and when tho Belgians revolted in 1830 they were joined by the Luxemburgers.' Finally, in 1539, the Powers agreed upon the handing over to Belgium of three-fifths of the.province (tho western portion), the Grand Duke being left the remaining two-fifths in'the east. In 18G6 Louis Napoleon (Nftpojeoii the Third) tried to buy out the rights of the lung of tho Netherlands, but the Powers again intervened. In 18G7 tho international status of tho Grand Duchy was finally settled by treaty. Tho Grand Duchy was freed alike from all political connection with other countries, the fortress of Luxemburg was dismantled, and the State neutralised under guarantee of the Powers, a guarantee ruthlessly broken by the Huns in July, 1914. Since 18G7 Luxemburg has had n reigning family of German origin, and certainly German in its sympathies, hut its natural affinities have always been with Belgium. To the Germans, especially the Prussians, tho Luxemburgers were always' antagonistic. The people de.sire to remain free of all | foreign influonce, but specially have they feared Prussia's interference. In an appendix .Miss Putnam quotes the Luxemburg National Anthem, written in 1859 in the Luxemburg dialect on the occasion of the first international railway system connecting the Grand Duchy with tho 011 tsido. world. Here is a rough translation of the refrain: Come yo from Prussia. J3clgium, Frame, To viow our land with, friendly glance. Ask tlio pcoplO( near and far "We-will remain just what we are." Wo are contented with our fate Devoted to our native State! Millions can it never count; ltut to its people, paramount!' • , .And we, .ioyous, shout as one, No better land iB blessed by Sun! Oomo ye from Prussia, flelirium. France. Our homeland view with friendly glance! Contentment yon may plainly see, . And Prussian wo will never be. / It may be taken for granted that after tho Peaco Treaty of 1918 tho chance oi Luxemburg becoming Prussian will be more than ever romote. Hiss Putnam gives an ■ interesting account of Luxein,burg under Gorman domination during the war period, declaring that in its .economic relations, in facilities of transportation and communication, Luxemburg is "bound hand and foot." Those conditions ceased to exist with the defeat of Germany. It will be for the Peace Conference to see that in future Luxemburg shall be ft, free country in reality . as well as in name. A large number of illustrations, many from old prints, and some excellent maps add to tho value of the work. Russia's Declinc and Fall, Princess Catherine I'adziwill (Catherine Kolb Dnnvin) has from timo to timo during the last four years given the reading public somo very piquant studies of European court life. Although, especially m hor studies of the Hapsburgs, she has dealt with many sensational uvems, suy id no mere scandal monger, and, mora than once, has thrown mltch new ami vuluablo light upon State policies and pui-sonal ambitions and adventures whicli. have played a very important part in tho making oi modern European. nistory. In her latest book;. "Russia's Declino and Fall: The Secret History of a Great Debacle" (Oassell and Co., per S. and AY. , Mnckay), tae princess deals mure uarticularly with the war as it affected Russia—and with Russian political events as they all'ected the war—irom July,lUl-1, to the last days of 1915. The author explains that sue makes. 110 pretension to write a history of ilip war. She has sought, rather, to give her readers ''a record of the feelings and impressions wnich agitated 'Russian* society during the first year of the war," and to describe in their true proportion the inner workings which Russia had' to fight at the very time she was waging material war' against the Germans. I'iie auttior sets forth, very fully and clearly, the elements which culminated later on in revolution, and explains how it was that Russia, alter setting her house in" order, was beguiled into a seemingly inoxpiieablo peace. So far as it goes the booK is a valuable contribution to tho history of tho war. IX is well "documented," the extracts from official papers and speeches being well chosen. The author is clearly convinced of the sincerity and honesty ol the Tsar, who was, sho asserts, ' shamefully misled as to the stocks of munitions availablo for the armies, and her tributes to the. l gallantry of tlio Russian soldiers are frequent and expressed in eloquent terms. At Christmas time, 1915, Russia, according to Princess Kadziwill, was "stronger, bettor disciplined, and organised than she had over been at any 'previous stago of the campaign." Tho Tsar, the army,tho people were alike confident that now that Russia was completely "at bay" sho would finally conquer. The "debacle" had 'been met, laced and proved to be 110 debacle, but merely 1 set-back. How was it, then, that such frightful disaster followed? Tlial, 110 doubt, the author will explain i;i a succeeding volume. Guilds, and the Social Crisis. Mr. Arthur J. Penty's name is well known to readers of English Labour and Socialist journals as that of an enthusiastic advocate of what has been called Guild Socialism. One of his earlier bonks. "The Restoration of tho Guild System," was reviewed in these columns a couple of years or so ago. Mr. Penty lion t-Miits to his subject in a littlo boo'* entitled "Guilds <mu the • Social

Crisis" (George Allen and Tinwin), ;u which ho sturdily champions a return to the guild syste'm.of the Middle 1 Ages, or its adaptation to modern conditions, as being tho best, and, indeed, tho only panacea for tho industrial and social troubles with which-the world is Struggling. He warmly, attacks'tho contention that "maximum production" is the first and only thing to be considered. ."It is a policy," he says, "which must "either issue in revolution or in other wars, which, if the public allow, could be used to reliovo the pressure of the markets bv tho creation of a demand for armaments." A specially interesting chapter is that in which tho author deals with scientific management.- ■ Tho American system of scientific "speeding itp" is examined arid condemned; indeed, tho author appears'to think that a scientific industrialism can exercise as. evil an influence. upon the human.race as even militarism itself. Those who may be inclined . to regard the advocates _of Guild Socialism as merely romanticists will be considerably enlightened by what they may read in tho chapter entitled "The Return to- Medievalism." As for tho "'class war" preached by those Socialists who call themselves "Neo-Marxians," and who are strongly represented in the New; Zealand Labour Party, it is held in high disfayour by Mr. Penty,. He says;

As Herculean a. task as the solution ot the economic problem is for.any Government, its difficulties will be increased n thousandfold for the ■ Neo-Mariians, if ever they got into power; for their clasß-war policy, carried into execution, will complicate- the economic problem by a psychological one of equal magnitude which, like the Bolsheviki. they, will have no idea how' to ipeet,. except by forco. Now, force in the hands of materialists always produces the very opposite effect to that which is intended, for materialists never understand psychology. I fear it is useless to reason ■with tho JjeoMarxians about such tilings.■ . ■, . lhejr do not propose to change the system, but only : its'ownership. '. . • Mr. Penty's views will, of course, be regarded from many - standpoints, . but even thoso.' who wonlil. utterly reject hi* projectmust .admit tho moderation, earnestness, and evident good faith of the nuthor.