NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 16043, 27 October 1917, Page 7

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

ESSAYS BY A PACIFIOT. ' In' "Principles of Social Reconstruction," the Hon. Bertrand Russell, F:R.S., one of the most noted of the pacifists,; expounds his views not only on war'as an institution, but on such questions as the State, property, marriage, arid the • population question, and religion and the Churches. Naturally, his views in' regard to war are the most interesting at the present time. We confess to being utterly unable to understand the class of mind which can reason on these things in the way in which Mr Russell does. He admits that German policy,' as he puts it, in recent years before the war "was not averse from war, and not friendly to England." He tells us that to men who direct German policy the interests of Germany appear to. them, unquestionably the only interests they need take into account: — "What injufy may, in pursuing , those interests, be dorie to other nations, what destruction may be - brought ut>on populations and cities, what irreparable damage may result to civilisation, it is not for them to consider. If they can confer what • they regard as benefits upon Germany, everything else is ot no ac- - C °"Xhe second noteworthy pomt about - German policy, h® says, a

that its conception of national welfare is mainly competitive. It is ** the intrinsic* wealth of Germany, whether materially or mentally, that tno rulers of Germany consider important ; it is the comparative wealth in the competition with other civilised countries. For this reason the destruction of good things abroad seems to them almost as desirable as the creation of good things in Germany. He refers to the list of young French writers killed on tho battlefield.

"Probably," he says, "the German authorities have also seen it, and have reflected with joy that another Tear of such losses will destroy French literature for a generation—perhaps, through loss of tradition, for ever. "What the rulers of Germany envy us most is power and wealth —the power derived from command of the seas,

and straits, the wealth derived from a century of industrial supremacy. Besides all these feelings, there is in many Germans, especially in those who know us best, a hot hatred of us on account of our pride."

"Will it be believed that, realising all this, realising tho manner in which Germany concentrated all her thought , and skill on military preparation for a war of aggression, Sir Bertrand Russell calmly assumes that Englishmen are as bad as Germans, and that instead of talcing up arms, we ought to have quietly submitted to allow ourselves to be trampled into the dirt by the Hunnish legions? What other interpretation can he placed upon the following passage:— "The mood in which Germany embarked upon the war was abominable, but it was a mood fostered by tho habitual mood of England. TVc have prided ourselves upon our territory and our wealth; we have boen ready at all times to defend by force of arms what we have conquered in India and Africa. If wo had realised the futility of Empire and had shown a willingness to yield colonies to Germany without waiting for the threat of force, we might have "been in a position to persuade the Gerjams that their ambitions were fooShh, and that the respect of tho world was not to be won by an Imperialist policy. But by our resistance wo showed that we shared their standards. We, being in possession, became enamoured of the status quo. Tho Germans were willing to make war to upset tho status quo; we were willing to make war to prevent its being upset in Germany's favour. So convinced wero we of the. sacredness of the status quo that we never realised how advantageous it was to us, or how, by insisting upon it. we shared the responsibility for tho war. In a world where nations grow and decay, where forces change and populations become cramped, it is not possible or desirable to maintain the status quo for ever. If peace is to be preserved, nations must learn to accept unfavourable alterations of the map without feeling that they must first bo defeated in war, or that in yielding they incur a "humiliation." Doubtless we might have sold ourselves into slavery to the Germans, and called it peace, but that any Englishman at the present day should publicly advocate such, a pusillanimous policy on high moral grounds is to us the most astounding phenomenon. (London: George Allen and Unwin, Ruskin House, 40 Museum street, W.C.) "ILLUSIONS OF PACIFISM." An excellent corrective for the pacifist fallacies of Mr Bertrand Russell, Mr Norman Angell, and the Union of Democratic Control will be found in "The Main Illusions of Pacifism," byC. G. .Coulton, M.A. The object of the book, as explained in the preface, is "to awaken the public mind, and especially the Liberal and Labour mind, to the need for clear policy in national defence as in diplomacy, without provocation, but without weakpess." Its aim is "to expose that faint-hearted idea which underlies so much of our vague peace talk, that a democracy can. only refrain from aggression by keeping itself powerless." A large part of the book is devoted to a very vigorous criticism of Mr Norman Angell. His notorious book, "The Great Illusion," contained a sub-stratum of truth, but we should have thought that tho actual facts of tho Great War had sufficiently exposed the main fallacies of his contentions. However, Mr Coulton. is determined to leave nothing to chance, and not only riddles Mr Norman. Angcll's mistakes in history and errors in logic, but attacks him vigorously for his present attitude towards, the war. Mr Angell has indeed written "It is quite certain that the British nation is going through with this war, and that it is going to win, at whatever cost. . . . Let us cast our minds forward to the stage at which England is completely victorious, and is able to say to Germany, 'You must never renew this mad race for armaments.' " Mr Coulton says that from a man who has not only dono no personal ffar service since this, war broke out, but has even abstained from recruiting help and has withdrawn from the responsibilities of British residence and citizenship, these words are no more than an impudent mockery. Ho adds:— "If Mr Angell had been content to subside into decent obscurity, it would have been unfair to ask why, as a comparatively young and healthy man, he has not at least joined the Officers' Training Corps. But he persists in forcing himself into public notice; the less he does, the more dogmatically he writes; and he himself thus compels us to ask what can bo the mentality of a born Englishman who, even now, treats this war only as a thing to be written about from some superior standpoint, and in no sense as a burden to be borne." Mr Coulton severely castigates Mr Bertrand Russell's assumption that in our present state of knowledge we not only cannot apportion the relative guilt of Germany and England exactly, but "it is almost useless to attempt any apportionment at all." Mr Coulton rejoins: "Now ? what scientific justification can be found for this extreme agnosticism p The whole world knows already that Germany was found to have, prepared = for this war-with the utmost elaboration, while we were in a state of most imperfect preparation for anything of such magnitude Everyone knows that it had long been preached in Germany by writers of real repute, and that professors and schoolmasters had prepared the German 'youth for it in 'a sytematic way to which no parallel can be found in Great Britain. We know that the violation of Belgian neutrality, which has weighed so heavily for war in British minds, must have weighed to some real extent against war in the mind of thinking Germans: yet the undeniable fact remains that Germany voted more unanimously for war and violation, than Britain did for war against violation; and that, even now, those . Germans who protest publicly against the • final £-nnexation of Belgium are even less numerous than Britons who follow Mr Ramsay Macdonald in speaking | of our championship of Belgium as a piece of hypocrisy. Moreover, everybody knows now A what <HUS a 1

few Cassandras preached until last August, that German methods of war are marked by a calculated and systematic ruthlessness far beyond the methods of other equally civilised _ nations. Amid the hundreds of lies and exaggerations which are naturally current, incidents like Louvain and Aerschot are too well-known and too numerous to leave room for legitimate doubt; and their significance is clinched by their exact conformity to text-book prescriptions. As the ""Westminster Gazette'' savs (March 24th. 1915), 'What makes Bernhardi's books of importance is not.that he-wrote them, but that the German people have done what he said thev would do, and behaved in war as he said they would behave.. That, is not .to be explained away by any sophistry.' "

As the position of Germany becomes more critical, there is every probability that her friends among tho pacifists will work overtime for the purposo of lulling the conscience of the British public, and persuading them that it wquld bo advantageous to conclude a peace without- being too exacting in regard to tho terms. Mr Ooulton's book supplies an excellent antidote to propaganda of this kind, and we hope it will have a large circulation. (Cambridge: Bowes and Bowes; Christchurch: L. M. Isitt, Ltd.) VERSUS FROM MALTA. Our readers will remember the articles contributed to this journal by the Rev. A. G. Mackinnon, Senior Chaplain to the Forces in Malta, while some of tho New Zealand soldiers wero in hospital there. Ono.of his colleagues, the Rev. W. Cowan, C.F., is also a literary man, and has sent us a hook of verses, written by himself, entitled "Memories of Malta, 1915-1917." It should prove specially interesting to those New Zealanders who wero so kindly treated while in hospital on th.e island. The author gives various pictures of life in Malta, and the following affords a fair example of his style: EVENING IN CAMP. Australian, English, Irish, Scotsmen, some From Canada or Africa—a throng • Imperial, well nigh a thousand strong,— Forth from the tents at eventide they come And, seated neath the ample .canvas dome, Wait patiently, nor think the waiting long, If in tho end they hear the tuneful 6ong That speaks of lovo, and patriotism, and home. And at the close, while sounds the loud applause, Another voice I often eeem to hear, As if one said to me "Thcee men have cause— If ever oause existed—for good cheer; For, in defence of Britain's name and laws. They counted not their life a gift too dear." "Memories of Malta" is published at tho office of the "Malta Chronicle," Valetta. We shall be pleased to send our copy to the first returned New Zealand soldier who writes to us stating that ihe was in ono. of the Maltese hospitals. SOME BOOKLETS. Two of the most charming booklets for children that have yet come under our notice are entitled "Gum-Blossom Babies," and "Gum Nut Babies," words and pictures by May Gibbs, . The drawings, some of them in colour, are exquisitely done, and the verses are as quaint and almost as pretty as the pictures. The booklets should be in great demand for Christmas. (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, Ltd.) Another booklet published by the same firm, and likely to attain popularity, is "Doreen," by C. J. Dennis, author of the "Sentimental Bloke." It will be remembered how tho latter was led to amend his way when he mot "Doreen," and the present poem in mingled humour and pathos gives various incidents of their married life.

Messrs Whitcombo and Tombs send us ','Hinemoa; - a Legend of Ao-tea-roa," in which the ever-popular . ; Nc\v iZealand romance, is told" in verse; and published in tho form of an attractive I little booklet. .