MISCELLANY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27191, 7 November 1953, Page 3

MISCELLANY

A Political Memoir. 1880-1892. By Joseph Chamberlain. Edited by C. H. D. Howard. The Blatchworth Press. 320 pp. This is Chamberlain’s defence of the leading and remarkable part he played in the great political crisis of the end of the last century. Its purpose may have been chiefly to explain why a great Radical, almost a republican, came most extraordinarily to support the Conservative Party because of the Liberal Party’s attitude to Home Rule. The personal story is engrossing still, but perhaps less so than the light thrown on the Irish campaign for independence, and on the other politicians of the time, notably Gladstone, and their politics. On Chamberlain’s evidence Gladstone, who would not accept the Radicals’ plan for a measure of Irish self-government because it went too far, later agreed t$ go much further to win the support of the Irish Nationalist M.P.’s, who appeared to hold the balance in the House of Commons. Although Chamberlain clearly had little sympathy with Gladstone, or liking for him, it must have been a hard decision to split the party. If no-one, but least of all the Irish Nationalists, seem to come very well out of this strange period of history, it is not because they were all lacking in principle, but because practical politics compelled them to adopt strange courses in serving their principles. Many of them, no doubt, could have written defences as convincing as that of Chamberlain. The painstaking work of the editor makes an interesting story into an important historical document.

Famous Chinese Short Stories. Retold by Lin Yu tang. Heinemann. 232 PP- _ pij l Yutang has selected and' translated here some remarkable examples of his country’s literary achievements. They are for the greater part stories of love and of the supernatural, which disclose rare imaginative feeling and often a delicate and subtle humour; and they have a romantic flavour particularly their own. They really come within the category of fairy tales; indeed, some of them have set the pattern for the comparatively modern fairy tale, notably the earliest written version of the Cinderella story, which, the cover note claims, antedates the first European version of Des Perrier’s by seven centuries. Some of the stories may appear almost naive to the European reader, but it is to be remembered that they were written many centuries ago. The test of their worth is that they have survived to the present day and are as readable as ever. Truth and Revelation. By Nicolas Berdyaev. Translated from the Russian by R. M. French. Geoffrey Bles. 154 pp. Berdyaev is one of the most original thinkers and one of the few spiritual giants of modern times. The latest in his impressive list of books on great subjects is, as he says, a philosophical study of revelation, with philosophy sitting in judgment upon theology—“a reconsideration of the fundamental problems of Christianity in the light of spirit and truth.” When Berdyaev says “philosophy,” he does not mean rational philosophy but existential philosophy “which recognises that spiritual experience i s primary." His eloquence and depth of feeling hold the the reader spellbound at the same time as his intellectual subtlety, range and power keep his mind exercised at its fullest extent. Berdyaev has a profound understanding of modern thought, the relations between religion and science, and the various forms of idolatry and godlessness, both "optimistic" and "pessimistic godlessness,” that plague us. Although he believes that an age of “darkness and great destruction” is approaching, his vision of the new Christian aeon of the future which will release man from “the object world” provides splendour and hone at the end. Industrial Psychology. By Joseph Tiffin. George Allen and Unwin. , 551 pp.

Industrial Psychology is mainly concerned with making certain that the right man is in the right job, is happy in it and satisfies his employer in all respects. To this end the employee is studied carefully. He is interviewed and tested for mental and mechanical aptitude, dexterity and achievement and in both visual and manual skilL His personality and interests are also probed. On acceptance he takes up

his predetermined place in the industrial machine. By making wide use of such techniques American technologists have made great strides in the most effective use of manpower. Much has undoubtedly been achieved by applying thought to the problem of employing people in modem industry. Industrial psychology is now a well established tool' of management and has made a considerable contribution to important matters such as the reduction of accidents, improved inspection and training and in the provision of incentives. How far it is useful in filtering possible employees through temperament scales, personality inventories, merit ratings and the like is uncertain. Mr Tiffin himself suggests that there are limitations, as the human spirit is as impulsive and unpredictable as a volcano. In his book there is no chapter for those who do not fit into the predetermined pattern. Now in its second edition this standard American text book has been extended to take in more material Over and above testing basic capacities relating to future productivity, chapters on interviewing and wage and job evaluation have been included.