BOOKS OP THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2618, 13 November 1915, Page 12

BOOKS OP THE DAY.

"J'ACCUSE." It has been reserved for a German to pen the weightiest and most damning indictment of Germany's, conduot in forcing a bloody war upon Europe that has yet appeared in print. .This indiotment appears in a book entitled "J'Accuse" (I Accfise), translated from the original edition by Alexander Gray, and published by Mtessrs. Hodder ana Stoughton (Wellington: S. and ,W. Mackay; and Whitcombo and Tombs). The exact identity of the author is a secret, the most popular theory being that he is an ox-jurist 'of high position, who at the commencement of the war left Berlin and is now a resident . of Lausanne. Tho editor' of the first German edition (published at Geneva), Dr. Anton Suter, vouches for tho faotthat the author is a "German patriot." Dr.- Suter adds that , ho regards "this work as an act which can only confer a blessing on the German people and 'on .humanity." In tho epilogue to his book the author claims that ho is a German who loves his Fatherland. : "The German people," he declares, "has been corrupted 'and blinded, that it might be driven into a war which it has never toroseen, never intended, and never desired. In order that it might be liberated it has been put in chains. . It was to break ; this. charm, to liberate the people from its "liberators,' to fight against falsehood, that I wrote this book of truth." This "book of truth i" If, even half of the indictment, brought' by tho author against the German diplomats, militarists, court officials, and war party generally be true —and never was ; there ia more liberally "documented" an indictment, then there has been stated a "caso" against the Kaiser, the German Government, and, those specially responsible for the war which should surround the very names of the guilty ones with a halo of' eternal ihf-uny.' The author subjects the documentary evidence in the case, the published ofiicial records of the various, governments involved, to a searching examination and. merciless dissection. Sir' Edward Grey, - and others responsible for tho whole course of British diplomacy with iegard to tbp situation created'by the murder of tho 'Austrian Archduke Ferdinand at Serajevo, emergo from this analysis with honour. The hollowne'ss, and, indeed, impudent mendacity of. the German official statements,. are' mercilessly exposed by the author, who makes it clear that the war was due'directly to the War Party at Berlin, that it is purely a Wflr of would-be conquest, of an unscrupulous and treacherous origin, - a war in which the Fatherland never ought to have been engaged.

The author credits Great Britain with having made a long series of honest but uusuoeessful attempts to conclude a political entente" with' Germany, and so bring about some limitation of tho costly ,naval armaments on both sides of the North Sea. Eaoh and every itime such an agreement was suggested Germany laid down somo impossible condition which blocked the . way. The author Bays, on this hoad:

"Germany demanded neither more nor less than \the obligation of Britain of an unconditional neutrality in the event of/ any] European conflict in which 'Germany might be iiivolvod. . England was thus to free herself from her engagements to the Entente, and was to withhold herself from evory cooperation in European questions. Even treaty obligations to protect neutrals would have (been abolished had England concurred in the German proposal of an unconditional neutrality in all disputes affecting Germany. It is,, therefore, not'surprisin" that this suggestion, which had alrohdy been rejected between 1909 and 1911, should again have been rejected in 1912, after Haldane's visit; indeed, it amo,unted to no. more than a demand that England should simply renounce her position as a European Great Power."

Even although Sir Edward Grey had perforce to decline a proposal • which spelt for Great Britain betrayal of her friends, he still tried hard to bring about a workable agreement, his alternative being an assurance that Great Britain ; would neither attack Germany nor countenance an attack' upon her. This, howover, was not enough \for Germany, which virtually demanded unqualified, security, to be able to attack undisturbed. The author does not disguise hi§ opinion that his country is doomed to final defeat. He is not blinded by such successes aa those Germany has gained, in Poland and elsewhere. What ,he asks, "Does the occupation of Lodz, and even the conquest of Warsaw mean against suoh a colossus as the Russian Empire? (Will Russia be defeated when we get possession of the half or the whole of Poland? It will be nothing but a new .Vbjectof barter given into our hands; cut will it mean the oonquest of Russia— Not in the slightest. "The invasionof England, which, since the beginning of,the war, has been held out, : says-the author, to the German people as "a seductive magic pioture," is as far off as over The author does not hesitate to predict that oven if ever it be made it will break miserably on England's unbroken Bea-powor, since the gigantic superiority of the English. Fleet cannot be equalised by means of Zeppelins and submarines." -

Here, too, is a shrewd and telling reference to the abiost insane illusions in which tho German Emperor, his statesmen and officials—and with them so large a section of the German people—havo indulged, with regard to outside world welcoming German dominance and oheerfully'accepting Gorman kultur."

"1 should like to see," says the author, "how Canada, India Australia, and New Zealand would acclaim tho German conqueror, who, as the Ohancellor has so beautifully' oxprossed it to an American journalist, is destined to bring freedom to tile world. What country politically is bo undeveloped and'so gagged as Prussian Germany, if we except Russia and our illustrious ally, Aus-tria-Hungary? What oountry has as little understanding as Germany of tho art of assimilating to itself foreign nationalities, of allowing them to live according to their own

habits, and customs, according to their own. culture and language, gf making them happy, and therefore inalring thom faithful? Our policy towards the Poles and the Danes and towards Alsace-iiorraine spooks volumes on this point."- '

I must not bo: tempted. to mako ftirthor extracts from a book which Invites quotation in its every chapter.. Not the 'cact interesting part of the book is that in which the author speculates upon the gradual but sure exhaustion of his country's resources, and the changes which will come over German public opinion when tho war is over, and tho full extent of its.disastrous effect. upon tho state and the pfroplo comes to-be realised. "J'Accuse" is by far tho most important book on the great basic cm so 5 of the war that we have yet had.' It is

a book which should find a plaice in every public and privato library worthy of the name. (New Zealand price, 65.).

ITALY AND THE WAR. ] ~ '^ 6 „P evi ' ,s Spawn: How Italy will Defeat Them" (Stanley Paul and Co.); is the title of a paper-covered volume, of close on two hundred pages, the author of which is the well-known novelist, Mr. William Le Queux, who figures on, the title page as a Oommendatore of the Order of the Crown of Italy. Mr.Le Queiix has lived - in Italy for many years, and has enjoyed the personal acquaintance of members of the Italian Royal Family, Italian statesmen, and generals, and every highly-placed official. He has been led to write the Articles of whioh the book is composed by tho fact that there has, he says, existed in. England a certain "lack of understanding concerning Italy, her temperament, her actions, and her aims." The author gives a'detailed' and interesting account of the negotiations, whioh took place between Italy and the various other Powers concerned in the war, end makes it clear, not i only that Italy was practically forced into tho war by the Austrian "policy of strangulation," but that the nation was practically to a -man desirous that the Government Bhould take the course it i did. In his final ohapter. however, -"The Weight in the Balance,' the author does.not prove himself a very successful prophet, for he has grievously mistaken .the Bulgarian attitudo, and liis prediction that Rumania would speedily ' 'join the rest ot the Allies in 'the great war of liberation" has yet to be verified. But his book contains much that is new, suggostive and informative, and is written,' moreover, in a way which makes it very good reading. (N.Z. price, Is. 3d.)