Welsh Journals

Much of the support for the League idea was passive, inert and confused. Informed British opinion was always sceptical of the idea of collective security which rested on the unreal assumption that States, which are essentially self-regarding entitites, would be prepared in fulfilment of the Covenant to involve themselves in disputes which did not concern their own interests. Reality broke in sharply in the thirties. The WLNU, like its parent body, was vigorous in criticism of British policy during these years. Mr. Jones is aware of the inconsistencies of the movement but something of the emotions of the period is reflected in his narrative. Despite extensive background reading, he does not seem to grasp the very real difficulties of Britain's position or to appreciate fully the necessarily intimate relation between policy and power. No more than the zealots of the thirties does he recognize that international politics above all is the art of the possible. His sketch of events and of British policy in this period is the least satisfactory part of what is, as a whole, a clearly presented, balanced, and objective study. E. W. EDWARDS. Cardiff. JOHN MORLEY: LIBERAL INTELLECTUAL IN POLITICS. By D. A. Hamer. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1968. Pp. 412. 65s. (£3'25). While it is true that shrewdly-directed quantification has much to contribute towards raising the standards of historical studies, its aid is primarily labour-saving rather than an original factor breaking ground otherwise beyond human grasp. With psychology and medicine generally, things are quite different. New findings in those fields can and do enable the historian to penetrate far beyond his predecessors in assessing the individual thoughts and actions of figures in the past and present. In some cases, already existing speculations will merely be given certainty. In many others, the gain will be infinitely greater. Here Dr. Hamer has realized the importance of psychology in history, yet has largely neglected his opportunities. After making much of the ways in which Morley identified himself with the situations dealt with in his writings, he fails to utilise the pointers of character in interpreting patterns of behaviour clearly visible in the whole saga of ideological commitment and human relationships throughout the whole of Morley's public life. Much of what has become scientifically established about the human being could have led any writer to conclude vital things about Morley and his associates. All too often, however, they are treated as intellectual machines, despite the fact that everyone is aware that motive, and behind that temperament, may be the keys to meaningful inter- pretation. As it is, we have often to rest content with the superficial and evaluate the deeper aspects for ourselves.