Welsh Journals

or any other religion can satisfy man only in so far as it meets his fundamental, permanent. irreducible needs, and one of those needs is the need for a Redeemer." "Without Jesus, Christianity might be a very noble creation, and could theoretically contain the ethic of love; but in practice it would be something quite different, as it is for those for whom Christianity is mainly a body of speculative doctrines instead of loyalty to a living Person." (p. 33.) The objective element in Christianity which meets the religious needs of man is to be found in the historical Christ, who is a gift to man's memory and imagination of a definite, concrete, historical individual." (p. 30.) Along with this gift there is given the power of a loving intimacy (p. 34), and also the gift of Redemption (p. 37). This, then, is the mystery which is enshrined in the Christian Church, and is made ours through that society. This idea is developed in the rest of the book and its implications are unfolded its relation to both the past and the future of the race its bearing on the demands of personality for free- dom and self-expression the freedom of the Church from the atmosphere of spiritual aristocracy which attends all forms of individualistic religion and the relation of the mystery to the problem of authority. It is quite impossible within the limits of a short review to do anything like justice to a book so rich in suggestion and so controversial in its main positions. Though not altogether polemical, every page of the book contains sentences which are both arresting and challenging, and no one can read the book without being refreshed by the intense earnestness of the author and without catching also some of his spirit of combativeness — even if only to combat some of the author's own conclusions. One criticism may be made. The author seems to the present reviewer to give the term Church an elasticity which makes it almost impossible to know at times what ideas to attach to the word. His insistence on the need for the Church as an organized community would seem to exclude altogether the idea of a Church Invisible, a number of faithful souls belonging to different religious communities or to none who are connected by the invisible bond of a common faith and a common experience. To Dr. Figgis a Church Invisible is a church that simply does not exist, for visibility is to him of the very essence of the idea of the Church. The question arises, then, which of the numerous religious communities is the Church? Is every religious community that has experience of the mystery in the Church ? This can hardly be the author's view, because of his insistence on the function of the Church as the intermediary through which the mystery is revealed. To know of the mystery one must be in the Church, hence, merely to be a member of a religious com- munity is not enough. Is the Church the Anglican Church, or only the Catholic and Evangelical party in that community? Or, if the Church comprises communities which are outside of the Church of England, there arise a number of problems of peculiar importance to the present time, viz., the validity of Nonconformist orders, the attitude of the Church of England to the Free Churches as exempli- fied for instance, in the Kikuyu controversy. There are indications here and there in the book that the author has felt these difficulties, but, the last chapter notwithstanding, the difficulties have not been fairly and satisfactorily met. It should be noted, however. that the author quotes with approbation the words of Dr. Forsyth and others who are outside the Anglican community. Ll. G. W. Land and Labour." A Series of Lectures. The Collegium." London, S.W. 2s. 6d. net. If conclusive proof were needed of the fact that Christian men and women are giving time and enthusiasm to the study of the social problems of the day, no better evidence could be obtained than from the pages of this excellent book. The members of the Interdenominational Conference of Social Service Unions at Swanwick last summer spent a week in discussing the various problems connected with land reform. The lectures cover such aspects of the problem as the life and wages of the rural labourer, land tenure, small holdings, private and public ownership, and housing. Mr. St. George Heath concludes the series by a fine paper on The spiritual aspect of the land problem." Such authorities as Professor Ashley, Messrs. Raymond Unwin, Sebohm Rowntree, Christopher Tumor and C. R. Buxton also contribute valuable papers. In spite of the divergent views of its contributors, the book is a remarkable record of challenging views on the land problem, which, but for the War, would probably have been tackled by all political parties last autumn. It seems a pity that cloth covers were not supplied for a book of such permanent value as this. The British Empire." By Sir Charles Lucas, K.C.B., K.C.M.G. Macmillan & Co. Sir Charles Lucas to whom we owe so much for his many works on Colonial History, has increased our indebtedness to himself by publishing this book. It consists of a series of six lectures delivered by him