Welsh Journals

There is one sentence in the essay which may be commended to the notice of all protagonists of the "cynghanedd gaeth" :— "Poetry in a cage of rules is like an imprisoned bird; she will pi'pe a formal tune for you, but the wild sweetness of her woodland voice was lost with her liberty." E.D.J. Suomi, The Land of the Finns. By A. MacCallum Scott. 15 x 23 cms. 223 pp. Thornton and Butterworth. 1926. 7/6. The author of this book is a whole-hearted admirer of the North: in his preface lie has a sort of invocation to the north, as the fountain of youth and energy, the mother of truth, the nurse of free- dom, the saviour of the world from the slavery of the lotus lands of the south. He calls the sons of the north, fair haired, blue eyed giants. If seems a little ungracious perhaps to suggest that the fair hair and the blue eyes do not seem to be so universal in the north as Mr. Scott and others would have us believe, moreover our western civilisation certainly owes a great deal to the lands of the south. However, it is always pleasant to meet enthusiasm, and some of Mr. Scott's chapters give very lovely and very helpful pictures of a land that is too little known. There are several illus- trations, one a vivid photograph of Edelfelt's touching picture "Grief." There are chapters dealing with some aspects of the history of the law with Finnish literature, and with the recent political situation in Finland. The book as a whole will be welcomed, for there is all too little written on Finland, but it is not in any sense an exhaustive study of conditions there; it trips some- what lightly on the surface of things. and goes for the personal and anecdotal form. Welsh readers may be interested to know that George Borrow wa.s much attracted by Finland, and it seems certain that during his stay in Petrograd 1833-5 he visited Poland. At any rate, he mentions Vainamoinen and the Finnish legends in Lavengro." R.M.F. The Breakdown of Socialism. By Arthur Shadwell. M.A., M.D., LL.D., &c. Ernest Bonn, Ltd. Price, 10s. 6d. net. The author confesses at the outset that the title is misleading, and one is left to wonder after a brief scrutiny why it should have been chosen. Socialism up to the present has been a matter of pile-driving, and time alone will show whether the work has been an effective preparation for "the Kingdom" or not. However, after the unsavoury flavour of the in- troduction, one finds that progress has been made albeit grudgingly admitted. One tires of the eternal "blunders" of Russia, and after a time. as to the boy who hears so much of the evils of drink. the temptation comes to taste and see what is really at the bottom of this daily persecution of a hope- lessly inefficient body of monsters in a distant land! Though the step-ladder is not yet a Jacob's, Socialism in some form or other will live. The late municipal elections are still vocal, in spite of the many explanations, and the Parliamentary bye- elections are still as deep-throated as Hull. This book will please and it will irritate. J.T.L. The Legacy of the Middle Ages. Edited by C. G. Crump and E. F. Jacob. Oxford: 10/- net. This book is a companion, and a sequel, to the excellent Legacy of Greece and Legacy of Rome," already published; and like them consists of a series of essays by various hands. The volume on Greece contained much brilliant work; and the one on Rome. if we except its very inadequate account of early Christianity, was sound as well as attractive. The present volume is, perhaps, less striking as literature, but it is a most competent and sympathetic account of the long period with which it deals. The chief fault in its design is that it tends to be a history of mediaeval times rather than a stocK-taking of their" legacy." Two topics, in particular, are excellently treated- mediaeval Christianity, and mediaeval art. The importance of the former is justly emphasised; for the whole mediaeval world revolved about the Church. On tliis point Professor Powicke is explicit, Only those who accept the dogma of the divinity of Christ as the central fact of a long pro- cess of divine revelation can escape bewilderment in the contemplation of the spread of Christianity, which has been so unlike other religions in its claim to penetrate and control the whole of life." Only Western Europe is treated. At first the reader is inclined to resent this omission of both Byzantine and Arabic influences; but to include them the whole scheme of the book would have to be altered. Devout worshippers of the old Welsh culture will be shocked to find that there is not a single allusion to it. W.W.D. A Short History of the British Working Class Movement, Vol. II. G. H. D. Cole. Labour Publishing Co. 6/- net. Here Mr. Cole carries on the story which, in his previous volume, he had brought down to 1848, and brings us to the vcar 1900. A third volume is yet to come, to complete the history down to our day. Of Mr. Cole's knowledge of the subject, or of his literary skill, it is unnecessary to .s,peak, for both are well known. He never attempts to hide his own opinions; nevertheless he must be acquitted of any unfair treatment of opponents, or of different points o.f view. The chief defect of the book is that it isolates the Labour Movement too much from the main stream of contemporary history. This makes both more difficult to understand, and inevitably leads to incorrect emphasis. Insufficient attention is paid to the work of Christian Socialists, and the Fabian Society. W.W.D. Who was Who, 1897-1916. A. and C. Black. 5/- net. This most valuable volume is a companion to Who's Who," and contains biographies of those who died between the year 1897 and 1916. Through death a certain number of those dealt wit.h in Who's Who" drop out every year, and it is ex- tremely inconvenient to have to search for .them in past issues of that work. They will be found conveniently gathered together in Who was Who." It is to be hoped that the publishers will issue it periodically. PERIODICALS. Quarterly Review. January, 1927. (Murray; 7/6). Hardly as good a number as usual. There are many good articles, but no outstanding ones. The most useful one is that on "Poor Law Reform," by Geoffrey Drage. The most interesting, perhaps, is" that on The Strength of England," by Sir George Aston. The Hibbert Journal. January. 1927. Constable and Co. 2/6. A highly interesting number, in which Gilbert Murray writes on The next set of problems but one"; Aline Lion, on "Fascism"; F. S. Marvin, on The Middle Way in England Werner Jaegeir, run "Aristotle's Politics"; J. A. Morris, on "Art and the Modern City," etc. International Labour Review. December, 1926. Allen and Unwin. 2/6. Besides the regular features, contains articles on "Labour Legislation in the U.S.A. "Annual Holidays for Workers and Collective Agreements"; The Conciliation and Arbitration of Industrial Disputes," and "The New Japanese Act on Health Insurance."