No. 708.

MODERNISM IN PHILOSOPHY Philosophy To-day: Essays on Recent Developments in the Field of Philosophy. Collected and Edited by Prof. E. L. SCHAUB. (18s. Open Court Publishing Co.) There was a time, not long ago, when the study of philosophy, as encouraged in universities, meant the study of the history of philosophic thought, as enshrined in the systems of the great philosophers of all ages and climes. Any one who remembers that discipline, probably remembers also his doubts whether any man's philosophy could really be understood apart from his life, his personality, and also his nationality. If philosophy is at all adequately described what a man does with his solitude," we must know the man if we want to understand his struggles with the deep problems of existence. Furthermore, there is truth in Gentile's extreme view that there is no true science which is not national. Hence the importance of the new way exemplified by this book-the way which gets the best out of the older philosophers by attacking the old problems with modern equipment, and by comparing the results obtained by thinkers who speak different tongues and react to different environments. How the essays comprised in this volume came together we need not here relate. That they did come together is due to the enterprise of Prof. Schaub, of the North-Western University, U.S.A.

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The essays which deal with the contemporary philosophy of English-speaking countries, and of French and Germanspeaking countries, occupy five-sixths of the volume. The contemporary philosophies of Russia, of the Scandinavian countries, and of South America, are more briefly described. The editor has to apologize for unforeseen circumstances which disrupted arrangements that were considered made for accounts of present Italian philosophy. It is perhaps the more interesting to an English reader that the essays on philosophy in English-speaking countries are all written by Americans. We may add that full appreciation of the work of English philosophers is evident in every essay. The term "philosophy" is widely interpreted. Besides metaphysical topics, the survey includes ethics, psychology, history of philosophy, and, in the French-speaking section, an essay on pedagogical tendencies," by Prof. Ed. Claparède, of Geneva. So highly composite a production, a large proportion consisting of translations, naturally exhibits considerable differences in style as well as in value; but on the whole the student of recent philosophic tendencies, even though he profess no more than a general interest in some of the topics dealt with, will be glad to possess this volume.

THE ART OF THE HISTORIAN History and Historical Research. By C. G. CRUMP. (5s. net. Routledge.)

All who are acquainted with Mr. Crump's brilliant if illusive essay on The Logic of History" will open this more extensive dissertation with a confident expectation of both pleasure and enlightenment. They will not be disappointed. This larger work displays on a bigger scale than its predecessor the same qualities of wide scholarship, sound judgment, keen insight, and fine literary style. It also manifests, we are bound to confess, the defects which made "The Logic of History" an essay singularly difficult to comprehend, viz. a disinclination on the part of the writer to say a plain thing plainly, a tendency to run away on side issues, a lack of proportion and of clearness of outline apparently due to an absence of a sharply-formulated plan. Nevertheless, in spite of these drawbacks, Mr. Crump's new book is so full of wisdom expressed in language of distinction and charm that it should be placed in the hands of all students of history who, having laid the foundations of general knowledge wish to set themselves to the task of specialized research.

First, he

Mr. Crump treats of five main themes. discusses the proper mental attitude of the historical investigator. Whilst warning him against the moral snare of partisanship and the intellectual tendency to confuse fact with inference therefrom, he tells him plainly that complete impartiality and objectivity are neither attainable nor desirable. He urges him, on the contrary, to "let his mind work freely on its own natural lines." The two prime requirements in a researcher, he says, are, on the one hand, a wide and well-ordered store of general knowledge, and, on the other hand, a mind quick and flexible, capable of discerning the significance of phenomena and alert to observe relations.

The second topic with which Mr. Crump deals is "the discovery of a subject." On this matter he is peculiarly illuminating. After enunciating certain axioms respecting appropriate subjects in general, he stresses the view that the subject should find the student rather than the student the subject. He contends that the proper procedure is for the student to choose the sphere within which he wishes to make researches, and then for him to start intensive study until at last a subject for investigation lays hold of him imperatively.

The third question discussed is "the search for materials" printed and unprinted. Under the one head Mr. Crump has wise and interesting remarks to make concerning bibliographies and libraries, and respecting the important art of skimming. Under the other head he gives the student sound advice out of the fulness of his knowledge of the Public Record Office.

The last two sections treat respectively of the technical problems relating to the making of notes and the conThey structing of a connected disquisition therefrom. give us an insight into Mr. Crump's own method of work and enable us to understand how it is that, with all its learning and grace, his writings lack unity and coherence. Mr. Crump advises students to compose their dissertation not as a whole but fragment by fragment, and to construct each fragment without consulting the notes on which it is based. He thinks that six hundred words a day is a good average rate of composition!

It is not, however, necessary to agree with all that Mr. Crump says to receive benefit from his highly original and stimulating volume. It is a joy to read; it is studded with wit and epigram; it displays a mastery of style and vocabulary.

LITERARY CRITICISM

(1) A Lecture on Lectures. Introductory Volume. By Sir A. QUILLER COUCH ("Q.”) (2s. 6d. net.) (2) Tragedy in Relation to Aristotle's Poetics. By F. L. LUCAS. (3s. 6d. net.) (3) Studies in Shakespeare. By Prof. A. NICOLL. (3s. 6d. net.) (4) The Development of English Biography. By H. NICOLSON. (3s. 6d. net. Hogarth Lectures, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4. The Hogarth Press.)

If the new Hogarth Series is often to reach the level of No. 2, it will be a valuable addition to the body of English literary criticism, and it will do much to bring the university teaching of the subject within the reach of intelligent readers who are unable to take a course of university training.

Lord Morley once said that the immense controversy as to what Aristotle really meant by his famous words in the "Poetics" about tragedy accomplishing the purgation of our minds by pity and terror was one of the disgraces of the human intelligence." Mr. Lucas, rightly undeterred by this contemptuous censure, considers the question once more, and argues that purgation," not purification,' is the right translation, but that though Aristotle's definition has had enormous weight with writers of tragedy as

well as with critics, and has been adopted by Milton in the noble lines which close the Samson Agonistes," it is not a satisfying explanation. His own explanation of the reason why we come away comforted from a great tragedy, even when it ends without any attempt at solving the riddle of human pain, is that we have a natural zest for life which tragedy does something to satisfy. The serious drama is a plant that flowers seldom, but its roots go deep: "And this enduring life of tragedy remains one of the great consolations of the tragedy of life." Like all Mr. Lucas's writing, this essay-for it is rather essay than lecture is rich in literary associations and full of poetry and charm.

Prof. Nicoll's lectures (3) on Shakespeare's four great tragedies do not aim at rivalling the subtlety or exhaustiveness of Mr. A. C. Bradley's fine interpretative commentary. But they are sound, straightforward criticism, informed by great knowledge of the theatre, and enforced by apt quotation. It is curious, by the way, that just when some of our actors are imagining that they bring Shakespeare nearer to us by presenting him in modern dress, our critics are discovering that they can bring us nearer to Shakespeare by adopting the spelling and punctuation of the First Folio.

"Q's" lecture (1) can scarcely be said to introduce the series except by raising again the familiar question of the utility of lecturing. This he discusses with his usual good sense and flow of humour. Mr. Nicolson's survey of English biography (4) is informing and entertaining, but his conclusions throw more light on the limitations of his sympathies than upon his subject. For him, as for Mr. Lytton Strachey, Stanley's life of Arnold is the worst possible kind of memoir: it is vitiated by hero-worship, and so it is merely discredited "hagiography." to see that only through sympathy is comprehension of character reached. On the whole we get a better and truer picture of a man from his friend than from the coldblooded critic who, judging from the outside, entirely fails to comprehend, but arrogantly assumes omniscience and the right to pronounce a final verdict.

ROMAN AND BARBARIAN

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The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians: a Series of Lectures. By the late Prof. J. B. BURY. (12s. 6d. net. Macmillan.)

The problem of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire is one which has excited the imagination of historians and philosophers from the days of Augustine and Orosius to the present time. Few modern students have studied it with more prolonged and concentrated attention than the late Prof. J. B. Bury, and probably no student in any age has brought to the task of its elucidation a more perfect technical equipment. He began with a scholarly command of the Latin and Greek languages, the indispensable requirement of every original investigator of ancient or medieval history. He gradually added to this a mastery of modern tongues-Romance, Teutonic, Scandinavian, Slavonic, Oriental-so wide and varied that the historical literature of the whole world lay open before him. The wealth of erudition that he lavishly poured into his great works, including his marvellous edition of Gibbon, shows the prodigious diligence with which he used the treasures which his linguistic powers placed at his disposal.

Much of Prof. Bury's best work, of course, is contained in articles contributed to learned journals, or in the notes and appendices of massive dissertations. They appeal to experts exclusively, and only gradually will they percolate through university lectures, historical reviews, and belated text-books, into the consciousness of the cultured public. Fortunately, however, Prof. Bury's duty as successor to Lord Acton in Cambridge during the quarter-century 1902-27 required him to address himself directly once a week to the ignorant and immature under

graduate. Hence he was compelled, however reluctantly, to popularize his researches and to present in simple and readily-intelligible form the results of his extensive reading and profound investigation. Hence these admirable lectures on The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians."

The number of lectures here given is fifteen, instead of the twenty which might have been expected. The period covered is roughly A.D. 250-650, instead of the six centuries (to 850) required to complete the survey. Nevertheless, the material here presented with consummate precision and in admirable literary style is of inestimable value as a summary of the results of Prof. Bury's life-time of research and investigation. It treats of the Germans and their wanderings; describes the gradual Germanization of the Roman Empire; tells the story of the great invasion, and traces the process by which the invaders settled down and accommodated themselves to their new Roman environment. The last lecture contains a detailed study of the Lombard Law. Although it is a matter of profound regret that Prof. Bury's course was not continued so as to include Charles the Great and the institution of the Latin-Teutonic Holy Roman Empire, we have cause to be profoundly thankful that this masterly survey of the four centuries of the great transition from ancient to medieval history has been preserved for posthumous publication.

GAMES AND ATHLETICS

Rugger. By W. W. WAKEFIELD and H. P. MARSHALL. (15s. net. Longmans.)

It is common knowledge that the expert practical exponent of a game is not always the most successful when expounding his views to others, and for this reason we always open a new book by an acknowledged authority with a certain amount of misgiving. In the present instance, however, we must confess that our doubts were entirely misplaced, for it has seldom been our lot to read a volume on a particular game with more interest than this book on Rugby. The authors are well known to that section of the public which follows the game, and are to be congratulated on producing a volume which is highly instructive and at the same time provides pleasant reading. The autobiographical sketch by Mr. Wakefield will prove particularly interesting to those who have taken an interest in club and international matches during the past fifteen years, for it deals in a breezy and pleasantly critical manner with all the noted clubs and players of the day, and, at the same time, furnishes the reader with interesting descriptions of tactics employed by such famous teams as the All Blacks and South Africans. The chapter on " Players and Personalities I have Met" brings the reader into personal contact with rugger celebrities whom he has known hitherto only from a distance. In a chapter entitled "The Spirit of the Game," Mr. Wakefield's sentiments may, perhaps, not achieve popular support. "Rugby is war, though it is friendly and controlled war," he suggests, and Rugby gives an outlet for our primitive instinct of the love of a good fight. We believe he is right, but we know many people who would hold up their hands in horror at such an antimodern expression of opinion.

Part II of the book contains a complete description of the game in all its aspects, and deals with all important details from the selection of equipment to the intricacies of team tactics. To the expert many points of discussion will arise, for it is customary to oppose any new ideas when they are first mooted, and the authors, realizing this, are at great pains in the introductory chapter, to point out that at every stage of the game there is a tendency to regard tactics as having achieved their final form, yet each succeeding generation produces some new manoeuvre which in time becomes a stock-in-trade of every team. We should endeavour to get away from that sluggish state of mind which suggests that what was good enough for our fathers should be good enough for us. The beginner,

will, however, by studying the book with an open mind, derive considerable and definite benefits, for the explanations are clear and concise, and the excellent illustrations will give considerable assistance in the elucidation of difficult points. Starting with a description of general principles, and hints to the player, whatever may be his position, the authors pass on to a consideration of what is required of every member of the team, and at the same time bearing in mind that Rugby is essentially a team game, succeeding chapters clearly define the position

of individual players in their relation to the rest of the team. The volume also contains chapters on the Modern Game and Future Tendencies, Comments on the Laws of the Game, School Rugger, Club Histories, Laws of the Game, and concludes with a list of records and results dating from 1871, and a list of Rugby Internationals. This book is undoubtedly one of the most complete on the market and owing to the scientific manner in which the subject is treated and its unusually attractive form should prove of great value to schools, training colleges, and clubs.

A History of Architecture on the Comparative Method: For Students, Craftsmen, and Amateurs. By Sir, BANISTER FLETCHER. (42s. net. Batsford.)

In a

The frequent editions of this work attest its usefulness and popularity. It is indeed hard to imagine a more complete and attractive handbook; the wealth of illustrations and plans of every kind is great and make it an indispensable companion for any one wishing to enjoy the architecture of Europe. Of all the arts, architecture is the one which is most accessible, and makes the most substantial return for any time devoted to its study, and enters practically into the life of every one. few places we find the author's treatment rather scanty. We think more notice might have been taken both for description and illustration of the fine cathedrals and churches on or near the east coast of Italy from Ancona southwards to Bari and Brindisi, including such places, for instance, as Bitonto and Trani, and the wonderful position and symmetry of Ancona Cathedral call for special mention. And again in the section dealing with Italian Baroque we should welcome more illustrations of the good façades of some of the Roman churches, and such a wonder as the façade of St. Croce in Lecce certainly deserves illustration. The treatment of the corrections in Greek Doric temples is not altogether satisfactory. The refinements or corrections do something more than correct the sinking tendency of absolutely straight lines; they exceed the necessary amount of correction and give the effect of convex curves in the frontal and lateral lines of a temple. This excess or convexity, or inward slope in the case of the columns, gives an impression of upward thrust from the foundations of the building, as though it were a self-conscious organic growth pulling itself together to withstand outside forces.

Examples of Lettering and Design. By J. LITTLEJOHNS. (4s. net. Pitman.)

It is significant that the first exercise in Ruskin's "Elements of Drawing is a capital A. This was a mere exercise in drawing a familiar form. But beyond this there are many reasons both cultural and practical why the study of lettering has assumed an important place in art education. On the historic side, the unique interest of the subject lies in the study of the process of development by which all alphabets have been formed. While from the artistic standpoint the influence of the tools used in writing and lettering on the form and character of the letters is as good an example of this fundamental principle of design as we could wish for. Since the publication of Mr. Edward Johnston's standard work in 1906, the practice of the art has received an impetus, which has now for many years been evident in the improved standard of lettering used for commercial and other purposes; while of course the art of beautiful book production owes a great debt to William Morris and Walter Crane, who worked at a time when the fine Renaissance tradition, cultivated by such men as Dürer, was in danger of being lost in the vulgarities of commercial work and the eccentricities of so-called "New Art." Till recent years books on the subject were few, but since the appearance of Mr. Johnston's work we have had many excellent and practical handbooks, which all owe much to his pioneer work. This book by Mr. Littlejohns should prove a useful addition to the bookshelves of the teacher. Its chief merit lies in the suggestions made for the practical application of the alphabets described and illustrated. We would suggest that in subsequent editions of the book it should be clearly explained that the alphabet given in Plate V is not, as stated, the Trajan Alphabet, but a Renaissance variation of it; and also that the actual Trajan letters should be shown. This is a universally recognized standard of beauty and simplicity which no book on the subject can afford to omit.

Jewellery Craft. Metal Craft. By F. J. GLASS. (Is. 6d. each.
University of London Press.)
(4s. 6d. net.

Paper Silhouettes. By MILDRED SWANNELL.
G. Philip & Son.)

An Outline of Painting in Europe to the End of the XIX. By
S. C. KAINES SMITH. (бs. net. The Medici Society.)

Art in Schools. By J. LITTLEJOHNS. (10s. 6d. net. University of London Press.)

Handcraft Pottery: For Workshop and School. By H. and D. WREN. (12s. 6d. net. Pitman.)

Architecture. By C. BARMAN. (6d. Benn.)

A Book of Architecture. By G. H. REED. (IS. Black.)
The English Water Colour Painters. By C. E. HUGHES. (6d.
Benn.)

The Art for All Water Colour Series. Fruit. By J. LITTLeJohns. (2s. 6d. net. Pitman.)

Elementary Craftwork in Metal: an Introduction for the Use of Teachers, Students, and Workers. By A. J. SHIRLEY. (7s. net. Batsford.)

101 Things for a Boy to Make a Book of Practical Directions for the Young Craftsman. Edited by A. C. HORTH. (5s. net. Batsford.)

Invertible Counterpoint and Canon. By Prof. C. H. KITSON. (7s. 6d. net. Oxford University Press.)

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This, of course, is a Student's "book. The author wisely

discards the Semibreve Canto Firmo, and treats his material in the free style, as did J. S. Bach. The numerous examples, almost all in open score, set a perfectly plain standard to those who wish to master the intricacies of the subject.

The Oxford Song Book. Vol. II. Collected and Arranged by Dr. T. WOOD. (Words and Music, 7s. 6d. net. Words only, 2s. net. Oxford University Press.)

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Since singing is so good a thing,

I wish all men would learn to sing "

some of the jolly songs which are to be found in this, the second volume of The Oxford Song Book." Dr. Buck, who was responsible for the first volume, has now given place to Dr. T. Wood, who, in his lust for research, has given us many new and unfamiliar numbers. But some old favourites, omitted from the first volume, are here: Shenandoah,' The Rio Grande," and so many others" Sea Songs," "Frivola,” 'Rounds," and "Fiddle Tunes." A notable collection truly.

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