Rudyard Kipling has been accused of viewing Indix too much from the point of view of the white man's burden and the glamour of a {a1 flung Empire. However that may be, Major Yeats-Brown, who successfully challenges Kipling on his owns ground in many places, gives more modern view of India as the white man's guru. The Bengal Lancer slips naturall naturally is carried along by those currents and atmospheric charms which go so much to make India the unforgettable friend of those who come in real contact with her.
There will be violent disagreement with Major Yeats—Brown acceptance of the religion into} which he is drawn at the end of the book, but he can be forgiven rything on account of his deft vignettes of Indian life. He is apt. perhaps to lay too much stress on modern developments, with the idea of placating certain political the-ones. This leads him at times! into "definite error, as, for ex ample, when he attributes the abolition of the silladar system the coming of the Great War, who as a matter of fact, that system was abolished on the recommenda ion of the Esher Committee. And is surely rather futile to attribute to the defects of modern administration the weakening of the Personal touch between the British officer and the India soldier. There are no doubt some who would maintain that there was closer touch with the India sepoy when the sons of British officers by their Indian mistresses were recruited in the ranks. It must be admitted that the steamship radically altered thi whole social outlook of the British community in India before it effec-ively put an end to these irregul associations of which the only relics to-day are little buildings in some of the compounds of bungalows up country which are still known the vii-kharia, but which are not now occupied on their original lines. To come down to more pracical arguments, modern warfare involves so much technical knowledge on the part of the private soldier that the British officer an India regiment has his hands far more closely tied than those of his brother officer in the British' service. He cannot leave the instruction of the mien to the all-wise to such branches of itary instruction as telephoning' and signalling, ind thereeers the old easy ways which Major Yeats-Brown wis!{u!is recalls could not positly be apptind. These "action: ary words are essential, for such is the charm of the author and the "TNE, Avrocuacy or 3a. Panitast."—By LIG. Wells, William Ileinemaun Lid,,"London.
Mr. H. G. Wells must necessarily continue to serve the public, but. has an author ever become to pain-full self-conscious? In this fan-Mr. Wells has carefully and ith admirable sense of showman-introduced a specimen of the different kinds of style which brought him fame. There is much of Tone Bungay and a little of [The New Machiavelli," and qui a lot of "The Time Machine." Nor is Mr. Britling altogether forgotten. At times there is even a hint of the ever-lovable "Mr. Polly." But rolled up into a sausage, all this produces a meagre meal. It may be indeed asked for what public Mr. Wells is writing, and whether he really expects posterity to read this book with any degree of pleasure or intelligence. It is an attempt to produce a novel in_the Journalistic vein, for as Mr, Par-han the Oxford Don, proceeds in transfigured personality mate England in a world-the author drags into the narrative sly digs at popular foibles, palpable on prominent personages, and satirical sketches of modern foibles, The book is garnished with some of the old and treasured tricks of phrase which made Mr, Wells 30 years ago. But, al result is unsatisfactory originality, a terrible acfor Mr. Wells to have to: bear, and it leaves behind no character study to justify the adventure, Av fs almost unfair to quote in exposure of the poverty news effort. Let it be sul to point out that ina burle of the Dictat Mouse of Mr. Wells feels it necessary: to dis kuive the political lights of the in a form so terribly archaic a1 conimonplace that it is quite worthy of his eminence, A school: boy would almost be admonished nowadays for toying with the idea of using in such a scene the names of Mr. Rainey McDougal, Osbert "Moses, Mr. Philip Snow-field, Commander Benworthy, Mr.
it Simon John, Mr. Ma-told Samuel, Sir Austin Chamber-land. Lady Asper and Mr, Emery.
is so childish that the read wonders whether Mr. Wel really taking: his public seriously, Tt seems a waste of material to have obtained for the illustration z/of the book the services of the saturnine yet impish Low.—r.t,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.