The inside working of political cliques and the tactics adopted in electioneering campaigns do not leave very pleasant taste In one's mouth. As'a matter of fact, this biography, whilst well balanced! and interesting, Father emphasizes the somewhat widely-held view that politicians are queer lot of people and that their ways are not the ways of ordinary plain citizens. Personal ambitions too Joften cloud the atmosphere and ob-Iscure the courses which lead to what is best for the country. Possibly this why Mr. Masterman's name is not particularly well known outside his Jown contemporary political circles. He was a fluent and able speaker and a most. fluent and accomplished writer, but he was not prepared: to subordinate his own views to political expediency sufficiently to suit the "Powers that Be" with whom he was from time to time associated., He died towards the end of 1927 at the comparatively early age of 53, and one wants to know what his friends J—most of them "big men—thought Jabout him, reference can be made to the laudatory obituaries of him published in most of the leading Rewspapers" in November and [December 1927. His biographer does liber best to do's big man the justice Jwhich was not his portion during
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.