Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-07
BOOK REVIEWS.


THE BRITISH STATE TELEGRAPHS:
a Study of the Problem of d Large
Body of Civil Servants in a Democ-
racy. BY Hugo Richard Meyer. some
time assistant professor of political
economy in the University of Chi
cago. author of Government Regu-
1ation of Railway Rates, e,c. New
York: The Macmillan Company.
Washington: Woodward & Lothrop.
At the time when the proposal is before
the American public of embarking upon
the policy of municipal ownership. a dis
cussion of the experience of Great Britain
in regard TO the state control of the tele-
graph is pertinent. Chapters II to VI of
Mr. Meyers book deal with the causes
which led up to the government purchase
of the telegraph and the circumstances
attending the sale The purchase grew
out of the demand of the British pubic
for lower telegraph rates, and was large
" influenced by the report of Mr.. SCUBA
more second secretary of the post ONCE.
This report underestimated the cost of the
telegraph system and overestimated the
probable earnings and was. In other re-
SpsctS inaccurate, but, for various rea-
sons il was not subjected to searching
criticism. The project was carried out
without dissenting voice save that OF
Mr.. Gladstone. who owned that he had
some apprehension of what might be
commons.
Chapters VII and following show that
Mr.. GladstOne'S apprehenSlonS were We'll
founded: that the civil servants have be-
come a class by themselves. They are or
ganiZed in great civil service unions. tor
the purpose of promoting their class IN
terests by bringing pressure to bear upon
the house of commons The result has
been unfavorable for economy or EN-
cheney in the service. Mr.. Meyer gives, IN
some detail. the incidents which have led
up to the present state of things. ana
gives digest of significant debates IN
the house of commons
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF HEN
RIk IBSEN. Volume /. With Intro:
auctions by William Archer ana Z.
H. HEREFORD. Lift D., MA. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons. Washing
ton: Brentano.
While this is the last volume to be pub
lished of the works of the great Nor
wegian, it is given up to his youthful
work Lady Inger of Ostrat,' which is
the first number. is also the first of the
poets work, with the exception of "Cata-
lima to be admitted by Ibsen himself to
any edition of his works. The other plays
are: THE Feast at Solhoug' and Loves
Comedy" With the exception of the last,
whose date is slightly later. they are in
their proper chronological orcer. In his
Introduction Mr.. Archer gives an inter-
esting account of the difficulties involved
in the completed series of TRANSACTIONS:
He also gives a sketch OF the NE OF
Ibsen showing the relation between ms
career and these early productions. while
admitting that all three plays are I'M
mature and imperfect. the qualities when
were to mark his genius are evident IN
them as well as the evident influence OF
the French dramatists of the school of
Scribe and contemporaneous Danish
poetry.
ANARCHISM. BY Dr. Paul Eltzbacher.
Gerichtsassessor and PrivatdoZent In
Halle an der Saale. Translated by
Steven T. Byington. New YORK:
BENZ. r. Tucker
With the exception of two chapters OF
definition and exposition and final sum-
mary the authors work in this Voiume
is limited to the selection of characters
tic teachings from the propaganda OF
well-known anarchistic leaders. Goodwin
Proudhon. Stirner, Bakunin, kropotkn.
Tucker. Tolstoi are included in the analy-
sis. The author has maintained an al
most perfect impartiality. excepting IN
the concluding chapters. where he shows
his bias against anarchism. This portion
the translator considers to be unrelaple.
However that may be, the value or sucn
n compilation is apparent. From the an
ficulty of getting access to the authentic
utterance of these destructive philoso-
phers very few are aware of the actual
theories which are Included under ,he
general head "Anarchism.' 1t is dis.
tnct gain to have them In conoehseo
and SyStematiZed FORM
THE GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA.
Authorized Edition. New York: The
Nedanta Society.
Sri "Reminiscences mission was to
proclaim the eternal truth that God is
one but has many aspects and that the
same one is worshiped by. different ma
tions under various names and forms'
that He is personal. impersonal and be-
yond both; that He is with name and
form and yet nameless and formless. His
mission was to establish the worship of
the Divine Mother and thus to elevate
the ideal of womanhood in divine moth
erhood. His mission was to show by MS
own example that true spirituality can
be transmitted and that salvation can De
obtained through the grace Of divine
incarnation. His mission was TO declare
before the world that psychic powers and
the powers and the power of healing are
obstacles in the path of the attainment
of God-consciousness.
In these words the Swami Abhedanan-
da-who will be remembered for his lee
lures before the Philosophical Society of
Wasllington-sums up the work of the
greatest of the modern spiritual leaders
of India. Sri Ramakrshna has already
been recognized by Prof Max Muller
and other European scholars. The saint
illness of his life and the beauty of his
influence, particularly in elevating the
position of women in India through his
worship of divine motherhood, entitle him
TO reverence.
AMERICAN COMMUNITIES AND CO.
OPERATIVE COLONIES. by Will
liam Alfred Hines, Ph.B. Second Re-
vision. Chicago: Charles II. Kerr &
Co
From this second revision of American
Communities" accounts of few expert
ments mentioned In the first revision have
been omitted because their colonistic
features have been dropped or their ex-
istence was brief and uneventful; and
sketches of certain other ventures, new
and Old have been added. This is a care
full and comprehensive book on d peren-
nially interesting subject. The present
edition is of peculiar interest to Wash
ingtonans because of the article on the
Woman's Commonwealth of Washington.
THE STRUGGLE FOR ROYAL
CHILD; Anna Monica Pia, Duchess
of Saxony. BY Ida kremer. New
York: Mitchell kennerley.
The author announces that these page
certain My Experiences as Governess in
The House of the Countess MontignoSo