New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-02
CRITICISM
AND BOOK NEWS
a Popular History of the War a Monumental
Scae-lts Economic AsPects-A Sur
geon Philosophers Books.

, dent Taft describes It's scope and quail
ity with eXactitude IN his introduction:
My general information OF European
international relations is not such as
TO make nay judgment Of this book val
liable 90 earnest and exact students Of
current European history. but | have
interest enough IN the subject and gen
eral knowledge enough 70 assure the or
binary reader that tins book is a very
interesting resume OF exactly what one
desiring TO keep abreast Of current
events would wish TO find ready TO his
hand"
OF the two authors, DR.. Allen is pro
fessor Of history at the University OF
Pennsylvania. he has spent much time
IN England, Germany, Italy, France and
Russia, and has made special study
OF the Nesr-Eastern Question az Con-
stsntinople. Captain Whitehead, 10
whom the military phase OF the war has
been intrusted, has served IN Europe,
by Official appointment, for observance.
DR.. Allen aims at impartiality, and
achieves IL on the whole. He begins
his Introductory study with the year
1870. with the unifcation OF Italy and
the birth Of the German Empire, trac-
ing clearly the steadily increasing de-
velopment Of irreconci able national IN
terests and ambitions, of growth and
pressure that led TO the deadlock. The
time for the cr-cdthedrG assignment
Of the full responsibility for the catas-
Il
has passed. But, and current develop
ments in the Near East bear him out,
DR.. Allen finds the ultimate causes Of
il all, not in the West, but in the Oar
dancles and the control of Asia Minor
The German Drdn0 mach Osten has
assumed a new significance. One can
not agree with the author in his view
that il was Bismarck who gave Bosnia
Herzegovina 10 Austria. Ii was Bea-
consfield who thus threw the Dual Mon
archy across Russia's path to Constan
tinople, in pursuance of the British
policy of his time. This is, however,
detail that matters little in the devel-
opment of subsequent affairs. The
work is most deliberately illustrated,
and deserves consideration as likely TO
become the most serious and service
able popular-scholsrly history Of the
war in all its phases that we shall
have.
Mr.. McCormick's book is one Of Rus
sian enthusiasms. Its contents were
written before the transfer Of the
Grand Duke Nicholas 70 the Caucasus.
He is its hero. According to the au-
thor, it was he who dragged back the
Prussians from Paris" statement
open to doubt; and again "at the User
the German attack was stopped by the
Russian advance"
But, !! some OF its generalizstions
and triumphant conclusions have al
ready been qualified and even dis
proved by subsequent events, Mr.. Nc
Cormick's book contains much Of last
ing interest. The statement, for in
stance, of one of the aides Of the
Grand Dukes staff:
He told me of the German sys-
TEN Of strategic farm houses. For
years. he said. the strategic points.
not only in East Prussia but in
Poland, had been bought by Ger
man farmers end paid for through
military appropriations. Dwell
ings were erected that overlooked
long stretches Of territory IN the
direction Of Russia, they were built
with thick, fOrt-like walls on the
eastern front, with small loophole
windows. but with wide doors and
windows looking toward the west.
Il
nected by underground telephones,
so that in the early stages or tho
war farmers could telephone from
within the Russian lines to the
German Headquarters. Early in the
war Russian batteries carefully
concealed would be struck by the
first she'll from a German gun.
Mr.. Mccormick could see no short
comings in the Russian military estab-
lishment; its defeats were still TO
come. He visited the Imperial Guards
and the Cossacks. and writes Of forti-
fications and modern siege artillery.
Here. as elsewhere in his pages, he
renders signal service by warning US
Of the dangers of our unpreparedness.
The restraints placed by England
upon neutral trade and the trade IN
non-contraband with the Central Pow
ers furnish the text of Professor
Clapp's book His chief concern Is
with the effect of these violations of
neutral trade rights Ipon the export
and import trade of this country, but.
Of necessity, he deals with their cost
TO the Scandinavian countries and the
Netherlands as well. According to him,
the remendy is in our hands, as the
only remaining great neutral power.