New-York tribune., 1917-06-23
About Many Lands
Especially Their Relationships
to the Great War
RrssrA OF YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW. b

RUSSIA OF YESTERDAY AID TOMORROW, By
" P,-'N,ss SotIlrv illustrated with phHograpis.
syo. pp 9s2 Tie CeniuD Company.
RUSSIA THEN AND SOW. lss- ti, ,bg ffI'Is' q p
n Rseree illustrated. $50. 10. HI. lso. o. r
I'utnam's sons.
RUSSIAN COURT MEMOIRS iel4-I5. by Kus-
san Illustrated. $40 ID. Sl5. Z. T. pu'''l
q 60. ,,.,.,.
cpFaTFR ITALY. By william KAY wallace Win
rnars Svo Do. I. 3l2 Charles scnbners sons
ITALY AT WAR. By T. Alexander Powell. Illus
irsiei iemo. ~. Id. -5j. Charles sefioh-r
Sons. -,
cRrFcE N HER TRUE LIGHT. i2mO. pp ?ss:
Translated and published by socraies a Aal'NAN'
and Nicho.a as G.. SAel ario-
UNDERSTANDING GERMANY. By MAJ EaslniAh'
i2rno ID A. is9. Mitchell kennerley.
ENGLAND AND THE WAR. ieli ,lsiio ~ kjn,Hg nlHs'
('hevr,llou with q preface ty huoyalI h1p''s
~, 10 ri 2f0 Doubleday. faso 70
rur rpovOCATlON OF FRANCE. By Jean
Charienasne Rrac1. IL D. professor o. 9oa
literature AZ Vasssr College. l-m@ pp' VII -V-'
Tie oxford University Press
no1~G MY BIT FOR IRELAND. BY MaFsaIT. IT, /.
Srnuider Illustrated. l-mo. p' H. -'4' 80"
Century Company ,.-,,,--
THE SOUL OF ULSTER. BY ETest w. haiil'"l'
l2mo pp. lsS. J.. T. Duu0h 10
Current books about the warning ma
tions and about the nations whlch
stand upon the brink of the war pre-
sent a strange variety and many con-
t,asts OF views; some of which there
Is every ground for believing to be cor
rect. while others must no less certain
" be wrong. Some put forward no
tions which are so startling as TO De
bizarre. According TO the Baroness
SONNY. for example, the Grand Duke
Nicholas Nicholaievitch WAS directly
responsible for the Great War. II was
his ambition to supplant the Car upon
the imperial throne. He first medi-
tated assassination; then, at the sug-
cestion of the King Of Montenegro
plotted the Great War, In which he
hoped TO become so great military
hero that the nation would welcome
him 10 the throne in place Of Nicholas
II. lie poisoned the minds Of Europe;
no nrobably hired the assassin OF sara
80. and when the ultimate cata'
stropbe came, rubbing his hands, WIZ
a vide smile on his broad, unpleasant
face. he exclaimed, That's my httlf
occasion if YOU believe that you car
believe anything. But we cannot heIl
wondering why the fair Baroness ha'e'
Nicholas so much as 10 cause her u
say such things about him. Idntdehe
alinis caelestibus irde! IT.,
Mr.. Francis b. Reeves, on the othel
hand takes a most benevolent view o.
Russia and of all Russians. RE wen'
to that country in 1892 as the agen
of the Philadelphia Relief COMMITTEE
70 administer famine relief, and ne
took advantage of the opportunity t'
study various phases Of Russian llI'
which are not Observed by the casua
visitor. He gives US an interesting
candid and instructive view, througi
the eyes of Christian philanthropist
which gives no light on the war; Du'
helps to a better knowledge OF the con.
dition of the Russian people; at ieas'
as il was at that time-it has propaDly
changed little since.
The anonymous author OF Russian
Court Memoirs" gives what we mus'
accent as the true story of the begin
ming of the war, that it was deliberate,
" conceived, organized and torced
upon Russia by Germany, but we must
regret that his anonymity depriVes
many Of his most interesting state
ments of authority, and that the booha
contains many scraps OF the meres'
gossip. Moreover. for one who has ior
years been within the intimate circle
Of official life in Russia, he how and
then displays and even contesses sur
prising unfamiliarity with matters
which he surely should have known
much about. For example, about Ras-
putin: 81 have never seen the man, but
| have heard he has something mes
meric in his eyes. To all accounts ne
must be a dreadful old reprobate.
That may he perfectly sincere, but 1t
does not betoken a great range of au-
thoritative knowledge.
An important contribution to serious
historical literature is given in Mr.
Wallace's scholarly review of the rise
OF the Kingdom Of United Italy among
the nations of the world. We have
seen no more penetrating and discrimi-
mating analysis of the policy of many
years in which Germany sought 10 VIC
timize and sacrifice Italy in the selfish
interest of German ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, or
Of the awakening of Italy 70 the truth
of the situation and her consequent
Htpdl GAAbll IlbiA ll4t ullild lAi al ltAtsNp
alliance. The review of the relations
of the Vatican with the Quirinal, and
of the attitude of the Holy See toward
the war, is also most illuminating and
suggestive. II is quite true, as Mr..
Wallace says, that no power of Europe
has in this war more difficult and press
ing problems before il than Italy. In
this volume he makes it clear to the
world what those problems are.
Those who have followed with in
terest Mr Kipling's vivid portrayals of
the war in the high Alps-as who has
not?-will find in Mr.. Powell's fine vol
ume much more on the same phases of
the great conflict, together with ac-
counts of Allied activities on the
French battlefront. His analysis Of the
strategical situation on the Italian
frontier and of the course and aims Of
Italy in the war is much TO be com
mended for its lucidity and convincing
power The book is profusely illus
trated with exceptionally interesting
photographs.
In this crucial time for Greece, a
compilation of the speeches, discussions