"The Love of God" from Arthur Christopher Benson's The Library Shelf... A year ago on the anniversary of Dickens's birthday (Feb- The usual teaching material of the Round Table depart- ture. Talk About Books.... The Silent Isle; Routledge Rides Alone; An Introduction 412 417 431 CHAUTAUQUA PRESS PUBLISHING DEPARTMENT CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION. New York Office: 23 Union Square. Chicago Office: 5704 Kimbark Ave. Yearly Subscription, $2.00. Single Copies, 25c. Entered September 9, 1904, at the post office at Chautauqua, New York, as second class matter, under Act of Congress, July 16, 1894. Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1910, by CHAUTAUQUA PRESS, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. At Home on the Thames Embankment. At the Labor Exchanges mending is done for unemployed men. See "The Problem of the Unemployed," page 23 The Revolution and the Republic in Portugal Little Portugal, a country deemed decadent and stagnant for many years, has treated the whole world to great surprises. The outbreak of the revolution early in October amazed all but a few acute observers who were exceptionally familiar with the Portuguese situation. There had, it is true, been much talk of dissatisfaction and unrest; reports had been published telling of political chaos, the utter inefficiency and impotence of the court, the short-lived ministries, the parliamentary parties. In the early part of 1908 the world was shocked by a sudden attack on the royal family and the assassination in the streets of Lisbon of King Carlos and the crown prince. These tragic events were the result of years of misrule and corruption, of plunder through taxation, and of oppression of the peasantry and the commercial classes by a parasitical set of courtiers, politicians, and officeholders. It was charged-and it is still asserted-that the so-called conservatives, liberals and progressives of the country had worked out a system of "rotation in office" whereby each of the parties had its "chance" at a certain interval at the business of "governing for revenue only," at raiding the national treasury, creating offices and pensions, establishing privileges and distributing favors. A benevolent dictatorship had been attempted by Premier Franco, a fit and honest man, but none of the parties had supported him. Even the Republicans, ardent reformers, could not approve of the measures of repression and suspension of constitutional guaranties that Franco found it necessary to adopt. After the assassinations and the accession of the "boy king," Manoel, to the throne better things were promised for a while. The youthful king was not intellectually prepared for his duties and burdens, he was fond of pleasure and light-hearted; but he seemed ready to coöperate with his ministers, to institute reforms and serve the nation. However, the incompetents and the "grafters" soon regained control of affairs. Intrigue followed intrigue, cabinet succeeded cabinet, and even a general election failed to improve the situation. Fraud and bribery charges against many of the elected deputies brought political life to a standstill; parliament was paralyzed. The country was seemingly without hope and without moral courage or energy. It was "dying," apparently. A few knew that regeneration was still possible for Portugal. The Republican party had steadily grown, especially in Lisbon, Oporto and other centers, had elected a group of deputies and had attracted much of the intellect, the virtue and the character of the professional and educated elements. Uprisings had been talked of and feared; plots in the interest of a republic had been suspected by the king's immediate servants. But no one could have imagined a short, sharp, and decisive military-naval "revolution" and the overthrow and flight of the House of Braganza. The revolution was precipitated by the murder of Prof. Bombarda, one of the Republican leaders, a physician of international reputation, and by a serious difficulty between the Vatican and the Portuguese government. Clerical usurpation was apprehended, and the Republicans decided to strike first. The people took little part in the revolt; a few regiments of troops and several naval officers, including an admiral, had been won over by the radical reformers, and when the signal was given these forces |