"MIRRORS OF U-4"

Until this last summer the policy of "open covenants openly arrived at" had not been generally accepted by the diplomatic world, nor, unless the disarmament conference plans mature, is it likely to be so this fall. But while the men who control the events of nations have waited, those behind the scenes have not. They have, in fact, grasped with almost pathetic eagerness at the suggestion of enlightening the people as to the doings of their leaders, and have produced, in quick succession, those more or less revealing books, "Mirrors of Downing Street," and "Mirrors of Washington." Whether these volumes are honest attempts to disclose the characters and motives of our diplomats, or whether they are written merely for the relief of personal feelings, it is hard to say; at any rate, they are interesting.

It has been said of such a book that no gentleman would write it. That may or may not be so, but no mention has been made of a gentlemen reading it. In fact, a work of this sort, if not taken co-seriously, may even have a purpose. The gentle--or ungentle--critic can be very useful at times, and the theory of anonymous revelation might very will spread farther than the capitals of nations. Indeed, some such thing would not be far amiss, in our own Yard. "Mirrors of U-4", for example, written, by some unknown undergraduate hopelessly enmeshed in official red tape, under the non de plume of "A Gentleman With a Grudge." The time is surely fitting, now that the old order of things in University Hall has passed away, and we stand in ignorance of the "age that is waiting before." A few well-chosen secrets discreetly disseminated in the regions of the Square might work great benefits in the undergraduate ranks. But any aspiring author who would disclose the mysteries of officialdom must prepare to go down to the future all unheralded and unsung. For the fame of suspicion would, upon the appearance of such a book, most certainly pass by and descend with a gentle thud upon the long-suffering shoulders of Terry!