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The Green Bag

of administration. This, however, con stitutes an advantage rather than the reverse, for the administrative duties of the Lord Chancellor are onerous, and his political position is such as to call for the selection of a statesman of the first rank. No notice of Lord Haldane would be complete without mention of his philo sophical accomplishments. Like Mr. Arthur Balfour, he is one of the foremost figures in the intellectual life of his country, and his purely intellectual achievements are of the kind which lends lustre to public office. He became saturated in German thought at Gottingen, and his published works include "Essays in Philosophical Criticism," a "Life of Adam Smith," and "The Path way to Reality." They also include a translation of Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Idea." A recent contribution, the address on "Great Britain and Germany" delivered at Oxford a year ago, contains a notable analysis of the development of philoso phical idealism in Germany, and is quite as remarkable as a philosophical essay as it is as a political address.1 The retirement of Lord Loreburn, after six years of strenuous service, was ostensibly due to his impaired physical health, but it is possible that his resig-

nation followed a courteous intimation that his presence in the Ministry was politically inconvenient. His sympathy with Lloyd-George's land legislation had irritated the Conservatives, and he had said things which were denounced "as unworthy of his great office." As a lawyer he was perhaps neither pro found not brilliant, and his opinions on the subject of additional judges and progressive administration were perhaps somewhat reactionary. A man of the highest character, however, he did much to prevent the bench from being dragged into politics. The appointment of Sir Rufus Isaacs as a member of the Cabinet is an unprecedented distinction, as he is the first Attorney-General to be so advanced. Sir Rufus Isaacs has had a brilliant career at the bar. As a stockbroker in London he found himself face to face with financial ruin at the age of twentysix, and then took up the study of law. After his admission to the bar his wonderful mastery of intricate figures and details quickly led to his recogni tion as an expert in bankruptcy law and in complicated mercantile transac tions. His reputation was made secure by his work in the prosecution of several noted offenders, notably Whitaker Wright. He entered Parliament in 1904 and rose rapidly in public promi 1 Published in this country as a bulletin of the nence, being made Solicitor-General in American Association for International Concilia tion, Sub-Station 84, New York City, March, 1912. 1909.

Sexual Perversion as a Cause of Crime BY E. DEFOREST LEACH several of the most important I N murder cases which have attracted the attention of the public during the past few years, there have been unmis takable evidences of the existence of

perverted sexual natures upon the part of the defendants. Whether these abnormal conditions played any part in inspiring the commission of the crimes cannot here be determined. The most