LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 137, 10 June 1911, Page 14

LITERARY.

A series of letters on "Federalism and Home Rule," written to the London "Times" by "Pacificus," have been reprinted in book form by Mr John Murray. The writer urges that the question of Home Rule should be settled by a conference, and urges that political conditions in the United Kingdom have changed very considerably since the rejection of Mr Gladstone's Home. Rule Bill. He considers that a good case is made out fur the creation of Provincial Parliaments on the Canadian plan for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and believes that in such a federal scheme might be found, not merely a final settlement for Hie agitation and discontent in Ireland, but also for the over-burdened condition of the Imperial Parliament, which causes many important matters to be inadequately considered and others to be neglected altogether. He avowedly belongs to the Cnionist party, but contends that while it is politic for a change in the Constitution of this nature to come from its natural sponsors, the Liberals, tho Unionists might reasonably and gracefully withdraw any strenuous opposition to a settlement upon the 60und lines of Federalism.

In "The House of the Secret," Katherine Tynan carries u.s to "a melancholy country of hogs, where the eternal Irish hills seem at last to have receded below the horizon." Here it was that Maeve Standish, the orphan daughter of an Indian officer, arrived alone and unfriended to seek out Miss Henrietta O'Neill, a friend whom her father had not seen for 20 years, but into whose gracious care he bequeathed his daughter in a last will and testament which disposed of his few worldly effects when he died in India. It was a strange and sad home-coming, for the girl fresh from school found the dear lady elemented and domineered over by two servants, whose chief aim was to keep her from visitors, with the ultimate hope of plundering her estate. But Maeve had good grit in her. and all her sympathies were aroused on behalf of this lonely soul, whose bright young life had been spoiled by tbe heartless act of a libertine, by means of a false marriage, the secret of which was known to the servants, who used this knowledge to terrorise her. And so Maeve set herself to brighten the life of this poor soul, with such good effect that she revovered Teason and a measure of cheerfulness, and was able to return and reward the love so lavishly bestowed upon her. Needless to say. there is an ample knowledge of the country and its people revealed in the story, and that Maeve's troubles were not unrelieved by episodes in which the gentle passion entered. The publishers are Ilodder and Stoughton.

"By Order of the General," by Sydney Watson (Hodder and Stoughton), is not, as might be supposed, a military story. Jt deals with the early history of tho Salvation Army. Beatrice Montgeorgia, the only daughter o£ a retired military officer and belonging to an old and wealthy family, rescues from brutal assault two of the members of General Booth's militant apostles, and becomes herself a convert to the cause. iShe forsakes home, wealth and lover, and enters the Training Home established by Mrs Booth, where she qualifies for work in the Army; passes through trying experiences in London slums, and finally volunteers for work in India, where severe trials await her. The story graphically describes the methods that were adopted at the foundation of this remarkable religious organisation.

The furtherance of the plan for paying to Charles Dickens's family the immense debt which the whole English- speaking world owes to him is something which may evoke enthusiasm. We are glad to note that Englishmen are rising to the occasion. The sale of the Dickens stamps is spreading in all parts of the kingdom. Lord Rosebcry, a trustee of the fund, is one of many persons subscribing for blocks of 12,000 of the stamps. A committee of well-known men is arranging for a reproduction at the Coronation Exhibition of the scenes of the Old Curiosity Shop with Little Nell amid the antiquities. At the Festival of -Empire a representation of Peggotty's cabin, with Peggotty and Little Emily, will lie put in place. In both buildings the stamp will be sold. There will be a Dickens costume ball on the day of the centenary at the Albert Hall -an event which, it is announced, will oe under royal patronage.

"Blaze Derringer." by P. Lyle, jun. (Hodder and Stougbton), is a rather farfetched story of the adventures of the "devil-may-care" son of a wealthy Texas land-owner, whose father gives him 5000 dollars with an intimation that it must last him for two years, and who undertakes not merely to accomplish that unaccustomed feat, but also to return with 5000 dollars at the end of the allotted time. Within a few months of the expiration of the two years, Derringer finds himself practically penniless, and embarks, in company with a voted gaol breaker, upon a perilous attempt to rescue from a South American prison a deposed President, whose daughter has offered a reward of 100,----000 dollars to anyone who restores her parent to liberty. The novel is chiefly concerned with the incidents connected with this adventure.

Mr. A. C. Benson gives an intimate personal sketch of Bishop Lightfoot in the " Cornhill Magazine " for May. The Bishop and his father had been friends from boyhood, and Lightfoot was a constant vie'tor at their house. Speaking of llis literary method. Mr. Benson says: —

" Lightfoot's position was that St. Paul was using a perfectly definable language, with an absolutely distinct and ascertainable terminology of its own, and that he was using it with all the skill of a literary artist, who knew quite well what he was about, and expressed with entire lucidity and force what he intended to say. Light foot's view, then, was that one must not read the writings of St. Paul through classical spectacles, but that one must endeavour, by comparison of his language with contemporary Hellenistic Creek, to ascertain what the .voids lie was using did actually mean to him nnd his contemporaries. With the admirable common-sense and hard-head-edncss that, characterised him he saw that St. Paul was using contemporary Creek in such a way as to make his meaning absolutely intelligible to his followers. And ihe result was that. Lightfoot was able to follow and reproluee the eN.iet thought in St. Paul's mind in a way in which it had never been anlysed before. Thus his paraphrases of ' the Pauline argument, though they have little literary grace, are perfectly invaluable to all who desire tn see what was the line of argument which St. Paul was .pursuing.'' Amonn- other interesting article* in " Cornhill " are Miss Flora' Masson's sketch. "The Scottish Homes and Haunts of R. L. Stevenson," and Miss J M. Callwell's " Old Irish Melodies."

The poems pf tlhe Irish-Australian poet, Victor Daley, collected in a volume entitled "At Dawn and Dusk," went home to the people of the island continent with a power that has been excelled by the songs of few other poets. Other fugitive poems have now been collected and published in one volume by Angus and Kobertson, Sydney. Mr Bertram Stevens contributes a memoir, in which Daley's Bohemian and rather sad and ineffective career is sketched. His biographer concludes: "Light-hearted, brave, generous, but weak of will —the man was finer than his work, and his work is good." Daley died of consumption near Sydney in 1905, at the age of 47. These poems, seventy in number, make their appeal in varied metres and divers tones. There is much of beauty in them, much the reflection of a life we regret, with its refrain of pensive sorrow, sadly ending on a bed of pain in solitary self communion:

Be patient, O niv Soul: the prison bars That cheek thy flight Will break beneath the sun, or silent stars, Some day or uig-ht.

■Be still and wait; the body seems to reign In pride serene; But daikly lv Its pathway crouches Pain, With poniard keen.

Grieve not when It Is grieved, nor, when it errs—

'Tis nought to thee; Its sins and sorrows are but ministers To set thee free.

Dr. Giaindner, tho historian, lately quoted -an amusing story of a young man who asked to see a fourteenth century manuscript at the Bodleian. As he was trying hard to decipher it old Mr. Cox, the librarian, offered to assist him. "Oh, no, thank you," said the stranger. Mr. Cox rejoined: "I have no wish to interfere with your liberty in any way, but perhaps you will just allow mc to point out that you are looking at the manuscript upside down."