LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 61, 11 March 1916, Page 14

LITERARY.

The January number of the "Poetry Review" will contain the first part of the last poetic drama completed by Mr. Stephen Phillips—a chronicle play entitled "Harold." To this issue Mrs. Meynell is contributing an appreciation of Mr. Stephen Phillips.

A tablet has been unveiled in Falmoufch Parish Church to" the memory of Mr. William Ayerst Ingram, of "Tregurrian," by the members of the Royal British Colonial Society of Artists, of which he was the founder, and for twenty-six years president. The memorial was deeigned by Mr. A. Drury, B.A.

Miss Isabel Maud Peacocke's forthcoming story will be published later in the year, under 'the title of "Dicky." The character of "Dicky" will probably be as great a favourite as "Phil" of "My Friend Phil," which Aucklanders will be glad to learn has received a most cordial reception, English and Australasian newspapers having accorded the book very warm praise, and an American edition has been arranged for.

In a selection of poems written by Lieutenant Herbert Asquith, son of the Prime Minister, the title of the collection, "The Volunteer," is taken from the" first poem of the series. These initial verses tell the story of a clerk who, toiling at hie, ledgers, dreams of war and "the gleaming angels of the legions." All unexpectedly his dreams are satisfied, and, his lance broken, "he lies content with that 'high hour, in which he lived and died."

"Australian Byways," recently published by the Harpers, is a book to enjoy and remember, not only for its vitality and its fineness, but also for the glowing pictures and strange bits of life fhat make- up its subject-matter. The author, Norman Duncan, visited the little-known "back blocks" of Australia, the jarrahbush, the western dry lands, travelling by logging-train, by camel, by oldfashioned stage-coach. He caw much that was picturesque, recounte strange lore of black trackers and Papuan sorcerere, and depicts the outlook upon lifa of ancient and reprobate gold-diggers.

Mrs. Edith Wharton, In "Fighting France," thus summarises the "tone" of France in war: "The attitude of the French people, after fourteen months of trial, ie not one of submission to unparalleled calamity. It is one of exaltation, energy, the hot resolve to dominate the disaster. In all classee the feeling is the came: every word and every act is based on the resolute ignoring of any alternative to victory. The French people no more think of a compromise than people would think of facing a flood or an earthquake with a white flag/ .

London .."Punch" is fiercely antiGerman. Its influence in America has been considerable. Therefore the Germans in that nation sought to counteract the power. " They produced in New York a fac-simile of "Punch" as to the cover, but inside there was a reproduction of former cartoons hostile to foe United States. These were cunningly selected:.; atfd went tack even to the period of the Civil War! The London proprietors obtained an injunction in l< ew York, under the copyright law and crushed this German bantlin°-

"The practice' of authorship has run in my family to a quite extraordinary degree," writes A. C. Benson in hi new volume, "Esespejmd Other Essays," recently published'by the Century Company. In four generations I believe that some twenty of my blood, relations have written and published bboks, from my cousin, Adelaide Anne Proctor, to mv uncle, Henry Sidgwick." And referring moreover, to his father, the late Archbishop of Canterbury A Mr. Benson", cays that though he had great practical gifte of organisation and administration he was very much of an artiet at heart' and would have liked to be avpoet"

/Miss Beatrice Harraden, who is the librarian of a London military hospital, told the Home Reading Union that the supremely favourite author-for soldiers •ft £L?° Ul u- AH like books about England. Mrs. Henry food's "East Lynne" and TolstoYs Resurrection" have been very popular. The Übranane were puzzled by 'the general demand for 'The Last Days of Pompen," unftl they found that the soldiers who asked for it had seen it on the films. Small text-books on science SK ften -f Cd f -° r ' a " d SOme me ~ plajed a quite curious love for Encyclopaedias. It was very cheering to find out.pat.ents who had only lelrned in the hospital to care fpr books, comin" back again to novels

be? ;A?/ in the number of Life," takes an optimistic view of after-war conditions, and anmel that when the black night of is over a new day of prosperity will »mc that, with aiich a preponderance of the sidtf of law and democracy the small S t £tXs.c.l"o,3Se*±; M|iprc.t&,'ff';,:= axnoi Women writers are very fond of assuming a man i ynna mc" c Reverend gentlemen 'seZto £S ing for hiding their identity Morice Gerard w the Rev. J. J essop T^^°" cc A. Birmingham is Canon Hannah Ralnh Connor of Winmpeg, a ohTp'lat at ■ the front, is the ReV. Charles W^n i°% a? fh Jo m Ackworth "«e^?f K. iSnuth. Maxim Gorky ia «JT ViT* Russian novelist's name He f? family M cxci Pierre Lota and Anatole France epectively Julien Viaud and Amttof« Thibault; whilst the l a ?e MaTrten Maartens substituted thU excellent pen name for his own impossible one-J M Van der Poorten Schwartz. NeeVss to I cay, he was a Dutchman

So far as birthdays go ' outstanding literary centea^P "Elegy," born in 1716, and Rlt Bronte, born a century later lights who were ushered into '&%£ ' a hundred years ago were '•Festus" fame and Sir Theodore 3j7i? If we ought to reckon from theli celebrity's death then there great literary centenary in i 9? it was a century ago that RicWj??* ley Sheridan died in poverty about by his own improvident "^

Curious contretemps have W» i duced by the war, and one ii nected with the publication* o? -ft second edition of Major Barclay mentary Anatomy and junior students, nurses, and tlL fe Dr. Barclay, whose wrkf as ;Exa3> Forensic Medicine at the NeW zS" University is well known "in tuT minion, issued in text-book form ies of his lectures. S o well -,», £\ issue received not only j a land, but in Australia, wiwre kf placed on the University "list e rf S?)i commended" texts, that the editto* speedily sold out. A second 2?' I put in hand, and Dr. Barclay &. Japan, had arranged to tia?f thVS? ing done there. It wasst time, August, 1914, and Dr.' once Tolunteered for active .!Lr with the E.AM.O. Since..then g£been in the fighting line all afe, e £ Eastern front, notably in. the Leraberg and in the .book had to be left in the handj of lU Japanese printers, and they km>»" : English; yet without the author^i » sonal supervision, the whole work U been done in a style of -which? printer need be ashamed. Ther« J, v of course, a few stray errors "ia o tremely technical words. A' Lei£ publishing house —Bailliere, Tindal, uj Cox—has taken the distribution of'tijj in hand. A number of -highly jjk'i gistic Teviews have appeared in the fiji lish technical journals, foremost thitai the "Lancet."

Winifred James is suffering: frja malaria (contracted in Panama) to raa : ; an extent that ehe has had to decide leave England again. Her hook, if Woman in the Wilderness," which Cbtt-' man and Hall have just published, £ ; counts the authoress's housekeeping ■experiences in Panama, and is fallvi' humour and tenderness. Panama, it appears, is suffering from the,war. "Store• are closing, houees are cmpty> men/ingoing away," writes the authprese, i 4; * from this she proceeds to' , draw, a ii-i very favourable picture of Amercaiiii "Although the American can hblii on," a|f says, "he can't hold on gaily.;" for Hj?- ,- reason: If anything goes wropg* wj? hie business the bottom is out of-4' universe. He has not taught himeelf 'M value of play and so he ci lay off on, nothing to relieve the pressiiji of his brain or stiffen up hiecourage tl the day." Winifred Jkmes' h»?l band is Henry de ia?-. who is in can, born of Belgjsa parents, land Mi lived in Panama most of his life. \V ; |f fred James herself is en Australian. $