LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 190, 12 August 1922, Page 25

LITERARY.

Mr. Robert Nichols, one of the most ■fted of tbe younger English poets, has Written a play which it is difficult to Iriticise-" "Guilty Souls, A Play and a Pkfaee" is sincere and powerful, but gtlung more than sincerity and power l needed to make really good drama. Sr Sicbols is of the school of revolting iith. fl e is tired of the tyranny of his "lders,' and of what he considers the Overworship of Good T_iste and Humour in England. He wants to improve the English drama, and he passionately demands (igt it shall deal boldly with really tragic things. This doctrine he expounds ■ja a seventy-page Shavian preface written with high vehemence, verve, wit, and O bvious sincerity. Much of what he says is well worth saying. Youth should be riven a hearing, and the British drama Jeeds truth and courage for its regeneration. Unfortunately ■ Mr. Nichols' play jb better in intention than in execution. Ihe story is of an English solicitor who, jnding that his Bohemian partner—a itrange person who.plays the violin in office hours —is damaging the business, embezzles money and puts the blame on 'the partner, with the result that the Innocent man gets a long term of imprisonment. The trouble about all this is firstly that such an act of baseness is Inconsistent with the solicitor's character is portrayed, and secondly that it Is injredible that a jury would convict the other man on the evidence presented. The convicted partner is supposed to lave died, but he really gets a position in the household of the man who has wronged him. Then ensues a powerful Conflict between conscience raid duty on the one side, and worldly considerations on the other, in which the rich man's wife, his victim, and a religiously minded young woman play parts. The man, drawn nearer to God, determines to .confess, and helped by the younger woman, he does so in the end. To make suck a conflict the subject of a play is daring, and Mr. Nichols at least deserves credit for attempting a great theme. This is a first attempt, and if he will take pains to master the business of play-writing and will hot allow himself to follow false gods that tempt impatient young men, he may do something really good. ', Chatto and Windus are the publishers. 1 5 Sit Harry Johnston gives a wide ! range to his fancy in "The Veneerings" (Chatto and 'Windus, per- . Dymock, Sydney). The course of the 6tory introduces company mongering ■in London, life at Calais in the sixties?, gambling at Baden-Baden and Monte Carlo. But there are side excursions in various directions. A letter dated Auckland, NZ, April 2, 1865, tells, in gruesome detail, the tragic story of the murder of the Eev. Mr. Volkner, by Kereopa at .Whakatane, and the travels of one of tne principal characters carries him to Capetown, and so furnishes a text for a picture of South Africa in 1893. Sir Barry makes a point of seeing all his numerous characters off the stage and ' their earthly possessions disposed of before he allows them to pass beyond the ken of the reader. . "The Gates of Hope," by Anthony Culyle" (Mills and Boon), develops an ingenious. plot. Marcia Ha) stead, em{toyed' and secretary, has been toll _y an eminent heart specialist that •he has only six months to live. On the tune day she receives, through a solicitor, an intimation that an uncle has left her a huge fortune on condition that she ■marries a man of good family before she. attains the age of 21, while that birth--1 day • occurs only two days after the; nature of the will has been communicated to her. Circumstances enable her to coerce the heir to a peerage into a ■ecret marriage in the expectation that an early death will sever the union. The interest of the story centres in the consequences of this strange marriage. These are entirely different from anything either of the parties to it anticipate. "The House of Whispers," by William Johnston (Jarrolds). In this up-to-date mystery story the author has successfully transplanted to a modern, luxurious apartment house, just, off Central 'Park,/". the . interestrinspiring - ghostly atmosphere of a ruined castle. Spalding Nefeon and Barbara Bradford, a beau--: ti-nl girl who lives in the' flat, opposite,. •reMnvolved in a baffling web of inexplicable • mysteries that are coupled witc. ghostly noises, anonymous letters, ept iarrassing circumstances,; seemingly of malevolent design, that culminate in a "theft.of jewels and the arrest of Nelson, for murder. Xhe.;plpt^fls-'l__}i'''& ; tnrrbundings, -with enough excitement ' and suspense to satisfy the exacting reader, .y n:.yy ~-.■..■■•■..r,..-- --"£ Journey in Ireland," hy. Captain .Wilfrid Ewart (Putnam), describes the personal experiences and observations of the author in the course of a journey extending over three weeks In the spring of 1921. He travelled from Dublin to Cork, and from thence through Mallow, Wmeriok and northwards to Ulster, mixing with the inhabitants and talking *hh men of all shades of opinion. ■ H«' had passes both from Dublin Castle and Sinn Fein leaders, "and obtainea 'ihe opinions of prominent Sinn Feiners, both .moderate and extremist. He also aoted the condition of the country' l*nerally.' At the time of • his < visit' Political agitation was intense, and outages of common occurrence. - Large numbers of" Sinn Fein prisoners were "nder armed guard. The Colonel-Com-aandant of the Mallow district, explaining the modes of reprisal, informed Captjjin Ewart that, in case of ah outrage, •the house of a notorious local Sinn Miner was chosen for destruction. Captain Ewart's aim has been to set down facts without offering any personal 6Ugtwtions or conclusions regarding •wthods of settlement. ■ He presents a wthful picture of Ireland as it existed "the time of his visit, md it is dne *hich gives every lover of British instiwtions much food for thought. P "? c Cruise of the Kawa," by Walter ** Traprock (Putnam), is an amusing "count of an island discovered by tne tt «w of the yacht Kawa ia the course of: »cruise in the South Seas. Here they J*™ all sorts of amazing things, vege»We and.animal—"the bulbous'oo-pa; a B °rt oj vegetable cream puff; the -suepale green with , red: Sv/liif numerous crawling things, the ants and shy, lamp-eyed lily™BVwho flashed their signals as they, J~?~ Tbe inhabitants lived" in trees. •na the eggs laid by birds of rareplumS*/were square instead of round.. trange to relate, a photograph of these "jwrkable products of the island fowl ' k ? them Man exact resemblance im w e pile of diee > each'egg with «*rinng 8 corresponding to those favou«e implements of gaming. All ' the *gmf of the expedition marrjr beau.r™laWeiis of this lotus land and £* hvea of tropical ease, but finally ""« *wsy from the island.