LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 196, 19 August 1922, Page 23

LITERARY.

Mr. KNdiin Hr-t continuog to make vahiu'iif udilUiun* tv our knowledge of thi , Mauri ra.-p. In a Dominion museum ni'inoyrapli. lip oontr/butee some inter<^i:nL r mite* on Maori conceptions of astron.Miiv. He shews .that their beliefs ini-iildo<l ~<imc singular conceptions as to th<> intlufm-p of certain stars upon the products of thr earth an<i explains their eystom nf weather predictions. The tohungas specially devoted their attention to astronomy and were consulted l-.v tra'Mlrrs iishermon, and others. Referencf to stars was frequently made .. in .-'>ns. and these heavenly 'bodies were e«o,iated with remote ancestors and •nitli Irien<U who had passed away into the spirit world. Mr. Best deeerrbes the myths associated with the origin of the heavenly bodies, especiaJly with tne snn and moon. H« says:—'"The evidence in favour of the former existence of a form of star worship among the Maori folk is meagre but there is sufficient to show that certain planets and stars were lnvoke.l in connection with food supplier end first-fruit ceremonial." The Maori reliod on thp cosmic rising of -stars in his utilisation of them as marking seasons, phases of industry, periods of time. <-U\ They were used as guides in navigation. Ihe romance of Tailway construction in New Zealand gives H. Foeton's "At the Front' , a local interest, but it has merits that make an appeal apart from Hie New Zealand environment. Ralph Messenjrer, a. younp man reared amid the sordid surroundings of the East End of London, convicted on a charge of which lie was innocent, emigrate* to New Zealand. He obtains employment on railway construction works in the Taranaki district, and the evente which follow depict with literal faithfulness the life of the navvy and engineer in carrying out operations that have opened the way for settlement in this Dominion. Messengvr had come under strong religious and temperance influences before leaving England, and these dominate hie life in the Dominion. The reader is introduced to the V.M.C.A.. Wellington, and listens to addresses by Mr. Jamieson. the national general secretary. Mr. Seildon, under a pseudonym, appears on the political platform and discourses on the achievements of the Liberal [arty. He is pictorially represented in the ceremony of turning the first cod of a railway, with a wheelbarrow inscribed "God's Own Country." A picture of Parliament House, Wellington, i≤ exhibited as the place "where the death-knell of the liquor traffic was eo'unded." The moral of the story is that perseverance and integrity will command success. Ralph Messenger advanced from a navvy to the position of a civil engineer, and finally married, the Prime Minister's nU?ce. The publisher is Arthur H. Stockwell, 29, Ludgate Hill, London. "Daughter of Hecuba," by Clara Viebig. translated by Anna Barwell Kleorge Allen and Unwin), describes the domestic conditions existing in Germany during the war. The narrative coveii the military operations between August. 1914, and December, 1016. In the history of two leading families in Berlin, which become associated with the concerns of people in humbler walks of life, one obtains a picture of the suffering and anxiety that werv caused by the heavy loss of life at Verdun and on the Eastern frontier, the scarcity of food, and the breaking down of moral restraints. The discontent and war weariness which culminated in the collapse of 1918. already making their influence felt, and the ringing of church bells proclaiming the victories of German armies, impressed the people less and less with the conviction that ultimate victory and longedfor peace were near at hand. '" The Voice in the Wilderness," by Richard 'Blaker (Jonathan Capes, per Whitcombe and Tombs), is the story of a man. who, living in his own family circle, is estranged from all its members, wife, daughters and son. The man's withdrawal into himself is the natural development of a mentality above the average, and of a character which is independent and fearless. As the story develops there is shown an improvement in the family relations, and there is a steady realisation by his family of the man's worth. The climax, -which is reserved until the end of the story, is in keeping with the man's fearless attitude and his ability <o realise to the full the logic of his philosophy. An unusual study of English family life. " Vandemark'e Folly," for Herbert Quick (Bobbs Merrill, per Dymock, Sydney) is a story of settlement in lowa in the fifties. Jacolj Vandermark, after Ftirring experiences as the driver of horses on the Erie canal, settles on a farm in Montery County, lowa. Slavery ■was then flourishing and life in the West primitive. He travelled along a road thronged with oxen, cows, mules, Jiorses, coaches, carriages; 'blue jeans, corduroys; rags, tatters, silks, satins, caps, tall hats, poverty, riches; criminals escaping from justice; couples fleeing from the law; gold-seekers; politicians looking for places in which to -win fame and fortune; adventurers on their way to everywhere; Abolitionists goingto the Border War; inno-cent-looking outfits carrying fugitive slave*; and, most numerous of all. liomeeeekers "hunting country"—a nation on wheels, an empire in the commotion of pangs of birth. The story is well told and full of human interest. Cecil Adair, of whose series of Joy ■Novels, Stanley Paul and Co. have published a quarter of a million copies, was •born and brought up near Westminster Abbey, and has absorbed much of the delightful peace of those surroundings. As a child Cecil Adair was the approved story-teller of the nursery. Later on more ambitious efforts were duly submitted to editors, and accepted, to the youthful writer's great delight. The first Ion" novel was commissioned by "The Church Family Newspaper," in which it ran serially, and from that day the popularity of Cecil Adair has been steadily increasing. Perhaps the most popular of the Cecil Adair novels is "Gabriel's Garden," which has had to be re-set three times, and has also ibeen transcribed into Braille for inclusion in the famous library for the blind. The four new titles recently published at 2/—making ten in all—are 'The Mist Pool," "Quadrille Court," "Maid of the Moonflower," and "Francesca." " The Mist Pool," one of the latest ot Cecil-Adair's "Joy of Life" novels (Stanley Paul), is the love idyll of Shyla, who day-dreams by the Mist Pool in the herb garden, and" whose love romance involves mystery and noble renunciation. "Quadrille' Court" is a novel concerning a fine old property and a family feud. The rightful heir is a splendid _ fellow. There are two jolly young Americans, a. masterful old lady, an artistically developed plot, and the happiest of endings.