LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 224, 20 September 1924, Page 18

LITERARY.

"THE GREAT PYRAMID—IT'S DIVINE MESSAGE.

. / NAVY AT THE DARDANELLES.

"The Secret of Bogey House," by Heribert Adams (Methuen), is a novel written to supply the insatiable demand for fiction with "an absorbing plot, and an atmosphere of mystery, which keeps conjecture busy. "Tony Bridgman, having driven his golf ball into a private garden, forces his way through a hedge in search of it. This leads to an introduction to Mr. Teesdale, who is concerned about the sudden disappearance of his nephew. Tony undertakes a search of Bogey House, a seaside residence, where, it was suspected, gambling for high stakes is carried on. Here he makes a number of discoveries which lead to the unearthing of various mysterious crimes which have baffled the police. In a touching tribute to Joseph Conrad, Mr. H. M. Tomlinsoii, a distinguished young writer who came to the front i"n the "Nation" and now writes for the "Westminster," throws this light on the great novelist's character: "Hβ was an extremely sensitive man, and shy and modest; yet he was at one time very anxious to learn from Englishmen that his addition to our maritime history was just, and the kind that we approved. I met him first in the company of Norman Douglas and Austin Harrison, in the office of the 'English Review' in its earlier days. Because I knew ho was a remarkable n:an, and because he looked distinguished and a little haughty, and because only- a few weeks before I had reviewed one of his books of the sea, I was nervous about it all, and merely looked on. Presently Douglas and Harrison began to talk of the affairs of their Tβview; Conrad then came over, and stood, beside mc. He touched my arm, apparently as nervous as I was myself. "Thank you very much for what you said about my book. You do think "i am genuine, don't you?" Mr. Tomlinson says this gave him one of the shocks of his life. Among the many things noteworthy about Conrad was his love for hie adopted country. He not only honoured England by writing wonderful English prose, but he saw into the soul of the nation. It is recorded that when the war broke out lie was in Austrian Poland, and was asked what he thought England would do, and replied: "1 believe I know what England will do, though I won't tell you, for I am not absolutely certain. But I can tell you what I am absolutely certain of. It is this: If England comes into the war, then, no matter who may want to make peace at the end of six months at the cost of right and justice, England will keep on fighting for years if necessary . . . even alone." "New Days, New Ways," by Lucy H. Yates - (Collins, per Whitcombe and Tombs), is an exposition of household management on the most up-to-date principles. It specially treats of the arrangement of the bouse and its work, with suggestions to make for efficiency in the kitchen and greater satisfaction iv cooking. The subject .is divided into two parts. Part I. covers the plan of the house and the kitchen. It describes mechanical contrivances and genuine labour-saving inventions; the art of planning work, cooking, shopping, etc.; and the "costing system" applied to home-work. Part 11. treats of food, the planning and serving of meals, together with method lessons in baking, preserving, etc.; also invalid and nursery meals, etc., and gives many modernised recipes suited to moderate incomes. The authoi aims at simplifying housework, so that, by using the best appliances, in the best way, time" and trouble may be saved, and the housewife assisted in keeping down expenses by economising in fuel and using her supplies of food to the greatest advantage. The romantxa lives of numbers of the Medici family have furnished the materials for various stirring novels of the eemi-bietorical order. Another, by Barton Shaw, "A Strong Man Armed" (Stanley Paul), now puts forward its claim for popular favour. Gian de Medici is the hero whose exploits are herein recorded, and they were daring enough to excite wonder, if not always admiration. He was a eon of Madonna Catrina, wife of the Lord and Tyrant of Forli, who appears dramatically on the scene at the moment when her husband is assassinated. Gian, born amid strife and turmoil, inaugurated his turbulent career by fatally striking down a Florentine hoodlum who jeered him, and thereafter became the leader of a picked troop of soldiers who, under the name of the Black Band, fought on the side of the Papacy in the wars that were waged between rival states and against France in that period of Florentine history which immediately followed" the ravages wrought by Caesar Borgia. John of the Black Band was a picturesque figure, a soldier of fortune, with qualities which made aim beloved of his men, and attractive to the lover of romantic fiction. "The Soul of" Your Child," by Heinrich Shotzky, is a recent publication by Allen and Unwin. The title of this valuable little book somehow lacks attractiveness for the class of mothere it is most desirable to reach with such a message as the author has to deliver. Few mothers would guess that beneath this somewhat tract-like heading they may find one of the best guides in motherhood procurable. The author, a lover of children, and the father of a large family, has seen more deeply than most into the minds of the young, and does not hesitate to lay bare the miseries of children when carelessly or wrongly treated. The book is worth its cost for the short chapter upon toys and play. No thoughtful parent but will shrink a little now and again from ■ the keen mental scalpel of Mr. Shotzky, and experience a sense of guilt for sins of commission and omission,. in relation to children —as seen from the child's point of view. Nurses, particularly, will gain by a perusal of the earlier chapter, and find afterwards that their interest and observation have been made deeper and broader. The "Natural History of Education" is for teachers, also "The Child and Knowledge,' , whilst the other four chapters, "Child and Parents," "Child and Physical Care," "Child and Outside World," and lastly "Child and Religion," are full of fresh ideas for everybody already beyond the age of childhood. I think the charm which holds the reader's attention must be the gentleness, love, and humanity of the author shining through the curtain of type and' paper, and giving his words —simple though they are—a quality uncommon in books specially addressed to parents.

(By MESSRS. DAVIDSON AN© AIoDKRSMITH.) This is a monumental work in ! which the authors endeavour to prove J that the great Pyramid of Egypt ! was designed by those who had a knowledge of the future, and embodied this knowledge in an elaborate system of measurements demonstrating* geometrical, astronomical and even spiritual facts. It is forty-two years since we I were first called upon to give attention :to this matter, and although the usej iessness of the investigation tempts one jto levity, the seriousness of the learned writers, and the patient thoroughness of their published work, deserves the admiration of all and the close interest of those who find in the past reasons J for satisfaction with the present and I hope for the future. I The authors put in another form the ! saying that it is known what mankind I will do, but there is no pre-arrangement lof his fate. They say: "Could anyi thing be more disheartening than to ■ imagine mankind in the past proceeding i with its efforts in face of the certaia • predicted knowledge of history as we now know it? Show us our mistakes jin the minutest detail before we make them and life is robbed of its every value. The fact of the foreknowledge of God necessarily implies that such foreknowledge is not revealed to man until the ! events foreknown have been fulfilled. i Divinely revealed prophecy is therefore an enigma until history provides the i exposition by fulfilment. Prophecy I therefore is the means whereby God mdi!- --! cates His foreknowledge to man and such ]is the purpose of prophecy. Otherwise the certainty of predictive knowledge would paradoxically cause man to alter (or, we cay, attempt to alter) the sequence of events predicted." The authors are therefore quite satisfied to find in the Great Pyramid, ten years after its beginning, a sort of eryptogramic statement giving the date of the Great War, and express no regret that they did not discover thia before the war. In building it is usual to consider the aspect, and the shape, and to find Divine prophecy in one, or both, is to give credit for wisdom altogether out of the ordinary. A pyramidal block is probably the most durable of all forms of memorial architecture, and a plain unimaginative man would say the Egyptians selected the pyramidal form of monument for that reason. There was an old' sea captain who once said that the Egyptians were an annoying people, or they would not have troubled posterity with a name which (in ordinary script) contained three letters out of five with tails, "so orkard ter write." That the same people have "troubled" Messrs. Davidson and Aldersmith is evident by the enormous mass of measurements and calculations those gentlemen have had to accumulate to prove their argument, that the Pyramid, in its dimensions, was a revelation of many facts of science and religion, including the coming of Christ./ The value fcf it all ie problematical, but like ''the number of angels perching on.the point of a needle,", their book will provoke much thought'and controversy, wholesome mental stimulants if leading to no great benefit to humanity. Publisher*, Williams and Norgate.

The part taken by the.British Navy ln the unfortunate attempts made to force the passage of the Dardanelles and occupy Constantinople, is told in a book Iby Admiral of the Fleet, Lord WesterWemyss (Hodder and Stoughton). The author does not add much that is new to our knowledge of the history of this lamentable and disastrous campaign, which involved the stupendous loss of 120,246 men. He confirms the story we have already heard of the indecision and disagreements in the War Council which attended the resolution to proceed with the operation, and the utter lack of preparation or organised plan of campaign which preceded the first bombardment. He says: "Unfortunately the War Council, to whom the conduct of the war had been entrusted, proved itself unequal to the task of coming to any definite decisions between these conflicting ideas, and it will be seen how,' by adopting a compromise, they I allowed themselves to drift into a cam- ! paign, costly, bloody and ineffective, which, had it been studied, properly prepared and only commenced when the necessary troops were available, held promise of brilliant results." Admiral Lord Wester-Wemyss describes his sadden appointment to the post of Governor of Lemnoe, the Greek island which was to form the base of | the military and naval operations against ! the Dardanelles. The conditions on his ) arrival were chaotic, and provision had ' to be immediately made for the expected j arrival of 10,000 troops. Good staff work, however, overcame these difficulties, and the Admiral was not dismayed when he learned, on the arrival of General Birdwexod, commhnding the Australian and New Zealand troops, that the number which might be expected was nearer 40,000 than 10,000. the participation of French troops added to the Governor's difficulties, and a good deal of tact had to be used in order to preserve amicable relations. All these proceedings make up an interesting story, apart from the gallant deeds that were ! performed in the landing of troops and occupation of Gallipoli. The still more ; marvellous withdrawal without the loss |of a man, when 30,000 casualties might ! easily have been recorded is fully dej scribed. The author states that General I D'Arnade, commander of the French exipeditionary force, was against landing j on the Peninsula at aIL He favoured landing on the Asiatic shore, seizing the I Constantinople-Smyrna railway and | marching straight on Constantinople. jThe naval battle in which the IrresisItible, the Ocean, and the Bouvet were ' sunk, made it clear that the Dardanelles j could not be forced until the occupation of the Pensinula had rendered it possible to clear the mine-field. I The story of the landing, so often j told, loses nothing of its intense interest in the Admiral's graphic description. jHe says: "The story of the River Clyde ' contains incidents of heroism sufficient to form an epic in itself. It is without ! parallel in the history of warfare, and the bravery and courage there exhibited have rarely been equalled and never surpassed. It is hardly an exaggeration to say that to those gallant souls, soldiers and sailors, who manned her, is -principally due the achievement of our having gained a foothold on the Peninsula." Apart from its value as a contribution to the history of memorable expeditions, the account of the operations given by Admiral Lord Wester-Wemyss, is an authoritative and critical narrative, and commentary upon a memorable British military aifd naval enterprise, the failure of which has not dimmed the lustre of heroic effort and achievement of the men who took part in -it. '