THE BOOKSHELF.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 21, 25 January 1930, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE BOOKSHELF.

NEWS AND REVIEWS. AUSTRALIAN MEMOIRS. AN IRISH NOVEL,

"Kohikohinga," reminscences and, reflections of the late Mr. Vernon Roberts, is reviewed by "J.C." on page one. The biography of Lord Lansdowne is reviewed by "E.L.C.W." on page 9. There is a new rising from unplumbed depths to sweep the nice little bourgeois efforts of myself and my contemporaries into the dustbin.—Mr. George Bernard Shaw. The following, called "Two Fishermen," from the pen of Mr. A. A. Milne, appeared in a rer.ent "Saturday Review." Is it addressed to Dean Inge? He came to the gate, and he knocked "Rattat " ' Peter opened, and said, "Who's that? "Oh, wait a moment," and Peter took Particulars down in his big mack book. " 'Philosopher, writer, Journalist, ■■ "Conservative'— anything else we've missed? "Don't be afraid of talking shop— "Books keep selling? That's 'Author "Well, now, 'Conservative' —looks quite nice, , , „ "But couldn't we try to be more precise? "Say, 'Not too fond of the lower classes ? "Say, 'Some of 'em knaves and the rest of 'em asses'? _ "In she goes in the Book, which brings "Us down to Hobbies and Games and things. "Anvthing else you do or like — "Dining? Cricketing? Ride a bike? "Stamp-collecting, or—see what I mean? . . "Right, I'll make a note of it, Bean."

u WORSHIPFUL MASTERS." ■ i

A DELIGHTFUL BOOK OF MEMOIRS. Those who appreciated "Cheerful Yesterday," reminiscences of the late Mr. Justice Alpers,' will enjoy "Worshipful Masters," the memories of Mr. Justice Piddington, of New South Wales. Memoirs are so seldom published in Australia and New Zealand that a volume like "Worshipful Masters" (published by Angus and Robertson) is especially welcome. Besides being very enjoyable reading, it is a contribution to the social and political history of New South Wales and Australia. Its literary quality is not so unusually fine as that of Mr. Justice Alpers' book, but the public men whom it depicts are in the average more interesting. Mr. Justice Piddington has for many years been in the.thick of things as barrister and industrial arbitrator. We are given in this book pictures of prominent figures like Parkes, George Reid, "Toby" Barton, builders of the Commonwealth, I and Sir Samuel Griffith, the great judge who interpreted Commonwealth law. We see the strength and weakness of these men —the pen picture of Reid is particularly interesting—and it is borne in on the reader again how, serious failure may be when character is not equal to intellect. Examples are given of Reid's wit. One which is fairly well known, may be quoted: "If you were my husband, I'd put poison in your tea," said a woman at a . political meeting. Reid, on the platform, adjusted his monocle, looked the interrupter over carefully, and said, "I'd take it." H» had hundreds of friends, but no friendship, says the author. There is a story of Parkes deliberately keeping a visiting lord waiting for half an hour. 'It,is one o| the minor consolations of hbffice," he saidji-"to. be able to keep these fellows waiting on the door mat." There is a loving appreciation of Charles Badham, . a great clasical scholar with an international reputation, whom Sydney University was* lucky enough to have as professor for many years. It does one good to read of so noble a man, and the story told of his curious ideas about money does not lessen one's regard for him. While he was in charge of a Surrey parish he kept his money in a drawer, and was surprised one day to find little left. His wife explained that she had taken the money for household expenses. "Good heavens! Julia! Do you seriously tell me you have been frittering away my money paying bills?" Equally impressive is the portrait of that saint and muscular Christian, Canon O'Reilly, of Sydney. These portraits are in a book that contains amusing descriptions of Bohemian life. "Daddy" Hallewell, the singer, for example, must have been a character for a novel. It was he who, in his third bankruptcy, met in the street Mr. George. Robertson, tlffi^publißher,, who was one of his creditors, and greeted him with great cordiality. "Robertson, my dear,fellow, I do want you to feel assured that I bear no malice whatever—absolutely and entirely none!" Also, curiously enough, the book contains, as the result of a visit to India, one of the best pictures of Gandhi we have seen. The author has many good stories;. indeed our only objection to the book is that there are rather too many of them, and that some are stale. But this is a slight fault. Here are two good ones out of many; Sir Julian Salomons had an autographed copy of Sir Samuel Griffith's translation of the "Inferno." He explained to Mr. W. M. Hughes, when he was showing the new Attorney-General over hia> library, that he was careful to get the inscription put in. He was an old- man and his belongings might be dispersed. "I' shouldn't like anybody who might pick i up this book' with my name in it to think that I had stolen it! Still less that I : had bought it." The other concerns : 'Jimmy" Thomas, now "Minister of Unemployment" in the Mac Donald Minis, 'j try: "I've got a 'ell of a.'eadache," he ' said during the strike crisis of 1926. i 'You'll be all right," said his friend i Lord Birkenhead,, "if you go to bed and 1 take a couple of aspirates." Mr. Thomas i is said to have told his friends that it \ was extraordinary that a man in Birken- 1 head's. position did not know how to ( pronounce "aspirins." 1

SPIRITUALISM IK AFRICA.

"Our African Winter," by A. Conan Doyle (John Murray), is the story of la winter spent in Africa during 1928-29. | The author travelled with his wife, ; daughter and two sons. Their tour included a large part of the Union, North and South Rhodesia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika. The primary object of the visit was to address spiritualistic audiences. These meetings were held in the largest available halls,'and were attended by thousands of people. Indeed the outstanding feature of.the book is the great interest displayed in spiritualism. At a country elub function, of thirty : guests all were well informed psychic Students. Excellent psychic libraries were found. Some people travelled 1000 riiles' to attend the lectures. ;Apart from psychic affairs, the book contains many bpimons on political and economic subjects; touching the present "and future of South Africa. Personal adventures Of the parjy, add the general interast,

The English people really do shine, among the nations of Christendom, with the truly Christian flame of charity.— Mr. G. K. Chesterton. • . . In Hollywood the "languorous lagoon" is a smelly tank with a stagerhand named Ed. wading about in it in a bathing suit.—Mr. P. G. Wodehouee.

BIOLOGIST AND BIBLE,

There are frequent arguments about • the relationship of religion and science. > There is no direct relationship. Religion • is directed by faith and science by 1 humanly accepted proof. In both imagination is the directing mental force. The scientist calls it theory, the religious call it inspiration. Religion accepts • inspiration, science follows out a theory and works to demonstrate a fact verifiable by repeated experiment. It is a fashion of the day for a writer with some original ideas to produce a book by extending the ideas and comment thereon, by collecting the opinions of other men and publishing all together. In "The; Sceptical Biologist" (Chatto and Windus) Mr. Joseph Needham, of Caius College, Cambridge, where gives instruction in bio-chemistry, has attempted to show both conflict and agreement between his special study and religion. He quotes from no fewer than sixty-five authorities, but weakens the belief in all by quoting that man has "no pair of spectacles made of the crystalline heaven or of the coelum empyreum to hang upon his nose for him to look through," and so get at the truth. There is, perhaps, no "Real" for us to see, but only that to which our finite senses here on earth give a similitude of- reality and substance. It has ever been strange and unaccountable that science Bhould be thought to lead a student away from God, for the examination of the poet's "simple daisy," nay, the smallest microscopic cell our extended senses touch, conveys its astounding message of a goodness and wisdom and spiritual beauty beyond our analysis of full appreciation. The sceptical biologist is in something of the position of Sam Wetter, who was not sure whether he was a groom, a valet, or a seedsman, but whereas it was the. clothing of the body which made Sam uncertain, it is the clothing of the" mind which raises doubts in the biolo- , gist. There is a long chain from the earth up to. man, and a much longer chain from man up to divinity, and bio-chemistry is perhaps one of the links. ! All science is mental discipline, and our Cambridge cheniist is no strong materialist. His essays we are now reading are not dogmatic, and he carries us upon lengthy excursions into regions clear and regions cloudy, leaving us to form our own conclusions. We agree with him that "All things are alike divine," and "that there is something in us that was before the elements, and owes no homage under the sun." In the name of both science and religion much has been done of no credit to ! either, but this series of essays by a student of humanity, although not in- ] tended aa sermons, may as easily i "bring a wanderer home" as enlighten > the non-scientific as to the problems : which confront the laboratory worker. ; Wells's giant with his "What is it all ' for?" became destructive. As long as ' our scientists are constructive and seek not to lessen the growth of faith in those not spiritually reborn,:they must : have all men's sympathy. There is no f backward step in true research, and the ] scientist is the surest pioneer the world * produces. <

THE FICTION SHELF.

A STORY OF THE IRISH PROBLEM. . There are two meanings to the word "wasted" when it is applied to a country, and in Eimar O'Duffy's semi-political novel, "The Wasted Island" (Macmillan),we do not know which the author had in his mind when writing of Ireland. The story purports to be the life of a young man born of a strong antiIrish and Conservative family who at school, college, and in social contacts, finds himself invariably in the minority or completely isolated. However, he brings an open mind to the questions which have long agitated Ireland, and-discovers himself to be a Socialist and advocate of national freedom. His agnostic attitude in relation to religion, politics and morals shuts him out from all parties and bodies of men associating for a common purpose, and in the arguments of those who would convince him, and bring him round to their way of thinking, and in all the arguments- .used throughout the book, Mr. O'Duffy makes opportunity to display the wrongs and desires, the hopes and the errors of Ireland. "She cannot be free until educated, nor educated until free," is one comment upon the distressful country. In love, as in all else,. the young student of medicine (as he becomes) is ever uncertain. Fastidious in an usual degree, he saves up his emotions until he meets the girl of his dreams, as impossible a woman as is the country of his desires, and the perfection of his social environment as seen by his imagination. He is a modern Hamlet with all Hamlet's sorrow for the "wrongness" of everything. . In the person of this young man is represented the extreme of English wariness, indifference, reserve and sudden enthusiasm when awakened to a wrong to be righted; the permanence of class feeling; and desire for the best in everything. .This is a fine exposition of Irish ideals. There may be a few girls here and there educated and trained socially and morally in Early Victorian, and now almost obsolete, ways. Miss Georgette Heyer has imagined the fate of one of these young women in modern surroundings, carrying into the world the beliefs, reserves and habits of her grandparents, to find, herself, dubbed "peculiar" and "prudish," yet altogether attractive and charming. In "Instead of the Thorn" (Longmans) there is a fictional , biography of a gentle, wellintentioned English girl cast amongst ultra-moderns and watching with alarm the reckless manners of girls of her own age. Entirely unprepared for married life, she weds a passionate, infatuated man, and immediately decides that he is too horribly familiar to be borne. She leaves him and lives alone until the advances of a social idler scare her into the arms of her husband again. The advice on matrimony given by an old farmer's wife is worth' many times the price of the book, and should be read by every girl contemplating marriage. The heroine is rather too "soft" to be real, but most men would delight in her and appreciate her delicacy of mind. It was doubtful if Miss Montgomery could repeat her success in "Anne of Green Gables," but in "Magic for Marigold" (Cornstalk Co.) she makes the attempt. Here is a family of rather tiresome people who are no.more than a background for Marigold, whose biography might well stand, alone as an excellent study in character. Miss Montgomery cannot do anything carelessly, and if there is a fault in this it is in an overplus of •detail relating persons not "material;'to the main theme. . Marigold .is 'a dreamer, and finds Veal life an adventure not to her liking; ~ Modern girls' may 'think ihis strange.