TAKEN TO TASK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 110, 12 May 1930, Page 7

TAKEN TO TASK.

BIRKENHEAD'S BOOK.

Opinions in 'The World in 2030* Recognised by Scientist.

STRANGE COINCIDENCES

(United F.A.-Blectric Telegraph-Copyright)

LONDON, May 11.

Much interest has arisen out of Professor J. B. S. Haldaue's criticism of tlx'e Earl of Birkenhead's book, "The "World In 2030."

Mr. Haidane, writing in the "WeekEnd Review," says: "When I read the book a strange feeling began to oppress me. Certain phrases seemed . oddly familiar. Where had I seen them before? Finally, I solved the mystery. They were my own."

Mr. Haidane sets out a half-column of certain parallel passages from Lord Birkenhead's book and from his own work "Daedalus," of which the following is typical. •• ,

Lord Birkenhead says: "They arc minute bodies, so small that if a hen's egg were magnified to the size _ of the world one. of the genes could lie in a fair-sized writing desk." Mr. Haidane in his book wrote: "If we magnified a hen's egg to the size of the world, we still could get a gene into a room, or even on a small table.".

After giving several similar instances side by side, Mr. "Haidane adds: ."Tho resemblance is the more striking when I add some excerpts from essays supposed to have been written by'undergraduates, one in 1030, the other in Ii? 78. Altogether I counted 44 coincidences -in the two documents, I daresay the list is incomplete."

The writer concludes with a semijesting reference to psychic control. "Between the psychically-inspired passages there are portions —in one case no less than 23 pages—which appear to be original. Whether these original. passages are worth the price of the book, 12/6, I will not attempt to decide."

WJben Lord Birkenhead's attention was' directed to the article he replied that he had nothing to say at the moment, but proposed to reply in due course.