NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20470, 13 February 1932, Page 13

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

ASQUITH TO WALTON. Portraits. By Desmond MaeCarthy. Putnam. 293 pp. (7s fid net.) It is one of the pleasant features of this book—the first Of a series, collecting Mr MaeCarthy's periodical writings—that the portraits are in alphabetical order. Yon begin with Asquith and enct •with Walton, enjoying on tbe way such contrasts as the alphabet provides by putting Wilfrid Blunt, Oscar Browning, Banyan, and Sir Richard Burton together, leading you from Anatole France to Goethe, and from Trollope to Voltaire. It is less pleasant, to find these essays, not only undated and unattributed to their first journalistic homes, though internal evidence sometimes places them, but tagged with the little threads that fastened them to the occasion of writing and publication; and, to say a last grumbling word, Sir MaeCarthy might have touched up a hasty sentence, here and there. He writes so well, with a correctness so easy and smooth and shining, that a slip becomes grievous, though slight. Yet perhaps he should not bear this soft, blame, but Mr Logan Pearsall Smith, who took out of the author's hands a task which would otherwise never have been completed. When Mr MaeCarthy set himself to gather his press contributions of thirty years and make choice of them, he found that there were more than he could bear to read. When he looked at this one or that, he laid it aside again, because young Desmond MacCftrthy, aet. 22, would never have thought it good enough to print; and though this young man with the immortal longings of an "enormous selfesteem" died in 1900, Mr MaeCarthy has not outgrown a fearful sensitiveness to his reproaches. How happy, then, the entrance of Mr Smith and his dismissal of denial vain and coy excuse 1 Tor these are glorious things to read, substantial, but compact and beautifully finished. The best of them are devoted to men whom Mr MaeCarthy knew personally, and well; Asquith, Balfour. Ilenry James, for instance. Mr MacCartliy has the invaluable ability to profit by close views, and to receive from them, as they multiply, only an impression the more firm and fine and integral. Those who think this no uncommon gift should attempt to set down in words a coherent and exact account of their familiar friends. Mow richly, also, Mr MaeCarthy can profit from a single meeting appears in his portrait of Joseph Conrad, wliioii is admirably developed from what, treated by a writer less skilful, might have been no more than the reminiscence of a short and desultory conversation. It would be absurd to say that Mr MaeCarthy expresses the final and , complete truth about anj'body. Occasionally he is even obviously out, as in his peculiarly inadequate references Lo Walton's humour. But it is not at all absurd to say that this book may very well be read and referred to long hence, •for its lively truth, as some personal essays of Hazlitt are to-day or the Coleridge chapter of Carlyle's Life of Sterling. SALISBURY'S FOREIGN POLICY. Lifo of Robert. Marquis of Salisbury. By hts daughter, Lady Gwendolen Cecil. Vol. IV., 1887-1802. Hodder and Stoughton. 413 pp. (21s net.). From W. S. Sffiart. Although Salisbury was Prime Minister us well as Foreign Secretary during the period covered in the latest volume of his biography, it is easy to forget, while reading it, that he was t;ie loader of a Government dealing with very anxious and even dangerous domestic problems. Lady Cecil devotes two chapters to them, no fewer than four (to take a single example) to the international scramble for slices of Africa: but if this on the one hand indirectly reflects upon Salisbury as -t statesman comparatively indifferent to events under his nose, and directly testifies to his exti-aordinary power and poise and vision in dealing with foreign affairs, it also quite fairly balances the account of those years.. They woro full of rumour and portent and movement—towards an early outbreak of war. as it seemed then, towards the delayed catastrophe of 1914, as now appears. When Salisbury returned to the Foreign Office early in ISB7, France had repented of Ferry's conciliatory policy towards Germany, had swung in the royalist-militarist direction, and had made an idol of the melodramatic Minister for War, General Boulanger. Bismarck was secretly feeling for Russia's hand and openly iitting a heavier iron glove on his own. hen the Reichstag rejected his Army Biii, he abruptly dissolved it and prepared to get another which would give him his way. At the same time he plied the British -Bureign Office with reminders ol' the dangers that would beset England if, while Germany and Franco were at grips, Russia seized her chance against Austria, in the Balkans, and in lurkey. France could not harm England while she was afraid of Germany: why should not England acknowledge this relief by sharing Germany's watch over her Eastern frontiers? Lord Salisbury went far as to tell the German ambassador "his own personal opinion," that Austria and Turkey "ought not to be abandoned if seriously pressed." But understanding with the Central Powers advanced no further, except that a few weeks later Salisbury in a Note to Italy and then to Austria went "as close [toJ an alliance as the Parliamentary character of our institutions will permit," in order to secure the Mediterranean status quo against French action; and Bismarck attached himsoU to the arrangement. Clearly there were • risks on all sides, risks which had fully justified the rejection o-f Lord Randolpn Churchill's proposal to reduce armaments. and tho determination—Mr Goschen't—to have Lord Salisbury back j in the Foreign Office. That the risks were not reaped in heavy disaster was due to the Foreign Secretary's, steady refusal to clutch at safety in alliances. He kept England free of commitments which would inevitably have cost her a gresit price, and yet he never fell into the errors of a timid and merely evasive policv. That the tremendous price of war had to be paid before many years passed was not his fault. It is a question of absorbing interest whether, 'i Salisbury's successors had been as steady, as wise, and as keen as he, the war would have, been fought at all.

PLATO. Plato and his Dialogues. By G. Loires •. Dlcltinr-on. Alien and Unvrtn, pp. 225. (fle net.) Cobden was not alone in thinking it preposterous that university students . should know nothing about the Mississippi when tliev were required to know everything about the. little Atheniun 1 stream called the llissus. Lowes Dickinson, however, is well acquainted with both, and by temper and training is able to give to each its due attention, in ibis lie is a classicist; that is to say, his mental liabit is to put distance between himself and men and events ne.'ir at hand, and, at ihe same time, to revrrso his telescope for distant things bo that the two extremes fuse in the mind without passion, without irritability, and without distortion. He he- : lieves that there has never been an age so "like our own as the age or ancient Greece. All the chief social, political, ethical, philosophical, and religious problems and interests of our own" age were being discussed and put in order in Athens more than two thousand years ago. That is why Plato v. rote as he did. We was the archtheorist and exponent r,f ideal commmi ism trusting to his logic to build up an endurable system. To the ordinary Athenian he was a kind of Karl Marx, an object of ridicule and satire. This is how Aristophanes parodied "The Heonhlic" in "The Ecclesiazusje." Praxngora, the leader of the woman's revolt, explains the system to her husband, Blepyros: Blcp.: And liow will you manase iti frax.: First, I'll provide That the silver, and land, and whatever beside Each man shall posaess, shall he common and free. On® fund for the public; then out of it «'<■ . Will feed and maintain rou, nice housekeepers true, r> : speii Ring, and sparing, and caring for yon. , T Blep.: With re star d to the land, I can quite understand. But how, if a man have his money in lmnd, Not farms, which you see, and he cannot-- withold. But talents of silver and Darica of sold { . Pras.: All this to the stores he must bring. Blep.: But suppose, He choose to retain it and nobody knows; Rank perjury doubtless; but what if it he? "Twas by that he acquired it at first. Prax.: I affree, But now 'twill be useless; he'll need it no more. Blep.: How mean you I Pras.: All pressure from want will be o'er. Xo y ,v each wit! have all that a man can desire: Cakea, barley-loaves, /• chestnuts, abundant attire, The general purpose of the book is to set out such extracts from the Dialogues, the Republic, the Laws, and the satirists that the ordinary reader will not only be fully interested in Pinto's vital thoughts hut also illuminated and mslructod in regard to his own. And al- ■ though in the intermediate comments that fuse the extracts into a whole Lowes Dickinson has been careful not to try to say new things about Plato, . vet. when he comes to the end of the hook, the reader feeis that he has been guided by the wisest and quietest of teachers. A GREAT SCHOLAR AND THINKER. Philin Henry Wicjtst»ed: His Life and Work. By C. H. Herford. J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd. (12s 6d net.) Philip Wicksteed was as remarkable a mail in the world of thought and scholarship as Dean Inge or the Baron von Hiigel. For many years he had an active part in the Unitarian ministry, and he gave a great deal of his time to University extension work. His influence was thus a comparatively obscure one, yet he was one of the greatest Dante scholars in England and no mean exponent of mediaeval philosophy. Moreover lie was an authority on ecoxionucis. Professor.Lionel Bobbins contributes to this biography some sections dealing with Wicksteed 'a economic studies, which were much appreciated on the Continent and in America, Wicksteed had Socialistic sympathies, but wrote a most telling critique of Marx's Capital, and in consequence' fell foul of Bernard Shaw, whose defence ■ of Marx was more witty than wise. Wicksteed's works include an edition of Dante, Sermons on the Divine Comedy, and a massive treatise entitled, ' "The Reactions between Dogma and Philosophy," one of the best expositions of the philosophy of Thomas Aquinas extant. On his deathbed he attempted to prepare for publication an edition in Greek and English of Aristotle's Physics. A reviewer, writing in the London "Times" some years ago, said that tho only two books of our time which will be read fifty years hence arc Inge's "Outspoken Essays" and von Hiigel's "Eternal Life." To these two works of enduring value may well be added Wicksteed's wonderful essay, "The Keligion of Time and the Religion of Eternity." Though of no great length, it exceeds in valne many large theological treatises and impresses the readei with the immense knowledge and powers of thought necessary to its pYoduotion. Professor Herford's biography of Wicksteed is very well, done indeed. A certain pathetic interest attaches to it, in that Herford himself was carried off by death before the work was published. When one considers that tho author suffered both from failing eyesight and private sorrow, the book is an heroic labour of love, carried through with wonderful buoyancy of spirit. It is indeed a worthy tribute to its subject, who bore his weight of learning and thought with indomitable vitality. DESTROYERS. Endless Story: an Account of the Work of the Destroyers and Patrol Boats In the Great War. By "Taffrall." Hodder and Stougfcton (through W. 8. Smart), 45.1 pp. (21s net.) There is no reading more exciting and attractive to the average landsman than books about sea battles. "Taff- ] rail" was on a destroyer during tho i whole length of the war, and has first- J hand information, of the Battle of Jutland, to which he devotes a number of chapters. There are stories also of the American Destroyer I'Meot and of the Australians. But to New Zealanders the most interesting chapter? will be those devoted to the landing on Gallipoli, and "Taffrail's" account of the secret withdrawal from Gallipoli will also be new reading to many readers, while those who already know the tacts will be glad to have, them so well retold. That applies also to Zeebrugge, on which he is able to throw lurid sidelights which make it a new chapter. Finally there is a chapter-devoted to L.h'p destroyer strength of England, which in the years 1910-17 jumped from .'30.C00 tons to 330,000. There were no better built destroyers in the world, he says, and not one during the whole war had to he .-strengthened. ."On the ether hand, and without in the least wishing to disparage their wonderful work, I understand that some of the American destroyers serving at Queenstown bad to be strengthened during the winter 1917-18 to enable them to compete with the heavy sea.s o£ the open Atlantic and the western approaches to the Channel." The war lasted four years three months and seven dnvs, and in that time the de-stroyer-flotilla lost 67 vessels (including * flotilla-leaders) —17 in action, b Mink by submarines, 20 by mines, 12 m collision, 8 wrecked, and 1 through a cause unknown. But without that cost England could not have been fed.

DEEDS THAT ARE DARK. Juuglc Ways. By W. B. Se&broofc. Harrap, pp. 280. (108 6d net.) Mr Scab rook's "piece de resistance ' is his account of the preparing, cook- . jug, ar.d eating in West Africa of "a sizable rump steak" and "small loiu roast" from a freshly killed mail "who seemed to be about thirty years old, and luia not been murdered. ' To silence those who question ins veracity, i.e sets down details as "lull, objective, and complete," as if he were "recounting a hist experience witli reindeer meat, siiark meat, or any other unlanuliar meat experimented with for the first time." \Ve are told what the meat looked like, its texture, raw and cooked, colour raw, half-cooked, and cooked, its cooking odours, and linally, with great detail, the effect on the author's palate, stomach, imagination, and conscience. If the vegetarians know their business they "ill buy this book and reprint and distribute this meaty chapter, but Mr Seabrook will never understand why. Though he had a moment of squeamishness, he says that he finished well, "able, after the first sensation of relief had passed, to consider the meat as meat, and to be absolutely sure of the correctness of his impressions." He also "felt a great satisfaction in having learnt the empiric truth on a subject concerning which far too inany books and liieces have been written and re-written, filled' with almost nothing but speculation, hearsay, legend, and hot-air; a sense of pride in having carried something through to its finish: a long standing personal curiosity satisfied at last." But if that is the most sensational chapter of the book. the most interesting is his account of Father Yakouba, "who went into Africa a Ion?: generation ago as si young missionary monk of the Augustinian White Fathers, forsook his robes and the priesthood to go magnificiently and completely native, adopt the native ways of living, marry a black woman, beget progeny as fabulous and wideflung as the children of Noah, and, contrary to all 'moral probability,'" to become, instead of the ridiculous renegade outcast ot fiction, the greatest official political adviser and authority on native ages in the entire history of FrancoAfrican colonisation." Mr Seabrook s photograph of him is a volume in itself, a treatise on the difference between Saxon and Latin, and (many people will think) on thg ultimate secrets of wisdom and happiness. RURAL CREDIT. The Provision of Credit, With Special Eeference to Agriculture. By H. Belsha'W, M.A., Ph.D. W Heller and Sons, Ltd. (10s 6d net.) In his opening chapters, Dr. Belsliaw analyses the economic organisation of agriculture as it affects the farmer's credit facilities. "By virtue of its intimate dependence on the land," ho points out, "the farm business covers a much larger area than manufacturing or commercial enterprises of similar size. These latter also tend to he concentrated at particular points, and round them grow up commercial and financial undertakings to cater for their needs. From such undertakings the farm is separated by distances which may be sometimes very great. Finally, agriculture is subjected to technical and commercial risks of a special kind arising in particular out of the close dependence of agriculture on natural conditions, -which cause unforeseen . losses, and make it difficult to control output; and out of the length of time required for - the maturing of crops." Add to this tlie fact that the farmer has frequently little knowledge of finance, and sometimes does not keep proper books, and it becomes apparent that the cost of his credit will be high unless there is a specialised organisation to meet his needs. The rest of the book contains a summary of the chief rural credit systems in operation throughout the world, including a critical review of the work of the State Advances Office, and the Ilural Intermediate Credit Board in New Zealand. The last two chapter?, dealing with the provision of Rural Credit in England, are written by Mr K. R. Enfield, of the Ministry of Agriculture and' Fisheries. THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROPERTY. Property: A Study in Social Psychology. By Ernest Beaglehole. George Allen and Unwin Ltd. (10s fid net.) Mr Beaglehole is a young New Zeai lander who has in a remarkably" short time made a name for himself in Jongland as a sociologist and political theorist. The subject of property has been treated fairly thoroughly from the legal and ethical points of view, but never before from the psychological.. Mr Beaglehole traces the property instinct through practically the whole animal kingdom, beginning with insects and ending "with man. -It is & large synthesis for one writer, calling for a more than casual acquaintance with zoologv, anthropology, psychology and political theory, and Mr Beaglehole doc» not seem very happy in his earlier chapters. It is a pity he did not concentrate on the institution of property among men and leave the rest to experts, for it is in this part of his book that he is most interesting. As it is, the chapter in which he summarises his conclusions seems meagre in relation to the scope of the work. THE 1931 CRIOtET TOUR. The New Zealandara Sn Bngla-nd, J9SI. By O. S. Hints. With a. foreword by A. H. H. GUlig&n and an introduction fcy A. T. Donnelly. J. M. Dent and Sons, Ltd. 140 pp. (Ss 6d net.) There must be hundreds of enthusiasts in the Dominion who -want something better than memory to depend on, as they look back over a season in which New Zealand cricket celebrated its coming of age; and they will welcome this record of the 1931 tour. Xt deserves a weleome. Mr Hintz, who was the New Zealand Press Association's correspondent with the team, has written very clear summaries of all matches, with sparing but judicious comment; and though another kind of writer might have -written another kind of book, more romantic and more "literary,'' and so have better pleased a few, this is the best kind of book, as Kingsley said, "for every day." The last 30 or 40 pages are devoted to the essential statistics and arithmetic of the tour, and the eight photographs are very good. HUNTING AND EXPLORING. The Wander Tears: Hunting and Travel in Pour Continents. By Frederick LortFhlllips. Nash and Grayson. (21s net.) Through Whitcombe and Tombs. Ltd. Between 1892 and 1908 Mr LottPhillips travelled and hunted in Africa, Canada, Persia, and the Tian Shan, and the present book is based on the diaries he kept during these years. Books about hunting can be very tedious, but Mr Lort-Phillips tempers his , enthusiasm for big-game with an interest in zoology and exploring. His journeys with Donaldson Smith into unknown Somaliland resulted in the collection ot' many valuable data, and provide easily the most interesting passages in the book. The picture of African travel in the nineties has its lighter side as well: Somaliland and the Congo seem, at this period, to have been dotted with English peers, Kussiaa archduke*, and cases of champagne.