HUXLEY’S WORLD OF FUTURE

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25738, 25 February 1949, Page 7

HUXLEY’S WORLD OF FUTURE

Desolate Picture In “Terrible Novel” N.Z. SELECTED FOR SURVIVAL (Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) (Bee. 8 p.m.) LONDON, February 24. A picture of the world in 2148 A-D-, after a third world war. is drawn by Aldous Huxley in a new novel, “Ape and Essence.” In his story only New Zealand has escaped “the Thing,” a weapon which devastates the earth. In the book, a group of New Zealand scientists sail to Hollywood, where among the ruins of studios, villas, and shops they find the few remaining people. These have given themselves over to the Devil. The botanist of the party, since he has a liberal theology, doubts the existence of the Devil, but joins the devil-wor-shippers in order to save himself. He finds a party of people engaged in digging up embalmed bodies from a cemetery to find clothes for themselves.

Mating in Huxley’s future world is seasonal, once a year for a fortnight. A dreadful ray has spread deformity over the land, and most children are born with too many legs or hands. These are ritullistically sacrificed by being speared on forks by priests at the beginning of the mating season, and the mothers are lashed and shaved as a punishment for producing them. John Betjeman, writing in the ‘‘Daily ®Herald,” says of the book: “It is a terrible novel, but terribly good. I strongly recommend it to all scientists, all workers in atomic research stations, and all people who glibly believe that everything is growing better and better towards a new dawn. But although it ig an unforgettable warning of the blackest possible future—a future worse than extinction —remember that it is the work of a cynic who hates the human race. It is full of faith, but has no hope or charity.”