"A COMEDY WITH A STING."

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 687, 11 December 1909, Page 9

"A COMEDY WITH A STING."

' "'Open-Countryl", By Maurice' Hewlett; Mac- •■;.:; millan's.Colonial Library.' 2s. M--' '"''■ ' ,Mr.-'Hewlett calls his latest b'ook:."a comedy, with a'stin'g." ;He might have called it, more 'descriptively,. s thpugh. less attractively,: a philosophical romance. : The thoughts, ; of:.<folin Maxwell Senhouse, of life-arid society,,of politics, and economics, of lovo,ahd'marriage, nre-the springs that start; thoVnction: and control,'it,, tie the knot and loosen:it.!. And: yet,' so; joyous and subtle is Mr/; Hewlett's : artittiat the'.reader; feels that he is' being entertained; and. forgets, that heVis being'instructed. His mind is stimulated unawares.:: The Senhouse: :,ofj"Open Country",is: also the' Senhouse of the •previous .;■ tale/-,"Halfway : Hoiiso," . but. .the author is careful -.- to explain : that ..the events of this latest'book happened four years earlier, and that the appearance of one figure in both books is tho only connection between the two. Certainly; those who have not read "Halfway House" need, not -make ;tliat.,regrettable omission a reason for .neglecting "Open Country," for tho of Senhouse: in this .tale is I complete.. And, given -a' certain' breadth' . of mind in the reader, an appreciation of what someone - hhs called /.tho' moral picturesque, a hospitable readiness .to. entertain, .though 'not necessarily-.to embrace,, strange ideas,-: the portrait is. ; u singularly winning one.:-'; „; Senhouse is a'.gentleman gipsy. One'-.May morning, he "walked out of /his rooms, out: of -his college,.'out; of -Cambridge, 'never ;to , return," tramped Europe, became' "irredeemably enthusiastic in -tho.cause of;absolute -.liberty, in -touch' with'.Tolstoy/'Kropotkin, /Step'iiiakV; and' half the. dreamers, of iE.uroper a corifirmedi wanderer, a sojourner in' 'tents. ..V-He calls him-; ..self.,-an-'Anarchist,-;:declaims'.against civilisa- 5 tiOn, and, will'have it that'there arc no such' things as: nations: He. has. a passion for"gar■doning, and his garden' is,nllEngland./Trayel- 1 lirig in a tilt-cart,: which holds'all his prov pertjv; he .plants ;• beautiful foreign ■ flowers in' .waste places He is an artist,--'an erratic sort' of journalist," a, scholar, a'.w.iC.and,a humour-; ist..; His.ettycal ance,.&implicity- r thes6:three;',but.the greatestof these, is »Poverty." . There havo been ' suclr characters beforehand, they; hare-appeared in? many, countries-'aud'lin different ages. Sen-' . h P ,lse Jjs! transition, as' ;?t.- were.' dfj! the .-■ , .CyniC; ;: : of-, Ep'ictetu!s4','tho-; iiriari- - who; 'livopV under the'o'pert-slcyi'the.freenian" whoso" tupctibn-was to'show "that,one.can live prosperously homeless; a hearthless, without/servants or a country He - I s t . s ? o . l j?l;? ic! > ll y,. tiipu°rli. not perhaps spiritu-' ■?V;-M the same/family; as ; Franois of Assisi. Instead,; of apostolic.' fervour, - he - has a sort - of happy; paganism, and a certain irrepressible boyish impudence.': He inveighs against .riches,' bHV ™ rich.-like to have, him in; their houses. /His teut under, suits;liim-:betfer. ;,Mr; | Hewlett,remarks;,tliat;such:a''m'an would' be-less, estraordiiirtry now. .than':iu';ißßtj..^h'eri :Senhouse,,began.'.to':live ;'ih his own'iway^tlt ;may.. bo: so,. as;regards: his manner.-of-living, but . the-Uvnter .. of those :wenderful ; , lette'rs--1-. profuse,; random, < eloquent," Mr; Hewlett' • .not. more: than 'justly,;/calls :;them-that:-.fili-half the .book i would: at any time- be lexcep- ; tional.. The.; letters /are' addressed - to; Sanchia. Perciyal,::whpm Senhouse has mqt when- she'is wading : in.: a-pond,, to clear the-'weeds.'away from ■;the. water-lilies.- Friendship becomes, ; on his side;,loyer-and.almost.on;hers/ 'too.; Yet, at; the.':end of : the;story, they separate.; Thero is' a'; third:person.,- When a '"Cynic" (in ;the Epictetean' sense);-ai:S,t. Francis,,or a Senhouse; loves.'-thc doctrine of poverty, temperance, and simplicity is - linblo ! to • be severely': strained. Epictetus'.argued; the,; question, ;and. left; it' pretty: much' where.-fo'r'ariyiwho'.do not: find ;the.::sha'rp_;!:Franciscnii'/'answer still. remains."' Mr. Hewlett;- being -a : novelist y4and a .; highly .-'.artistic : novelist—does , not: •argue,; And ..though ; .the.problem is ,old, his treatment, is ,:new..: 'Sanchia, -inspired! but /too ;fuUy;.by; the;teaching' of'her-friehd, is-.about : ' 'to ' sacrifice-■■■too'vin'ucHi-.'for" .love.',:.''.'-Wherefore.' Senhouse, haying sown, is engaged.to reap, but the harvest., is another's. Many a reader will wish;;fiii\'the:sake : of;tho beautiful and heroic Sanchia, 'that, the.anarchisrii of Senhouse had riot made ,him. feel that';to offer marriage to a 'woman >Would be' to insult her.'. "Open Country" /is .an unusual book, and; a book to'be >':■;/'/--..::..::■.:';;:'! : '

"Mr. Marx's" Secret."; By G. Phillips Oppenheim. : London: Ward, Lock and Co. ~-■'.-".(Whitcoinbe .'-audi Tombs.)/ 1 .•■'■;- . ■-•".' This/will, prove ,a; thoroughly enjoyable book ,to that great class. of novel readers' who delight in the-skilful unravelling of a mystery. /The mere:statement that the author is Mr..Phillips Oppouhcim/is a. sufficient guarantee - that the story, is cleverly conceived and well told.' There are lio dull pages,;for.in almost every/chapter there,is an unexpected development, and the reader "is l carried with a rush from the. opening -pf<the:plot till the mystery is .finally cleared/'.up.; A young, man,: who. thinks/that ho is ; the son of a small discovers, after passing-through >a: number-of. sensational/adventures and being puzzled with various extra : 'ordinary coincidences,.that his father is a very .wealthy-English\gentleman, who, after-; being given up:for, dead, makes a sudden reappearance, 1 to the embarrassment of quito a number of- people. There is; a murder in 'the--story, land -just enough love-making to; soften the more-tragic incidents of tho narrative. The principal characters, are well drawn. "Mr Marx's Secret;' is ono of Mr. Oppenheim's best 'stories.' v ':-: . : ''-''.'

"Sermons, Literary arid Scientific," by the Rev. '- Joseph' Miller, B.D. London:. Rivingtousi. ,'--)'',os.-.;6(1.'v ;• •'.-'/';;■■ ' . -;/ " .In this volume of sermons a number of very interesting subjects: are dealt with iri ...n -scholarly, manner. : -by ene. whn has evidently thought :deeply -upon the great, religious problems: of the day. -Tho writer's point of view is..that of-the evangelical school of the Anglican Church, and incidental-references.indicate that ha occupies a decidedly conservative' position as regards Biblical criticism. .He.does not, however, deal explicitly with '■ this question as he docs with certain phases of modern scientific thought. For instance, .ho places the title "Evolution Confuted" oyer two -sermon's. Ho states that "evolution .is a mere theory or hvpothesis-put: forth, to explain the-..facts of existence," and declares that "other hypotheses as plausible have had their day, and passed away like forgotten dreams." His objection, to evolution is based on-the old "gap" argument.. • "Spontaneous generation," lie writes, "is as far as ever from being.cstablishcd as a fact, ■■'. ;. . and it is not, at 1 the beginning :or in ono or two other places, only, where wide'gaps present thomselves. in-tho pretendedly unuroken : chain or scries t of' evolution; but: there are gaps or missing; links throughout." A in an must certainly- have the courage of: his opinions to take up this attitude in theso; days when probably the majority, of the nibst .distinguished leaders' of religious th'ftignt accept the evolution theory; yet Mr; Millei- statesithc case for the othbr side with 'much ".bility, .uiid Do does-not hesitate:, to '.declare tliat "nr.tuj.'. successive creations, -answerable

to the . Bible account, have been--established by geological science, whilst tlio pretensions of •'.evolution-moot with the.faintest and most uncertain 'corroboration,. winch cannot ...for a moment stand the test of candid and unbiased scrutiny." .'This is carrying the war into the enemy's country witli a vengeance, and certainly shows Hint : Mr. Miller declines to be overawed; by. tho authority of' great names. His attitude is a marked contrast to Professor Driver's recent commentary''on tho Book of .Genesis, in which the '..modern scientific position is frankly, and fully adopted. It must not,: however, be thought that Mr. Miller's book is, of a highly controversial character. That would--be a great mistake. It deals with many other in-a most instructive and quite uncoutroversinl' manner, and the selections givon from distinguished Continental preachers are also of great interest and value. Tho book as a whole is characterised by extensive study and independent thought.

Jack, tho Rascal." .By G. Manville l-'win. Bell's Indian and Colonial Library. (Whit- ..•: combo and Tombs,"Ltd.) "■..'... , As a writer "of boys' books, the late G. Manville Ferin ranked with Dean Farrar, and the late G. "A. Henty. "Jack, tho■-Enseal,'-' being .quite up to the standard of, tho author's previous works, needs but little description. Jack is Jack Partoii, who lives with his mother in a quiet, English village. Ho is really not a rascal at. all, but he gains tho title from-the innumerable mischievous- pranks i which he shares:with his young friend Jem Combe. But there is nothing that is hot honest in the lad, and after he has played tricks which tako up thirty odd chapters'of description lib-re-form's. under, the guidiug care of tho rector of the'village. Then lie goes to sea and comes' back a hero, through his gallant conduct in a shipwreck; -,: The. bright and easy style of Manville Fenn will please many other than boys who read this.book, and in addition there is, running.'through .the,■ story ,-,a vein of pleasant study.. of the wild, life 'hi an "English count}'.' ,'.;'■ -.■■.'.. ;'>.' -. : ..';'

Holl'.Cainb bad. a:'severe heart seizure '. in October; He feels strongly about the-criticism, to. which ho was -subjected for writing "The White'; Prophet." In a letter to the "Daily News"' ; he protests against tho charges brought against .him by critics of "defaming- ono's country, inflaming sedition, outraging the sanctities of religion; and pandering to the appctite'fdr indecency. Such are some of the accusations which have been made against me in relation to my recent novel. 'The.White Prophet,' not in obscure, but in prominent journals, and riot in one place but in hundreds of places: .'.Against this : .volume of- almost unanimously condemnatory criticism .'there has been, so far as I know, only one voice raised, that of Mr. George Bernard' Shaw; and'l can never be sufficiently grateful to the" brave-and brilliant man' who has spontaneously spoken up for his fellow craftsman at a moment when he is being generally and (as I think) most unjustly denounced.". ■ :'. . , '~

Mr. Maurice Buxton Forman, writing in the new issue of the " Bookman," reminds a forgetful public-and a not too well informed commentator that "The Egoist" -made its ..first appearauco in " Tho Glasgow Weekly Herald." What ultimately became the titlo of Mr. Meredith's novel was, as the story appeared in the "Weekly Herald'.';in 1879, only a part of the title, which read •" Sir AVilloughby. Patternc, the Egoist.":. Glasgow; is now reputedly, onb of the strongholds of the Meredith cult, but so far as Glasgow was represented by the readers of the" Weekly Herald"; it did'not jump to Meredith' thirty years ago. Dr. J. 1 K.! Stoddart is stated to have told a colleague that tho story was "dear and not remunerative," and Mr." Buxton; I'orman, after an' examination of the .files of the paper,' opines that the account of tho awful Tay Bridge disaster, contained in the. first "'number, of' the "Weekly Herald " issued in 18S0 "provided cheaper anS more remunerative 'copy'!than the whole of the.-.Temarkaule;'story' which '.is regarded 'by many as George Meredith's masterpiece."'