LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3042, 31 March 1917, Page 17

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

To Correspondents.—"A.B.C." : John /Forbes-Robertson (of Aberdeen) waß : a prominent art critic in his day, contributing'to the "Aoademy," the : "Saturday Review," and other wellknown weeklies. His son, Sir John- - Bton Forbes-Robertson, aotor, thea/trical manager, and journalist, is also ; an admittedly'high authority on art, 1 being himself' an excellent portrait ■ painter.' .: "Wakupuaka": You can get most of Jacobs's stories in cheap, editions, at 9d. to Is. His latest book, "Castaways," is a long,' complete story. 'TMalstone Lane," "Salthaven," and "A Master of Craft" aro Jaoobs's other long stories. But he is at his best in the short story: Try "Many Carfjes" or "Captains All." "Anglo-'-reneh": I am afraid you Would find Anatole Prance in the original a little difficult. Try Daudet's "Froment Jeune et Risior Aine," or his "Tartarin de Tarascon. 1 These coat 3s. Bd. i 'G.H.8.": Do Morgan is at his best in "Alioe For Short : cheapost edition 3s. Gd.. Try, also, his "Joseph Vance" and .-"Somehow flood.*" A Plea for Frenoh Literature. In a .recont issiio of the London "Morning Post," . v Mr. W. ! J.' Locke makes an eloquent and seasonable pica for Frenoh literature. As all of us know well who read and enjoy his delightful novels, 'Mr. Locke knows France far better than most English? men. Ho 'argues strongly in favour of an intellectual as well as a political Entente. All English law, all English thought, all English poetry is essentially Latin. Chancer, "pure well of English, undented," is, as Mr.' Locke reminds us, Latin in language and:inspiration.. Says Mr. Locko:-

. Of all : foreign tongues French is the ;easiestfor. üb'to'.read*... Why don't lve read it'more? Sheer laziness'..is oiie reason. Prejudico is another. 1 ' Ignorance, salo.eiou'uiess, and, prudery 'have combined to give tho Freiijcli novel a bad

Mr.' Locko contends that "tho Eng-lish-speaking-' public was cruelly: misinformed, on-tho scope and purport.ofZola's -work.": Ho'points out that' the twenty .'volumes of the'Rougon Macquart series,'were >

an> inquiry into all the tainted sources of corruption in national life that led; to the disaster of Sedan,'written with the.fervent patriotism und passionate ideals of Truth and Justice that flamed afterwards into his immortal "J'accuse." All French literature was lumped together in the- -popular ...-.conception- of: "Nana." Greater wrong was done by the salacious who read nothing but tho clegaut scum, the, traditional grivoiserie and gauloiserie that has always floated on the top of French fiction. The prudish coming across such in drawingrooms and club libraries were naturally shocked. And so the veil between us [and the Heart of Franco was darkened.

As to commending particular authors the task is, says Mr. Locke, "difficult to perform without a certain pedagogic priggishuoss." \i

But ther o are names that leap at once into one's thoughts. If wo want a beautiful picture of devotional life in France, there is Rene Bazih. Barros will take us to the heart of Lorraine: Claude Farrere will- bliow us the seaports of France and her colonies. From Pierre Loti wo shall learn the soul of tho Breton folk. With Joan Aicard wo shall be deep in Provence. . Pierre Mille will tell 'us of the great' Barnavaux and the French military spirit. The Gaßpard of Rene Benjamin is our comrade in the trenches to-day. Through them, through Jean Richepin, Henri.de Eegnier, Marcel PreTOßt, Marcclio Tinayre, through the swift arrows of Anatole Fran*, through Henri Lavoclan, Guy Cbantepleurc—how can one catalogue tho.m ?—rl ven a pour tous lea gouts (thero is something to please .every-one-)—through »tho living work of tho groat dead, Alphonso Daudot, Guy de Maupassant. .. Ludovic Halevy, • througli the innumerable host of their predecessors, in which here and thero gleams a starry spirit like Henri do Murger, wo can reach our goal. We are hot quite dependent on linguistic accomplishments in this matter, for during tho last two or three years excellent English translations have appeared, one of the moat recent and most notable of which is of M. Benjamin's "Gasparcl le Poilu."

Claude Farrere and Henri Lavedan certainly do not write "pour les jeunes filles," but, of course, Mr. Looke is no believer in the absurd theory that either Frenoh or any other fiotion should

be watered down to the moral standpoint of the boarding school miss or the Yankee prudes who would drape the legs of a piano. At tho same time he would, I am sure, agree with mo that catchpenny so-called "translations" of Fronoh authors are hotter left alone. A New Play, by John Masefield. John Masefield's latest contribution to literature is "a play in verse," entitled "Good Friday." The aotion takes place in the paved court outside • the Roman Citadel in Jerusalem, not. on Golgotha nor in any scene of the eventß themselves, josus Himself does not appear in tho play; His figure is guesßed in the crowd, and that is all. Pilate is depioted as stern, noble, abrupt in manner, but "at heart patient, wis*, and not nnhutnoroug." To Herod the story of the trial 'lis a matter' of international 'courtesies -and Jewish politics." The one man who gets at the heart of the tragedy which is discussed, by the crowd which throngs the courtyard is a poor blind madman, a beggar, who sings: . , Only a penny,, a penny, - • Lilies brighter than any, . Lilies whiter than, enow— -.' [He feels that be is alone.] Beautiful lilies grow '■'■'... Wherever the truth so sweet Has trodden with Woody feet, Has stood with a bloody brow. ' Friend, it is over 1 now, The passion, the sweat, the pains; Only, the truth remains. '• v ■ [Ha lays lilies down.] I cannot see what others see; Wisdom alone is kind to me, Wisdom that comes from Agony. Wisdom that lives in the pure skies, The untouched 6tar, tho spirit's eyes; 0 Beauty,, touch me, make me wise. The "Times" reviewer says that once more Mr. Masefield succeeds in bring-, ing things and people, close that aro usually ;remote, making that "real" whioh else were "literary" or "religious," or something else dissociated _jn' the common idea from the realities' of life." Mr. Masefield's two books, on Gallipoli have had a bjg sale. Each has reached 'a second edition. Sallormen's "Charities." ' Nowadays, when the sailing ship as a passenger carrier has practically disappeared, few people are familiar with the old-time sea "chanties" .which will be remembered by New Zealanders who came out from Home in, the good old "windjammers," the fine clippers of the Shaw,/8avill ; and New Zealand Shipping ; Companies. /To "Liber," suoh old favourites as "Blow the Man Down" arid "Whisky for. My Johnny" will always recall memories of the pleasant days when his ship was "running down the easterlies." In- SaffromMiddleton's new book, "A "Vagabond's Odyssey" (the same author who gave us that capital book "Sailor and Beachcomber"), I find an interesting reference to the beauty _ and mystery of ships and of the magic of the 6ea-rand; incidentally, to the good old "chanties" of the old-time sailor-man.

. I like all the Teally good classical compositions, but my memory of the old chantey "Blow the Man Down," as I heard it leung and 6ing it myself, with crooked-nose old sailors as we rounded ; Cape Horn, with seas crashing over the decks and the flying scud, racing the moon, the old skipper on the poop shouting, muffled to the teeth in oilskins, his greybeard swinging sideways to the wind as the full-rigged ship dipped and rolled homeward'bound is something of nnisio, singing and haunting my sold that mil only die when my memory dies. I can still see 'the" erflw climbing aloft and along, the yards, their shadows falling softly,thro' the moonlit grey sails and yards, on to the decks - . The hook contains several interesting allusions to Stevenson, whom the author'met more than once in v his wanderings in Polynesia. To. this now Stevensoniana I may allude on another ocoasion. . -' ( Barrio's Early Days. ; ; Those who have read and remember Barrie's'first novel, "When a Man's Sinale," which, by the way, together with the, volume of sketches, "My Lady Nicotine," by. the same author, all budding' journalists should read; will reoall the amusing description of the hero's first journalistic experiences on a provincial daily. ■■; This paper was long'ago identified as the "Nottingham. Daily Guardian." In Mr. H. G. Hibbert's "Fifty Years of a Londoner's Life 1 ' somo interesting reminiscences aro. jjiven of Barrie's life in Nottingham. "'Mr; Hibbert, who was subeditor on the "Guardian" in Barrio's time, tolls! us that the latter's first articlo, prepared while ho was on the. train journey from his native Kirriemuir (later on immortalised as the scene of,-"A Window in Thrums," and "Auld Licht Idylls"), "was written in pencil on both sides of the two fly-loaves, yellow glazed, of a pocket edition of Horace. The writing was minute and regular, and most legible— apparently. Actually it waß the tonic record of a Scottish'drawl, softly extended and swgiis unintelligible." Barrie put ill Two years on the "Guardian," said to bo the oldest provincial newspaper, The engagement was terminated, says Mr. Hibbert, "it may bo because of the ultra-fantastical quality of tho contributions: it may be because he asked for an advance in salary at a moment When dubiety as to the' commercial worth (in Nottingham) and'saneness of his humour had become acute." The delightful, although unconsciously humorous. Mr. ■ Penny, the foreman printer of ' tho novel/ introduced himself, to Mr. Hibbert as follows: —"Good evening, I supf pose you're the new sub-editor. -I'm tho Y .foreman' printer. I might say/1! run .this place.'i-;l've been here,..man. and-.boy,/f0r.30 years, and I've seen 37 young fellows in your chair. I hope ■we shall got on." The foreman. had two names for T 'cppy." . There was "noos"_; there was mere'literary' matter.'whicb ho called "tripe:" "Barrie's work, acutelv literary* was always* in pencil, and ho suffered horribly. . Our autocrat had a soft, spot, but Barrie refused to necotiate it. For myself, I once procured the insertion nf an historic speech on Protection, by Hehry Chaplin hy making it the introduction to Mansfield flower show. So' it became 'preference copy.'" Barrio wrote live leaders a weok. a weekly column of. eossin. sinned "H.tppomoiiGs," and hook reviews measured .with a tape to make six columns 'a week. Stray Leaves. "Further Foolishness" is the titld of Stephen Leacock's new volume of sketches to be published by Mr.'John Lane. The author of "Literary Lapses,"- . "Moonbeams from the Larger Lunacy," and "so many othor diverting satires on the follies of tho day, has now got a big hold on the English reading public. So far he has never utilised his experiences of travel in Now Zealand, which ho visited four or fivo years ago. , I havo boon dipping into Mrs. Maud Diver's new story now appearing- as a serial in tho Cornhill Magazine. It isa war story, and promises to be fully equal to anything yot dono by tho clover author of "Captain Desmond, V.C." Another magazino serial which, whon ' completed, is suro to havo a big sale, is by Jeffrey Farnoll, of "Broad Highway" and '"Amateur Gcntloman" fame. Mr. Farnoll's story, which deals with life iii the under-world of Now York, is rnnningin'Chambers's Magazine, the short stories and sketches in which aro as good as over. Chambers is one of tho oldest of the English magazines. It has no illustrations, but its literary features are always of a very high order of excellence, In the February number I notice a capital article on the New Zealand koa' and kakapo- There is ao better magazine

for family reading than Chambers. It was a favourite of "Liber'b" in boyhood days, when Captain Mayne Reid's and James Payn's stories wcro popular serials in its pages, and I have never lost my old liking for it. Amongst a host of forthcoming new war books I notice "Naval Actions and l Distractions," by tho Grand Fleet chaplain who wroto "In Northern Mists" (Hodd'er and Stoughton). "My 75," from tho French of Paul Lintier, is announced by Heinemanns. The author is. a French .artilleryman, whoso diary from the outbreak of the war ■nntil his doath in action last summer reveals a k>vo for his gun as deep as the.cavalryman,-for his horse. .There-, will be a host of readers for Mr. H. G.. ■WeUs's forthcoming book, published by. Cassells,'and 'entitled "The Social; Changoß in-Progress," and other vital matters connected with the war. "My Reminiscences," by Sir George Roid, will bo published very shortly by . Oassellsi Tho ex-High Commissioner: for Australia, and 'Yes-No politician of so many. years' ©xperience, ought to] have man}' good stories to toll. In' Messrs. Cassells' fiction list I notice new novels by Mrs. Baillie Reynolds, Alice Perrin, "M. E. Francis, and J. D. Beresford, whoso "Jacob Stahl" trilogy and "The House in Dementrius Road" have been so much praised.