BOOKS of the WEEK

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 59, 2 December 1933, Page 19

BOOKS of the WEEK

Reviews and Passing Notes

LAND OF MIST AND STORM

Diary’ Impressions of the Magellan Territory

“AVliere Tempests Blow,” by Michael H. Mason. (London: Hodder and Stoughton.)

One of the few remaining parts of the world where, tracts of unexplored country remain to tempt adventurous spirits is the Land of Magellan in the southern corner of Patagonia. It is a barren land of mist and snow, and sto.tms, a land of deep, lonely fiords, fringed by countless bays and inlets where icebergs, sundered from the grgat glaciers of the Southern Andes, move majestically toward the open ocean and drift slowly before the eter-, nal westerly gales that sweep Tierra Del Fuego and the far-off sentinel of the Horn. To this place went Michael H. Mason and his wife Annette, not as explorers in the accepted sense., but as ordinary Engllsh-fOlk. travellers off the beaten track, he with his diary, she with her camera. At a town named Puerto Series in Ultima Esperanza, the southwestern corner pf the Argentine, they hired the Vloleta, a 15-ton steam launch, and engaged a crew. For nearly two months they cruised along the desolatd shores of Magellan, beyond the otjiposts of civilisation, beyond even the most isolated Indian camps, to parts never before visited by man. In his diary of the cruise. “Where Tempests Blow,” Mr. Mason explains in a few words the simple why and wherefore of his quest. “The present-day explorer Is a geographer ouly. who scrawls down , upon a map some physical feature of minor importance. That is the best that is left for him until the time comes when men will be enabled really to explore the depths of the ocean. As for people like myself and Annette, who go into obscure areas without any objective beyond seeing what is to bo seen and rejoicing in it. I suppose we are ‘tramp tourists.’ So be it.” But the “tramp tourist” has written e book, an elaboration of his diary, illustrated with the magnificent photographic plates his Annette secured. It is a plain and forthright tale, told in the easy conversational style that won for Mr. Mason a host of friends in his previous works, “The Arctic Forests,” “Deserts Idle.” and “Trivial Adventures.” Here is no distorted mirror of lurid adventurings and hair-breadth escapes, unless his challenge to the traditionally dangerous Straits of Magellan in his tiny craft —a challenge that succeeded only after his mast, rigging, and top-hamper had been smashed and swept away—be considered as such. Instead there are quietly-fa.scinat.ing descriptions of day-to-day voyaging, camping, and exploring: of great mountains, valleys, and ice fields: of deep, silent bays teeming with marine life: of wheeling sea birds crying like the souls of the sailors these shores have claimed, and frisk-

lug land birds so tame that they would perch ou a shoulder or hand. Here and there Mason exults at the successes of his quest, for example, when he recounts the thrill of actually discovering and naming (not officially, but for hl's own satisfaction) a great glacier. He called it the “Ventisquero Grande : “It is a solemn and satisfying thought that no human eye has gazed upon that glacier. For sheer stupefying splendour it eclipses all. The English tongue is too dry a medium to express its shining glory aud the terrific majesty of its relentless way across the torn surface of the earth. And If a poet were to paint in words the picture given to our eyes to-day. by the long Sweep of mountains. the chain of sharp peaks, and the snowfields that lie behind it—grim ramparts towering against the desperate hurricanes from the west the reader would set forth that very day to see such beauty for himself, or. more likely, shut up the book and say. ‘This bird is blithering.’ ” “Where Tempests Blow” makes no Claims as a handbook to the Magellan territory, or even as an authoritative discourse on the nature of the country, its flora and fauna. On the contrary the author is at pains to emphasise that his diary impressions are simply those of an intelligent man with eyes to see, a mind to appreciate, and imagination enough to know aud select those things which will interest an equally intelligent reader. A_f the same time a book sanely descriptive of this Land of Magellan, whose very existence has to most of us the hazy quality of a sailor’s legend, is an event in the. world of travel literature, aud, in this case, for more reasons than one, a very pleasing event.

AN AUSTRALIAN PIONEER

“Packhorse and Waterhole,” by Gordon Buchanan (Sydney: Angus and Robertson).

Mr. Buchanan has written “Packhorse and Waterhole” with the object of placin'’ on record such information as he has been able to collect concerning the life of his father, Nathaniel Buchanan, one ot the most daring and adventurous of Australia’s early pioneers. To penetrate unknown country, to search for new stock routes, to find out always what lay beyond was the breath of life to this icstless and enterprising man. He appears to have made unsuccessful attempts to sette down at various periods of his lite, but old age found him still on the r°ad, which he only deserted when forced by failing health and nearing the end. lie was among the first to cross overland from Queensland to the Kimberleys, and his name is borne by various geographical features in this and other districts The whole effect of this book, which includes mention of many of Buchanan s contemporaries, is somewhat rambling, but it will doubtless help to perpetuate the names of these men. Buchanan himself seems to have left rather a meagre record of his life. It is likely that, in common with many of those of his time, he loved roaming and adventure for its own sake, and could not have imagined himself as figuring in any form ot “Memoirs,” that class of writing which is so fashionable at present.

A DAY IN SCHOOL

“Apology of a Mercenary,” by Martha South (Loudon: Constable and Co.). This book leaves the reader with a curious sense of completeness. It professes to be the story of one day in a Council School in a provincial town in England, a day in which the question of “passing” a young student-teacher, Anne Hatebard, is to be decided by Hepzibah Chinch, H.M.1., assisted by Elizabeth Grigor, Lecturer in Education. We meet John Elliot, the headmaster, and his family, several teachers and certain of the school children. The big event of the day is the dropping of a toy bomb in school by Susan Sewell, aged ten, an offence for which the punishment is borne by Phoenix Latter, a backward schoolboy, a punishment administered by the beadmaster knowing the boy to be innocent. Behind these bald facts the author shows the invisible world of miud and spirit, and this group of people, perhaps not especially interesting on the surface, becomes significant, part of the great mystery of life, flowing, pulsating, changing, yet always inexpressibly the same. The day runs its course, its hours marked for us" by the zany, Johnny, who, one with nature, in his own mind, causes the sun to rise in the morning and brings it safely to its moorings at night. We meet with birth, mating, death, faith and disillusionment, but the mngic of words has for its ■ heart the question of teachers — women teachers, especially—who teach for pay because they must. “Apologv of a Mercenary” is delightful Tending, written with the certainty of touch that argues intimate personal experience. There is food here for the mystic, for the student of humanity, and for all who give serious thought to the teaching of the vast ocean of youth that with Its succeeding waves is “always with us.” AN EMPIRE CALENDAR “The Empire Calendar for 1934” (Royal Empire Society). The Empire Calendar contains 52 selected pictures of Empire subjects, such as the Parliament House at Ottawa, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Cape Town and Table Bay, a sheep station in New Zealand. and the old palace at. Udaipur. There are ten pictures of the British Isles, including an aerial view of Oxford and an infra-red photograph of London. A few concise facts arc given beneath each plate. The calendar would make a very attractive present, or would form an admirable basis for a short, weekly talk on the Empire to school children, guides or scouts. It has the new Spircx binding aud is packed in a gift box.

THE RETURN TO GOD

Varieties of Christianity Set Side by Side

“The Bel urn to God,” 3 vcJ.s. 1. An Anglican View.” by Canon buy Rogers. 2. “An Anglo-Catholic View,” by Sydney Dark. 3 “A Catholic View,” by Father Leslie M alker (London: Barker).

There is apparently a quite lively demand, in England at all events, tor little books on religion. No doubt there always has been. What seems to be new is the taste for series of books which give accounts of the varieties of Christianity side by side. Mr. Arthur. Barker, the publisher of the latest series, tells us that a generation has grown up without the traditional religion, that it is vaguely interested, but very ignorant, and we are left to assume that it is ready to. take an impartial look at the wares ot the different vendors. Under the general title of “The Return to God” are here offered three little books written by a parish priest of the Church of England, the editor of an Anglo-Catholic newspaper, and an English Jesuit. Others are to trnlow. , . .. Canon Guy Rogers writes as a practical man; the people he meets don’t want arguments, but facts; they are in a hole, and they want to get out of it. Particularly the young ones, troubled by the unrest that always fills the young, and asking: What on earth am I here for. As they look into their hearts they are conscious of emptiness or defeat or division. To all such Canon Rogers offers in robust and stimulating terms the prescription one should expect him to otter. For all those who want not a philosophy but a “lead” along lines already familiar to them his book may be just what is needed. . But Canon, Rogers, like all Evangelicals,” underestimates the extent to whica young men wish to be “persuaded in their minds,” the extent to which they ask: How can it be done? but is it true'. It is to these that Father. Leslie Walker addresses himself. And it .must be admitted that if metaphysics is ever to be made popular Father Walker is the man to do it.

“If you dream that a wealthy aunt has died of appendicitis, it signifies that your desire to inherit her money Is more urgent than you would care publicly to admit. If a clergyman on a holiday dreams that he is preaching to an empty church, it signifies that he

. is somewhat, loath to return to duty. ... It a senior tutor dreams that he is lying on his back on Magdalen Tower when a crowd of bats dash into his face and terrify the life out of him, it is not unlikely that he Is over-working and has a lurking fear lest other bats should invade his own belfry. Or if one’s dreams resemble those portions of the ‘Arabian Nights’ which are not to be found in English versions of them, this may well signify that one is curbing too harshly one’s sex instinct.” But there is good metaphysic underneath. He knows very well that -what troubles many men. even some who ---ould like to give themselves up to the adventure of religion, is the thing that stares them every day in the face, namely, the crass material world —its fixity and permanence as compared with the mind of man. And he starts us off gently by showing that in dreams we live for a while in a different kind of world; he goes on to talk of imaginative poetry and religious ecstacy, and finally leads us up to mathematics and modern science, wherein the “.real” world turns out to be something invisible and intangible, and a creature of the mind. A very good little book, written in a fine spirit. Without any of the claptrap of metaphysics it raises fundamental issues in a fresh and striking way. It ends up with an unbending assertion, in the form a necessary deduction from the metaphysics, of the claims of the successors of Peter. For this point we turn with some interest to see what the Anglo-Catholic has got to say. Mr. Sidney Dark puts) philosophy aside, and leans upon experience and history. Life without religion is bewildering; the only religion satisfactory to experience and commonsense is the Catholic religion, he says; aud for Englishmen the Catholic religion in nil its fullness is to be found in the Church of England. Those who wish to learn something of Anglican claims, and do not care to sweat in jhe effort, will find his last section interesting. But those who attach real importance to these things arc likely to prefer more scholarly guides. TALES OF THE SEA “Below Bridges,” by Peter Belloc (London ; Constable) ; “From All the Seas.” by “Shalimar” (Edinburgh: Blackwood). These two are particularly fine books on sea life and adventure. They both contain short stories ; they are both the work of competent writers; indeed, it is too difficult to decide which deserve the most prominence in review. Yet a comparison of the two is interesting, because they are utterly dissimilar in material. “Below Bridges" appears to be a fairly’ strict record of actual season’s yarns of their experiences delivered to the author with smell of London docks in the fo'c’le of the windjammer Loch Erne—the author’s lucky find during a Thames ramble —and also in dockside taverns. One feels the impression, not through anything definite but for some vague reason, that Mr. Belloc has not scafared, although unquestionably love of the sea is one of his most dominant impulses. "Shauiilar,” on. the other hand, is a long experienced seaman ; but he writes his stories in a purely fictitional mould. It may be, however, that that is a somewhat rash statement. One would very much like to know what was imagination and what memory in Conrad's “Typhoon” and “Nigger of the Narcissus.” for instance. and probably it. would be better to follow no farther along this line of reasoning. Few, however experienced, dare to be downright where the credibility of sea stories is concerned. To. disregard altogether such a detail, one can state that theses short stories should rank quite high among the products of the craft. The indispensable salt atmosphere is present and true in both works. Mr. Belloc, the landsman, communicates it through his art alone, while from “Shalimar” it emanates! without effort as a deep and highly-coloured memory. “Shalimar” has already a popular following. having published other similar books, with, by the way. equally poetical titles, such as “Adowu the Tigris I was Born” and “Around the Horn and Home Again.” While he continues writing, the tradition, especially with regard to sailing ship literature, will be kept alive. But Mr. Belloc, son of Mr. Hilaire Belloc, and nephew of Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, Is a newcomer who has started well. Much will be expected of him in the future. MURDER WILL OUT “Gallows Parade,” by Froom Tyler (London: Lovat Dickson). .Mr. Tyler apparently sets out to prove that truth is not stranger than fiction. He appropriates the plots of great crimes and then supplies to the plots frillings of fiction. The result is that he produces 17 short murder stories all with a true base. He makes most of the stories very readable and is possessed of a pen dipped at times in rare satire. Mr. Tyler must possess an immense library of criminal trials, for he takes his plots from the days of the Middle Ages to more modern instances, and he searches the Continent of Europe as well ns England for them. Some of his sentences taken haphazard from their context may show the vein nf satire that is to be easily traced throughout the book. ‘There are times when ‘murder will out’ in spite of the efforts ot the police.” “Yet ho had two faults. One was an inclination to murder, the other over-confidence.” “Tie declared his life was over. He naked flint he might die. But the administrators of justice did not see eye to eye with Salvatore on that point. Instead of a death sentence lie wns given n life sentence.”

The book reverts to that old but highly commendable feature of prefacing each story with an illustrated hendnioee. The artist is Batt, and ho nlnees hm pen on a crucial point of the story Those who like crime stories will not be disappointed with this novel manner of treating them. The horror is provided, but relieved by good quality satire.

FAMOUS NAVAL EXPLOITS

“Sailormcn All,” by Admiral Campbell (London: Hodder and Stoughton).

Admiral Campbell has given us a book to be treasured. “To glorify war,” lie says, “would be a difficult task even had I the desire to do so, but my purpose is to study the characters of the men who have helped to make the British Empire what it is—the greatest bulwark for peace iu the world.” Each chapter of “Sailormeu AU” is a complete story in itself, an account of some well-known or less wellknown exploit that serves to.show the character of the man rcsponsibile, aud to. guess at the feelings of those who worked with him. That some of these exploits were of the “forlorn hope.” and “glorious failure” t.vpe makes no difference to the plan of the book. Naturally, the book opens with Nelson. The action on the mole at Teneriffc has been chosen as illustrating many sides of his great character—“his optimism and his pessimism, his personal leadership and courage, and also his flair for comforting the weaker sex.” Following roughly a “parallel” plan, the author closes the book with, the story of another mole—Zecbrugge. The difference iu modern armaments, methods of attack and communication is brought vividly home, but the underlying spirit is the same. Under the heading. “Sink me the Ship. Master Gunner,” he includes the stories of the Revenge (.1591) and the Shark (1916). Admiral Campbell owns to a weakness for the name "Mary Rose,” and gives accounts of two ships, 1699 and 1917. that bore the name under heroic captains. It would be impossible in a brief survey to give the names of all the leaders or ships that come into this stirring record of brave deeds. The author confesses Ins own difficulty iu choosing these. “Indeed, if I were- to start the book afresh I might make an entirely different selection, so abundant is the material available.” The account of the capture of the Emden is of special interest to New Zealanders. and the author pays tribute to the bravery of her commander. There are tales of pirates and slavers, of dispatch carrying and "cutting-out.” and an account of the H.M.S. Diamond Rock which was no ship at all. but really a rock. Perhaps the most astonishing chapter in the book is that headed “The Long. Long Trail.” which tells of the two British sliii's that were taken overland from Cape Town to Tanganyika in .1915. . “Sailormeu All” is strikingly illustrated, and especial mention should be made of Donald Maxwell’s picture of H.M.S. Broke ramming a German destroyer, which, as conveying a sense of swift action. would be difficult to beat. The whole book breathes the true spirit anil hearty humour of the sea. The author makes no apology for prefacing it with “Ye Mariners of England.” composed by another Campbell, a kinsman of his own. NEW PUBLICATIONS “Canadian,” by Wilfrid Bovey (London : Dent). Au interesting description ot’ certain not-too-well-kuoivn aspects of French-Canadian history and life. It gives a good picture of the modern FrenchCanadian community, and presents their ideals and manner of living most sympathetically. “Sabre and Saddle,” by Lt.-Col. E. A. W. Stotherd (London: Seeley. Service). 'The story of the author’s travels and war service iu many parts of the world. There is a brief chapter on New Zealand, ami the book is well illustrated with photographs, mails and plans. Briga-dier-General Sir Percy Sykes supplies an appreciative foreword. “The English Vision.” by Herbert Read (London: Eyre and Spottiswoode). An anthology of prose and verse compiled with the aim of presenting, to. use. MrRead’s own words, "the English idea, in its various aspects as expressed by representative Englishmen, and. moreover. by Englishmen who were perfectly conscious of what they were doing and saying." “A Bunch of Blue Ribbons,” collected by Innes Rose (London: Chapman and Ilall). In this counterblast to “Red Rags," the record of pct aversions that emanated recently from Oxford, some of the bright young company at Cambridge tell in a series of essays about the things they like. Some of the essays are excellent; they all have wit. and a certain cleverness. But mostly the foundatiou of thought upon which they rest has been presented in a shade of blue much 100 pale to be noticeable. “The Hindu View of Ari,” by Mulk Raj Anmind (London: Allen and Unwin i. An attempt to provide an exposition uf a.ll the considerations, religions, philosophic, sociological, aesthetic, in the ligat of which Indian art must be interpreted. Mr. Eric Gill writes an introductory essay on “Art and Reality.” “The Adventures of Gabriel in His Search for Mr. Shaw." by Dr. W. R. Matthews (London: Hamish Hamilton I. A neat and brightly-written answer to Mr. Shaw's "Adventures of I lie Black Girl in Her Search for God,” The illustrations are by Ruth Wood.