NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 150, 21 December 1907, Page 15

NEW PUBLICATIONS.

<, "Folk-Talcs of tho Maori." By A. A. Grate, author of "Talcs of a Dying I?aco." etc. Wellington: Gordon and Uotch Propiictaiy, Limited. The author of the twenty-seven stories in this collection is not a stranger to the public, and it is well. People have not unreasonably conic to look upon books of alleged Maori stories and myths with suspicion. Diluted, kneaded up for juvenile with consumption, with fairies and a fairyland entirely foreign (0 all Polynesian ideas, comparatively few possess literary or other value. Kven in tho collections of men of considerable repute, thoro may be found at limes a considerable quantity of dioss. White, for instance, besides lacking literary quality, was singularly indiscriminate, availing himself largely (ofte.ll without direct acknowledgment) of manuscript collections by other hands, And some of his legends, though in the Maori language, are not to be accepted without caution. Mr. Grace has had a life-long knowledge of the Maori people, and there is perhaps no better living authority on their folk-, lore ; and he tells his stories in plain, and simple language. Moreover, ho lets them speak for themselves, contenting himself with a very brief preface, which is largely devoted to the memory of Karepatc Whetu, an old man of the Kgatikoata tribo, from whom many of the stories in this volume arc derived. They give vivid presentments of tho Maori in war and peace, of his lovo and his anger, his sen:ic of Iho wonder of Nature, and his vivid belief in demons, good and evil. \n his myths, as Mr. Grace points out, there are "cmakablo parallels with soiug of thoce of ancient Greece. All but four of the tales treat of tho Maori in his ancient state, and have been handed down by oral tradition ; three belong to tho period when contact with thn white man was oeginning, and one, .showing a. curiously primitive habit of mind, is recent enough to belong to the period of tho prophets of Parihaka, both of whom died during the current year. MosL of the talcs have never been published (save recently in serial form). The author, in a footnote, refers to the occasional colloquial use by tho nathes of the exotic "piccfininy" as a strange fact. It is really net strange wbr.i we consider how much colloquial Maoii to-day is "pidgin." Tho woid v.as introduced by the earliest sailors, and it was easily pronounced by (ho Maori, who ns fiiraly believe it to bo English as the average settler supposes it to be Maori. We see that "taepo," which the author, not wilhrut some reason, questions kj a Polynesia ji word, is spelt "laipo." This is not in accordance with the general usage of Maori scholars, who diccn'minate not only in sound but in Reuse between tho tyro words. Mr. Grace's collection should b 3 in every library of New Zea- ! land books. "Adventure in New Zei'la^S, from 1839 to IQM. With some 1 account of tho beginning of tbs British^ Colonisation of the islands." * IJy iSdwarcl Jerningham Wakefield. Edited by Sir Hobeit Stout, K.C.M.G. Illustrated by a series of engravings taken horn the original drawings in tho Wakcfiold Portfolio. Wellington: Whitcombs and Tombs, Limited. Tho publisheis have dr-jie i> public scrvico in the ksue of thib, the latest and most important of thpir valuable series of historic publications. Mr. Wakefield's book, iirsfc published sixty-two yeais ago, j id indispensable to every student of tho history of the colony, but is both rare and high m price, while tiie accompanying ;>tlas of ktjro lithographed drawings from original:, by the late Colonel Hcnphy and others, is so rare a& lo be almost unobtainable in a perfect condition. The volume before us coiuains over 730 pagos, besides reproductions, of course on a greatly reduced scale, of a number of tho mteivsting views of tho iirst settlements published in the "Portfolio." A valuable feature of tUc woik is the preface by Sir Robeit Stout, giving a biographical account of the author and aa estimation of his work, and incidentally some account of his father, tho celebrated Edward Gibbon, Wakefield, and his uncle, Colonel Wakefield, whose naiata are in-, dissolubly connected v, ith the colonisation of New Zealand, and whose methods wcra so immeasurably in advance of those jof the officialism of their day. Tha editor also takes occasion to guaid the read-er againbt certain prejudices of tho Avriter, which he allowed to colour his narrative. The text has been carefully revised, and the eccentric spelling of native names in the original edition corrected. We should, however, have preferred to f.ee the original spelling shown, at least< onoe, in a footnote. So, too, instead of a selection from the original "Portfolio," it would, we think, Lave been b.etter, in the interests of the student who can not gain access to tho oiiginal without a special visit to some good public library, the whole of the plates had be;n reproduced. We note two inadvertent errors iv proper names which occur more than once 111 the preface. The name of Dr. Peatherston is lengthened by a filial "c"' — a mistake which, when made dm ing his lilethne, used to irritate the worthy doctor a good deal ; and the other is the doubling of the "r" in "Kaiwharawhaia" — there are no doubled consonants in Maori, and it is high time tiiat the ofiicial spelling of the railway station was corrected. Elsewhere, the:>e mistakes would be trivial, but they me or more consequenco in a book which is of historic value ; and they will doubtless be set right in future editions, which we hope will be called for. "A History 01 Sculpture." By Ernest H. Short. With numerout) illustrations.' London: Williiun Heinemann. Never were there such days for the student as at present. We have here, at tho price of 7s 6d net, a handsome -volume of over three hundred pages, with analytical index, giving a comprehensive history of Fculptuie iioin the rise of Hellenic art to the present day, the four sections being devoted respectively 'to Greek, Roman, Italian Renaissance, and Modem. The book is not a compilation from or Minima i\y of eailier treatises, but the work of an independent thinker who deals with the subject in his own way. "All great art," he .«a.ys in his preface," is essentially national art. It can therefore only be understood in the light of national and international history. Throughout- I have written from the standpoint of one who believes that the great schools of sculpture were created, not by individuals of genius, but by the people 4o whom they appealed." 1 his is not the view , perhaps, of the majority, and at His-t sight it may seem a paradox ; but it is the leading idea of the Avork, and has at .my rate the merit of placing the hifatory of the art in a new light. Thus, t i gonetous appreciation of Flaxman is qualified by the I comment that "it would l"c untrue to suggest that na a sculptor he rose superior to hi.i age; .... the life-woik of Fiuxiiian .... blinds as a perpetual memorial of tho eternal law thai no living art can be built upon a boriowed style." It may thence be inferred that our author n chiefly in sympathy with the qualities most pi ovnincnt 111 the ait of this pretsnt — h" uol only tolerates, but admires, developments that_ would have hoi 1 died Ruekin — not Ill.it they are Ijctutiful or £rarefuf or p'rvati'ij.'. but bei.iuLr: they "live." Concerning; I>cdiii, In ic«,erves his> judgment—a century hence ho will have found.

his appointed pkce. Quotationf would give litlle kloii of the book, which is v, oithy «i csreful study. Special commcnitiilion is duo to tin. ilhiM unions, one huudied in jimnliei, in .t!l c^scc from plioto^i.iplis 1 fium the ciiiumnls. XuL only me Iliev .ulminib.'y considered merely as l\p'.->, but they constitute an iiiteie-ting g.i'leiy including the fin?»l example*- of uneionl and modern ait. "At the 'Labour in Vain' : being the Eocolleuiuii!. of {'ii Mii; iUn." By Harold jliinsell, iiiuhor of "Deudrop Danby." Second edition. Gordon and Go'tch Proprietary, Limited. In outward form this little book has nothing to recommend it. The paper could not nol! bo worse, there is an nilathuelivc cover design, the pictures aye by an illustrator v. ho does not rank high at (.ho best, but who i& capable of much better work than we have here, and the •printing contains such intolerable solecisms as "Xmas" and "ahight." Yet with all these drawbacks, Jlr. Jiantell's shabby-looking brochure is in its eleventh thousand, and its predecessor, "JJewdrop Dauby," has had an equal run. It is gratiiying lo know that the success of theso booKs has been dua to their intrinsic merit. The author stands hikK among Australian humorists, if he may not even claim, first place, He reminds one a groat deal ot Max Adeler, and in common with all men whose humour has the true ring, he shows again and again a tender and genuine sympathy, and is, moreover, a philosopher to boot. In all, there are sixteen chapters, with a very slight link of connection. The first describes "Akimbo Valley," where the scenes are laid; the last, "Why Labour in Vain?" sets forth the philosophy of content. The others are transcripts of life, grave, gay, and farcical, with much practical >vi» ctom hidden beneath their humour, and there is no "posing," no tvace of that bitter and misanthropic cynicism is the blight of Australian literature. We hope that the publishers will see their way ( to issue .Mr. Hansell's two books in a singlt, volume, with good pic lures or none, in such worthy form that they may take their piace on the library shelf in printing and binding equal to those of the works of Paterson and Ogilvie. "The Lifo*Perilous : a Tale of the Spanish Inquisition." By Carl ton Da we, author of "The Grand Duke," "A Morganatic Marriage," etc. London : Hutchinson and Co., Paternoster Row. (Whitcombo and Tombs.) We have not read Mr. Dawe's earlier/ books, but this one approves him a! sturdy Period, middle of eighteenth century. The prologue givesthe narrative of the discovery of xhc manuscript in an old trunk, "strongly clamped with iron, now partly eaten away by rust." Tha document was sealed in oiled paper. Wisely, however, the auihor makes no attempt to imitate tho diction of ;v century" and a half ago. Such a devico puts "too great a strain both on writer and reader, and the attsmpt neycr succeeds. Hero, a naval lieutenant, who, obtaining leave to land! in Spain and visit a friend at Cadiz, is enamoursd of a Spanish lady, falls under suspicion of 1113 Holy Oiiice, and ho and his sweetheart have an exciting time, bath -being immured in the dungeons of the Inquisition. Inquisition stones all have points in common; but Mr. Dawe's {light is unusually, bold. Some of ths t prisoners overpower a; gaoler, appropriate his koys, and release others to the number of about forty, and finding their way to the torture chamber, turn tho tables with a vengeance, placing tho Grand Inquisitor himself on the rack ! It is scarcely necessary to add that the hero and heroine find their way to England and "live happily ever after." The book is clover and well written, and tho interest ' well sustained. "Conspirators." By E. Phillips Oppenhoim, author of "Mr. Wingrave, millionaire," etc. Illustrated. London : Ward, Lock, and Co., Limited. (Gordon and Gotch.) Mr. Phillips Oppenheim (says the Australasian) deals extensively with scenes and incidents of London life — a conversation in a elubroom, a dinner at a first-class hotel, a supper ab a restaurant, a box at tho Alhambra, a talk on a telephone-. Taken by themselves, they' are ordinary enough, but with Mr. Oppenheim they are merely accessories to dark deeds, to diplomatic intrigues, that affect ths fortunes of royalty and the fate of nations ; to "treasons, stratagems, and spoils." In "Conspirators" we have a mysterious murder in a hanEom cab, another on a staircase ; one suicide, if .iot two ; blackmailing, lovemaking under difficulties. Tho dramatis pnrsonae include a Queen of Mexonia", who has written letters that in the hands of unscrupulous persons might enable her husband to obtain a divorce ; devoted friends, who do all in their power to gain possession of them ; and Mr. Herbert Wrayson, a journalist, the central figure in the story, whose mission it is to unravel tho mystery and make ardent love to the heroine. The most individual, though contemptible, character is Sydney Barnes, a vulgar little Jew from South Africa, whose one desire is to secure a sum oE money without working for it. Tho plot is cleverly constructed and interesting. There are several illustrations. The Pail Mall Magazine has excelled itself in its Christmas double number, which is full of seasonable matter in story, verse, and illustration, including an illristxuted pantomime, and a. one-act comedy by G. S. Street. "Christmas House" is a realistic and well -illustrated account of the wreck of the Norwegian schooner Catherine on the Crozets last December, and of tho hardships and rescue of her crew. Mr. H. C. Bailey's sequence of Napoleon stories, "The God of Clayj" closes with a. strong chapter. Other contributors of fiction include Agnes and Egerton Castle, Rachel Macnamara, Marjorie Bowen, Dorothea Deakin, H. B. Marriott Watson, E. Nesbit, Mrs. De Crespigny, M. E. Forrest, W. Smale, Wilfrid L. Randell, etc. In a review of a, book by Mr. Ernest Short in this column we- have referred to his doctrine that progress in human affairs — art in particular — is attributable to the general spirit of the community, and not to the individual — in other words, that a man cannot be in advance of his time. It i& interesting to find in the magazine before us, to hand by tho same mail, an interesting article by tho Right Hon. James Bryce, "The Personal Factor in History," in \shich the- opposite thesis is ably maintained. The Christmas themo dominates tho verso, but among the miscellaneous poetry we note a thoughtful sonnet, 'The Mother," by Edith M. Walker. vVe havo only touched upon the contents, and in conclusion would add that the pictures, in colours and in black-and-white, are, as over, a strong feature. The first instalment of "The War in tho Air," a powerful story by Mr. 11. G. Wells, is announced to appear in the January number. Our old friend, the Windsor Magazine. (Gordon and Gotch), open its November number with "The Art of John Bagneli JJurgess, "R.A.," by Austin Chester. The late Mr. Burgess, though his subjects were mostly Spanish, wiis a chiirpctoristically British artist. His pictures aru not. piobleim which ciefy ■solution, nor mystic symbolisms so individual as to mean litilo or nothing to any ono but the artist ; but each is a traascri&t of life, appealing to humau

sympathy, and telling its story as directly and sincerely as a Shakespearian drama. Such work as this is not on the ' high plane of modern masters like ( Watts or llolm.in Hunt, but it >s far <>bovo the so-called art which revels in I tho repulsive and unintelligible, or defends 7b because a bust is superbly modelled or some abnormal muscular ten- | sion faithfully presented. Mr. Eden Phillpotts, in ''The Good-Conduct 1 Prize," contributes another of his hnmoious sketches of school life. Other storytellers this month are Barry Pain, Robert Barr, Charles D. Roberts, Baroness yon Hutten, Mary E. Mann, Florence Wilkinson, Walter E. Grogan, and Oswald Wildridge. There are many miscellaneous articles of interest, and the magazine is brightened as usual by dainty illustrations and minor verse, by anecdote, and wit. The Young Man's Magazine (Dunedin) gives first plate- this month to a very interesting account and history of tho "Young Maori Party," by Dr. Wi Repa, illustrated with portraits of the, patriotic young men >vho have worked up the movement, as well as of members of the staff of the Te Aute College, >vhcro it was initiated. Mr. George M. Thomson has a thoughtful essay on "The Poet as Naturalist," and the Rev. James Aitken, M.A., contributes an appreciative essay on John Grcenleaf Whittier. ' Mr. T. D. Adams, M.A., has an article on "Optimism," Optimism, he says, is a moral duty; be identifies it with manliness, and supports his argument from Scripture and the great English poets. "A Pessimistic Christian," he says, "is surely a contradiction in terms." Mr. Thomas Miller, M.A., treats of "The Call of the Ministry." The number is a very good one, and its leading purpose is kept well in view. Wo hayo received from Mr. H. C. L. Anderson, Director of tho Bureau of Statistics, Sydney, a copy of the Official Year Book of JS'ew South Wales for 1905-6. ft is in the usual handsome shape and style, small folio size, and contains over eight hundred pages, with maps, plates, and index. The information is ycry full and complete, and the plates include representations of some of the scenic beauties of the State, and illustrations of some of the public buildingß. The book is highly creditable alike to the department and to Mr. Gullick, the Government Printer-, and his staff. From tho same department wo have received also copies* of parts TIL and IV. of ths !\ T ew South Wales Statistical Register for 1906 and previous year.