THE BOOKMAN

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 114, 10 November 1917, Page 10

THE BOOKMAN

A MIXED PARCEL, AND "DOREEN." "The Glugs of Gosh'" By 0. J. Dennis. Angus and Robertson, Syd-. ney ; • . Mr. Dennis offers an original satire an men and things as (ley are in" the torn of an allegory. The poet tells his readers that— ' "The Glugs abide in a far, far land, ihat is partly pebbles and stone and sand,. Bat mainly earth of a chocolate hne, When it isn't purple or, slightly bine, And the Glugs live there with their atmts and wives, In draught-proof tenements all their lives." The Glugs are ruled by King Splosh and lush his queen. The real ruler, however is Sir Stodge, who is "Wise to! profundity, stout to rotundity." He disposes of all difficulties, solves all problems by appealing.to Chief Justice £udge. In the neighbouring land of Podge^ dwelt the Ogs, who trade with the Ulugs on the following terms :— "We'll sell you 'pianers and, pickles and spanners, For seventeen shiploads of stones, hmooth 'uns or nobbly 'uns, tirm 'uns or wobbly 'uns, All that we, ask is stones." •The Glugs are touched by the cheap wares of the Ogs, and will not listen to an objector, who shows that' the Oes are bitter enemies of the Glugs. Protectionists of Gosh show how the Oge shoud have their goods taxed to saVe the life of the local manufactures and keep the wheels of local industry go;i "S. but they are bellowed downf and i ' w, ge> <Jaotlng precedent, shows how. When the goods were cheap the goods, we took." . . ■ F . ; It is not difficult to discern in this ■satire the complacency of the great maijonty of the British people before the Germans (as the Ogs turn out to..be) rudely awakened them. •• Observants and the Civil Service,! and officialdom generally are pilloried I I Gosh"- 16 ' e° f "the Swanks ol "Tl\% ]? rk in ovevy Gov'ment lair, . Mid docket dull and dusty file, • Solemnly squat in an easy chair , Penning a,, minute of rare 'hot air , In. departmental style. ; In every office, on every.floor ■ Are Swanks and Swanks,' distracting owanks, • And Acting Swanks a score, . And coldly distant, sub-assistant underowanks galore." ' 1 «£>* ?T c'Q nQt T en the Xin S> can withlaii" Wa" Wh° llU'k in redta Pc

Mr. Dennis explains that "the Glues are ourselves ,as others see .us," and Gosh will stand for com m unity which may be .found in. the Britieh Em pire The satire 1S - a clever piece of W' I 0 W? n, llke the "S°ngs of 3 SenUniental B oke" or "Ginger Mick." lhe little work is enriched by" some of Gosh and its inhabitants, and child en would fail to see the satire under%Th^ ' would be entranced sho^f^' iS i a m? dest litt!e: booklet, showing the love of the "Sentiment* Bloke, married and happy. It i B written in the argot of the "Bloke," D op m lStw Spl<TUS- all throngh the four poems that make it into a book for the wTf"^ •t^ imparfe to "Where the Jasmines Bloom." By Mary Julian^ Hodder and Sto&fi. ££ and the people are jnauV) ™M, but not really married • happily. There ■S ,declarf» "c never left, for W without employment "lor idle hand* to do. Sp_ there is much love-making goes on by the Kashmir lakeside, and it is not always between the right parties Uneie Jasmines Bloom" will'make a powerful appeal to yonng lady readers "The Xanol of Footprint." By Stewart Edward White.. Thomas Nelson and oons, London. The "footprints" in the title are those of Imns, rhinos . hippos' giraffes, and other leasts in. Central Africl. The writ er is a big game hunter with a channinpr power of description and a modesty about his own achievements t.which stamps all he says with truth. There are some thrilling incidents in this book, and by the waya fairly accurate description is given of the kind of country and natives to be met with m the difficult East African campaign against the German. . "The Land of Footprints" is a notable addition i to tins Nelson "fifteenpenny" scries of | works by contemporai-y writers. "Myola." By H. Mnsgrove. Hodder a fl d ratoughton, London. This is a prize-winning novel. It came second in Hodder and Stonghton's competition lhe scene of the story is'laid in New Zealand. It opens with a girl on a remote backblocks settlement burying her father, and it closes with the only man who ever loved the girl burying her on the same spot. The girt Myola, of gentle ancestry is discovered -in her bush home by her cousin Dion Cosway. ' Slie leads a dreadfully melancholy life. Her. f-aiher drank; he also killed her little boy who was of illegitimate birth, the father being a French priest. The style of the writer may be judged by the following consecutive paragraphs :— . • "Lady Hardelot suppressed a yawn and began a sotto voce conversation with Haidee. "As the echoes' of crepe de chine diamente, and drap souple reached her'ears, Dron endeavoured to start politics with Hardelot." . ' Again: "Echoes still resounded of pailletes and garniture. Haidee's eyes were bng-ht with anticipation of Parisian show-rooms—Poiret'-s, Doeillet's, ■ and Drocol s. And yet Mrs. Gaskell was overjoyed to reoeiye £100 for the copyright of "Mary Barton" in 1848! .