LITERARY, NOTES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 91, 14 October 1922, Page 17

LITERARY, NOTES

Received: "Geormorphology of New Zealand," by C. A. Cotton, D.Sc, from the Dominion Museum; "The Hound of the Baskervilles"; "The Four Feathers" ; "The Isle of Unrest," and "The Last Hope," from John Murray, through Whitcombe and Tombs.

In a remarkable 'broadsheet, the "Spear," recently issued in England in connection with the Shakespeare Festival, and enriched'by contributions from Mr. John Masefield, Sir Sidney Lee, and other penmen of repute, is a little story illustrating the similarity between Shakespeare and the Bible in the expression of moral sentiments. A young actor asked his aunt, who had a pious horror of the stage, where in the Bible was the saying, "O.that men -should put, an enemy in their mouths, to steal away their brains!" After a long search the' aunt gave it up, and had.to hear the! awiul truth that it emanated from that : play-winter, William Shakespeare. It la interesting to discover, by careful search, how much of the poet's b«st •work is Bible paraphase.

Yet a fresh example of youthful pre-' cocity, remarks "the "Daily Telegraph," is promised by the Golden Cockerel Press, in tfie shape of a collection of poems by Mr. Peter Quennell, the promising- son of distinguished literary parents. Young Mr. Quiennell was at Berlchamsted School, and a poem from his pen' attracted some attention in the pages of the schoolboy anthology, called "Public School Verse." He has also considerable facility as an artist, and has himself dra\fti the illustrations for this, his first-published volume.

More than ordinary interest attaches to Cassells's announcement that they will shortly publish an autobiography by Lord Russell, who possesses considerable literary ability. Jjord Russell belongs to the family of which the Lord-John Russell of Queen Victoria's reign -was a member, and Lady Russell is known in literary circles as "Elizabeth" of the famous "German Garden" and other books. Lord Russell's reminiscences will cover a wide field; and chapters have been devoted to early memories of Winchester and Balliol, America, yachting, and an account of "how I sent my mother-in-law to prison, and my wife's appeal to the House of Lords." Other chapters are headed: "My American divorce and marriage," and "My trial in the House of Lords for bigamy."

"The Japane.se are crazy over the moving pictures," writes Miss Dorothy Dix in her new book, "My Joy Eide Round the World," "and they particularly like American plays that have a lot of gun-play and Wild West scenes. Their greatest trouble is that there is so much kissing in American movies, and the Japanese consider that the spectacle of a man kissing a woman is a highly shocking one, and one not fit lo be shown on the screen. Therefore the films have to be carefully censored, and one poor overworked censor complained that in one week alone he had'to cut out twenty thousand kisses, and he demanded, with tears in his eyes, to know wholhes' Alncr.icn.u9 spent |lf their time kiting each, other."*