BOOKS AND BOOKMEN

Evening Star, Issue 22805, 13 November 1937, Page 23

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN

VERSES v THE BEST FRIEND Now shall I walk. Or shall I ride? 44 Ride,” Pleasure said; 44 Walk,” Joy -replied. Now what shall I Stay home or roam? 41 Roam,” Pleasure said; And Joy—“ Stay home.”Now shall I dance, Or sit for dreams? 4 ‘Sit,” answers Joy; “ Dance,” Pleasure screams. Which of ye two Will kindest be? Pleasure laughed sweet, But Joy kissed me. —W. H. Davies. CAPRICE Arm fast in arm we walked—Che moon’s White light upon us lay. Seriously wc talked, our minds All sombred with dismay. We kissed, secure in the shadow Of a great square rick of hay. Singly, sedately, next we went, With nothing much to say: •Then suddenly joined hands and skipped Along the moon-white way. »—N. L. Bright, in the 4 Observer.’ NEW BOOKS ‘THE LEARNER AND OTHER VERSES’ ? ; o verses of an Australian poet, Ruth Bedford, collected in a small volume under this title, fall into three division’s. The first series—about half those of the book’—are concerned almost entirely with boretivement , ’ loneliness, and religious resignation. They are minor poetry in the full technical, but not in any depreciatory, sense. Their tone is subdued; it is not often that their note has the robustness of this stanza in the opening poem: He needs no faith who walks with God, No staff when earth is left behind,; But eagle-eyed' and lightning-shod, Mounts ever up, to seek and find. It is characterietic that that strength *—of the departed one—is only emphasised to mark the completeness of separation. The making of musical verses is to' the writer an anodyne for grief. Sights and sounds of Nature make another solace for her, but of Nature there‘are few sharp pictures. One can imagine Miss Bedford finding ■“ such a charm in melancholy ” that she would not, if she could, be gay. She comes nearest to it in a lovely poem on delphiniums. Yet her verses have a charm of their own that grows with iteration; they are simple and tuneful and felicitous. They can also have imagination, as when she writes: ■ The thin bright sword of daylight That flashes through the air, Slits up the cloak of darkness, And lays earth’s beauty bare, Or, better still, in the poem that begins Sorrow the Ploughman goes his way, Across, across my heart he drives, And turns and breaks the stubborn clay. And finds my soul that sleeping lay And leaves it bare to take his knives. The last division of the book, labelled 4 Earlier Verses,’ presents the least possible difference in either mood or technical accomplishment from the first, and the verses about children which form the middle section are wholly delightful and every one of them cheerful; not for nothing do the children _ speak in their own language.—Published by Angus and Robertson Ltd., Sydney.

1 THE RETURN OF WU FANG ' A Chinaman gets on the wrong side of the lawin London. He is convicted and sent to Dartmoor. His father, rich and utterly unscrupulous, who had previously lived in England, decides to return to Englaind, rescue his son, and wreak dreadful on those who were responsible for his imprisonment. All this is told in * The Return of Wit Fang,’ by Roland Daniel (Wright and Brown). Those who like a book packed with thrills will not be disappointed in this one. Our copy is from Whitcombe and Tombs. * AND BOTH HE LOVED ' A variation of the “ eternal triangle ” theme is the subject of 4 And Both He Loved,’ a novel from the pen of Henrietta Leslie. The difference in this case is that the wife of the man who seeks the company of another woman does not upbraid him or divorce him but slips quietly out of his life because she realises that she was not able to give him all that he desires. The story concerns Christopher Sheen, a young doctor, his brilliant, gifted young wife, Gina, unhappily doomed to be childless, and his association with Jane, the mother of his longed-for child. The story is sincerely done, alid the characters are well drawn. The publishes mo Messrs Robert Hale and Co., Ltd., London,

A LITERARY CORNER

' HAUHAUISM' In ‘ Hauhauism, An Episode in the Maori Wars 1863-1866,’ Mr S. Barton Babbage gives a concise and fully documented account of the fanatical religion which gave a new incentive and ferocity to the native wars in New Zealand after the first, caimpaigns had gone against the natives. Its author and chief prophet, Te Ua Haumene, who claimed tq have communications with the angel Gabriel and to whom miracles were attributed, was half demented. The doctrines of the creed were confused and its incantations in part were gibberish, but their power of excitement was soon, proved. Te Da appointed disciples whom he sent from Taranaki across the island to rouse the tribes. The murder of the Rev. C. S. Volkner at Opotiki is described. The brutalities that followed it were revivals of ancient custom, all with their symbolical meaning. Hauhauism lost its prestige when its leader’s promise that those who performed its rites properly would be invulnerable to buliets was proved to b© false. Te Ua, after being made a prisoner, recanted his wild creed and received his liberty. Some converts were deported to the Chatham Islands, and Te Kooti. who was included among these by mistake after fighting on the Government side, later revived the pernicious faith under the name of Ringa-tu. Bishop Williams in a brief foreword writes of the first phase: “ A little more wisdom and justice on the part of the Government would have sterilised the soil in which the half-crazy prophet sowed his seed.” That may have been so, but the judgment of the missionaries might bo as fairly questioned in translating tho Old Testament for such a fighting race as the Maoris before they had had time to absorb the New’. Admirable illustrations are given of Kereopa, Mr Volkner’s murderer, and of Hauhaus dancing around their standard, or “ niu.” A. H. and A. W. Reed, Dunedin and Wellington, publishers.

SHOOTING FOR SPORT 4 A Shot in the Making,’ by Captain J. B. Drought (Herbert Jenkins), was written for the benefit of those who want to be a good shot. Tho author deals with British conditions, which, of course, are quite different from those in New Zealand. At the same time, the fundamental principles are the same, so that sportsmen in this Dominion will obtain much benefit from reading this hook. In the Homeland pheasants, partridges, and grouse are reared and protected by those who can afford to do so with the one object, and that is to afford sport in the proper season. Other gam© birds, such as woodcock and snipe, also receive attention from the house parties. In New Zealand opportunities of this kind do not exist. Wild duck, pukekos, hares, and rabbits provide most of the small .game, and the sportsman has to rely to a large extent on individual effort. Apart from the interest in Captain Drought’s description of wild life in Britain, the book contains much valuable information and advice about the handling of guns and the rules that go to make a good shot. The author writes in a clear and easy way, and avoids the common error of going too deeply into technicalities. * THE HAND OF SEETA * 4 The Hand of Seeta,’ by John C. Brandon, tells how a Scotland Yard inspector, after a murderous attack upon himself, sets out on the trail of a missing man, one Jacob Bensdorp, erstwhile of Amsterdam, a notorious jewel thief. With Bensdorp valuable jewels from the Far East, which had been smuggled into England, disappeared. A notorious cracksman is also after the loot and he and the detective begin a, chase that ends after many sensational' happenings, on the Essex marshes. The publishers of this book are Wright and Brown, London. Our copy is from Whitcomb© and Tombs.

* PIDNEERIHG IN OTAGO ? ‘ Pioneering in Otago ’ is a small book that will be read with appreciation by everyone who is interested _in the pioneer days of Otago. It contains ■the recollections of Mr William Aysou, the owner of the Southbrook Estate, Waikaka, who is now in his ninetyseventh year. He arrived in Otago Harbour in the ship Royal Albert in 1853, and the intervening 84 years have been spent in the southern end of the South Island. In a foreword Mr William Paterson, secretary of the Otago Early Settlers’ Association, explains how the book came to be written. Knowing that Mr Aj'son’s experiences contained a wealth of interesting information relating to the pioneer days, the Early Settlers’ Association, arranged for one of its staff (Miss R. Pilcher) to visit Mr Ayson at Southbrook, and there set down his recollections. It was a happy thought, and the association’s enterprise has been well rewarded, for much information is •put on record that otherwise might nave been lost. Mr Ayson, as a boy of 10, saw Queen Victoria when she paid her first visit to Balmoral Castle. Her Majesty was accompanied by tho Prince Consort and two young princes. An enterprising Scot, one of the objects of Mr Ayson’s father in emigrating to New Zealand, w r as to find greater scope for his large family. Before leaving the Home Country he had purchased the right to a property in Otago, under the land regulations existing at tho time. This property consisted of 50 acres of rural land, 10 acres of suburban land, and a quarter-acre town section. It was in 1853 that the family of 10 (as it then was) arrived in Otago Harbour. A lad of 12, Mr William Ayson’s first job was that of cowboy to Mr W. Ferguson, of Inchclutha. He had to walk there from Dunedin. His father’s section was at Warepa, and 13 months afterwards the boy joined him. Later the mother and the remaining members of the family were taken from Dunedin to Warepa. Part of tho journey was made by waggon and the remainder by sledge. The household effects were consigned on a vessel to be taken by sea to Port Molyneux. It was three months before they were received at Mr Ayson’s place. The plight of the family can _ bo imagined, and that one incident gives an idea of the hardships that were undergone and cheerfully endured. The Aysons were tho first_ family to settle in Warepa. Mr^William Ayson’s lif was one of unremitting toil. In 1891 he took up land at Southbrook and transformed it into a well-stocked farm, which became noted for the quality of the sheep raised there. When gold was discovered in Otago Mr Ayson tried his fortune at Gabriel’s Gully, and he gives a vivid account of the conditions on that field. In one particularly interesting chapter a description is given of Mackenzie, the sheep stealer, after whom the Mackenzie country is named. The Rev. Dr Bannorman’s heroic labours arc explained, and in the pages of the book many names familiar to those who know anything of Otago’s early history will be found. They include those of the Maitlands, C, H. Kettle, Pillans, Bathgate, and many others. Altogether it is a valuable little hook. The publishers are A. H. and A. W. Reed, of Dunedin and Wellington. 1 KISS OF YOUTH '■ Denise Robins has planned and written 1 Kiss of Youth ’ skilfully, and produced a fairly entertaining story, but it would be preferable to see her turn her gifts to a more original theme. Judy Grant, a pretty orphan, sets out in her small motor car on a holiday, little dreaming of the adventures ahead. From the moment that her car breaks down and a young and attractive young man comes to her aid those adventures begin. The glamour of a passionate love comes in a little wayside inn that gives shelter to the two, hut when she later finds that the man is the husband of the cousin to whose place she is journeying to stay the greatest problem of her life begins. The unfaithfulness of the man’s wife, however, causes the story to take another course, and in the end our young lady and her lover are united, while his wife finds her place with an exciting i.vpe of company that suits her better. The publishers are Messrs Ivor Nicholson and Watson, Limited, London. and our copy comes from Messrs Whitcpmbe and Tombs, Limited, Dunedin.

•THE TIDE WATCHERS' ‘ The Tide Watchers,* by Sydney Parkman (Hodder and Stoughton), is a mystery story. It is built on a foundation that is freely used by the writers of thrillers—the illicit drug traffic. In that respect it is commonplace, but in its treatment it stands above the ordinary novel of that type. Mr Parkman reveals himself as an expert in the production of this kind of literature. This book is full of sensational incidents, in which members of the secret service set out to find the source of supplies of drugs that are being distributed in London. The lawbreakers concerned in the matter are dangerous, unscrupulous, and resourceful, and in a little seaside village they pursue their unlawful occupation with great ingenuity. One of the secret service men is_ murdered. Another undergoes experiences that are perilous in the extreme. The book is right un to date, for one of the most exciting incidents in this book occurs at Trim, on the Spanish coast, and a vivid description of the_ bombing of that town by insurgent aircraft is given. Mr Parkman writes in a vigorous and convincing way. and he is without doubt in the first rank of modern fiction writers.

It is reported that Roget’s ' Thesaurus ’ has passed through 76 editions and sold a quarter of a million copies since it first appeared in 1852. Although thousands of words have been added in the course of successive revisions, no change has been found necessary in Dr Peter Mark Roget’s original bread classification.

ROMANCE OF THE P. AND 0. HUNDRED YEARS OF PRO6RESS Mr Boyd Cable’s ‘ A Hundred-Year History of the P. and O. ’ is the type of volume which will interest not only lovers of the sea and ships, but also people who find romance in the development of big business. The record of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which, of course, is the full name of the P. and 0., is such that the whole Empire can takepride in it, and, since Australia and New Zealand have been catered for by vessels of the lino, it goes almost without saying that we in this part of the world obtain first-hand evidence of what the development of a service of die kind means.

Assisted by many known and unknown friends who furnished access to authentic sources of information, Mr Cable has dug deeply into facts and figures, but this research work would seem mostly to have been carried out with a view to strict accuracy, for it must not be imagined for a moment that his book is impregnated with the dullness usually associated with the mention of statistics. The truth is that his statistics are merely the framework on which has been built up, with the interpolation of other reliable information, a wonderfully appealing story of romance in business. With Mr Cable one sees the birth of the company in 1837, and follows its progress through many triumphs and vicissitudes up till the present day—the day of luxurious big liners and safe ocean travel.

“On August 22, 1837,” he says, “a contract was signed between the Admiralty (which then conducted all 1 packet ship ’ business for the Post Office) and the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company for the conveyance of Her Majesty’s mails between England and ports of the Spanish or Iberian Peninsula. . . , The originators of

the company were two partners, Brodic M‘6hie Willcox and Arthur Anderson, the former being the founder of the business, which later became that of Wilcox and Anderson.” He goes on to say that more is known of the Shetlander Anderson than his partner, perhaps because he had the more colourful and active career or because he left behind him voluminous records. It is likely that the biography of Anderson alone would furnish the material for a book of generous size. Fascinating chapters on the early service to tho Peninsula and the inauguration of the packet ship service lead up to tho company’s first contract in 1837 and tho march of steam.” The first years of the Peninsular line’s mail contract were of vital importance, not only to the company itself, but also to the whole system of mail carrying. It was, in fact, only after the Peninsular line had proved the success of the system that consideration was given to its extension to the Atlantic services.

In due course attention was paid to the matter of linking up with tho Red Sea service and the route to India, It was well on in 1840 that the Peninsular Company won its contract for the extension of its mail service to India, and eventually the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company was established. As this advance was made in the days before the Suez Canal was cut, it was necessary to arrange for an overland route between Alexandria and Suez, the company in tho course of its enterprising programme going to the expense of providing its own hotel in Cairo for tho comfort of its patrons. At this juncture it is interesting to note that tho first “ cruise,” as w'e now understand it, was organised, and that Thackeray, the novelist, in return for a free passage through the Mediterranean and back, wrote some excellent publicity material. The bill of faro in those early times seems to have been as fulsome and appetising as it is on the modern luxury liner, and, what urns still more generous, free alcoholic beverages were provided “ without producing evidence of drunkenness or excessive drinking.” It was not until the end of 1852 that the first mail steamer, the P. and O. Chusan, arrived in Australia, the development of the service at first being hindered by jealousies between Victoria and New South Wales. The company’s greatest crisis came with the opening and proven success of the Suez Canal. It had gone to enormous expenditure in creating the famous overland route across Egypt, both in the provision of land transport and port facilities. Furthermore, two groups of steamers had been built, one to suit western conditions and the other to suit tho eastern section. Practically everything had to be abandoned or scrapped and a fresh start made, Tho economic upheaval was indeed so great that many another company, faced with similar disaster, might have elected to “ throw in the towel,” especially as the treatment being meted out by the Post Office in its demands was by no means fair and reasonable in the matter of mail contracts. The destiny of the P. and O. Company, however, was always guided by men of ability and strong character. When this crisis arose, Mr Cable tells us, it was Thomas Sutherland, the managing director in London, who turned threatened failure into further triumphs. A new P. and 6. fleet, comprising the largest and best steamers afloat, was launched. From that time onward the history of the company has been one of steady progress. Mr Cable, in his able style, outlines the services in the Great War of many vessels of the line, and tells how the New Zealand Shipping Company. with its subsidiary Federal Line, was brought into the fold in 1916. In 1917 there came in the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, the Hain .Steamship Company, and the Nourse Line. In 1919 an interest was acquired in the Orient Line, and the bulk of the shares in the Khedivial Mail Company -were brought in. In 1920 the General Steam Navigation Company was joined up. Incorporated in the space devoted to the associated companies are brief but most interesting outlines of tho growth of the Now Zealand Shipping Company and the Union Steam Ship Company, due praise being given for the spirit of enterprise which gave the impetus to services which New Zealanders have learned to appreciate. Altogether Mr Cable’s book may be described as a valuable contribution to the shipping history of the world. Liberally illustrated with both personalities and vessels (several of the latter in the form of coloured plates), it is well worth a place of honour in many a private book shelf. Our copy comes from the publishers. Messrs Ivor Nicholson and Watson Ltd.

M. Vladimir Nemirovitch-Dantch-anko, in his book of reminiscences, ‘ My Life in the Russian Theatre,’ gives 'a little picture of Chekhov’s methods of writing. “He spent,” he says, “ a great deal of time preparing the material. He had before him a thickish notebook in which he wrote down separate phrases, caught in passing or read somewhere, characteristic of his personages. When there was accumulated a sufficient number of details, out of which it seemed to him roles might bo constructed, and after he had found the proper mood for each act, only then would he begin to write.”.