BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 16034, 14 September 1912, Page 6

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

HENRY DEMAREST LLOYD. A BIOGRAPHY. (By EDWARD TREGEAR.) Probably tlio most intellectual and certainly tlio most lovable personality am one all Note Zealand’s many visitors was that of Henry Demurest Lloyd, of the United States. Of tho United States because, although Now York claimed him by right of birth, there was perhaps never another American—with tho | exception of Abraham Lincoln—of whom it might with such truth be said that he was the proud possession of the j whole great nation. Indeed, so wide were his sympathies, so vast tho sced-ing-ground of his spiritual activities, that tho whole world of humanity in general, and the peoples of Switzerland and New Zealand in particular, claim their part in tho honour of kinship with Henry Demurest Lln.vd. His biography has just been issued by his sister, Caro Lloyd. Tho dominion of. Now Zealand had special reasons for gratitude on account of his visit,- for he was really tho first American who discovered this country. Previously there had been a few persons in the United States who had a vague idea, that we inhabited a, small island off tho coast of Australia, but Mr Lloyd with voice and pen a.v/oke the interest of thousands of his fellowcountrymen j n community which was, as he said; " isolated by destiny to ho an experiment station, a laboratory of democracy.” He really loved Now Zealand, and wrote that if he had been without ties elsewhcro this was the land whither he would come to live or die. After hi 3 visit in 150,9 he wrote his book named “ A Country Without Strikes.” Of the importance of this ns an ad-

vertisement for New Zealand a proof may bo cited in an extract firm a letter written to Mr Llovd by Mr .T. P. Altgeld, tho American author of

celebrity:— “ I have not yet congratulated you on tho tremendous success of your little book on New Zealand. Nearly every paper in this country quoted from it. I know of nothing that has done so much to educate our people as that little hook.” This work was afterwards followed by another volume, entitled “ Newest England.” and of this tho cm-Hi oh Commissioners in London, the Hon W. Pember Reeves, said: “His book has for Now Zealanders, ns for all students of • human progress, a permanent value.” These works were followed hv numerous lectures and pamphlets by Mr Lloyd, upholding what he termed “the lion democracy of tho Antipodes.” Tlis biographer adds: “He never broke the circuit between himself and this wonderful land, nor lost the friendly touch of its fine statesmen. Their official literature, their warm personal lettern, continued to roach him, and lie reciprocated by keeping them abreast of j his own work.” The biographer is his sister, Miss Caro Llovd. Well has she done tho work of giving to the world in continuous order a record of tlio events of a. busy and most useful life. It was difficult for anyone who met Mr Lloyd j when on his travels and had been struck by the gentleness and “extreme peace ” of his courtly manner to understand what an intensely fervid fighting spirit underlaid his quietude. A burning hatred of evil, especially of evil oppressing the weak and helpless, grew out of his deep and tender love | for his fellows. The true civic spirit 1 was his, and it is only by reading his biography that ono can appreciate liis ceaseless industry, his unfailing courage, his vast achievement. Against tho crushing tyranny of the great monopolies ho waged unending war with effort after effort until his countrymen awoke at last to a sense of tlicir desperate situation. His books about Switzerland and New Zealand were only cadets among his literary offspring. “ Wealth Against Commonwealth,’’ “Men, the. Workers,” “Man, tho Social Creator,” “Labour Co-part-nership” and “Lords of Industry” were his giant hammer-strokes directed against tho robber-barons who have control of the United States, and who liavo through their example and their success widened tlio hounds of the king- j dom of greed till their gospel and their i methods are finding footing even in these far-off islands which Mr Lloyd

believed, to bo a stronghold of democracy.

It is not difficult for anyone who reads this biography to understand how greatlv beloved he was by thousands and thousands of workers on account of his mighty labours on their behalf. New Zealand’s Into Prime Minister, Mr Sodden, speaking in the House of Representatives on November 21, 1903. said of Mr Lloyd that lie had tho mind of a man of genius and of one who loved liis fellow-men. He added: "His place will be hard to fdl. Ho has shown a noble example by his life and strenuous efforts in the cause of the toiler, and his sacrifi-e will not have been in vain.” Tho 'House agreed to the motion for a vote of condolence, an unusual course except in regard to states men belonging to the British Empire. Those who need inmirntibn may turn horefullv to Miss Lloyd’s hook. It is a. fitting tribute to a. roLio and beautiful life, and one in which every member of Mr Lloyd’s fa-mi I v will feel an honest pride. Tlio letterpress and photographs are, worthy of tho limb reputation of tlio publishers, Messrs G. Putnam’s Sons.

“ENGLAND V. AUSTRALIA.”

TKE QUEST OP THE ASHES. Mr P. F. Warner lias written cricket aa assiduously as he has played it, and has done both equally well. His new book, “England v. Australia-,” is, as its title suggests, a full ar.d particular account of tlio quest for tho mythical “ashes” of tho national game which ha lod last year, and with tho assistance of tho best combination of players that ever journeyed from tho Mother Country brought to a successful con.elusion. It is dedicated to tho “People of Australia,” for whom Mr Warner expresses the warmest regard as friends and tho highest appreciation as sportsinUn, and will bo read with at least as much interest at this end of the world as it will at tho other. Tho author took no part in any of the test matches which decided tho championship an unfortunate illness which overtook him just after ho had compiled a huge *ooro in tho first gamo at Adelaide him off tho playing field for the whole of tho tour, but his comrades kept him so well informed of tho details of every contest that he j„ a p] o to write, as ho says ' himself, as if ho had howled every ball hit every run, and caught every catch’ | A part of his story which colonials will | read with some melancholy interest, and it may bo hoped with some profitable reflection, will be the chapter devotcd to the work of selecting the team. England tunes her cricket more seriously than she takes any of her other snorts and when she set about choosing tho players to send in pursuit of the ashes a s->- received as much attention as would have been riv-n to the appointment of an Ambasmufor or the despatch of an Army Corps. “ A ever before, _ says Mr Warner, “ myo greater pains been taken in the; selection of a team, and the -lectors may well congratulate themsefves or. j their choice. Ao selection mtrir-Jeo, ;«! infallible, especially j n pi c kin‘rr'a Warn l , for rff St rent ia 'f th * conditionVare f d, Sf n r f n rtl ro + m tb - osc at home, and now that tho tour i 3 over it is * vcry easy to lie wyso after the event and to say t at so-and-so should have been invited. But that we had a splendid combination, Well armed at every

I point, was tlio general opinion, and ns Fry said at a little dinner Lord Hawk© gave in my honour at the Sports Club the night before wo sailed, ‘ I don’t seo how they can beat you, Plum,’ and it is splendid to think that his confidence in U 3 has been more than justified. The truth , of tho matter is that cricket in iingj land is exceedingly flourishing just now; tho gamo went with a rnro _ swing last summer, tho succession of good wickets being a great boon to tho young men, who gained confidence and enmo on quickly.” But tho Secret of tho Englishmen’s success—the secret, indeed, of tho selection of such a macnifieont team—was tho admirable spirit which animated everyone associated with tho enterprise. There wa3 not a hitch from the beginning to the end of tho arrangements, not a. discordant note, not a word that could have lessened tho keenness and enthusiasm of tho players engaged in what tho cricket world at Home regarded as being in tho fullest sense a national undertaking. “ With eleven bonders of various styles.” Air Warner says, writing of the conclusion of tho Selection Committee’s labours, “ two absolutely tip-top virkot-kcewors and thirteen batsmen who had made a hundred runs at some time or other in first-class cricket, I was in tho happy position of knowing that whichever eleven played in a particular match it would he a- strong side.” It is unnecessary to recall the facts or tho moral of the different state of tinners that prevailed in Australia at tho time, hut tho moral ought to be kept steadfastly in mind by every patriot, ns well as bv every sportsman, who wishes to see his country excel in competition with its rivals. For the rest. Mr Warner has given us quite tho best storv of a cricketing tour in Australia that has yet been Published, and “ England v. Australia ” ought te find a r>!aoo in every sportsman’s library and in every home where the hoys are growing un with a. wholesome taste for the national game. The volume is published by Messrs Mills and Boon (Christchurch: Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs).

NEW STORIES. “Dr Tuppy,” by S. Townesend, is primarily a story of medical students and their practical jokes. But it is not over-boisty£yus, and it has veins of quaint liui.r**:r and delicate sentiment that are entirely attractive. Could any man—even a short-sighted optimist convinced of the essential goodness of human nature—he as gullible as little Dr Tuppy proved to be? It is not easy to believe so. But the tale as the author presents it is somehow convincing in spite of its improbability, and earnest, _ hopeful, confiding Dr Tuppy, a veritable Galahad in spectacles, is as winning a character as j ono might meet in a day’s roaming of the bookstalls. There are other good ! characters here, too, notably an erratic j vicar with a habit of self-assertion at inopportune moments; an attractive aunt, and a charming nurse who eventually makes tho hero happy. The other students are rather colourless brutes, capable of finishing a game of cards while a suffering casualty patient awaits attention, and of snaking poor jDr Tuppy tho victim of a series of j absolutely ruthless attacks. But they provide an effective background. Tho vohimo is published by Messrs Hoader and Stoughton (Christchurch: Messrs Whitcomb© and Tombs). | “Tho Consort,” by Mrs Evorard Cotes (Messrs Stanley Paul and Comi puny) is an attractive story of mar- [ ria.ge and politics. Under her earlier name of Sara Jeannette Duncan tho author won a wide circle of admirers. Her latest novel deals‘with tho uncommon theme of a colossally rich woman, daughter and successor of Lord Lossel, a celebrated banker, married, as his i second wife, to Leland Pargetcr, a man of no personal distinction at all. Mrs Cotes looks on her world with wit and shrewdness not untouched by cynicism, and tho result is as interesting in the material that holds tho story together nr, tlio plot, which is capital and unusual. Politics make tho background, and the great wife and commonplace husband arraying themeelvcs in rival camps give tho author opportunities she uses to advantage., Mr Algernon Blackwood’s new book of spiritual stories, “ Pan’s Garden ” (Messrs Macmillan), shows again his remarkable power of imagination. His power over stylo is increasing; and much of the work is in the highest literary rank. Ho takes the view that Nature—tlio universal frame —l 3 filled with life that is similar to our own in kind, though diffused in numberless manifestations, and not usually concentrated in a personality like a human personality. Yet in every species of Nature there is specific life, a mass life that in appropriate circumstances may become individualised, and even personified.

Mr Blackwood finds a form of literary evocation for these natural forces, supposed to he obscurely felt existing in our subconsciousness, and sometimes keenly felt existing—as in an onrthnunke, or a great electrical storm. Tn “ Tlia Man Whom the Trees Loved ” he relates vividlv and. beautifully the power of tho Forest over a uian whoso spirit is in tune with the tree-spirit. "The Son Fit” is a narrative of the Ocean's strength shown to a worshipper; "Rand” is an evocation of tho spirit of the Desert. Tn these stories and others Mr Blackwood exhibits his rare talent to naturalise the supernatural, shown already so many times in the splendid series of romances that commenced with " John Silence.” His power of invootien. his gift of creating a magienl atmosnhere in which the most, extraordinary things become ordinary, mnko this book notablo. A PRIZE STORY. Tho prize of £IOOO offered by Messrs Koehler and Stoughton for the best novel—tho largest amount ever offered in such a competition— has been won by Miss Roso Macaulay with "Tho Leo Shore.” Announcing tho result, tho “ Bookman "for August gives an interesting account of tho caro and labour expended on tho .work of judging by tho adjudicators, Miss Beatrice ETarradon, Sir TV. Robortson Nicoll and Mr C. K. Shorter. Miss Roso Macaulay began to write "Tho Loo Shore” some littlo while ago, but sho put it aside when about a'third of it was done. Then she wrote "Views and Vagabonds.” recently published by Mr John Murray, and had intondod sending this in for tho comoctition. Finding sho had tine, she preferred to put her fortune to tho :ouch with “The Lee Shore,” revised ;vhat was already written of it, and ■ompletod tho story, which in grasp, n meaning, in charm of feeling and in Honour, is regarded by the adjudicators as “easily first among tho Comletition Novels.” Miss Beatrice Har- • fidon writes: " In my opinion the look is immeasurably ahead of all tho ithers.” Miss Macaulay is tho daugh- f or of Mr 6. C. Macaulay, who has icon locturor in English at Cambridge Jnivtrsity since IDO-3. Tho second prize of £-100 in the ompetition has been won by Mr )avid Hennessey, a well-known Ausralian author and journalist. His irizo novel, “ the Outlaw,” j s jj 10 rat ho Iifl? writ ton in tho last ten ears, during which ho has been travelng about tho world spending some f his time in London—do,n s m j sco ]_ ineous journalistic work and colleotm material lor use in other books, lie adjudicators consider that "The: At law ” is " con ainly tho best bushuigiiig novel since Roobery Under .mis, MOTHER AND CHILD. A little manual entitled "Mother ad Child ” has just been published in hristchurch at tlio. modest price of xponec. H 13 written by Mrs Cun- t

' nington, and consists of articles ap- ; pearing last year in the “ Star." ' Bright, brief, and eminently suggestive of all that is highest in modern ( “ mother-craft,” the booklet is suro of [ a welcome from every earnest to whom ia unfolded a higher ( task I than tho more feeding and dressing of I the tiny people of to-morrow. At tho outset tho author, in her well-known charming style, shows how it is the mother’s duty and privilege to open up before her child’s eyes tho uplifting and absorbing book of Nature, tho A.B.C. of which is well worth the little personal study these informal out-door talks would necessitate. Tho trees, the flowers, the stars, all aro made to tell their own tale to the young mind, laying from tho first tho foundations of a reverent and harmonious apprehension of creation and the Creator. Some delightful little chapters indicate further on how history may bo made from tho first a fascinating story of things great and good, and the conclusion pithily embodies the inestimable : psychological value of such an early moulding of tho plastic child-mind to forms of grace and gentleness which can scarcely bo broken in after-life. NOTES. Shakespearean students will welcomo a now edition of Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies which is now being published by- tho Clarendon Press at Is Gd a volume, and with an added interest from tho fact that several of tho editors are themselves honoured playwrights. John Masefield, for instance, who has given the world ono of tho most valuable of tho many works on the greatest of all playwrights, edits “ Hamlet,” while “ Tho Tempest” appears in its newest edition under the a?gis of Laurence Binyon. Tho volumes have unusually copious notes.

Mr. Fisher Unwin is publishing an historical and political record of “ China's Revolution, 1911-1912,” by Mr Edwin J. Dingle. Few Englishmen in China havo studied the Chinese so thoroughly as Mr Dingle, who has spent three years in close relations with them, not only along tho coast, but also in tho far interior. In this book he gives ah intimate study of tho overthrow of tho Manchus and tho establishment of the new Republic. As a war correspondent ho saw much of tho fighting, and was brought in contact with the actual leaders.- especially General Li Yuan Hung, the revolutionary commander, who has sinco bscn assassinated.

Senator Cabot Lodge, the well-known American politician, is writing his reminiscences. Ho spent his boyhood days in Boston, and saw most of the New England literary fathers. Senator Lodge has, for a busy politician, found time to write quite a number or books. Ho was, as may bo remembered, prominently associated with tho assertion of tho Monroe Doctrine at tho time of the Venezuela troublo. Mrs Amelia Barr, tlio novelist, has now reached tho ago of eighty-on o, which fact has suggested to her that she should write her autobiography. Accordingly she is doing so this summer at her American home on the Hudson. Mrs Barr is sometimes called an Englishwoman and sometimes an American. Perhaps the explanation of this is that she was born in England, but went to America fully forty years ago. Mr Jeffrey Fnrnol ia a very busy man now, aa, indeed, a popular novelist always is. Ho has fust finished a new story entitled “An Amateur Gentleman,” which will appear in tho autumn. Meanwhile he is going to America to superintend tho production there of t'\;o plays based on his tales “Tho Broad Highway” and “The Money Moon.” A pictorial edition of “ The' Broad Highway,’ 7 done by Mr C. .E. Brock, is being published. A book explaining tlw meaning of Syndicalism from the point of. view of a Labour leader has been written by Mr J. Ramsay Macdonald, M.P., and published by Messrs Constable and Company. Mr Macdonald is not a; Syndicalist, but on tho othor hand ho does not eh aro tho alarm and misunderstandings that have been aroused in many quarters by th© Syndicalist creed. Ho has undo a critical examination of tho wholo subject in this book and his conclusion is that while national action on tho part of organised labour is an inevitable development, tho spirit cf evolutionary reform is going to triumph over that of revolution. The chapters deal generally with tho programme of direct action, and the progress and tendencies of Syndicalism in Britain, Europe and America.