BOOK NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 295, 10 November 1934, Page 9

BOOK NOTES

VICTORIA. “Victoria, the First Century,” is the official history of the State issued by the Centenary Council, compiled by the five members of the historical subcommittee of the Centenary Celebrations Council. Four members were nominated by the Historical Society of Victoria, the University of Melbourne, the Public Library of Victoria, and the Education Department of Victoria. In some 500 pages is given a reliable and comprehensive account of the development of Victoria, commencing with the story of early coastal exploration and the unsuccessful attempts at settlement in 1803 and 1826 down to the present day. Several chapters, of course, are devoted to the foundation of Melbourne, its incorporation, and suburban expansion in the early period, and conditions in the fifties, sixties, seventies, and to-day. In the early days, the stories of the whalers and the pastoral pioneers are told simply but effectively, the facts being left to speak for themselves. Excellent features of the history are the use of original documents for the earlier periods and of interesting old maps, drawings, and photographs as illustrations.

ADVENTURES IN MEXICO

“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” translated from the German of B. Travon, deserves a cordial reception. Here are adventures in which one can believe, adventurers that behave like human beings, and a direct narrative style which makes the wild Mexican setting peculiarly vivid to the reader. This German novelist lias a flair for writing about the struggle for existence in the more perilous corners of the earth, and he knows the men who struggle, as well as the scenes of their dangerous enterprises. He permits a somewhat bitter irony to enter the flow of narrative —less is this novel, however, than in its predecessor, “The Death Ship”—and adventure stories inevitably suffer from the taint of propaganda. Yet “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” is first-rate storytelling, as graphic and compelling as anything of the kind for many a day. When the three gold prospectors of the story set out for the Sierra Madre from the Mexican coast, we know nothing about them except that one is old, and has been prospecting all his life; while the others, comparatively young, know nothing of what awaits them. They are simply three hardy, goldhungry men, and anything else that is relevant emerges from their subsequent performances in face of temptation and physical danger. “Digging and digging from sunrise to sunset in the sweltering heat; then up with the dirt into the trough; then rock and puddle and sift. And all to do over again three and four and five times—back and back with it into the cradle, because it did not come clean.” Bo it goes on for weeks, the three living like beasts and rapidly learning to snarl. Suddenly a dozen bandits appear to besiege the miners in their canyon. This is a thrilling piece of writing, prefaced by a vivid description of previous bloodthirsty achievements by, these cut. throats —how they held up a train, slaughtered all on board, before pillaging and burning the carriages. The psychological element now becomes important, and from this point in the story until the drama plays itself out with the attempt to reach the coast with the gold. Traven is concerned with the relations between his three miners, greedy, suspicious, friendly, and murderous by-turns. The tension does not relax until the final issue becomes obvious, when, it must be admitted, there is something of a letdown. Yet, even so, there is a sort of ironic justice in the closing scene that most readers will regard as inevitable. It effectually demonstrates the old prospector’s considered opinion, based upon bitter experience: of many gold fields: “As long as you find nothing, you’re all brothers. But as soon as the little heaps of dust get bigger and bigger, the brothers turn cut-throats.”

“WATCH ON DECK.”

Only at the end of bis entertaining autobiography, “Watch on Deck,” does Commander R. L. Dearden, lt.N. (retired) reveal that he is now a professional author. One might have suspected it from the degree of literary talent displayed in the course of the narrative, the command of nervous English unusual among pensioners of the services, even if one did not know the writer’s other books, of which “Ships that Pass” is, perhaps, the best and most popular. Those are mainly fiction, this is entirely fact, handled iu the lightest and most objective manner. The career of Commander Dearden has been one well worth writing about. Ho went to sea at seventeen as an apprentice in a 1200-ton sailing ship, and a few years later, with the change over to steam, passed to a cargo steamer, working his way up in four years to be second officer. Thence be entered the service of the Orient Line, to which all ambitious men aspire; joined the Royal Naval Reserve, and in due course transferred to the navy, in which lie obtained command after going through the war with distinction. Quito the most valuable part of the book is the account lie gives as an eye-witness and participant of the Battle of Jutland, winch lie declares emphatically was a victory for England and a triumph on the part of Jellicoe, for whom lie has nothing but admiration. The pages describing the battle manoeuvres and the progress of the fight are, ill their modest way, a real contribution to the history of the war.

“SWALLOWS IN SPRINGTIME.”

“Swallows in Springtime” is Mary Sturt’s first novel, a freshly written, intelligent story with a Cotswold setting. Once again we are called upon to observe that old age and youth cannot live together —not, that is, without spark-producing friction of some sort, and the likelihood of an explosion. The Brownlows could have managed rather better, one feels, bad the younger generation cultivated good manners, and the older a habit of tolerance towards [youthful aspirations. As it is we find 'John resentfully pursuing medical studies when he wanted to produce films; Margaret kept uselessly at home instead of being helped to the career she demanded; Alison separated from her lover. Naturally, there is much to be said for parental conservatism in each case, but unhappily the Brownlow method of persuasion and dissuasion merely drove all three youngsters into stmiid rebellion. Miss Sturt has much difficulty in avoiding a catastrophe, but, having fixed her heart stubbornly upon a happy ending, she brings her characters safely through. One doubts, however, that such chronically bad manners as those of the young Brownlows could be improved "so vastly in a few short months.