NEW BOOKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15551, 7 March 1914, Page 4 (Supplement)

NEW BOOKS.

"Because"—by Maud Ynrdlev (Stanley Paul, London)is fiction of the lightest with a silly nervous woman as leading lady and a scoundrel to off-set the virtues of Greta's husband, Pembrook.

" Behind the Scones In the Schoolroom " —by Florence Montgomery (Macmillau, London) —fs a version of the old and familiar siorv of tho girl turned out to teach, only in this case lor some obscure reason the girl's father only pretends poverty. But whereas tho covernofs learns in the person of her empluyor tho follies of the society world. and wins the affections of the young lord of the house, the moral is the same.

" Visions for Company "—by Henrietta Home (Melrose, London; Robertson, Melbourne).—A child from India, suddenly sent to tier aunt and uncle who indifferently give her house room and greedily use her eight hundred per annum, has visions in plenty lor company. But, grown up, she accepts an offer of marriage rather than remain a bin don upon her relatives, then discovers the fact of her income, and marries the man for love.

" Thirds that Pass"—by Alice E. Robbins (Melrose, London; Robertson, Melbourne) —contains a consistent character study of Mary West, poor relative and then modest wife of a farmer, with unusual uiflucnco upon those around her. Her husband takes to drink, one of her sons is no better, and tho good man of tbn book marries Lena, none too good a mother but repentant at the right moment.

" Inehlillon"—liv E. Everett Green (Ward Lock London ; Wildman and Arey, Auckland).—The good stepmother who surcecdf. at Inrhfallen has to contend with the ?riu.ful resentment of a maiden lady and the malicious tricks of three children. They frighten her into an illnes, and when the recovers from that, steal her baby. By their success one judges them to bo clever httlo folk. B,ut after making plenty of such havoc, her love eventually conquers all the obstacles and the family, first and second, proceed to live in complete amity.

" Robert Louis Stevenson "—'Hodder and Stoughton, London) — extra number of the Bookman. One always turns with pleasure and a certain sense of gratitude to Robert Louis Stevenson or anything written about him, for the wonderful charm of his personality still holds and holds well. After so much that is acknowledgedlv well written and talented of to-day's books, there is yet a freshness of genius in every letter or tale of the man who died at VailimS'. His friends were such real friends; once knowing him they could never have been'anything else.' Each new item of Stevensonia revives this impression ; and. the Bookman's collection of arlHes and portraits comes opportunely as a reminder that not long since a great man wrote and died but left sweet memories in the world. The articles by Y.Y., by Crockett, by 3*jeil Munro, by lan Maclaren, and others, add no new material, except as being the appreciation of their writers for this " visionary boy" so well beloved. The collection -of portraits is one 1-- allure Stevenson's admirers. It is excellent. ; l ' 1

"Whigs and Whiggism " —by Benjamin Disraeli (.Murray, London}—a collection of political writings by the renowned statesman, edited by William Hutcheon, .who writes an introduction to the series of articles, seme of which are rescued from newspaper files and only now reprinted. That the ago was Ace of fearless invective no one who reads the volume can ■deny. Often it threatens to pass beyond that stage, well illustrating the. insolent disdain of the younger Disraeli for his political opponents. . Scanning his letters one sometimes marvels at the recklessness of his editors, and feels thankful that the times have somewhat changed. For instance, what does the modem reader think of the following extract'from an article written in 1836,.entitled "An Estimate of O'Connell."

' I defy his creatures to produce a single passage from any speech he ever delivered illumined by a single flash of genius, or tinctured with the slightest evidence of tasfe l or thought, or . study. Learning he has none; little reading. ; His style in speaking) as in writing, is ragged, bald, halting, disjointed. He has no wit, though he may claim his fair' portion of that Milesian humour which everyone inherits bears a hod.« His pathos is the stage sentiment of a barn; his invective li; slang. When he aspires to the higher style of rhetoric, he is even ludicrous. He snatches up a bit of tinsel, a tawdry riband, or an artificial flower, and mixes it with his sinewy commonplace and his habitual soot like a chimney-sweeper on May Day. - "Of his moral ' character it might be enough to say that .he is a systematic liar, and a beggarly cheat, a swindler, and a poltroon. ~ But , of O'Qonnell you can even *ay more. His public and his private life are equally profligate; he has committed every crime that . does not require courage." . . Admitting all -that there undoubtedly is of vituperation, one must alio note that the rush of Disraeli's language is admirable, his wealth of allusion points to profound scholarship* and his tireless industry is wonderful. His personal talent, as evidenced in these letters taken from many journalistic sources, again proves itself tr&nscendant over the pounds of period, for his work is interesting still, to a reader of tlie twentieth and far more tolerant century.

" Goslings "—by J. D. Bedford (Heinemann, London).—Evidently the author ha& chosen his title with care, intending by it to typify that supposedly large class vho without direction of their own are driven by masters, in short, the great British public. Gosling is a clerk who earns three hundred pounds a year , and speaks, by the way, disgraceful English, if one is to judge by " Them sales is a fraud," and similar utterances of his. Still, he supports his lamily of a wife and two daughters apparently well; scoffs at all suggestion of national danger from any source whatever, and when it arrives in the shape of a plague 'which kills men and leaves tho ' women immune, (lees to the country and 1 promptly kisfes the first, woman whom he meets. What becomes of him after his adoption of a new domicile, Mr. J. D. Hereford scorns to say. He has done with the goslings and proceeds to sketch the horrors of England in the hands ol women. As you may guess, everything is at a standstill, the few skilled women trying in a feckless manner to keep enough ends together to feed themselves, and the crowds of inefficient ones who come to beg from them. A butcher then appears on the scene, riding in his chariot, a veritable Dionysius, seeking whom he may embrace. One of Gosling daughters falls victim to his attractions. Then the capable man arrives, one who is impervious to the wiles of women, who nips all advances in th' 3 bud and sternly preaches work, So tin seriously-minded women work under hi» able direction, and the foolish ones ar>) sent away. Wise women are actually hoping soon to become competent when Hirale, tho invincible, goes on a little holiday jaunt with Eileen of Marlow, and takes back all the unkind remarks which he has made about loving. Then, apparently not quite sure what to do with the community, the author sights an American etcamor which brings men, "more and ever more men" being promised. on her next voyage. Aft«r this the world is going to start anew and avoid many mistakes, " diss distinctions, sex distinctions, and things like that. Women won't trouble about titles and all that rot. Social conditions will be so different that there won't be any more marriage. Marriage was a man's prerogative; he wanted to keep his woman to himself and keep his property for his children. It never really protected women, and anyway they were capable of protecting themselves if they'd been given a —they will work and be etrong instead of spending their time in doing nothing or pottering about the bouse, " . All of which is interesting, but the story has not consistently proved these and others of its theories. .