CURRENT LITERATURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17459, 1 May 1920, Page 1 (Supplement)

CURRENT LITERATURE.

NOTES ON NEW BOOKS. BY CRITIC. ! Much criticism is levelled in these days at the Church; and a good deal of atten- . tion is being called to the present-day op- ■ portunity of the upholders of religion to , push home their doctrines to a waiting • world. A considerable amount of the . complaint must be discounted, since it : largely comes from that great mass of people who, as far as practical support goes, are of no creed and no persuasion. Still, the fact that there exists this large body is evidence that the Church has not retained that hold on its people that it had halfa-century since. In an ever-in-creasing number of books, attempt is being made to find a solution for the pre-sent-day neglect of Church observance, and a remedy that will in some measure correct what is adjudged by many a growing laxity of conduct. THE CHURCH'S OPPORTUNITY. " The New Opportunity of the Church," by Robert E. Spser (Macmillan, London). —The writer takes as his motto "The old falls. The times will change. And new life will blossom from the ruins." He gives a pregnant instance of the new. A group of American soldiers had won the affection of certain village folk in France. In action, one lad was killed, his body being brought back to the village. The French asked their priest to bury the Protestant in their own consecrated ground. His rule of office forced him to refuse the request, and the boy was buried outside the wall, but as close as the villagers could put him to their own dead. The next morning, to the wonder and delight of the villagers, the grave was found within the wall. The old priest had risen in the night and moved the wall." Dr. Speer argues from this that " the new order makes its demand: the walls must be moved out, there must be room for the spirit of eight million men who died for a larger ■<»orld." He quotes Dr. Wotherspoon, of Edinburgh, in a dauntless sermon entitled " The War and the Sin of the World," who again supports Mr. E. Burroughs' attitude when he writes that " British individualism was in its way as much a form of animalism or atheism as German militarism or worship of expedience. No part of the civilisation which has perished can plead ' not guilty' to a share in the responsibility, because everywhere the new paganism was working in greater or less degree or in one form or another ... the fall of Germany is a reproach on human nature rather than ground for congratulation for those other mortals who are not German. Others, ourselves included, have deserved the cataclysm, though only Germany could have engineered ft." Another writer la quoted as saying that " wirely the future looks black enough, yet it holds a hope, a single hope. Only one power can Arrest the descent and save us. That is the Christian religion." Yet another Japanese pastor, Mr. Ikeda, whose ebbing strength in pain and poverty was spent upon ft translation into Japanese of the life of St. Bernard because " he combines In himself love and the aggressive fighting spirit which is competent to subdue evil."

He refers to Dr. Shedd. a missionary in Western Persia, during the dark days of war. Ho went with this Christian popu- j lation, as they were driven towards Russia and then into Mesopotamia. Their villages were destroyed, their daughter, ravished; typhus and typhoid raged among the driven people. Panic-stricken, 60,000 of them fled again. Dr. Sbidd accompanied them as they fled, dying by thousands, starving and sick, ufitil he himself died of cholera. He Wis a scholar, whose book, " Islam and the Oriental Churches," has won recognition. fie could at any time have left his Christians! but h* would not abandon them to the Turks. This story, and others, are given to show the capacity for self-sacrifice in the AngloSaxon. Ha claims that men who learned during war "the unworthine** of selfish lives should resolve to give themselves to the Christian ministry, to missionary and social service, and to careers of philanthropic and political and religious consecration." And few will disagree with him after reading his eloquent appeal.

"William Booth," by Harold Begbie (Macmillan, London).— study of this forcible religionist lifts been faithfully done. Necessarily, a considerable portion of the volumes include* personal letter* which, however, are indicative of Booth's fine character and high practical ideals. "Co a hating," he write*, " night and dsv, -in every place under all circumstance*. Bring this tide of your nature well into play in the right direction—against sin and evil."

"An Introduction to Old Testament Study," by Basil Redlich, M.A. (Macmillan, London).—To meet the needs of those who are confronted with questions, and whose lack of Biblical scholarship places them at a disadvantage, of others again who are quite unaware of the wealth of literary and historical interest in the Old Testament, the author has bravely undertaken this work, and has carried it through, so that his work becomes a valuable commentary upon the sacred books. FICTION. " Gold and Iron," by Joseph Hergesheimer (Heinemann, London).— Those who read "The Three Black Penriys," by this author, will expect great strength in his new book. It consists of short stories, all powerful, picturing virile types of Americans. Ho uses the elements of murder and violence freely, but with restrained power, so that, though his stories are too virile to bo really of universal attractiveness, they must command attention from those win. follow the literary movement of the day. " A Maker of Saints," by Hamilton Drummond (Stanley Paul, London).—Another Italian story dealing with the work of a sculptor, and the intriguo and romance of old Italy. " The Red Signal," by 0. H. L. Lutz (Lippincott, Chicago).—A spy story, suited to the capacities and tastes of somewhat juvenile readers.

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS.

" Dod's Parliamentary Companion" (Pitman, London).—The 1920 edition of this valuable work contain* the usual useful information concerning Parliamentary procedure This is its ninety-sixth issue— sufficient recommendation to those as yet unacquainted with it. "The Substance 01 a Dream," by F. \V. Bain (Methuen, London).—The author informs one that he does not know whence his stories come. They come to me, one by one, suddenly, like a flash of lightning,'all together. I > ; e» them in the air before me. like a little Bayeux tapestry, complete, from end to end, and write them down, hardly lifting the pen from the paper, straight off ' from the MS.' I never know, the day before, when one is coming: it arrive?, as if shot out of a pistol, who can tell? They may be all but so many reminiscences of a former birth." The present story deals with Hindu characters. " The Press in War Time," by Sir Edward Cook (Marmillan, London).—A most interesting addition to the after-war literature of Europe. This accepted writer was one of tho censors, and he has " rendered a public service in explaining the working of the Press Bureau." He describes the scheme of censorship adopted during the war. "To anyone who knows the conditions under which the work was done, the wonder will seem, not that there were some miscarriages, but that there was anything else." Necessarily his book is of greatest interest to journalists, but nothing that Sir Edward Cook wrote could not make appeal to all. He was press censor for four years, and '• worked day and night through to r?- ( concile the interests of the country with the demands and convenience of the newsl papers.".