CURRENT LITERATURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18025, 25 February 1922, Page 1 (Supplement)

CURRENT LITERATURE.

NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.

BI CRITIC.

It is a universally admitted fact that what the whole world of to-day needs is regeneration; and it is claimed, with much truth that a great revival of religion—which' is not to be confounded with a religious revival—would purge modern manhood of the dross of materialism which is thought by many to be at the root of the trouble. By thinkers and writers who have delved deep into tho heart of the matter, it is argued that no religious faith bears the searchlights of common sense and of desire for human betterment as does that of Christianity. It is simplo, it is comprehensive; it needs no education in mysticism or occultism; it calls for no poring into old documents, no racial study of any account. It most of all—and this ir. its greatest powerappeals to, and is assimilated by, the child. The child of to-day is the citizen of to-morrow, and if our churches unite in ft common effort to raiso the child in the be?t and broadest principles of our national faith, to implant in him tho love of truth, of honour, of clean spiritual outlook, and of common-sense tolerance, they will regenerate our broken world.

THE CHILDREN'S I'EIEND. "The Friend of Little Children "-by The Rev. J. Sinclair Stevenson (Blackwell, Oxford.) One is forced to admit that the Bible makes confusing reading for the child. To solve the problem of convoying its message to the young who are not ready for its, beautiful English, and its candour—a candour which was\interpreted for a less cautious age than ours—has been the work of too few writers. Those who have attempted it have not always done it intelligently. The present volume— whose only fault is its price, since such books should be accessible to all parents and all children—combines simplicity with intelligence. The Bishop of Liverpool, who writes the preface commends the work because the author has " insight into the child's mind, wihout being babyish or childish; he has imagination, seeing with the child's eyes, lighting up the wonderful story of our Lord's life with a vivifying touch of reasonable and wholesome imagination. He has sympathetic knowlodge—the ripest knowledge is best qualified to instruct—he knows his Greek testament h» knows the East, he knows theology, and brings a well-trained and well-furnished mind to bear on his subject, whereby the greator is his simplicity of conception, his attitude for exposition, and his directness of access to the open and expeotant mind." When to the Bishop's recommendation is added the fact that the author wrote this story of Christ for Ws little daughter, enough has been said to ensure for the book a nearty welcome from all thoughtful parents and teachers of religion.

LABOUR IN AMERICA " Tbe Party ol the Third Part "-by Henry J. Allen (Harpers, New .York; Champtaloup and Edmiston, Auckland).— Since America is so much quoted in labour talk, this is a book which describes ties'ory of a " Court that aims to give justice to tho public in labour disputes." It has been in working over a year. Governor Allen explains how this Kansas Court deals with cases. His great feature is that the public must not be inconvenienced by sudden strikes, that labour has no divine right to upset civilisation. The famous debate between Allen and Gompers is republished with the great question allegedly never answered by the veteran Gompers— fiie question : " Has the public any rights in such a controversy, or is it a private war between labour and capital?" If Mr. Gompers answers this question in the affirmative, how would he protect the public? Who controls the divine right to quit work?" Mr. Gompers made, Mr. Allen alleges, no reply, and about ten days after issued the statement that " Labour has no desire to cause inconvenience to the public, the public has no rights which are superior to the toiler's right to live, and his right to defend himself against oppression." "He is claiming," writes Governor Allen, "-for a small minority the right to dictate the terms of life to the majority." He reminds Mr. Gompers that strikes are least frequent in times of depression when workers need "relief most, and most abundant in times of greatest prosperity, and an upward trend of wages. Saddening are the remarks made about the decreased morale 'in workmen—twice as long to erect a house by the same number of men as in pre-war time; employees getting double pay for one-half the work as compared with before the war. The reference to r.ublic welfare as "an abstraction," "the question of tho rights of the public is still unanswered by the spokesman of organised labour." Mr. Allen's Court says that " certain industrial disputes are properly a concern of government—it aspires to be benevolentto readjust difficulties between employer and employed—but it notifies both sides that the people's lives, liberties, and pursuits of happiness must not be interfered with. It is the American prevented of Leninism and also of unrestrained Capitalism." The safety of the public is made its "supreme law." Workers and employers alike will find interest in Governor Allen's book of com-mon-sense arguments.

GENERAL READING. The cocaine habit is the subject of Arthur G. Empery's book " The Madonna of the Hills"'—Harpers. New York; Melville and Mullen, Melbourne).—A musichall singer loses her work because she will not accept the overtures of Wills, who has the ear of the manager. With her child she is threatened with starvation. Leaving Mollie with the landlady, whose tongue is rougher than' her heart, and whose earnings go to support a cocainesaturated husband, Mrs. Eastman sets forth to earn money on the street, when an accident settles' her fate. Her child grows up ignorant of her mother's end, and becomes a singer at cabarets.. There is much reflection of vicious living and big takings, and of malpractice among the police. According to the author, it is very easy for a girl who will not fall prey to a low adventurer to be arrested for'faked crime, and very difficTiit for a jrirl who remains virtuous to win success. This latter allegation is made repeatedly in books of New York. Johnny Muldooi.. a youngster with the cocaine habit,, appears in the storv as an undesirable pimp, under the influence of malicious evil characters. The cabaret singer escapes from tho city, to hide from her " crook friend, and falls in love with a parson in a country village. Eventually her enemies are disposed of, and she marries her 'choten husoaml. «Drum-Na-KeH"-by Mary E. Boyle (Eneas Mackay, Stirlipg)-?n unusual poem, dealing with a Gaelic legend of the Little babies who died, •Ere a priest had christened them Are hid side by aide. The curlews wail tno reauiem Of babes by church denied. Thev were laid on a sacrificial stone, and the tale runs that a hundred years ago an unknown maid was buried there, too. On this incident the poem dwells m impassioned verse of fine quality. » Poems of R"~( Anonymous).—The sonnets in this little collection are especially graceful: ■ I hoH thy nam© to precious for the world, So have not given its to my Altho' 8 the perfume An these blossoms Another most precious doth to> thee belong Had thy full likeness been as pages penned. Each inspiration hymned one lovely rose, Thv doarest tyric would the most offend, With crystal lovelineai the muse disclose.