THE BOOKSHELF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21100, 6 February 1932, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE BOOKSHELF.

\<FEAR AND BE SLAIN." If GENERAL SEELY'S adventures. Mi Major-General J. E. B. Seely's book & bis adventures by land, sea and air, •'Fear and Be Slain," might never have 5 achieved notoriety hut for tho controversy which has arisen around one in'n it- Whether that controversy van engineered by an astute publisher . vor 3 hard- working journalist 111 search of .. copy remains a .secret. During the Boer jW.'ir General Seely threatened a young Dutch boy with death in order to force Jjim to betray the whereabouts of a commando. The ruse failed, and opinions differ whether the test should ever have ... bprtn applied. The siorv of the lad's =li refusal, iseely's appreciation of his braverv. ,1s expressed in a hearty handshake, has already been told in the Heiuld, together with the recent comments of he boy—now a middle-aged farmer—on the incident. .'The book demands further attention from the picture of the author, looking •verv noble, on the dust cover. The picture gi Te 5 a good idea of the kind of man General,;: Seely is. Born into the purple, educated according to the best English public school traditions, he found himself with position to his hand, with his ideas ready formed, with no cause for doubts—an excellent equipment for a man of action. /The world's philosophers and thinkers see so many courses open to them that they hesitate to take a definite ?tep along any of them. Its men of action see only one course ahead and step confidently along it. It is probable that General Seely has seldom had many doubts, strong enough to hold him back from decisive action. General Seelv's temperament has led him into many dangerous places and stirring/ adventures. " Safety first " is a vile motto, he explains, and- all his life he has acted daringly of deliberate intent. His literary gifts depend largely on that same forcefulness which he brings to resulting in a straight, lively narrative style which has made his book attractive to read. Having decided to ■write a hook, he rides roughshod over the difficulties and dangers which hold other men back, and writes with characteristic, zest of the experiences of his busy life. There are tales of his boyhood and the sea, incidents of the war in South Africa, tales from behind the scenes at the War Office, accounts of ' inventions, genuine and spdrious, which -were offered to the nation. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the section on flying, and here again is a typically daring and censurable incident of which General Seelv is by no means ashamed. When he -was Minister for Air he flew through the Tower Bridge,"filbckiiig off the hats of two men on an omnibus, although he had just made a stringent regulation against low flying over the Thames. Of course the pilot was technically in charge, but he would he a queer pilot who would take this xxsk without incentive. General Seely has a supremely high opinion Sir James Grierson, who is g : said to have completely out-manoeuvred Sir Douglas Haig in the field in 1912. He considers that had Grierson lived his great ability, combined with his unsurpassed knowledge of the German military mind, might have altered profoundly the whole 'course of the war. In these days of revaluations and overthrown reputations it is interesting to find General Seely's estimate of the three great figures of the war, in this order: Hindeuburg (immeasurably the greatest), loch, Lloyd George. He considers the latter had tly greatest will to win of anyone, and was the one politician in his expeiiance who could rouse to enthusiasm soldiers on active service. " Fear and. T3e Slain.' by Major-General the Right Hon. J. E. B. Seely. P.C., C.8., D.S.O. (Hodder and Stoughton.) GENIUS 0? TEE DANCE. THE STORY OF PAVLOVA. Pavlova is dead. I o have seen her dance has been for many au exquisite and unforgettable experience. Mr. Walford Hyden, who was for 20 years her musical/director, has written her formal biography in an attempt to set down his recollections and impressions while they ore still warm in his memory. She had a genius for dancing. The rigid tyranny of the Imperial school of ballet attached to the Marian sky Theatre gave her a faultless technique. She was ail ardent pupil who strained toward perfection. At the early ace of 22 she had attained ' the highest grade, that of Ballerina, but she was not content to rest on her laurels at Tsar's theatre. With a company of 12 men and 3 girls she left Russia 011 tour, the first of a long series of journeys winch ended only with her death. To those who have never Pavlova dance she is already only a legend, but to those who have seen her the very name Pavlova' holds enchantment. Dancing is magic and Pavlova was the spirit of the dance. Had she not been a dancer she might have become a great actress. Her biography holds 110 startling revelations. When she danced, that was Pavlova. She lived Iter emotional life on the stage. * 'lf the stage she was Pavlova resting, preparing herself for her next appearance. When danced she gave herself utterly. She looked frail, but hers was the inexhaustible strength of genius. She cared nothing for money «>r fame as fameShe cared only for dancing. She could easily have spared herself and bv living Exclusively have gained even more prestige. Hut, this meant nothing to her. She knew she had a marvellous gift and it was her happiness to share it with the greatest possible number of people. For this reason >,he went to the ends of the I Earth, consiil -ring 110 town too insignificant to dance in. Pavlova die'! of pneumonia while 011 tour, lu her delirium she asked for her Swan's dress, and 111 dying moved her thin arms in the. gestures of the swan dance. ,\t her memorial service in Lon- ' don •' Lr< Cygne, " was played, and to the cool 'cello music of Saint Saens she deemed to float upon the surface of a *tage lit, I>y a blue and mystical light. | ?he. is dead: and in all the world there 11 is no dancer to take her place. Hers was \\ f S p }»ns that died with her. Nothing v left except the memory of her move- ' s ' °f course, utterly impos- ® or . :i photograph to give any idea V& ." er lightness, her swiftness and ex- ' S&f acc - V : ftaUejf'° Va, * r Walford Hyiicn. (Con-