SUNDRY PUBLICATIONS

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 32

SUNDRY PUBLICATIONS

The best thing, perhaps, in the **Argosy” for January—certainly that which will interest Australasian readers most—-is the “Letter to Jack Cornstalk,” by,, .fienry. Lawson. In this we have ..oojixip. /'fresh and entertaining discourses ■off fjondon sights, as they appear to

Australian eyes. Take as a sample the following on St. Paul’s: —“I’ve seen buildings, in Australia and elsewhere, of less than half the size of St. Paul’s, which look much more imposing—the Hotel Australia in Sydney, for instance, or the Yankee insurance offices next the G.P.O. ; but then m one case we have unbroken height, and in the other fresh clean granite and freestone work. In the guide-book pictures St. Paul’s stands out complete —as in guide - book pictures of most buildings in the world. There k an atmosphere suggestive of wide spaces—of asphalt walks and gardens running out a mile or two in any direction. This is one of the apparently useless lies of civilisation —but I suppose it’s born of commercialism, like niost other- lies—a little branch lie of commercialism. You don’t- see much of St. Paul’s in London—it is so crowded by buildings nearly as grimy and dingy as itself. A coat of soot round the lower part of the building hides the fine or graceful lines which may be in the stone work and throws the columns—which .should stand out clean and defined —flat against the inner wall: also it reduces the height of the building. The upper half of the building is a dirty, rain-waslied white, and the soot is washed in streaks clown over the ledges. I remember a black cliff in a corner of the coast in New Zealand, with a cave in it and a round tussock bill on the top ; on the upper ledges of the cliff millions of sea birds were in the habit- of roosting. St. Paul’s, from a little distance, reminds me of that cliff. A Londoner tells me that he’ll go past St. Paul’s every day for nine days and see nothing in it, but on the tenth day he’ll look up and have a feeling. I suppose when I go back to Sydney ancl see the General Post Office or the Town Hall, I’ll have a feeling too—because of many things ; but when I was in Sydney I passed those buildings nearly every day for years, the only feeling I had was one of resentment, called up by the vicinity of a cheap restaurant in which I did a six months’ perish in other and braver years. English home people are remarkable for their invulnerable commonsense, but they allow the appearance of an awful lot of senseless idolatry in London. And worse —there is in London a fashionable clog graveyard—beadstones and all complete—and on one of these headstones the fashionable bereaved one expresses a hope that she ll meet her darling in heaven. But I didn’t mean to touch on that ; I’m not ready for it vet. Such things excite me. . . The interior of St. Paul’s does not impress me ; it suggests to me an imitation of the interior of some older and larger building which I haven’t seen yet. The statuary, of white marble, is so smoked that it suggests at once cheap plaster casts coated with grey or stone-coloured paint to preserve and keep them together. This after the pure white marble in Sydney gardens.” After some particularly candid criticism of individual statues in the Great Cathedral, we have the following characteristic passage : “The stone angel business has been carried to a sickening extent in St. Paul’s. If it were not so- concerthally, ancl thus beneath contempt, I would call it —well, Jack, I would call it blasphemy and you know Im no saint. To s'ee everywhere crude angers in stone in senseless attendance on stone gods supposed to represent dead heroes who were only lucky to be leaders, who were no braver than thousands who fought under them and some of whom were greater cowards in domestic life than the majority.—as our friend the shearer’s cook at Come-by-Chance station used to say, ‘There s more money and sympathy wasted over dead an rotten humbugs than there is common justice done t<o straight, honest - living men/ It’s the way of all the world, and all time —Make gods of the dead : crucify the living.” The letter quoted from is one of a series that- should piove of great- interest. The -other contents of the “Argosy” are all excellent in their way.

There are several articles of particular interest in February’s “Pall Mall Magazine.” “Hooliganism, is a subject upon which Mr Arthur Morrison, author of “Tales of Mean Streets,” etc., discourses learnedly. Firstly, lie says that “too much pother is made over wliat ihe newspapers call ‘Hooliganism, but when he warms to his subject lie is earnestly persuasive of the fact tha/fc “the Hooligan” is a x>ersonage to be feared, and held at arm’s length by society. Air Morrison wants “Hooligan” whipflogged, because he asserts the latter “holds the whip in healthy fear.” He (Ivlr Morrison) regrets that at his suggestion “the sentimentalist lifts up his voice and blithers. . . for it is our modern way to meet crime with indulgence, and we have cockered the biute for years. . • but indeed it is the influence of the sentimentlist. if it is anything, that has enabled the Hooligan to disport so freely in our midst of late.” Air Alorrison’s article is inconsistent, and advocates “brutality for brutality.” Nevertheless it is interesting. Other. articles which especially claim attention are “The Life of a War Correspondent,” bv “Smiler” Hales —to whom it appears that the day a newspaper man receives his commission as a

war correspondent he has “won the \ ictoria Cross of journalism”—and "A - ersonak Reminiscence of Sir Arthur Sullivan,” by George Grossmith.

We have received from Messrs Angus and Robertson and Co., of 89, Ca-stle-reagli street, Sydney, a brochure on “The Metric System of Weights and Measures ancl Decimal Coinage,” designed jfor the use of upper classes in primary schools and others who may desire to become acquainted with the principles of the metric system of weights and measures. The system is now in use m all the countries of Europe, with the exception of Great Britain and Russia. The Imperial Parliament in 1898 legalised its use within the United Kingdom, but has lipt yet made the system compulsory. There is no doubt, however, that it will presently come into universal use ; therefore, it is well that ,tlie mastering of its principles should form a part not only of the boy at school, but of the up-to-date man of business.

A further copy is to hand -of “The Picture Shakespeare,” an admirable, illustrated, cloth-bound volume, especially adapted for encouraging youthful minds to the study of the great master. For the purooses of the edition, both texts and notes have been revised by practical teachers, in order to secure entire suitability for class use, and particularly for the needs of those reading for college examinations. An admirable compilation of quotations at the end of the book facilitates the mastery by students of characteristic expressions now out of date, but minus which Shakespeare would be robbed of much of his charm. The volume, which is published by Messrs Blackie and Son for one shilling, is exceedingly well printed, and no more suitable publication could be placed in the hands of a studious and intellectual child or junior student- The illustrations are admirable.

A further instalment of “Class Books of Geography” are to band, published by Messrs Blackie and Son, Ltd., London. We are not enamoured of the issue. The information contained therein is scrappy, and brevity is sometimes secured at the expense of absolute accurracv. As an auxiliary to a system of “cram,” the “Class Books” referred to. would be admirable, but students would get- more real, reliable information about this colony, for instance, even from New Zealand guide books.

Blackie’s Modern Language series has been enriched by an addition of M. F. Julien, of King Edward’s School, Five Wavs, Birmingham, under the title of “Parlous Francais.” The ambitions effort of the author is to_ convey to the pupil by means of a multitude of examples a speaking knowledge of French language. His theory is' that “words, plenty of words : sentences used and practised affirmatively, negatively, interrogatively, must enable pupils in a short time to read and write ; drill will prepare the ear to bo a good introduction to conversation.” The book has been written in support of the theory that “instead or beginning with the grammar the language should be learned as an infant learns to talk.” In the hands of a pupil under the tutorship of an accomplished linguist, “Parions Francais” would probably advance a pupil in proficiency both as a speaker and writer of French quicker than the ordinary books of instruction. For .the single-handed student it would he an immense help in the mastery of the simpler forms of the language, but would probably lead him into pitiable pitfalls in regard to pronunciation. To the ambitious, cautious student, bent on selfeducation, the publication will come a.s a help and an inspiration. It can be purchased, cloth-bound, for 2s 6cl.

From the same publishers comes a little booklet containing a short story, “Tamangs,” by Prosper Nerimee, edited for the use of French students by Mr JE. Aliclaell, ALA., Ph. D., Corpus Cliristi College, Oxford. It is published for Is 6d, and is provided with notes and vocabulary as an appendix, so as to assist the .student in assimilating with ease the idioms and the information contained therein. It’s publication will be hailed with pleasure by those anxious to obtain a nodding acquaintance with the language.

Now that “war is in the air” and volunteering on the up-grade, a number of publications which are leaving the printing establishment of Alessrs Gale and Polden, Ltd., of Paternoster Row, London, E.C., and Aldershot, cannot fail to command attention. “Soldiers’ Training and other Notes,” by Major H. de Bert Hovell, of the Worchester Regiment (author of “Soldiers’ Shooting”) published in cloth for 2s nett—post free to any part of the world—is the most comprehensive of the series. It is full of information as an egg of meat, and gives instruction on every phase of drill instruction likely to be of use in modern warfare. It is certainly a publication which should be in the hands of every conscientious soldier, either amateur or professional. To the street-corner general it would, of course, be invaluable. We cannot too highly recommend it. Accompanying it, and from the same publishers, are informing brochures on “Skirmishing Made Easy,” .by Major B. Witherby, and “Practical Bayonet Fighting,” by F. B. Forester (champion swordsman of the British Army) procurable for sixpence each.