A LITERARY CORNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10811, 29 January 1921, Page 4

A LITERARY CORNER

(R.A.1..) ‘ ESSAYS ON BOOKS.” 'A. Clhilton-Brock. (Methuen and 00., London.) These essays are reprinted fr.om the literary supplement of - ‘The Times.” And they are worth reproducing for' they are themselves good literature. They have knowledge, thought, sympathy, and a power of getting at the root of things, and reporting from there with stimulating words in a clear, masterly style, usefully suggestive and generally convincing. The man. who can, like this author, say something new and worth considering about Shakespeare, Dickens, Swinburne, Morris, Keats, Dostoevsky, Turgenev and others is always sure of an audience. He shows the greatness of Shakepeaxe without allowing him perfection at all points: he can speak of the limitations of Dickens without detracting one iota from his reputation ; he seizes the- main feature of Charlotte Bronte’s work without hiding its weaknesses. In short, he, does justice without idolatry, and he illuminates with discernment. A most useful critic of the sort the world needs. “A DOMINIE IN DOUBT.” A. S. Neil. (Herbert Jenkins.) Mr Neil, dealing with the many perplexities that beset teachers, is never m doubt. In crisp style, enriched with epigram and illuminated by good stones of school happenings, he plays with interesting entertainment round the roots of the great educational problems. To ] bold up character; develop, not stunt, original force; to encourage, rather than compel; to stimulate, rather than to make discipline a fetish —these be the secrets of good pedagogy, and this man has come out of his own hard experience with the mastery of them. There are others, of course, and we say so, meaning that wo will not insult his method by trying to compress it into three lines of laudation. We will only say that if teachers the world over would study it with care, the world would he better. The study will be much lightened by the brilliancy and elegance of the style. “THE NEW ENCYCLOPAEDIA.” Sir E. Parrott, M.D., hh.D. (editor). (T. Nelson and Sons, Bond on.) The obvious feature of this Encyclopaedia, from the very enterprising establishment which has kept pace with history since the fateful year 1914, is that it is up to date. This is, considering that the great war has during tho interval harassed, pained, astounded, and upset the world, saying verymuch. The obvious fe.atuxe is, for reference purposes, invaluable. Who can vouch for any vast work of this kind, brought out under a pressure measured by the fact that already we have received four volumes ? Why, the Dictionary of National Biography, which we all swear by, produced with a leisure which in comparison, is most spacious, is admitting errors, and urging that the cost of corrections will be £50,000 and prohibitive. This work we must he content to admire as the best obtainable up to date, with its vivid, terse accounts, its many presenitaible maps, its useful handiness, and above • all its crown of up-to-date information. “BIRDS OF ODR BUSH.” R. T. Bittlejohn and S. A. Eawrence. (Whiteo-mbe and Tombs, Melbourne, Wellington, etc.) Dr. Leach, the Vice-President of ihe Royal Australasian Ornithologists Onion,, tells,, in his preface: how this book came to be. It is the work of two boys, who began early to observe the birdls of Australia through a camera. With small equipment, little knowledge, absolutely no technical Skill, they plodded along round. about their own district in the neighbourhood of Mel- ' bourine. By piattience and perseverance, and devoted industry, they got on. Photography yielded its secrets to them, knowledge of the birds and their habits came to them in *the only way that knowledge comes —it is not a royal .way—and they at lost won success. The result is a collection of bird pictures, equal to the best ini the world. Such a multitude of beautiful wild creatures, all photographed in the wild, sharp, clear, most' characteristic in their natural grace ; not a picture under first-class, every background exactly as nature made it; eggs, nests, bracken, scrub, leaf and tree surroundings all perfect. Whta-t patient waiting, what numerous shifts, plans, disappointments, what joys and hardships—all these the boys tell us in thatr book. It is a story in a small way, and it is a stupendous story of success under difficulties apparently insurmountable. It is intensely interesting from first to last, and it adds something to the knowledge of bird life, while giving vast encouragement to the hobby of photography. To read the book will take every young photographer into a new world, and give every bird-lover a thrill, a® he realises the beauty and perfection of the bird creation. “THE ' SPIDER,-WOMAN.” John: Goodwin, (Herbert Jenkins, Ltd.-, 39, York street, St. Jameses, London 5.W.1.) A melodrama played with marionettes is the essence of this novel. Secret passages, secret drawers, secret walls, stilettos, susurrations abound, scattered over the numerous intervals of a mysterious plot, requiring murder, arson, kidnapping, and fraud as a big head of steam to keep its old-fashioned engines going. It takes them all their time to do it. ' “THE HILITOF THE! CROWS.” F. Sleath. (Herbert Jenkins.) In war, Mr Sleath showed what he cculd do with “The Sniper.” This book shows that he can write well without the stimulus of active service. It is a story of Scots life in a minor seaport town. The story is very succe-s----ful. The oharScteristdc types, rich and poor, are there in perfection, in manhood, 'boyhood, and girlhood; in school and kirk, in workshop, cottage, and big house and counting house; in park and slum, and on shipboard, they are all “It,” doing all their work and play in broad Doric. ' The tale of a very instructive young life ie the backbone. The main incident is a great strike, well and dramatically worked with the skill of one who has seen the dogs of war loose, and everything is done with graphic touch directed by a. critical eye. Towards the end the management of the plot shows a few crudities, which only signify that the strong inventive power requires the pruning; of experience. “CHRISTIANITY ANI? CHRIST.” W. Scott Palmer. (Christophers, London, 22, Berners street, London, W.l). The author tells us that some years ago, being profoundly impressed by tho 'critical examination of Christian documents and , Christian origins, by science generally and by the now movements in philosophy, he felt imjoaUad to? “revise hoi religious heliefs.’ 1

Ii and did so in the form of a diary. Feeling that, for various reasons, the time has come for another stocktaking, he has placed his views once /more in diary form, adding anothe; unit to the doctrinal Babel of the day, with the best intentions. • . “PILGRIM PAPERS.” j Robert 'Keable. (Christophers, Lon- j don.) | The revealment of an earnest soul, ! 1 labouring as a missionary among Kaffir ; , villages. The personality is strong, the labour earnest, the religious ex- ; porience intimate, and the charm or ; finely-described open-air life is com- : 1 polling. The heart of the man is gold, ; 1 and if his pen is sometimes uncertain. : it never ceases to be graceful. j 1 “VENEREAL DISEASE PREVEN- : TION.” ! Sir A. Reid,- K.8.E., etc. (W. Heinemann, London.) j Thisi vexed question has two sides, j 1 the physical and moral, perpetually at ] i war with each other, just ae the prin- I i ciples of good and evil are throughout i the world. This book gives the whole ; weight in detail of the physical side, I i imparting a- vast amount of sound in- j - formation. Incidentally it- tells how ; - virulently the contest between the phy- j - sical and moral sides raged during the war in the high Apartment of medical control; also how fearfully the British armies suffered throughout the duration of the war from the disease in question. r “GEORGE MORROW—HIS BOOK.” a Morrow. (Methuen and Co., 36, Essex - street, London, W.C.) 3 Mr Punch amuses the town every 5 week, but some of his artists are “a ’ joy for ever.” George Morrow is one a of these. Look into this book, and you wifi see before you have turned a the first picture. You will not need 0 to ask why. But if you should happen e to want to give a tody of expression . to your opinion, read the preface bj 3 Mr Lucas, whq talks well of the accua rate drawing, the subtle humour, f the complete yet subsidiary and sugy gestive backgrounds, and the surprising -. originality. But before trying to talk y be sure you have done laughing over s. the pictures. The reproduction is very good. Having recovered, we will trust ourselves as far as one quotation: “If the City of London were razed to the '• ground, and every record of its inhabitants lost, George Morrow would re- >- construct them. You have but to look s- at the next crowd following the h Guards’ Band to realise that he deia signed It.” o “WHEAT PRODUCTION IN NEW 1, ZEALAND.” y s- D. B. Copeland, M.A. (Whrfeoombe n and Tombs, Wellington.) Mr Copeland has written and eom- ” piled a monumental work, which he de--5" signates “A study in the history and i" economics of New Zealand agriculture.*' T Eleven chapters, three appendices, for- . ty-one tables, seventeen graphs, a 18 bibliography and an index, make a comf plete equipment for the presentment of d a subject most interesting to the farm- }~ er and the statesman. The author tells e us that his work represents the results ’’ of an investigation into “The Progress 3 and Importance of Wheat Production in 18 New Zealand.” Dr Hilgendorf (biologist to Canterbury College) contributes a useful chapter on “Improvement in Wheat by Selection in New Zealand.” Add Professor Hight’s introduction ex- '' plains in the vivid, suggestive, and terse ’’ way he has made his own, a description of the scope of the work and its e necessity. He has taken the opportu- - nitv to urge “tho institution of a qoan- £ preneneive economic survey of the primo ary industries,” a thing much required e to help the increased production which .. has now advanced to the position of a '- vital necessity. This work has been y done in this book for wheat-growing in a New Zeajand with the fullest informa- -- tion about the productioai and consumpi, tion of wheat throughout the world, as i- well as a study of the general Condi1, tions in New Zealand. Chapters on the s history of Wheat-growing in the Dot minion, on world prices at various ,1 periods,, on the wheat lands, the cost of production and the yields, labour and .. capital and milling, complete a most i. useful study. And there is informative 3 treatment on the calculation and the I use of index numbers. From the farmn ers’ point of view the hook represents r what may be called the higher educaa tion as distinct from tillage, information ■ about which must be found, elsewhere [| in the many well-known treatises on the j subject.