A Literary Corner

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12394, 13 March 1926, Page 12

A Literary Corner

(Conducted by

R.A.L.)

* “THE NEW RUSSIA” Dr. L. Haden Guest, M.P.. was in Russia in 1920 as secretary of ,the British labour Delegation to Russia in' that,year. He was; in Moscow in 1923, attending the Agricultural Exhibition after the new economic policy had been in operation for two years. He lias also travelled much in Russia, and has studied the conditions of the, country from conversations with the Soviet leaders and others, and from perusal of boohs by eminent Russians as well aa from personal observation. His object in writing this book is not controversial, and certainly he has no tendency, to “boost” the new state of things that has come out of the Revolution; Ho states that his sole bbpect.is to tell the truth about Russia in a fashion interesting to all, and valuable to students of politics everywhere. ' , Tp* book is very interesting, from its survey,-of .the geographical situation of the. now Russia of many varying Republics,: ’through the descriptions of the various government institutions, the enumeration •of the people, ’ the an&tyfia of .the • commerce' and industry of the oountry, and their control by'the gorifrnment; to the final discussion of the'ijrOspectß for the'future. On all thaswmatters the information collected bv' ihs author is as valuable as it is interesting. 'And his review of the natural’ riches of the-vast country of whfcßha treats ia very extensive and v>erjr. complete. . . ;i . Much’ of 'the information is statistical, naturally, and here .he admit* that, the statistics of Russia are not sufficiently for accuracy, but godd enough' far a rough' guide to ’the study ‘ of, Rusaisn affaire. This unreliahiliby » nat a thing peculiar, to the Soifieft regime, but was the state' pf. things- under Csardom, when it, was than* it 'is now. Moreover, ---the Soviets understand the position' and are effecting improvements as fast as they oan, under difficulties which comprise amongst tether things the -occasional assassination of cenSus enumerators. The. result of the book is the presentation of a fairly accurate picture of the;, great Russian nation, and a. reasonable estimate of its future prospects. i The matter is of great importance, for the Soviet Government is stable, and has come to stay with the support of the people. As the wealth of Russia (natural) is necessary to the economic rehabilitation of the world the study of the new Russia is, necessary for. the guidance of the political discussions of the re-entiy of Russia into' the economic fellowship of- the, nations. This book being the best summary,in detail of all the institutions established by Sovietism in Russia 1 ean be recommended as eminently suitable for publio information. (Thornton, Butterworth, London )

“POEMS (BRIEF AND NEW)” .WitU ; the • exception- .of two,,."poems contijjjstsd - .%> ‘"The Times” wduring recent critical .days, the poema v df 'tnS collootiaiteof small poems is Sir Wafham Watson- is carefuf/io.eSplain in. his preface or introduction.' Little_ictfo.fu(.tion of any other I ,sort is required, ' for the' Watson 1 poetry has a name which nothing, has as 'yet tarnished, and which nothing is ever likely to diminish. 1 There’ are seventysix poems pages, of., small area and large print. As come .contain but ftjy, lines, half a dozen, say. the average ;. can be estimated. quality, is’ Wafsdninn -' apd .iij.: Iphat; quality”-there >s much. epigramj'/while the 'njbed- relations of epigram-arp numerous. . , . , * 4'v' Here i® one- of the two ready; published in, “The Times”;— 1 '"The Mother- of Doom.”

Strong Tower of State that unto rich and poor, In war and in scarce lovelier ’ peace, hast been Shelter and home: thou stoodst impregnable, - _ > . 'When willing and never drowping watch ' Could guard thee from all access of But Sloth, the Mother of . , .‘Doom, steal in, , I Anjl reign where Laboar served, then ! 'is the hoar [Hitherward posting, when men’s eyes shall see tn*j. thistle with the nettle strive for x J place Within thy do rrway, and men’s ears shall hear The :crwl hoot from a remnant of thy walla. Herein ,:s the irdoTnitnlile spirit of Watson, his commonsense and yn Borons idealism.; Of this there is some toncb in nearly all of the seventy odd poems of this most welcome little volume. (Jonathan Cape, Bedford Square, \, v . London.) .

“PUNCH” HUMORISTS

returns: poor old Solon only plunges deeper ihto Jus terrible bog of inaccuracies in nis attempt to clear himself over the question of “Punch”, humorists. His effort to shake off his initial inaccuracies js so painful that I am forced, in- a spirit of charity, to let his corpse ,of criticism at restrict the dead bury its dead. Bu.t these latest inaccuracies most he corrected; Inaccuraoy No. I.—“ Solon” states that “Ponch” did not have artist Armour .teii years ago. Armour may have been very busy with his sword, but certainly he was equally busy with his . pen, having a few Rcore drawings to his. credit in the 1915 volume of “Punch.” Inaccuracy No. 2.—“ Solon” states that in 1915 “Punch” did not confess to having Owen Seaman on its pages. Remarkable to relate, the well-known initials appear more than „ a dozen times during that year. Inaccuracy No. 3.—“ Solon” will have- it that in 1915 “Punch” had not begun the- policy of universal signature “which rules to-day.” Having stated the policy.of “Punch,” it is up to “Solon” to drop a personal note to its foreman printer, and draw his attention to his reiterated violation • of tl>« “universal policy” in recent issues. There might hare been more inaccuracies, but “Solon’s” -reply was . so short—something like the breathless excuse of a schoolboy, who, having made a mistake in his sums pleads that “he added them up twice anyway.” “Solon” had better add up again and make sure he has his readyreckdrier handy.

GERMANY’S INDUSTRIAL REVIVAL Sir P. Dawson, 2f .?•„ has produced another of the boohs essential to the understanding of the present position of the world’s commerce and industry. He speaks with 65 years’ knowledge of Germany—since the Franoo-Prussian Way. Since 1919, he has in company with Mr Hannon, hon. secretary of the industrial group in the House of Commons, visited all the important German industrial centres. He has, besides, made many visits to Germany on his own account. On that first Vvisit he and his collaborator met in separate conclave the leaders of finance, commerce, and industry, Delonging as, he says to all sections of the political world, as well as trades union leaders -and heads of -political parties-and Government departments. In subsequent visits he accumulated a vast fund ,of information up-to-date in every particular, for which he was indebted, as' he declares, to the frank generosity of all leaders and officials. The result is: has possession of complete-' information of the: whole German situation. Out of this he'has written much during, the post-war period for the British and American. Press, and his final effortis this book. It shows the wonderful advance of organisation of commerce and industry, the scientific co-operation of big business* the-lower wage costs and the longer hours of German industry, the better arrangement for buying and selling, the. revived power of peaceful penetration* and' the very fine advantage taken of scientific developments.- , We have it proved -also that Germany knows that she has established stability and'penetration, and feels, she must maintain a political stability without alteration, if she is; to continue the* rapid progress of. her great revival. ' ' ' The "situation is one that' requires the close study of, the world,, which will see on reading this hook that while the world is discussing knotty points of genera] policy with the League of Nations, Germany has recovered from her war disasters, and is moving forward with concentrate effort to secure the commercial and industrial hegemony of the world. One of the moßt important hooks of the year. (Williams and .Norgate, London.)

“THE '.AND AND THE NATION” (Rural Report of the Liberal Land Committee, 1923-25.) A most voluminous report and as well arranged ,as it is voluminous. It dwells, of course, on the often ‘ urged danger to tho nation from the decay of agriculture in Britain, and the overaggregation of people in the .towns engaged in the secondary industries in face of the growing skill and strength of foreign competition. The recommendations for thp encouragement, of agriculture —-a thing ' quite neglected in Britain and likely to bo more ■ so—are ipany and apparently very feasible. Agricultural credits,, better wages, and housing for. the peasantry, and same; provision of .land for them* marketing and, transport improvement, rural in) dustries and the establishment of for-estry-“-these; and many other recommendations will repay perusal. - But there is nothing in tho report suggesting; any way of meeting the foreign overseas competition which the British farmer finds it hard 1 to encounter. There is, of course, as the report admits,' nothing for it but a revolution in the land laws-of, the British people, Into a subject so thorny we cannot dream of entering here. All we ean Say is that this report is a suggestive mine pf wealth to all who study this difficult subject. (Hodder and Stoughton, London.)

“ANNE OF GREEN GABLE” ’ Hero there, is the same freshness and bright originality that are found in “Anne of Avonlea,” and half a dozen other pleasant stories from the pen, of L. M. Montgomery. Local colour, good dialogue, and good characterisation.—Angus and Robertson, Sydney.)

When Dickens Made His Audience Shudder

Few periods in the history of London life have been so richly studded with theatrical and musical “stars”'as that of the last half-century. To; have seen the rise of most of them, and to have watched their course, is, a rare privilege of which Mr Herman Klein-, whose -‘‘Musicians and Mummers” contains his reminiscences, has • availed himself to tlie fullest extent.^ Mr Klein’s narrative is nbf confined to the musicians and actors with whom he came more closely in contact.. It includes many striking vignettes of critics, impresarios, art patrons and men of letters; and of the,illustrations, perhaps. the moist striking is ’that of the latp Sir Herbert Tree ns Beethoven iti a play by Louis N, Barker. For this production Tree built his make-un from the famous death-mask of Beethoven. In the: early ’seventies, when Mr Klein first plunged into the vortex of journalism, Charles D'ricens and Artemiis Ward were rivalling each other on opposite sides of Piccadilly _by their popular readings. Here is a viyid pen-picture ■of the English., novelist acting, rather than reading, an excerpt from'“Oliver Twist” “His Fagin here was a master-, niece of characterisation. With his hoarse, rasping voice,- his Tsraelitish Hsp, and East-end Cockney accent ■ of fbe ’thirties, and his, command of the whole gamut of racial inflexions, ' he made’ Fagin even more Hebrew in type than the text of th- novel can suggest. In this (icdue' the Jew R ays repeatedly, ‘Suppose that lad—-suppose be was to do all this; what then?’ But. Diekenß did not pronounce the ‘suppose’ ns lie wrote it. He growled it out e’aei* time with a h ssina lisp—‘Thun-, pot.he.,’ or “t)iup pothin’ ’—and with’ a snarl of concentrated hate arid cunninthat was nerlinnß beyond his own power of verbal descrintion. A gain and again he made his audience shudder.”