BOOK NOTICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16120, 8 July 1914, Page 10

BOOK NOTICES

"The Book of Martha." By the Hon. v-Mra Dow doll. London : Duckworth :?and Co. (doth; frontispiece by f- Augustus John; 55.) THiie is the moat delightfully humorous book imaginable. Mo longer can it be eaid with truth that women have no sense of humour. Women have been protesting against that error for sonie time. "The Book of Martha" is a triumphant refutation. Unlike most books of the kind, it may be described as all humour. Open it where you will, some quaint turn of thought or expression will provoke a smile, and, this is never due merely to faulty orthography or the- wrong meaning attached to a common word. It is genuine humour according to the best defined meaning of that much-abused term. Whether i " Martha" discourses on herself, her cook, j her husband, her dinner parties, her j neighbours, her children, her shopping, or *er house-moving, she is equally original end,* amusing. She contrives to sec everything from a new point of view, and her imagination is so vivid that she easily puts herSelf in else's place and sees the thing also from his or her point of view. This gives he* a wide grip of the commonest things, and what she says not only •***kes us laugh, but makes us think as well. Therein lies the great difference between the writing of thie new humorist and that of most of those who have preceded heT. Thus, under the heading of " Husbands," she says: " James is to the other children what the thumb ie to the other fingers. I have five fingers, the most powerful and useful of which stands apart from the others,--and is called the thumb. I have five children, of which the first, the most powerful and useful, is called the husband. 1 have been deceived by instinct, and by my parents. . . . [ sea;now'how the husband and other children are fed, dressed, and exercised . . . adrised, reproved, and deceive for their owe good. . . . encouraged to work, paired on the back when they do well, . ■'■.' . excused when they tear thei> - clothes, are unpunctual or passionate. I see, too, that servants are much sharper than their mistresses about these things." In the chapter on "Genius' , many varieties of the species are ably epitted for public attention, the whole being epitomised in the simple requisitions demanded by each and all: —"A simple, well-cooked fowl, done to a turn at any minute of the'day, was quite enough for anyone; a perfectly proportioned room, aesthetically bare, save for a few necessary objects of priceless value, is enough to content them; a village girl with a graceful figure and sun-kissed complexion should maintain the room in that spotless order which is essential to a quiet mind. The wife should direct everything, do nothing, be always occupied, always at hand, and scarcely ever present. The children should have perfect freedom, intelligence, health, education; do lessons; be full of gaiety and make no noise; be one with their parents, nev«r present (like the wife) for more than a few moments at a time, occupied in useful and beautiful handicrafts, and make no r litter about the house." In the chapter on, "Charity" we find a turning of the tables concerning "district visiting," in which the author turns her inquisitorial inspection on her wealthy neighbours and the vicar of her parish, and provides much entertainment thereby. Country houses and country-house amuselnents are somewhat severely dealt with by the lady who "sees social festivities from the point of view of the servants." and carries (in imagination) " traye full of nourishment" ;fco enable the guests to "get balls over ■ nets, through hoops, and into holes." About "the efficient woman ,, and "the decile, nut-eating man," we learn that "the efficient woman secured from her harassed Maker the only sample He had of, a patient husband, who can and will digest anything, and kept the pattern to mftke a 'little outfit of children of the same convenient kind.'' In conclusion, when many troubles have been aired and laughed at, and so turned from torment into an occasion of mirth, the brilliant author takes leave of her readers with the words : '' Remember always that wife and a mother cann6t give notice."

"Lyrics from the Chinese." By Helen } "Waddell. London: Constable and Co. 5- (25.) Dainty, delicate, and subtle, these lyrics rejftect not only the poetic spirit of the people who have produced them, but that of the lady who has chosen and translated them, modestly owning, that they have been selected from "two stout volumes ot •The Chinese Classics,' a pleasant edition printed at Hongkong and sold there at the author's, Dr Legge, sometime missionary in China, late Professor ot Chinese at Oxford." As we understand, Dir Legge's translations are prose. Miss Waddell's aTe poetry, and veTy excellent poetry at that. We can compare tnem with nothing but some of the now famous .lyrics of Rabindranath Tagore, or Japanese verses as quoted by Lafcadio Hearne. Wfe find in them the same subtle charm, not so much clothed in words as suggested by them. As one would touch a butterfly lest the almost invisible feathers be brushed from its wings, so must lyrics ot this nature be approached; differing, as they do, not only in spirit but in construction from our Western ideals. To achieve this result the translator must possess exceptional gifts of knowledge and sympathy. The brain, the heart, and the intelligence must be equally balanced, while on the reader's part a special atmosphere must also be created, as is hinted at in the author's preface by the. ■words: "Itis by candlelight one enters Babylon, and all roads lead to Babylon, provided it is by candlelight one journeys." As who would say, "' This is the portal of the Land of Dreams: leave socalled realities behind." This atmosphere has been created by Her introduction, the ailthoT's delicate wares are spread before . the reader. These are not many in number, but each must be read and re-read many times before its true inwardness is revealed. The opening lyric bears date 718 i.e., and is " A Chinese rendering oi 'the'-world well lost' . . . possibly pointing to the error of illicit connections." It has the restrained, yet passionate, cry of a lost soul waiting, waiting in vain for the loved one's hand betore crossing the dark river.

The gourd has still its bitter leaves And deep the crossing at the ford. I wait my lord. The ford is brimming to its banks, Ihe pheasant cries upon her mate, My lord is lale. The boatman still keeps beckoning, And others reach their journey's end. I wait my friend. A few pages on we find what is " possibly the oldest drinking song in the world,' , dating 12 centuries B.C. The construction and rhythm are perfect.

The dew is heavy on tho grass, At last the eun is set; ' Fill up, fiH up tho cups of jado, The night's before us yet. All night the dew will heavy lie Upon the grass and clover, Too soon, too soon, the dew will dry,

Too soon the night be over. Most of the verses are' thus of ancient date, long before our era. Most of them touch the eternal cry bf the soul for love, justice, mercy, pity; and the cry of the poor, of the ■ tmjustly accused, of the oppressed, is not wanting, but in almost every case the verses must be read many times before the innermost meaning can ■jjo discovered. The author, who is a niece of In Rutherford Waddell, of this city, deserves our best thanks for this glimpse into the treasure-house of a little-under-stood people.

"Chambers's Concise Gazetteer of the "World." London: \V. and K. Chambers, Limited. (6s net.) It is claimed for the new edition of this work ttiat it contains the latest and most reliable information about noteworthy places at Home and abroad, and that the information provided in it includes the ' last ■ census of civilised countries and the most authentic official figures. It is not pretended that it is an exhaustive gazetteer to the extent that it gives every hamlet or village in the United Kingdom or in any other country, the aim being rather "to tell everything that may be reasonably wanted about every place likely to be looked for and to tell it with the utmost conciseness consistent wiUi "Jearness and readableness." That the achievement of this aim is only practicable through the exercise; of great care on the part pi tbe camcUew i»^»teat t and it »

hardly surprising if a few of the statements in the Uazettei-i , are such as would be challenged by residents in the localities to which the statements refer. We do not suppose, for example, that the description of Dunedin as the chief commercial city in New Zealand -will be relished in "the northern portions of the dominion, nor is it one that can any longer be substantiated. We have, however, tested the Gazetteer in various ways and find that, it is generally trustworthy and up-to-date. It is very comprehensive and, being a compact volume, makes a distinctly acceptable work of reference, while its price is certainly moderate.

"The Peacock's Feather." By Leslie Moore. London: Alston Rivers. (Cloth; 3s 6d.)

The hero of this tale, having spent three years in prison for a crime which ho did not commit, finds himself on his discharge disowned by his father and dismissed by the girl to' whom he was engaged. lie sets forth as a wanderer and a vagabond exiled from home and friends. We pick

him up after a while "sitting under a hedr;e and playing on a penny whistle," which has become in his hands a veritable

Pan's Pipe, and by meas of which he earns his bread and his name " Peter the Piper." The description of Peter's piping as interpreted by receptive listeners is poetic and delightful in the extreme, it includes all sounds and songs of .Nature, the warble of birds, the darting of fish, the flowing of water, the playing of children ; and occasionally a more distinctive human touch. It wins for him admirers and friends, and—later on, when he translates his fancies into printed words — it wins for him the love of a gentle, un-

known lady, whose correspondence with the poet-musician is exceedingly dainty and sweet. By accident Peter pierces the lady's incognito, and he is then too much in love to dare to reveal the prison episode. From this silence much trouble and very many misunderstandings arise, but in the end Peter's innocence is established. His father acknowledges him as his son, and the Lady Anne pardons the unwilling deception of which she herself is the excuse. There is a sweetness and delicacy about this little tale which touches the sensitive heart with the' delights of a fairyland of genuine romance.

The Mediator." By Roy Norton. New York: W. J. Watt and Co. (Cloth; illustrated; 3s 6d.)

This, is a capital story of wild life in the West. The mediator obtains his name from his determination to maintain peace at any price. But his idea is by no means the peace of inaction and indifference. Rather is it the peace which follows just and stern discipline. He is a noted " shooter,'' but never nses his gun except in the ultimate cause of peace. flis character is quaint, humorous, and ceaselessly diverting. Like many stories ol rouqh life and rough men, there Is a delicats love motif running throughout this tale which touches the heart of the reader, and brings it to a satisfactory ending, in spite of the mediator's carelessness in omitting to ask the name of his bride.

'Pink Purity." By Gertie De S. Wentworth. ' London: Werner Laurie. (Paper; Is.)

This is tha story of the follie3 of a young girl between' the ages of 14 and —follies which she would certainly repent most bitterly before she was 2b. buch records may serve to warn others, but lor oar part we think' they are better unwritten.