LITERATURE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20870, 9 November 1929, Page 4

LITERATURE.

SK NOVELS. % FINE ROMANCE. PROBLEMS. AND MYSTERY. —“Tb® Small Dark Man." By Maurice wslsh. Sydney; The Cornstalk Publishing Company, (8s net.) ■ b "He and Eld.” By Dawson Cratrlx. -London: Herbert Jenkins, Ltd. (6s net.) By Lad y Benson. London: Thornton. Buttcrworth. Ltd. (6s net.) 'Spring;"-' By Beatrice Kean Seymour,. London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd. (6s net.) “The Bungalow of Dead Birds." By George varney. London! Thomas Kelson and Sons. (Ss net.) “ The Biddle of the- Bose."- By W. B; M. Ferguson. London:-Herbert Jenkins, Ltd. (6s Atte) Maurice Walah ban written a delightful book—-one that will be’welcomed;by all who have , regrets that’ Donn Byrne has Semied his last romantic : tale. “ The mall Dark Man" is.an Irishman, but the novel has the Scottish Highlands for its setting, and in the valley of Abhain Ben .Hugh, Forbes (Aodh Mae Firbis in the mother tongue), has his most gloomy moments and finds his greatest joy. Hugh came to Scotland to meet the young laird, ■ Tearlath Grant: whom he knew as a friend in Palestine when “Himself and myself and a fellojy by the name of AUenby Captured Jerusalem together, and : two of us, got no credit for it.” As might'have been expected of an Irishman, so lovable and mysterious, he came in his own way. and he had a fight he- ever reached Innismore Lodge, Balwhinnie; and be met a girl, one with tow-coloured hair, who straightway made him forget that in the Highlands he had thought to find a red-haired wife. .This .girl was Tear!ath’s sister, Frances Mary, and the man he fought with amongst the heather was her favourite cousin, Charles William Vivian Stark; but Hugh “ could never help complicating things—no more than could a red setter pup in a chicken run." _ At Innismore Lodge things were complicated still further, for Tearlath loved a “ darling girl ” with red hair, and in the goodness of his heart was convinced that Hugh would find this Allison Ayre his perfect mate. So he was ready to sacrifice his own happiness that his Irish frien'd should be happy, and Hugh was equally concerned’to bring Tearlath and Allison together. Thus Hugh came to Innismore and "set the eddies moving in quiet lives", and found an ally in the mother of Tearlath and,-Frances Mary. His Irish subtlety ’ had,'| of’ course, to choose a means of settling the troubles of his friends which only the Gaelic tpind could comprehend, and many were the pangs and the misgivings experienced by all parties before two pairs of lovers were ready to face the future together. Mr Walsh te}ls his simple tale in charming prose, unhurried yet - direct. He describee a Highland sports gathering or a deer-stalking expedition with equal vividness, and never loses his mastery of the subject. Whether he is in grave mood or gay his pen does not falter, and ,he does not have to strive for his effects. Sir J. ! M. Barrie’ wrote to the author after reading his first novel, “I am enamoured of your book, and stop to give yon three cheers" —praise which might inflate the head of many a new writer, but Mr Walsh,’ in his third nov-al, is s.till . discerning, and unspoiled. ’ ♦ ♦’ • Mr Walsh, as has been indicated, is -sometimes very serious, but Dawson Gratrix, in “ He and Ski,” is a flippant and irresponsible as the title of. his novel. He is, in fact, a very conscientious humorist, and has seen to it that there is a .laugh on every page. Bob Bennett, the "be" of the story, is a young man who likes to take his exercise sitting down —. in a boat, on a horse, or in the air—but Bunny has other ideas of enjoyment, and the,very,thought of Bob on skis was. sufficient to make-her decide on Switzerland -as-the scene of their, honeymoon. It is immediately after the wedding cere-mony-that we meet the young couple, travel to Paris with them, and then witness tile sad incident which results in the bride going on by the night expresswhile .the Bridegroom is. left to ’search for a missing passport. Bunny is dreadfully upset, but an old admirer comes to .-the rescue, and escorts-her to the frontier, .where, she obtains her first experiof winter sports in the company of Philip Sommers and his cheery companions. Meanwhile Bob has found the passport,.. but incidentally .encountered a previous “flame,” Gertie of the Gaiety chorus, now a’motion picture actress with a . press agent_ and a new name, Aurora Sorina. Gertie attaches herself to the reluctant Bennett, and decides to accompany- him to Switzerland, and Bennett lacks the courage to confess that he was about to commence his honeymoon. A wealthy French ' perfume 'manufacturer keeps, on- turning up at inopportune moments throughout the story, first to make declaration of his love for Bunny, then to lay his heart at Gertie’s feet, and what with delays caused - by the weather, the trains, and the snow, days pass before the honeymooners are reunited, misunderstandings are explained, and they are left to proceed with their journey. Bob, it may be mentioned, gains ms experience of skis, but Bunny'is not there to see him. wallowing through the raow. Mr Gratrix shows an aptitude for boisterous humour in “He and Ski.” * ' * * , . Oats” is a rather cynical contribution to the mass of recent literature ■ dea I IID K with the .so-called “ modern girl." Lady Benson sketches the careers of -Brenda and Faith Harrison, both bored with, their restricted life in Chelsea. JJreßda seeks alleviation of her boredom through marriage' with a dull country solicitor, while Faith, true to all that her same implies, trips along the path that :e supposed to. lead to ruin, and never tires of experiments in love. She is by no means a typical example of the modern W l. hoi J?’.f° r 81,6 is unwilling to work for her living, yet desires all the comforte nnd pnvilege ßi which money can ' ta i 7 A Bmnoral ’ 8116 commences ’“ de P ende °t career as the mistress of tanrt d W SlpGll es Coleman, an acqunintafter * ate haa ac cepted his generoaty for a term strikes out again, this time to throw in her lot with a Af l er I. 4 ?® 40 of sc l a alid tenement life she obtains a small part in musical comedy, and here her amorous adventures are continued. The book ends with Fmth married to a serious and ama^ 4or '.. Pe4er Keenan, convinced W j has d3sc °7 er «l her true mate at iMt, and reasonably happy, while Brenda dffil i lf ® ° f . rea P ecta bility so hc 13 almost to desperation. There ( is not a great deal to recommend m Cuckoo Oats.” although the author - occasionally has some shrewd and shows In earnest desire to understand and exnla'n tIV6S w hich might lead a girMnto wSteT ti Fatth ’ s co « d «ct S we take it. held up as more worthv of nStilr ° n a V hat pf Brenda, but really 5255*. Us ' *• * * Virginia Brodie, however, we have an abundance °f sympathy. Eer nZ teln° n k’ 1S | irailar Faith" but that Seymour has the insight a 4^ dy , B , e . ns ° n appears to lack when treating a delicate theme, and her chararare more real than those in “ Cuckoo ■ tt LI , fell from grace at the snhJro h # n 3116 removed herself from tnfi sphere of an uncongenial aunt’s influence and went to Italy with tarr ed ?? an -, after his death, she realised wal *!|fL.?® ver ,oved him. and that pity was partly responsible for her defiance (“ k! n" Velltlollß ' Aunt Frances Hussey ( the Hussey women were ail hussies") made this escapade her reason for opposSwton R knd 8 tb larr ’ i^ e 1° young R 'chard oaxton, and the girl s chances of hapninesa were temporarily ruined. She Was brave, though, and resolute, and in wl>k a 4 a , dime found new interests in life. As the years pass she has several chances of mamage, and at last Charles Frome a qf literature, makes her hS Virgmia as a wife and mother £ c k tv- her _ rightful place in the scheme of things, but the echo of hor own “ false f- p f rln ? . returns to torment her in the S ? n Car J and . Ihegirl he wishes to marry. In order that Charles maybe persuaded to let Carl and Terry marir .Virmrna reveals the tragedy of her own early years, only to find that for the second time she has been forced into the confession without cause. The book ends a U? te >.hut Virginia is left in a difficult situation which she hardly deserves. Beatrice Kean Seymour has tola the story of two generations in a competent manner, and-presents an argument which, challenges the popular eon-

ception of what constitutes right and wring. ‘False Spring” is a well-written novel, which demonstrates how a debatable question may be discussed without any hint of vulgarity, a lesson that might be learned by some other writers of current fiction with advantage to themselves and their readers. . •* * * . The problems of modern society are of little account ,in the Malayan jungle, where ( the mysterious “ Bungalow of Dead Birds was situated, Howard Ellis bought a rubber plantation on the edge of the jungle,, only to find, on going to taka'possession of his estate, that Kuru Bajar was represented by a house and nothing more—the plantation was missing Attended only by a Chinese cook and a I Malay house-boy, - Ellis remained on the lonely, profitless territory in the hope . th , a t the vendor might some day return, he intended to take out his lost £oooo in administering a very complete thrashing. The visitor who did come was a harmless little botanist named Hotham, who followed the jungle track occasionally taken by a solitary Chinese, but failed to return.. When Ellis found Hotham’s body, pierced by poisoned bamboo slivers,’ 416 decided th&t he must find the meaning in the strange progress of Chinamen past a 3 j-S? 10 * n4o the depths of the jungle. A difficult journey was rewarded when he came to the eerie bungalow where a suave Eurasian Delisa, lived with his stepdaughter Gloria. ’ Mysterious forces wore at work at this bungalow, and De.hsa told Elhs a plausible tale which won his assistance when the stronghold was attacked by Chinese forces. So impregnable was the position that the defence was partially successful, but Ellis learned two things about his host and hostess. One was that he loved Gloria, the other that the Eurasian had misled him concerning his activities. Before he could take the girl out of this sinister atmosphere, however, further dangerous incidents occurred. The final escape from the jungle was not effected without bloodfined, but in tue process the lovers gained ' h and the promise ■ of future ■ joy The Bungalow of Dead Birds ” makes exciting reading. Mr Varney has placed his characters in an intriguing situation, and develops a tale of mystery and adventure skilfully. * . * . * "The Riddle of the Rose" presents a mystery which might well have baffled bherlock Holmes, and, as the author does npt take hia readers'into hie confidence until the greater part-of the story has been told, they may well find themselves unable to guess the identity of the “ Crimson Rambler, who is responsible for several deaths. Mr Ferguson designates the killing with which the book commences murder de luxe." Joshua Wrexham, a millionaire, was found shot dead in his motor car in a busy Hew York Oiqroughfare, and Captain Stone and amrley Alston were suspected of the crime. At Hillcrest, where Stone lived, in a lonely bungalow, and Shirley was nurse companion to Mrs Carlyle Scunthorpe at Belvoir Castle, most of the action takes place. Uncanny stories exist as to the: castle, which was built by an eccentric and is reputed to be haunted o? * ghostly person in red armour, and Stone finds the attention of the police more of a hindrance than a help in his investigation of the murders that occur, and. of the theft of platinum belonging to the Government., : ■ There are -no dull moments m “The Riddle of the Rose." . rha ? knack of writing a thriller" without losing his sens! of humour,, and he brings about a satisfactory denouement before the suspense has begun to pall. There is a love story gunning through the pages of the book, and we arc left pleasantly thrilled when btone and. his inevitable ’ companion, Charlotte, have won through• their difficutties to a happy ending. • V. V. L.

“ FIGHTING TANKS.’ 1 THEIR RECORD IN WARTIME. "Fighting Tanks.” Edited by C.. Murray U23°6d Bot , f Oa: Sfe,er ’ SerTlcß “ nd Co-. Ltd. Fighting .Tanks-", is-.neither a- technieal treatise nor a history ,of the strategical or tactical side of the tanks’ activities in wartime. Mr Murray Wilson has sought rather to bring out the romAn i. ce r2 nd , hamour attached to th e record of the Tank Corps, and to relate the actual experiences of those who took part in the actions, of the men who fought the tanks, and of the staff who planned the operations. The Tank Corps was handicapped by the failure of G.H.Q. to under9 r e ''?h to wish to understand, the ar dlffic ? ltles with which the new, unwelcome service, was faced. When the t^f W V ie *l Ut J nt ,° ,S ieh mudKVA Fasschendacle." where they stuck last, ij.iUJ. wrote Home wanting to scran £t iot : The Tank Corps also lacks histor? beyond the present generation, but Mr 4tl r[ a -Y Wilson thinks a reply might be ma<te ,n the words of the yLuth bored &eth-^ib^ B 'jr thfnlne f £ua * bi * teeth. That, at any rate, is a failing which grows less every year.” Every new movement is an open target f or ui dlcu i e ; t | le , author states, and fhe +bk S h ter f° £ f ?° 3 has only tQ o often broken the hearts of pioneers. The sponsors of the tank men with fresh ideas encountered “The immovable mass of the crowd wRh fixed ideas " who were inevit?.&d ZS& r ’ “***?• Consequently the infant Tank Corps, ted * Prodl ? y ' was reived in certain quarters m a spirit both timorous and superior, not dissimilar to that which once tried to crush ' SLII 60 ’ J n , the P reßOnt case the horse corresponds to the flat earth of his ’ Th J 4ank see uied to the mfel ks aD e i ff ? rt 40 “JwMtace’-a new mobihty revoking on its own axis, mittlp ß a poisonous smell. Its they feared, would destroy glamour °f war> unaffected by the a ® r °P aD 5' G( i ne would be .age-long co-operation of man and horse. Better days dawned for the tanks when Colohel H. J. Elies, young and HaiI af to C ' Was se }f ct t d by Field-marshal Haig to command the “Heavy Section Machine Gun Corps,” as the tSk section was then called. Elies had to evolve °n esprit de corps "out of. his own inner t a ” d - he also to devise ? ® ys , °f training and discipline diffare a?d“fo aD fI Pre y i ? US l y . known in war*olniulate his own tactirnl code. He succeeded in all and it was largely through the noliev raander that the tanks established themselves as an effective fighting unit Sd won a measure of fame It cfmbrai Vfi-lerß:Bl-e tonn eux. Hamel,. anS Amfens ‘ tank walf|?e e |ld! d as n tte e iffl' m™ 0 *- ° f pace, Mr Murray tFilson states The fedwortS S ald r fl, more Sp^ dy and m ° re ^ 1, S ts r (whi 9 h March), evolved practically a lew^form ?hat bv‘lbis i 8 Dot 4 °{niuehTo claim “ lore any other the final smashing blow was most effec-S-np eh o? the f ßut befo « the definFte r? of tne German will to win the Tank Corps had to make several roueh passages. Further, their st-iff n-u JLtGH O s4imtlla t. e , d hy the knowledge that G.H.Q, nas still halting between two opinions, as to the tanks being g, ? von a permanent place m the general strategic

The exploits of individual tanks are m ? ve to consider thin question whether tanks were underrated or the subject of jealous antipathy on the part of those in high p ™es filht'm.f'T leaV ? I Mr M,lrray Willon to nght out this problem and pass on to the performances he relates. »Kincrfi„1 dve “ t " r -!l oi a sI, PPh- tank, . Kingfisher, with a crew of six, make interesting reading, for example. «Kin£ fisher s duty was to victual other tanks with petrol and ammunition, and to keen ?he ' Vay ’ f bTIt n i4 ■• an itscß into battery 6 f fir ° a Gcrman anti-tank

enemy gunners caught “ kwfisjler on the flank with their broadside and blew one track clean off, disabling five of the crew. The survivor, Private Christmas, seems to have become for the time mentally intoxicated, ills tank could now only travel in a circle, and his next move obviously was to abandon ship. Instead, he opened the throttle wider and stayed in. Perhaps in civil life he had been a member of the Metropolitan Railway staff: the succeeding half-hour he drove on the inner circle 3i over everything in hw - way—trencher houses* batteries.

shell-holes, and Germans. A providential mist had descended, so he was a difficult target, He enjoyed himself hugely _ It was a fearsome spectacle. Tme maimed tank, twisted out of shape, charging round and round, scattering or crushing everything it met, only needed a little wild music to complete the resemblance to a Valkyrie on a merry-go-round.

From the Hamel attack, in which the Australians, assisted by the tanks, had the principal share, tanks became increasingly more aggressive and destructive, and the terror of them lowered the morale of the German forces more rapidly- than any other factor. At Hamel the tanks at long last “ sloughed off the Ugly Duckling complex and became Everybody’s Darling.” The Australians and the tanks went over at zero-hour and each phase of the attack adhered to schedule. The tactics then worked out became a model for all subsequent actions, and their success can be measured from the fact that in the Hamel engagement the tanks obliterated over 200 enemy machine guns at a cost of 13 of their own men wounded. Many gallant deeds passed unnoticed, but Second-heutenant F. W. Prentice earned a Military Cross. After he had completed his proper day’s work by leading the infantry to their objective, he began to do overtime:

Patrolling his tank up and down the front of his Australian flOck, he settled down to annihilate hostile machine-gun groups. Having mopped them all up, he next proceeded to run over and cr u fi b que field gun and capture another which had dared to fire at his infantry. Our protective barrage was still kept going, but did not deter the extremely courageous German machine gunners from firing through it. This incensed Prentice, as ■ displaying contempt for our own- gunners, so bo promptly drove his tank through'" the same barrage m order to teach these presumtuous machine guns not' to harass, our infantry. _ He smote them hip 'and thigh, and incidentally went berserk, leaping out of his tank with ons of bis sun* ners and man-handling the now chastended Bosches, He even dived into the trenches; on one occasion pulling out a terrified infantryman by his gas mask.

Amiens, where the - tanks co-operated with the Anzacs and Canadian Corps, was a lesson in the valuable work the heavy machines could do. In the first four days of continuous fighting over 600 tanks were engaged, and by the end of the engagement most of them were disabled; but they had the satisfaction of sharing in the haul of 22,000 prisoners and over 400 guns.

Fighting Tanks ” is an interesting record of the part played by these mechanical monsters in the Great War. The author has collected material for his book from a number of sources, and consequently the account is somewhat disjointed, and difficult to summarise in a limited space. Historical data are combined with personal anecdote in an endeavour to show bow well the Tank Corps succeeded in its work, in spite of difficulties encountered, and 24 photographs emphasise the nature of these difficulties a ?“ lve 4^e reader- a clear impression of what tank fighting meant. What the tanks will do if there is another war it is difficult to forecast, as they have changed from clumsy, slow, traction-roller venicles into speedy, easily-manreuvred weapons, but Mr Murray Wilson has clearly proved that so long ns there is war, the tanks must in future have a P a *j 4 ln it- He does not praise the tanks unduly, but an extract from French Army Orders may indicate the high opinion that was formed: of the. corps. and its actmties. After 3'6 tanks had worked with French infantry at Moreui], General de Bourgon wrote: '‘They have given the division the finest example of bravery energy of comradeship in action, ind of war training carried to the highest degree of perfection. The officers and men who fell gave an example of how a British soldier can die for his King and Country, J. M.

A SPIRITUALIST ON TOUR.

SIR A. CONAN DOYLE IN AFRICA.

“ Our African Winter.” By A. Conan ne?) 6 ’ ** mdon: John Murray. (7s •6d . Another contribution to th e world’s” < a e»- * 'Pr® bns come'from the facile pen ?. f Sir Arthur Oonan Doyle. In the English winter of 1928-29, accompanied by hie wife, daughter and two sons, he set off on a tour through the Union, Rhodesia, Kenya. Uganda, and Tanganyika. His objecte in making the trip were threefold; t*el English winter was to be avoided, lectures on his life study. Spiritualism, were to be fgven, and the journey was expected to offer many Interesting experiences, ■ Throughout the book are accounts of oir_ Arthur Conan Doyle’s lectures in the i anous centres visited, of interviews he ’had, and of meetings with noted persons and fellow-Spiritualists. His lectures were well attended, and. many people came to him to relate psychic experiences. The reader cannot fail to be y?P r p s f®u. as be peruses this book, by fcir Arthur Conan Doyle’s great sincerity, tie discounts many of the accounts of phenomena that were brought under his notice, and accepts qnly those which he deems to be conclusive in their nature, in Africa, he asserts, he fouim more evidence of psychic appreciation than in any other country he has visited. At Capetown, it may be mentioned, he held a seance, which was attended by the wives of the Dutch administrator of the colony and of the Swiss Consul. The results were regarded as satisfactory, and Miss Zena Dare, who was also present, received a message from Ellen Terry. Ai another meeting, a woman who could ho Italian suddenly buret into song Fascia chio pianga"—in a fine baritone voice, but suffered afterwards from ™ larynx. Finally, at the grave 01 Cecil Rhodes. Lady-‘Doyle wrote down a psychic communication in which the founder of Rhodesia stated he and Dr Jameson were working together. , “We want to purify this glorious country from the dross and mirk and growth of,human, fungus, Rhodes said, “ which have arisen frohi the-bowels of the earth.” During a lecture at Nairobi an incident which found mention in our newspaper occurred. The lecturer produced a spirit photograph, but to his great surprise a local man arose and claimed that he had himself personated the ghost in this snapshot. This was seized upon by the papers in a vindictive spirit, Sir Arthiir Conan Doyle states, but vindication is contained in this book, for afterwards the man admitted that a real ghost had appeared.

Many political and economic questions engaged the attention of the author. Anticipating the usual objections to the dependability of a visitor’s impressions of a country, he says in the preface to Our African Winter": “It is the fashion to smile at the opinions of the passing traveller, and to label him as a globe trotter, but when one has trotted over the globe as I have done, one has a standard of comparison without which an opinion is worthless. It is to be remembered also that the man on the spot is influenced by all sorts of personal considerations, while the traveller is an impartial observer." The globe-trotter's observations aye not always to be accepted, however, we must 'conclude when on page-164 we find him predicting, that Rhodesia will in time be the very finest dominion that flies the British Flag, because, amongst other things, it has an equable, climate and lacks the winter M Canada, the deserts of Australia, and the Maori question of New Zealand ” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's attention is occupied by the colour question in Africa. He feels tj;at the natives are not obtaining justice on all occasions, and cites cases to show how the three factions, the British, the Dutch, and the Datives render the dispensing of justice impossible by their personal enmity. On this subject he concurs in the opinion expressed by Mrs Milhn when she said: “But in the end. except for the English ideal, for the Cape, tradition, for the passionate service here and there of a hot-hearted bouth African, the Kaffir has little hope of generous treatment in the midst of white people." A factor he found very irritating and in no way conducive to vood feeling, was the presence of Indians In many parts of the East Coast there are many Indians, and in the event of a black rising, he asserts, thev would be useless, for they are not of fighting stock Hatred between these Indians and the blacks is rife everywhere. Advocates of missions in South Africa will not find encouragement in his* statement? regarding the result of missionary activities in the parts he visited. Those with whom he discussed the question agreed that the Mohammedan religion seemed to work for the good of the people to a greater extent than Christianity A™ yet, he soliloquises, “Livingstone’ and Moffat did great work in"their day

,ond bo too did the Jesuit. Fathers on the Red Indian Mission. But it was the presence of civilised man and the gentle atmosphere of Christianity,, and not the often nonsensical dogmas, which prevailed.” Dogmas and doctrines ■ have a puzzling effect on the natives, he finds, who caonot understand the rival teachings of so many sects. •• Two crimes of note, the Umtali murder and the Kamthack murder. Sir Conan Doyle found very interesting, and in his accounts of these we can feel the atmosphere of Baker street again. Descriptions of the towns visited, of the sea and land journeys made, and of beauty spots and places of historical interest where the travellers roamed, combine to make “Our African Winter” an' interesting book. A; L. P.

THREE PLEASANT BOOKLETS

Tho Remembrance Booklets: "A Message to Garda, by Elbert Hubbard; "Friendship/’ by B. W. Emerson; " The Rubaiyat," by Omar Bhayyam. Melbourne; Tho Lothian Publishing Co., Ltd. (2s each). The three booklets so far printed for the Remembrance series are attractively produced by the Lothian Publishing Company, paper, type, and subject all being selected with a view to producing copies of well-known works in a form that will make them suitable for preeeuts. Elbert Hubbard's “A Message to Garcia,” which he wrote. in a single hour, received a wonderful reception in the United States, and has been reprinted in booklet form in several languages, and in hundreds of magazines and newspapers all over the world. The simple story of the hero of the Cuban war, a “ fellow by the name ot Rowan,” who was entrusted with the message for Garcia, serves as Mr Hubbard’s pretest for a- little homily on the man who can be trusted to do his work well at all times, under all conditions. , Emerson’s, famous essay, “ Friendship,” contains a message which all oan read with advantage, and Fitzgerald’s translation of the “Rubaiyat," though it has a place in most homes, can, one feels, never be reprinted too often. Each of tho “ Remembrance" booklets is enclosed in a decorative box bearing a message of goodwill from the donor.