LITERATURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3017, 10 January 1912, Page 86

LITERATURE.

BOOK NOTICES. ‘‘The Missing Millionaire.” By Christopher W ilson. London and Lcunburgh : Biackwood and Sons. (3s 6d, 2e 6d.l bii Peter Gallon raised himsalf by his oun exertions to be ” chairman 01 the Board of Directors of the Western Transport Company, and those who knew best that Sir Peter Gallon was the Western Transport Company. An empeior in the world of commerce, lie had made his power both felt and feared in many tribula*y «tales beyond the confines of his own particular dominion. Coal, iron, rails, and a hundred minor markets were swayed and controlled by the edicts of the Shipping King.” But Sir Peter had not come through all his experiences clean-handed. There had been a time u hen lie was not a king but only a straggling ship-owner trying hard to keep has head above water, and the means that he had take n to cfo this were means “ unsuitable lor publication.” " There were still to be found in the public-houses of Regent road old shell-backs ■who spoke among themselves of Pete£_ Gallon's coltin ships,' for it was thus that they referred to the line of barques that had* been the beginning of his ownership.” These barques sailed from Liverpool to the timber ports in Canada and the States. On the return both deck loads and insurances were often heavy, and sometimes the over-freighted ship never returned to the Mersey.” Sir Peter never failed to provide for the widows and orphans of the men who thus perished in his service, and yet the “ shell-backs in the public-houses ’of Regent road were not favourable to Peter Gallon and his methods.” It is one of the mysteries of human nature that a man can rise, as G n,lton liad risen, to great power and wealth by evil means, and yet retain some ’of the finest virtues—courage, endurance, steadfastness; yet it is true to life. ” For 50 years he had battled against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Over the world and the flesh h© had been notably victorious; but ae to his wrestles with the devil, the results were not so manifest.” He was a hard man, and his methods were always those Of a hard man. Ho had no meixy on the faults and failings of other men—especially if these were the result of weakness. He was shrewd, clear-sighted, and merciless, and he loved his only child, Helen, as such men can love, with ail the best and all the worst that is in them. Helen has a suitor, a certain vorthleos member of the aristocracy, named Lord Langley. Sir Peter has forbidden him to approach the girl, and so he rakes up the father's past and finds out sundry details concerning the timber-laden ships that never returned to port. So far the scheme of the tat'ory is not very original, and when Langley tries to put the screw on Sir Peter, avid the old man shows signs of weakness* the reader becomes distinctly aggrieved. But the plot soon thickens. Langley is no common villain. His schemes are deep-laid and unusual. They include the search for a man who never was lost, the pretended discovery of one who is dead, the forging of letters and papers, the murder of an inconvenient witness, and other crimes. The story is further complicated by the adventures ‘of Wilfred Braxton, a gentleman under a cloud, not of his own making, who seeks oblivion in the fo’cstle of a great liner, and is instrumental in rescuing Helen Calton from a watery grave. The description of this shipwreck in Mid-Atlantic is one of the best bits in the books. It is intensely realistic. “ Men with the veneer of civilisation stripped off, fought like maddened beasts to clear a passage tb the boats. Others, to whom the moment had revealed that for once the highest and noblest was within their grasp, stood firm to protect the women and children From the saloon staircase, from the lower state roams, and from the second class cabins aft shrieking women and struggling, cursing men streamed up to the darkness of the decks. Down on the fore-deck the ratable who had madly striven to rush the boats, screaming in the frenzy of alien tongues, were held at bay by a few officers —men for wham death itself was only a matter of discipline, an episode in the day’s work.”' In this confusion the ship goes down. Helen is saved by the gentleman sailor, Braxton. Sir Peter is among the “ missing.” The rnarconigrams bring many vessels to the rescue, hut only one boat’s crew is picked up. The story of “ The Missing Millionaire ” is full of life and action, and will be read with breathless interest by those who like a good sensational yarn.

“ Patches and Pomander.” By Arthur Bvobner. London and Edinburgh: W. Blackwood and Sons. (5s 6d. 2s 6d.) This is a story of the reign of Charles 11. The Men-io Monarch himself only puts in an occasional appearance, and the same may be said of nis two “ friends,” Lady (Jastlemaine and Miss Nellie Stewart, yet it is no doubt vo their in--11 uence that we owe the name “ Patches and Pomander.” The plot itself consists chiefly of a somewhat intricate, threecornered scheme to foist upon the King an elder claimant for his throne, with the hope of extorting blackmail. Of course, the plot comes to nothing in the end, but it serves as the Introduction of some welldefined characters and excellent bits 'of description, and a general atmosphere ot the period which i.s quite As in hi:> previous story, “ John Saint, wo liave here a tang of the sea which is worthy of praise, and a true knowledge of seamanship is shown. In the timely rescue of the Dutch Galliot; in the breathless shooting of Old London bridge, when the watermen charged ° double fare for taking the passengers through ‘‘ Dead Man’s Arch ’ ; in the final fight and destruction of “ the notorious pirate ship, the Espiritu Santo, which, after commit-

| ling numberless robberies and murders on I the high eras, and inflicting untold misery, disappeared into the unknown, leaving no trace behind.” Other thrilling adventures are afforded by the search for the mysterious hidden packet left to the hero by a dying uncle, who had once been a pirate, and was in his later days a seeker for the Philosopbar’s Slone and the Elixir of Life. This packet is supposed by one party to contain the secret of the reat Arcanum, and by the 'other the proofs of the marriage of the Ling's elder brother and the birth of his son. Its hiding-place ia concealed by a clever cypher, and the details of its search are sometimes tragic and sometimes comic as the wind of fancy blows. The Melbourne Book Lover declared of ’’ John Saint ” that “ Mr Brebner bad the making of a popular novelist, abundant, ideas, facility of expression, and a heart that feels every throb of the passions that ‘walk through the world.’ ” This is great, but not undeserved praise, and we feel sure that " Patches and Pomander will lift the author yet another step in the ladder of fame.

‘‘The Common Law.” By Robert W. Chambers. New York and London.: D. Appleton and Co, (Cloth, gilt, illustrated by Charles Dana Gibson, 6a.) Once more Mr Robert Chambers returns to his great field of inspiration— New York society. But this time he may be said to touch the border-land between society and —Bohemia. For the hero, young and rich and fashionable, and altogether desirable, is a painter—a passionately enthusiastic, hard-working painter, whose work is his hobby, and who has no mistrese except his Art. And the heroing is a model, and a model for the “altogether.” And yet in every way, in spite of circumstances, appearances, and prejudices, the woman is the finer, nobler, stronger character; and it is her influence which uplifts the man, and not his social position and other advantages which uplift her. That the story is well told goes without telling. It is, in our opinion, the best and most convincing thing that Mr Chambers has yet done. The plot is origin ad and striking, and perfectly carried out. Valerie West is one of the finest characters ever imagined or portrayed. In her we find the innocence which is not ignorance, the love which is not blind, the strength that is “made perfect in weakness.” It is a fascinating, perhaps an impossible, combination when added to youth and beauty, but it is an ideal that is in every sense helpful and uplifting. Here again we have, thinly disguised, some of those great adventures of the sou], which have been the theme of the romancist in all ages. Circumstances change ;*but men and women remain fundamentally the same, and for every noble, soul the winning of the Sangreal is ever the unacknowledged goal, to which the rescue of the distressed damsel, the destruction of the dragon, the discovery of the fortunate isle, etc., are ever-repeated incidents in the unravelment of the perfect plot. It is a pleasure to take up a book which touches the stern facts of life with clean fingers, which finds no delight in dwelling on illicit love, the scandals of the Divorce Court, or the seamy side of life generally; and yet does not ignore these — simply puts them in their right position, which certainly is not the chief place. Mr Chambers has a fine sense of proportion which develops with his experience of life and .skill in authorship. This is an extremely rare possession, chiefly because its value is not understood, though it is one of the main distinctions between mere journalism and real literature. Mr Chambers does not deny or belittle the claims of society, convention, and the “ common law,” but he sees something beyond and above them, something whicn the higher law docs not abrogate, but fulfils. “ The laws are always there —fair or unfair, just or sound —they are always there to govern the world that framed them. And a woman disobeys them at her peril. For after all it is a man’s world, and she doesn't understand it. For —whether or not the laws that govern the world are man-made and unjust—they are, nevertheless, the only laws. Few men can successfully fight them; no woman can—yet . . . And although a woman disobeys any law at her peril—laws which a man may often ignore with impunity—there is one law to which no woman should dare subscribe. And it is sometimes known as ‘ the common law of marriage.’ That is the only law—if it be truly a law —that a woman must ignore. All others it is best for her to observe. ... If a man breaks a man-made law he suffers only in a spiritual and moral sense; with women it may be more than that. For women, at least, hell is on earth. . . Love is net excuse enough. The peril is unequally divided. The chances are uneven. The odds are unfair. If a man really loves a woman, how can he hazard her in a game of chance that is not square ? How can he permit her to risk more than he is even able to risk ? How can he accept a magnanimity that leaves him her hopeless debtor? How can he reconcile it with his manhood ? . . Yet he does, and women stake all and proudly overlook the chances against them—dauntless and—damned.” Valerie is willing to accept the odds, but in the end her lover proves himself as noble as she, and refuses to permit the sacrifice. Then the difficulties melt away, everything works out satisfactorily to the happy finale which Mr Chambers so rarely withholds from his readers. Dana Gibson's fine illustrations add yet another charm to an already delightful book. “Poems of Jessie Maokay.” Melbourne; Thomas C. Lothian. (Soft leather, fine paper, clear type. Is Bd.) This delightful booklet, so pleasant to touch and to read, comes just at the right time to form an acceptable New Year gift-box for “ friends beyond the seas.” It contains a dozen characteristic Boexas carefully selected from the works

of our sweet New Zealand singer. Jessie Mackay. Each one of them breathes the pathos, the insight, the charm, of the true poet who has tasted “ the singing water,” and must “follow it” till ho dies. From these gems it is hard to select a favourite, but “the lammie ” wailing “ in the glen ” is one of the little masterpieces which can only be compared with the author’s own “Grey Company.” Few will read it with dry eyes. And the ballad of “The Passing of Macphail ” will appeal to every Scottish heart. LITERARY NOTES. Mr Mai Pemberton says that for his first story ho was proud to receive 7s 6d. Thanks to Sir James Crichton Browne, the cause of Sir Walter Scott’s lifelong lameness is now known. He suffered from the form of infantile spinal paralysis called polio-myelitis, which has just been made a notifiable disease. Sir James deduces this from the account of the symptoms given in the autobiographical note prefixed to Lockhart’s Life. And so in 1911 a name is given to a case of illness which occurred in 1772. Mr Rider Haggard achieved his first success as a descriptive writer as a schoolboy. One of the masters at Ipswich Grammar School offered a prize for the bestwritten description of any incident, real or imaginary, and the youthful Haggard won it with an account of a, surgical operation. The best, of the thing was that at the time the youthful scribe had never witnessed anything of the kind or oven been inside a hospital. But the child was clearly father of the man in this instance, and this was only the first of many subsequent studies in the “bluggy” to which his name was attached. . “Prayer” is the title which has been given to an essay by Canon Warburton, cf Winchester Cathedral, which G. P. Putnam's Sons are about to publish. Canon Warburton defines prayer as “an appeal from the less strong to a stronger being, whom the former believes to b-v« the celestial power to help him.” The author emphasises the value of public worship; he believes that there is much sympathy passing from heart to heart in a large concourse of people, and that the simultaneous prayer of many minds, and many voices, is a sursum eorda for the thoughts of all. “Lucas Malot” is a daughter of Charles Kingsley and widow of the Rev. William Harrison, rector of Clovolly, and was educated at the Slade and University College, London. She has travelled widely in Europe, America, and in India. Moss discussed of her books was “History of Sir Richaid Calmady.” Shortly after its appearance she joined the Catholic Church, and in the eubsoquent editions she deleted numerous pages—a fact duo to conscientious scruples. Even in this age of tall women she is unusually tall, stately, and erect. Her health tries her sadly, and ther are months when she is unable to take up her pen. For years she lived elesa by the Carmelite Church in Kensington, which is so frequently mentioned in her book, “The Far Horizon.” “The Following of the Star,” which, has just been published by the Putnams, was started by Mrs Barclay in the latter part of 1910 at St. Moritz, whore Mrs Barclay is fond of sojourning in the winter. It is particularly interesting to note that she finished the firet part of this dramatic story at the Villa Trollope in Florence, where George Eliot wrote “Romola,” and whore Mrs Browning, Maxwell Gray, and Lord Lytton often stayed. This still seems a favourite spot for authors and composers, inasmuch ns it is used by Mrs Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mr Thomas Hardy, and Mr Eden Phillpots of the present, generation of Writers. One of the delights of modern literature (writes Bernard Lintot in T.P.’s Weekly) is the poetry of William H. Davies, who was quite recently and very properly accorded a civil pension, for ho is that rare thing in medern life, an artist who has nothing bo do with commerce. A great part of his life, as everybody knows, was spent as a tramp on the King’s highway and in America; and it is only a very few years ago that he issued, in modest form, his first volume of poems from a common lodging-house in Londin. Ho was almost immediately recognised as a new singer, and since that day ho has taken his rightful position in the front rank of living poets, and Mr Fifield has just issued his latest volume, entitled “Songs of Joy and Others,” which is in every way a worthy addition to his already fine achievement. The first number cf a high-class quarterly review, issued by the Continuation Committee of the World Missionary Conference, is about to be published by Mr Frowde It is entitled the “International Review of Missions,” and it will occupy a distinct and sparate field, serving as an organ for the discussion and study, from an international point of view, of missionary problems which confront the Christian Church in its whole range and variety. The review will be edited by Mr J. H. Oldham, assisted by an advisory editorial board of experts not only in England but also on the Continent of Europe and in North America. The first number will contain an article bv Mr Bryce, our Ambassador in the United States, on “The Immediate Duty of Christianitv to the Non-Chr-stian World.” Book-lovers will be glad to possess the reprint of the “Lyrical Ballads. 1798,” which Mr Frowde has just brought out. The reprint, which follows the original closely, edited by Professor Uttledale, of Cardiff. The volume opens with “The Rime of the Ancysnt Mnrinere,” and the last piece in the book is “Tintern Abbey.” it“will bo remembered, explained later his partnership with Wordsworth. “It was agreed.” he said, “that my efforts should he directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at. least romantic, vet so as to transfer from,; our inward nature a human interest and a s mu hi”nee of truth sufficient to procure for these shadows of imerrinat-ion that willing suspension of disbelief for the moment which cor-oti't.utes peetie faith. Mr Wordsworth, on flm other hand, wa.s to propose to himself as his object to give the charm of novelfy to tKings, of every dav. and to excite a fcelincr analogous to the supernatural bv ewakeninrr the mind’s attention from the let.hnrnry of eir=tom and directing it to the loveliness and the wonders of the world before ns.” The reprint has been adni’rahlv nroduce-h Mr Dickens, K.C., who quoted “Pick-

wick” in the London Divorce Court reccntly, lias more than once been indebted to his distinguished father's works for a useful quotation. The moot amusing instance, perhaps, occurred in a case m which his opponent was the late Judge Willis, then Mr William Willis, K.C. The latter, in his address to the jurv, had made some reference of a rather personal ; nature which displeased Mr Dickens, who , tcok the first opportunity to retaliate. He began his reply by remarking that during the speech of’ his learned friend he had been reminded of a saying that was frequently in the mouth of a character in “David Copper field. ” The saying was ‘•Barkis is willing,” but Mr Dickons said he had been unable to resist the temptation to transpoce it into ‘‘Willis is barking. This was so apt its a description of Mr Willis’s oratorical style that the court was convulsed. (Another brother made exactly the samo joke in an Australian Parliament about an opponent of the same name.) Beginning, s.ys the Daily News, with “John Holds worth; Chief Mate” ending with “The Father of the Sea,” the late Mr Clark Russell published no fewer * than 53 works during a life that for a literary man cannot be regarded as specially long. The publishers who issued his first venture also produced his last work, and in the letter dealing with its acceptance Mr Russell wrote: —“I am delighted to find myself in your hands: Sampson Low at the end as well as the beginning.’ During the bust few years Mr Russell . carried on his work against groat edds, as he was almost entirely crippled by rheumatism and gout. W hen he was 6? be “felt 167 in ago. weariness, pain, and helplessness.” On the recent of one of his last book-} from the binders, he wrote somewhat nathaticlly: ‘T could onlv wish that the binders knew the secret of how to make a book keen open when opened. To a man with gout in his hards, Ragster’s Bibk-fi are th? only literature wo can approach in this age.”