BOOKS and BOOKMEN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17058, 12 June 1926, Page 10

BOOKS and BOOKMEN

BANNED by the censors.

■•THE BUTCHER'S SHOT*." A NEW ZEALAND HOOK. WRITTEN BA' WELLINGTON WOMAN. Though the Now Zealand Board of Censors lias seen lit to ban the re-cently-published novel. ‘The Butcher's Shop.’ the book lias been favorably reviewed in England, mid is said to be enjoying a good sale there. The authoress, Mrs Jean Devanny, is it resident of Garrett street, Wellington, and she feels very hurt by the action of the Board. To a pressman who called on lier the other day Airs Devanny freely expressed her views. “No reason, ’' she said, “has been given me as to (lie reason why the book is banned. It seems very strange, because the book has been so well received by the English reviewers, and 1 have had some beautiful letters from responsible people in the Old Country. Also, I have been invited, since my book appeared, to join the Authors’ Association. Repeating that no reason had been given her for banning the work, Airs Devanny remarked that while the Board of Censors consisted of throe members—Air Charles Wilson, formerly Parliamentary Librarian; AH. A. Baillie, Wellington City Librarian; and Air South, of the Bible and Tract Society—only two of them are here, Mr Wilson being on the way’ to England. “Probably,” slip went on, “the book was banned because of its brutality, but this cannot be helped, for it is a true story of New Zealand country life. 1 know it is true. 1 have lived in the country and have seen for myself. “Naturally I was very much disappointed at my book being banned here, but it is possible the reason is that it I would have been a bad advertisement for New Zealand. It would, too But, I repeat, it is all true. Then, again, a good deal of the opposition to rhe book might be political. 1 cannot dissociate my writings from my Socialistic views, and the book was written with a purpose. “However, the censors here have given the book the best advertisement it could have. My publishers advise hue they are delighted with the sales in England. There were a couple of chapters at the end cut out, and .1 am sorry for that. It may be said that the book is brutal, but intellectual people who have read it agree that for me to draw a logical conclusion 1 could not have ended it in any other way. What 1 have written is history down through the ages, and my . theme i was ihe subjugation of woman in all J times. The title is chosen because i tie woman is butchered. It is a materialistic conception of history. Only a scientific Socialist will fully eompre- , head my object.” | Afis Devanny's second book is now in the printing press in England. It is the story of the jazz age in AVelling- ! Itm. She is writing another on the subject of the sex life of peoples i ancient and modern. Eater she purI! poses to write a book on the emotional life of the Maoris. “ON ENGLAND.” A BOOK BY THE PHI AIR j MINISTER. i Towards the end of the month Messrs. Philip Allan will publish At volume, entitled “On England, and ; oilier Addresses.” by Mr. Baldwin. Mainly non-politiea.l in character, and entirely free- from party -propaganda, the papers have been slightly revised by the author for publication in book,form, and arranged as a collection of essays under such subject headings as “On Literal lire and rhe Arts,” .“On Education,” “On Some Great Aten ” i including fionar Law, Arnold Toynbee, Lord Curzon, and Lord Milner I. “On the Nation and the Church.” “On England and the West.” and “On Peace in Industry.” In literature the Prime Alinister discusses, among other topics, “The Glassies- ” “ Shakespeare, ’ ’ “Byron, ” “ W. It. Hudson”; and miscellaneous papers deal -'with “Anglo-American Friendship.” “Harrow,” “Some Ancestors,” and other topics. All the addresses have been delivered during the past two years. Apart from their icsiimoriy to the wide range of Mr. Baldwin's interests, they sound ihe depth' of his love for his country, and reveal his high ideals of service 10 the State.

SID PUDDIEFOOT.

(By I ’at rick Alaet till). Mix the Eastern glamor of Bagdad . and the East-end perkiness of Bormon- | dsey. ilavor w ith faint memories of j“Al(”s Button” and the “Arabian i Mights,” add just a pinch from “The I Alan who would be King.” mix thorj (.uglily, and you get “Sid Puddiej fool,” the story of how a coster ruled < a kingdom-—and ruled it dell. Those jwho only know Patrick AfacfSill's j “Ghl Id fen of the Dead End.” and his : other works in the same strain will be nmazed tit his versatility. He has I turned from his drabs and his dolors jto a story full of humor and color |;• ii I movement, where incident follows incident In a culmination of thrills. , Vi'ter many adventures in an African \ forest Sid, alone out of an ill-fated exjpedition, penetrates a mvsterio.ns j kingdom in the hills, and, childly be | cause he brings a rilie and machino- | gnfi where onlv bows and arrows were \ known before, lie becomes king, i Then this ignorant but goodheartod hit lie Cockney develops a wisdom horn 1 of hard experience, and turns it to the . benefit of his subjects. Mow he eon- ! The flifTeretre ‘t.wixt the ppe and the cigarette :s as well marked as that liej i \vci ii a sandwich and a grilled .steak. Ib-me. while the cigarette has numberless votaries, the pipe, because it is so f-,it 'rJying. has many more. Seasoned rmo'-ers say there s not lung to equal a. pige fiii* solid com fort and enjoyment • Rot the tobacco must be good, and not loaded wdh nicotine. Glir own New Zeaj laiid-grn’vii tobaccos' are the purest and bein' -'ontparnlively free from nicotine It hey are greatly appreciated by smokers. who find they can smoke them for hours I,at a lime wdliont burtnig their tongues lor pxperieurin: other unpleasant consequences. it is interssting to note that these tobac-eos are nil toasted :» the preI cess of nv.tiiufactiiie, and to the toasting 1 must be attributed tin wonderful Ilavor arid delightful aroma that characterises * them. The prineioaj., brands are ‘‘River head Gold,” mid; 'Navy Cat" (Bulb I ring), mod'um; and "Cut Plug No. 10’ I(B dlslie id), full strength. Ail toasted and every tohnccom.-d styeljs Llieirb-—3.

quors one difficulty after another, and Ik,xv he eventually gets home—ami wants to go back- -make an excellent story. It can safely be said the publishers have got a “winner” in “Sid Puddiefoot. ” IRISH FREE STATE At AY RESTORE THE GOLDSMITH HOME. LONDON, May 1. The Irish Free State may acquire and restore the home of Oliver Goldsmith. poet and novelist, at Lissoy, in the County of Westmeath, Ireland, as a result of an appeal by E. P. Gaston, Iri sb • A lll cric an. On a recent, visit to Lissoy, Gaston found the rectory in which the poet lived as a boy was used as a cattle shml. He visited President Cosgravo of the Free, State, who sent an inspector to survey the .property. It is estimated that it could be bought and restored for £SOOO. Lissoy is., supposed to be the scene of “The Deserted Village” and “The Vicar of Wakefield.” SOME RECENT FICTION. ‘.‘Rivers to Gross,” by Roland Pertwee, is a. novel that no reviewer could fail to recommend his readers to buy. ft is the story of a young engineer sent out to Porto Rico concessionhunting for a big British firm. He falls in love with the Governor’s daughter. Ollier engineers, representing other firms, are seeking the same concession, and, .incidentally, the hand of the chief maiden of the island. These try their hands at another kind of engineering, and the hero is led through many perplexities and perils, out of which it is a pleasure to watch the author extricate him and see him win all he has set his heart on winning. “Rough Passages,” by Alice Perrin, The quiet art of this well-known writer lias been revealed in a score of very successful volumes. This art and her knowledge of Anglo-Indian life, which, indeed, is the official life of India, has enabled her to weave into a number of short episodes the mystery and uncanniness of the East. The tales are skilfully told, and* one read compels the reader to go on to its successor until at last “the spell” is laid. WHAT’S WRONG' WITH EAtPIRE? Is the Empire in eclipse ? Mr. Jebb thinks that it is, yet lie is hardly a pessimist—for an eclipse, he says, is only a temporary dimming or obscuring of an effulgence which will return. However, to the outside world Britain, with her frectrade policy, is “like a man sitting in a bog and complaining of illness, but refusing to come out of the wet because he has been there for years and felt no ill.” Thus the author sums up Britain's apparent ill. Also lie sees danger in the condition of the Empire's policies of trade and defence; amt tins is largely due to the slackening of rhe bonds of common interest, as between the motherland and the Dominions. Here is where the author will find many adherents in the Dominions, for what lie fights for is the principle of mutual economic preference and protection, a policy founded in our common interests of trade and defence —such as may be read between the lines of recent claims by (for instance) the winegrowers of Australia, for the protocMon within the Empire from the cheaplabor competition of Continental Europe; and the widespread controversy over the Singapore Base. (“The Empire in Eclipse,” by Richard Jebb.) . We have received from the author, Mr. Henrv Hill, of Napier, a pamphlet that will be of interest to botanists throughout New Zealand. Air. Hill gives the most detailed descrip;ii n yet contributed to botanical science of a little known root parnsite Daetylanthus Tavlori, which is found in various parts of the North Island. It had previously not been the subject of sympathetic study, few botanists having had the opportunity of, seeing th(‘ growths in situ. Air. Hill had this opportunity at Opope. in the Tan no district , whole he had the additional advantage of finding it in flower. The brochure, which is printed in the Translations of the New Zealand Institute. is illustrated with a series of excellent photographs.