A Literary Log

Southland Times, Issue 20538, 14 July 1928, Page 1 (Supplement)

A Literary Log

ROLLED BY lOTA.

THE WAR AGAINST CANCER. i In the fight with tuberculosis, man and his science is prevailing. As soon as reliable statistics are gathered a disease assumes serious proportions, and out of the recog nition of these comes the organised defence which brings about a reduction in the death rate. Tuberculosis has achieved its peak ami in those countries v here man has organised his defences with reasonable care it is now steadily falling, but cancer remains defiant and is still climbing. In this country it has already reached a lethal point which makes its threat far more serious than any tuberculosis launched against the country, and this despite the fact that cancer chiefly is a malady of maturity and old age. To-day the threat of cancer is serious, and the medical profession is unable to guarantee cures, though it in swamped with theories both as to the origin of the disease and as to agencies which have effected cures. To the lay mind the situation to-day is full of terrors, and often confidence in the ; medical men is lost long enough to open the | way to the plausible quack with as many I glowing proofs of infallibilty as the manufacturer of a hair restorer and understanding the Cancer problem is difficult to achieve, but I think Dr Albert Soiland, a distinguished physican and a public health worker, has managed to compress into a short book, with non technical language, a brief but comprehensive survey which will rive the layman a working knowledge of the subject and will arm him with the means of protecting himself and assisting the medical men in the battle which so far has leaned to the side of the disease. Briefly Dr Soiland urgen the necessity of early consultation. He deals simply with the symp- I toms which, so often neglected, result in ' the medical practitioner being set a hope- i less task. Dr Soiland does not go to the : length of advocating an annual overhaul | for all the men and women, but he does . demand of the laity co-operation with the professional men. It is of the utmost importance to teach I the public that upon the discovery of a sore on the body which does not heal , with ordinary treatment in a reasonably , short time, or upon the discovery of any i lump or enlargement which persists, they should seek a physician’s advice immediately. This often means,relief of a condition which, if neglected, may in a-com-paratively short time cost a life. A terse, lucid and extremely valuable book. There is nothing controversial in it, but . the lay man who reads it will find that cancer has lost some of its terrors, and that he knows his part in the battle against the disease. My copy of “Cancer” from the publishers D. Appleton and Co., London. THE PEOPLE IN BOOKS. I have received a charming book from the Cornstalk Publishing Company which, old a= I am. I would not have missed for much gold. I have found, as I have grown older, that the surest test to which one can put books for children, is reading them with your practical adult mind. If the tale that is told can manage to grip your thinly paling imagination and survive your nasty adult cynicism, then it is a good book. That does nit mean, of course, that the books j which do not pass this test are necessarily ' of no consequence to the children. I merely insist that those that do survive must : have more than average ingenuity to preserve them, and it is to the latter class I would relegate "The Janitor’s Cat,” written by Theodore Acland Harper in collaboration with Winifred Harper. It is not only an excuse for, but an incentive to reading, by introducing the characters of some of the favourite children’s stories fresh even . in my jaded mind. You know from the beginning, that the Janitor’s cat. who really didn’t belong to the janitor at all, is not an ordinary cat. even though he lives in the basement all day long just as if he really did belong to the janitor. So that , when one night at closing-time in the great book-store where he lives, he sets out on a mysterious journey to the floor where Miss Winter is in charge of the children’s books, you are really not surprised at all; nor when Jerry’s mother comes in to buy him a book, preferably one which explains what happens to the books after they leave their stores, does it seem the least bit strange that Tonv, the cat. should do something about it. You are glad when he opens some of the favourite books and lets Tom of the "Water Babies” and Dr. Dolittle ' and Pandora of “Tanglewood Tales” and Peter Pan and Alice of the Looking Glass and others step out and help him. Then he goes to live with Jerry, and these storybook people return one by one and recount the tale of their adventures after forming part of the Christmas shopping, and Jerry is satisfied, and Tony is satisfied, and all the story-folk seem satisfied. Even when Tony goes hack to the basement and resumes his meditations, you feel that that is a* it should be; deep down in your heart you know that Tony is a magic cat—though nobody tells you. mind you. That is the effect "The Janitor’s Cat” I had on me, and as I have said before, I thought I had passed the stage of enjoying children's bookks. It is delightful, and thoroughly enjoyable, besides being helpful to the children by its associations with other books. I found it, too, specially adapted for reading aloud, and there are certain children who will bear me out in this. The fantastic drawings by J. Erwin Porter help a great deal, too. I am indebted to the authors for letting me feel that I am not so very old after all. ON THE DOWN GRADE. Mr. Le Queux is losing his cunning. There i will be many to mourn his loss, and it will be a long time before one of his ingenuity will appear to take his place. In his day he , has been something of a prophet—howmany years ago did he predict the suprem- j acy of the air—knowing more about the j Secret Service than is generally the lot of 1 the lay-man, and providing his readers, nor only with the thrills for which they read him, but with much solid information coated with the imaginings of his inventive brain. His knowledge of science, and intrigue offered him a large scope which he made good and exciting use. Nevertheless. his hand has lost its cunning, or such a cheap "thriller” as that which lately came into my hands would never have borne his name. Sir Michael and Lady Margaret Evenden, his wife, are being black mailed, each secretly by the insidious little Dr. Laidlaw, who also makes more frequent appearances

after the death of Sir Michael and the murder of his one son, John, trank Gough, Lady Margaret’s son by a former marriage, inherits the title, and on him falls suspicion of the crime, and he is detained for trial. Benson, the old family lawyer, begins ardent investigations to clear the young master of Evenden, until he reaches the stage, when to clear his name, that of his mother would become hopelessly involved. With the help of a young doctor whose interest in the case centred in his fiance’s connection with Lady Margaret, Benson makes many discoveries, which finally clear up the mystery without leading to the capture of the real criminal, and it is only after several years of comparative freedom, that the final stages show a straightening out of the tangle. Prom the hand of a novice this would be quite promising stuff. From William Le Queux it cannot but be disappointing. "The Sting ’ is published by Hodder and Stoughton, whence my copy. THE SPELL OF KENYA. Miss Nora K. Strange is doing for Kenya more than Gertrude Page ever did for, Rhodesia, because although the admiration and love of each writer for her respective colony is obviously sincere. Kenya is benefiting from the fact that its fertility and charm are not suffering from the idealisation existing in the Rhodesian works. The Rhodesia of Gertrude Page's novels makes absorbing matter for social and economic problems; but quite reliable information discredits the veracity of the pictures she draws, and, therefore, any value her words might be to the colony she extols. Miss Strange on the other hand, goes deeper into the heart of her country, treating it thoughtfully and practically; yet her novels are equally as absorbing as those of the earlier writer, and one is assured that she ranks just as highly on the scale of "best sellers.” Hpr latest novel, following a steadily improving list, is easily her finest work to date. "Kenya Calling” is a strong blend of charm, interest and sound common sense. It is, in the main, the story of Sheila Marsden, left a young widow without interest or prospect in .life, who, hesitating to leave England and live in Kenya, accepts a distant relative’s offer of a home, and finds new interest and new life and new activities. There is some very fine character work in "Kenya Calling.” The author writes with confidence, and uses few words to express what she wants to say, and uses them very effectively. There is more substance in the plot of this than in her earlier works, showing wider vision and a more comprehensive outlook. The delineation of Pixie Carew, the difficult and fiery flapper, could only have succeeded as it did in sympathetic hands. Stanley Paul is the publisher, my copy from Dymock’s Book Arcade. Sydney. RABBITS FOR WOOL. Angora rabbits are to be admitted to this country for the purpose of establishing a new primary industry for the “small man.” Angora wool is in keen demand, and it is stated that one rabbit will give an annual clip worth 20 -. Writing on this question as it affects New Zealand, Arthur Sainsbury shows that the Angora rabbit’s first shearing is when it is six or eight weeks old, and after that the wool is clipped at frequent intervals so that it does not grow longer than three inches. In “Angora Wool Rabbits” he has covered the whole subject briefly and lucidly with the object of helping the inexperienced breeder.- He writes on the care of the rabbits, the prospects, which certainly are attractive, and the economic aspect of the matter. Angora rabbits, it is declared, cannot become a pest because they are confined in houses, and if any escape cannot establish themselves in the open. The French “farm” 500 Angora rabbits on half an acre, and it is considered that a man and a woman can manage 1000 rabbits. Mr Sainsbury considers that a year’s food in New Zealand will cost 13/-, so that the return is attractive. This is an excellent text book, cheap and convincing. It will .certainly advance the cause of the Angora in ihe Dominion. My copy of “Angora Wool Rabbits” comes from the author, who is editor of the “N.Z. Smallholder” Auckland. THE MESSAGE OF THE HAND. Even the skeptics enjoy having their hands read and the palmist is always sure of a welcome. There is a delightful suggestion of mystery about the whole business, and the skilled reader is able to make astonishing revelations, but when a book like “Hands Up” by Capini Vequin appears the simple basis of their wonderful dark science is exposed. Vequin’s method is to me question and answer, and in this way he does away with a lot of padding which hampered people using the text books of the hand. His plan is to supply the foundations and allow the student to build as he will. It also serves the man or woman who could find the essentials of the hands’ message and does not wish to study palmistry over a long term of months.—lt is both a short cut and a solid foundation, and its price puts it within reach of everybody. Sly copy from the Cornstalk Publishing Co., of Sydney. LONDON’S TASTE. At the beginning of June the best sellers in London were:—Fiction.—Hugh Walpole’s “Wintersmoon” (Macmillan) ; Ernest Bramah's “Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat” (Richards'; R. H. Mottram’s “The English Miss” (Chatto and Windus) ; St. John Ervine’s "The Mountain” (Allen and Unwin. Miscellaneous. —Arnold Bennett’s “The Savour of Life” (Cassell); A. P. Herbert’s "Trials of Topsy” (Benni ; Sidney Dark’s "Twelve Bad Men” (Hodder and Stoughton i ; C. R. Cooper’s "Annie Oakley: Woman at Arms” (Hurst and Blackett). SAWDUST. Alfred Noyes is busy on a biography and study of Emerson. Messrs Faber and Gwyer are publishing “Cannibal Jack: The True Autobiography of a White Man in the South Seas.” This was written by one. William Diapea, who, more than thirty years ago, handed his manuscript to Mr Hadfield, the well-known missionary, in exchange for "a few light articles of clothing.” It was Mr Hadfield’s son who unearthed the document and arranged for its'publically-