A Literary Log

Southland Times, Issue 20664, 20 April 1929, Page 13

A Literary Log

ROLLED BY

IOTA.

THE NEW BOSWELL. If ■ ever a man wrote for posterity, it would eeem that James Boswell did. He seemed to be conscious of the service he was doing Johnson and to have put his trust in the future when he set about revealing that great man. From the “Life of Johnson” one gathers the impression of an obsequious Boswell, extraordinarily modest and dedicated to a service in which hie own personality would not intrude, but. the discovery of his journals, letters and other papers have shown how far from the man is such an estimate. The family at Auchinleck for many years resisted all attempts to make contact with Boswells papers and gradually there was established the belief that thev had all been destroyed by fire, but in 1905 the bulk of the papers passed to Lord Talbot of Malahide. Ireland, and in 1920 he transferred the papers to Ireland. There, three years ago. Professor Tinker found them. Two years later Ixird Talbot sold the papers to Colonel Isham, an American collector, who took them to his Long Island home, where they have been prepared for publication by Geoffrey Scott. The task is heavy. Sixteen volumes arc contemplated and three of thee*: have already been published. \ olunic One is mainly occupied by the journal of a “Jaunt.” which Boswell, under the tutelage of Lord Kames, made through various parts of Scotland in 1762. Volume Two contains the records of Boswell's stay at Utrecht during the winter of 1763-64, and the papers connected with his eccentric courtship of Zelide (Isabella de Zuylenl. Volume Three gives an extended account of his tour among the German courts in 1764 and his “conquest” of Rousseau and Voltaire.” There are many things revealing the new Boswell but the attack on Rousseau and Voltaire is probably the most illuminating. Boswell believed he was a genius and a genius thwarted by an unkind world. He approached greatness with confidence because he felt he was worthy of the association. Something of him can be seen in the journal's record of the first effort to meet Rousseau : (3 Dec. 1764. Boswell has a letter of introduction front Lord Marischal to Rousseau which is certain to gain him admittance, but) "my. romantic Genius. , made me eager to put my own merit to the severest tryal. I had therefore prepared a letter to M. Rousseati, in which I informed him that an ancient Scots Gentleman of twenty-four was come hither with the hopes of seeing him.... It can neither be abridged nor transposed, for it is really ah Master-Piece. I shall ever preserve it as a Proof that my Soul can be sublime. I...sent my letter chez M. Rousseau, ordering the Maid to leave it, and say she'd return for the Answer ...I was filled with anxiety. Is not this romantic madness? Was I not sure of admittance by my Recommendations? Could I not see him a§ any other Gentleman would do?. No: I am above the Vulgar crowd. I would have my merit fairly tried by this Great Judge of human Nature. It seems that at first it was Rousseau who waft sorely tried. He made quite clear his disinclination to ptoceed any further with this “ancient Scots Gentleman- of twentyfour, but Boswell’s persistency won and before long he was slapping the "Great. Judge of human Nature” on the shoulder. One of Voltaire's tricks for the riddance of unwelcome interviewers was a swoon, but when he fainted away the shrewd Boswell merely waited until he recovered and resumed the conversation. What Rousseau and Voltaire thought of this strange fellow would have been extremely interesting, but Boswell, himself, does not conceal the opposition against which he had to battle in establishing himself on a footing of friendship with these two men. He did that, according to his own records, and Rousseau wept when Boswell had to depart. One wonders if the great man was really reduced to tears or ’ whether he was a good actor. Another piece of evidence testifying to Boswell's confidence in the future is his note to his favourite correspondent, Temple, urging him preserve all of his (Boswell’s) letters “in a book neatly” obviously with an eye to facilitating publication at a later date. Much of the Boswell archives was indexed and annotated, and in his last moments he thought of the method by which they were to be given to the public. His journal contains many references of unusual

interest to the student of literature. David Hume “sits at his ease reading Homer,” and chats about Smollett, Macpherson, Sterne (“Tristram Shandy- may perhaps go on a little longer; but we will not follow him”), and what Johnson really said to Garrick in the Green Room. Boswell thumps Rousseau on the shoulder; they- talk religion, and Boswell confesses that he once turned Roman Catholic and even thought of retiring to a monastery in France. It. was the “Profession of Faith of a Cavoyard Vicar" that gave him his present agreeable ideas of the Christian religion, but, he asks his mentor, can he not have a harem of thirty if he wishes? Rousseau says that his own books arc twaddle (“barbouillages”) and discourses on the manners and morals of the cat. Boswell and Voltaire sit alone in the drawing room at Ferney “with a great Bible before them” and dispute “with vehemence” concerning the truth of Christianity. •'For a certain portion of time there was a fair opposition between Voltaire and Boswell.” Voltaire, hard pressed, has recourse to one of those fainting spells which he reserves for such occasions, but to no purpose. Boswell quietly waits. “He recovered. I resumed our conversation.” The new Boswell ,is vastly more interesting than the one seen through the “life” of Johnson, and these papers will justify the ancient Scots gentleman’s confidence in himself and in posterity. His genius has had to wait a long time for its complete vindication but the waiting has been worth while and when the archives are finally given to the general public Boswell will be completely revealed, and as complete established. The publication of the Boswell papers is in the hands of William. Edwin Rudge, of New York. INDIA’S GREAT PROBLEM. fn the course of her novel of Indian life, “The Two Brides,” Mrs F. E. Penny has touched one of the great problems of the wonderful country, the child wife, ami she has approached it from the viewpoint ol

the enlightened Hindu, who has taken the best of Western culture and is preparing the way for the extension of India s share of the administration of her own affairs. Narasimha has risen high in the civil service, and in the opening of the story his cloScst. friend, an Englishman, is being married. An accident on the day of the wedding gives him admission to the bridal home, and he is compelled to contrast the Western conception of marriage with the view taken by his own people. He is the victim of the old system: he has a child wife. Narasimha returns to his old home where his bride, Seeta, a wiki youngster who has been illtreated because she will not bow to the strict rule of her husband’s mother, is waiting in terror. Narasimha abducts her from his parents and sends her to England to be educated. The taming of (his wild girl of the hills is not a simple task, but it is accomplished. Meanwhile Narasimha, to whom Seeta has sent a photograph reproducing the scene when he first saw her, has continued his career without thought of his wife. Suddenly Seeta decides to return to India, and she goes with the wife of her husband’s friend, though he is unaware of the fact. Shortly after her arrival, Seeta learns that Narasimha had written to her English guardian calling her back, so she meets her husband who falls in love with her without knowing who she is. On the day appointed for her arrival Seeta goes to her husband's home and the story ends happily. It is a pleasant romance, but the terrible system which binds children in wedlock is revealed, and it is obvious that Mrs Penny has confidence in the growing capacity of the Indians to abolish this evil. Narasimha is typical of all'that is best in the Hindu patriot, a man ambitious for the well-being of his people who sees that development under the British Raj holds the highest hope of ultimate success, who understands discipline and can see that in Western culture there are many things superior to the old Hindu notions. Mrs Penny knows her India and her scenes are invariably authentic. She is observant and optimistic, and “The Two Brides” is the product of a warm sympathy for Indian aspirations. It is published by Messrs Hodder and Stoughton, London, whence came my copy. ->->♦■>■& LONDON TO NEW ZEALAND. ... Peter Galbraith, serving in the war with the New Zealand troops, carried to safety the sorely stricken Captain Hamilton who, on dying, appointed Peter guardian of his little child, Valerie. This is the starting point of “Love and Chiffon” by Elizabeth Milton, but the book actually begins with Peter on the way to the school in France where Valerie, now eighteen, has been educated. She has grown into a bautiful woman, and Peter falls in love with her. To facilitate the continuation of the guardianship in ’he terms set down by the father, Peter marries her and takes her to his English home where he is at work on a critical study of some phase of political economy. In this home Valerie develops an antagonism to Peter’s secretary, Miss Redbottle, and finally goes to London where she mixes with the smart set. To save her from this life Peter decides to take her to his New Zealand farm, and it is to the Dominion that the story shifts. This is not a great novel, but it is very readable, and the New Zealand scene is handled sympthetically. There is much melodrama in the later stages of the story, as Valerie struggles against, her love for Peter and her desire to return to the more brilliant life of London. Although aware of the fact she has far more excitement in a few months,' she narrowly escapes death twice, and Peter is nearly drowned, than she had known during the previous eighteen years of her life, and so-in the end, thanks to much of the enterprise of Henare, a typical New Zealand boy whose god is Tom Mix and whose language is a series of adaptations of film sub-titling, they are brought together and all is happy. “Love and Chiffon” reminds me forcibly of a Mrs Hungerford story put into a New Zealand setting. It is a pleasant story, with much excellent comedy in it, and some meritorious character drawing. “Love and Chiffon” is published by Messrs Wills and Boon, London. HELP FOR THE ANGLER. I should say the dual purpose of “Trout and Salmon Fishing in Southland” is to assist the angler and to indiice people to take up fishing, and a glance through its pages will quickly convince one that it is going to succeed in both aims. The authors, who modestly hide their identity, have dealt with the fishing rivers of Southland in systems, and have given the fisherman all the information he requires to make his day enjoyable. With this excellent book, and with a good road map, he can find his way without difficulty to any of the fishing streams, and he is furnished with practical aid in the shape of information concerning the flies found to be most successful by practical fishermen. In addition there are entertaining articles in which fishermen describe actual days spent on the river. These articles do not confine themselves to fishing. Nearly all anglers are lovers of nature, and evidently the men who have compiled this book have remembered this fact, because they have spared time and space to direct his attention to the natural beauties about him. One can well imagine an angler, on a happy day, desiring a brief rest, reclining on the sunlit banks and reading this little book while he confirms its enthusiastic commend, ations by personal observation. This is a book which should be in the hands of every angler and it should be given fo every man one may wish to enrol as devotees of the sport. My copy from the Southland Anglers’ Club which has issued this excellent work. SOTHERBY’S ITEMS.

A correspondent recently wrote asking what had happened to the “Book of Job” drawings by William Blake which were discovered in Auckland. Fortunately I am no wable to tell him that these drawings, which were taken to New Zealand by Albin Martin, a pupil of John Linnell, whose own series of Blake “Job” drawings brought 3800 guineas in 1918, were sold at Sotherby’s late last year and were bought by Mr Gabriel Wells’for £5OO. At the same sale five pages of the original manuscript of “The Pickwick Papers” were sold to Mr Rosenbach, the American collector, for £7500.