VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume 1, Issue 8, 14 February 1914, Page 1

VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

' The brilliantly versatile Hilaire Belloe, a publicist of the first water, and one-of- the leading-essayists of the day, contributes to the '.' Fortnightly He view*:' an eminently readable article, on "The Demand for Universal' Service." He believes that Britain •'s rivals'have laid down as part of their scheme for. attack, swift and sudden raids which would aim at cutting one or two of the. great arteries of communication ..oh the. English mainland. . ;The mpf al effect,. in his" opinion,' .wottldk be enormous. Mr Belloe argues that •universal;/ tracing

would not meet this danger, and holds a clear division can be established between two possible policies:— ''Either we desire a really trained conscript army, or a much less than half-trained militia;'' If, he"adds, the three great barriers: religious objections, the indifference of the . great employers, -and the ' c territorial' * tradition, could'.be' overcome,, then perhaps true. <o:npulsory service could be established. Ililaire Belloc's versatility is world famous. He has written (literally) "On' Anything," and "On Everything," from vcr.es and sonnets to Robespierre and Marie Antoinette, to "This and That." ' : : '

A little book which should appeal very strongly to all,who are interested in spiritualism, and in what . are,;known as-psychic phenomena, is entitled "Has W. T. Stead Returned? —A Symposium." (London ~L. N. Fowler and Co., per Whitcomrje and Tombd). The editor, Mr, James Coates,' Ph J),,/ F.A.S., has carefully collected,; and edited for publication, the testimonies of a number,of prominent spiritualists, and "trusted psyehics.H.jn various'parts of the world, to the effect that not only have they received messages from the late Mr Stead, but that he'-has "manifested" or" appeared in, more or l<bs bodily form to them. The testimonies are of a moit 'detailed character, and clearly represent -.„ an undoubted faith in thb alleged fact that Mr Stead is in ; .frequent communication with persons on this earth. does Mr Stead do this, but disclaimed that the "psychic photographs" of the famout; journalist; reproductions of which are.given in tlt-3 book, are unquestionabjly genuine: The editor's wife, Mrs Coates, seems to ; :have been a specially.favoured "control," and personal itestimony :by ." seven and fourteen sane•and level-headed i persons Stead's 'etherenlisations' and 'direct, voice' to;this lady" are given for the edification of, dpujbti'n'g Waders., Miss Estelle" YW Stead contributes £>&,., short preface to what, to believers in spiiitua.lJLsnft must prove a publication of quite thrilling interest to the big'army of "sceptics"—well, I really; canjt imagine what they will think, ahd I would rather not speculate upon what they may say. ' The \ iiickulfe several portraits ' and '' psychic photographs. 1 "; '..•; '..'.', ' -

... There was a time when French books were difneultto procure iii "New, Zealand cities, and.,rather expensive. Nowadays, however, owing to the enterprise of Messrs Nelson ~and ; that blessed friend to poor bookmen, Mr J. M. Bent,/live have for a modest fifteenpence a splendid choieey., In, Wellington quite a large number of people can now. read Flench, and in Christchurch also there . should ,b,e; a steady demand for the attractive little 1 volumes of the "Collection Nelson" and the "Collection Gallia." To the former series have recently added, so I notice, Alfred De Viguy's splendid historical novel, "Cirq Mars," also some of the delightful and wholesome stories of Henri Bordeaux. Nelsons s also publish a complete Victor Hugo in fifty-one volumes, at. fifteenpence each. A complete Hugo is a large order, but everybody who can read French should know "Notre .Dame de Paris," which I vastly prefer . to the niuqh-belauded "Les Miserables." Amongst i the Hugo gramas, "Hermani" would be my choiee, and in-the poetry whichever volume it may be that contains that splendid, ballad which begins:— Gastibejza, Pliomme a la carabine, to my mind ] one of the finest things in all French poetry of Hugo's or any other period. ~ Students should find * Mr Bent's "Collection Gallia ".very useful, for it includes several eighteenth and seventeenth century works hitherto not easily procurable in a reasonably cheap form. The only grumble I have against both series is over the pale ;cream covers, which are so easily soiled, if the books be .frequently handled.

The American newspaper reviewer is not easily abashed,, but one young gentleman who interviewed Li Hung Chang in New Lork must have gone away feeling rather small. In Li Hung Chang's recently published "Memoirs" he says that some of the questions put by the interviewer were rather too personal:—"He wanted to know how many, wives I had, and after I had told him I had. as many as I needed, he was impertinent enough to ask how many I needed. The question did not please me, but I did not let him know that would have been a satisfaction to not wish to give. And so I asked:" ' How wivea have you?' He answered quickly, 'None? <Good, ' I said, 'you look as if you might be able to lake cate of just that number.' '' ; • >