KEVIEW.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3943, 7 December 1880, Page 3

KEVIEW.

THE NEW ZEALAND ILLUSTRATED ANNUAL.« Mr Mosley's venture will be, by many, thought daring, as the literary talent necessary to produce a book of original Christmas stories— for that is what the annual io— is not generally supposed .to exist in sufficient quantity in the Colony. We hope that the title may prove an omen of good fortune, we mean we hope that such a volume may issue every year from a Colonial Press to apeak to colonists of the Christmas season tho things which aociety is accustomed to hear, no doubt better told, in oldor countries. Prudence has hitherto counselled that Colonial competition with the flood of Christmas literature which annually pours out of England, must lead to loss and vexation of spirit, a feeling hardly in consonance with Christmas associations. The superiority of the Home ariicle must, of course, be freely admitted. It is only necesBary, on that point, to remember that Dickens created the practice of Christmas storytelling, and that many of tho first names In the world of fiction have carried it on. English Christmas story books, are, however, by no means of uniform excellence. In Bpite of the high standard one would suppose to have been established and maintained by such high example, ao above-men-tioned, a givat deal appears among the Christmas productions which is unmitigated rubbish. Feeble, pointless, meaningless stories, with nothing but good grammar to recommend thorn, unredeemed from dulnesi by a ray of genuine humour, accompanied by illustrations which do not pretend to be true to nature, and are not good enough for caricature—even such are not rave at this season of the year in London. Nearly every magazine that issues a Christmas number has one or more of the type within its covers. On the other hand, some of the best and truest of the stories of the year ccc the light at Ohristmas. Btories that make ona the better for the reading; Btories that appeal to the best feelings of human nature ; that stir the mind to noble thoughts and high aspirations, and fill the soul With feelings of kindliness and generosity. But, admirable as the general excellence of the Ohristmao literature of Engiand may be, its excellence is not an. argument in its favour by which fco prevent a Colonial Christmas venture. If it wero, then by a parity of reasoning there should be no morning papers anywhere out of London. In no Colony is thero a morning paper equal to the Times, or any of tho groat London dailies. Nevertheless, every one prefers his local paper, for the satisfaction of tho newspaper-awakened instinct. 'Iho local morning paper i 3 opportune. It comes at the proper houp and is welcome. So it should be with the Christmas annual. Hitherto we have had the English publications ruling the market, and, though in no way locally opposed, not doing bot»veen them all any very great trade. They come after the fair." They fall flat. When Ohristmas is . over and dono with, and the New Year has settled into his ordinary business pace, it is impossible to get up any special interest about the holly berries, and the festoons of evergreens which wo have put away ; or in the recollection of plum puddings and snap-dragons, which have painfully reminded us that the fierce summer heats aro not favourable to culinary practices which have become stereotyped, like the hero of Excelsior, " mid snow and ice." To ub they are strange devices indeed. Cleai'ly the Christmas story book must come at Christinas time «r a little before; but never after. The importod article is not to be had in time, any more than the English newspaper is to be seen airing itself in our fender beforo breakfast of mornings. Tho local Christmas story book must content us, just bs we have to be content with the local morning paper. The mind is attuned by tho Christinas influence to certain keys, which at no other time can bo played upon by the man of letters with the samo effect. Christians flock to hear a performance of the Messiah on Christmas Eve, and are content not to demand a rondoring by the first ar.ists of tho day. Were they to know that tho best singers and instrumentalists in creation wero to arrive for tho performance of tho grand old mueic in tho first stylo a mosth after Ohristmae, they would nevertheless go and hear the local musiciano on Christmas Eve. And we make bold to say, that they would enjoj it a groat deal more — provided it were tolerably well done. Neighbouring Colonies have found out the truth which we are illustrating long »go. Therefore, with them the successful Christmas literary venture is a long-ostablished fact. Wo hope tho publication of tho Now Zealand Illustrated Annual will place this Colony on an equal footing, by inaugurating a custom. A great deal, of courso, depends upon how tho work is dono. Tho work for Mr Mosley's annual is, we must say, generally fairly well done. We need net say moro than that any publication at eighteenpenco which contains Mr Braekon's Maod legend (in vewe) of " Wtiipouaamalu " is woll worth the money. For musical poetry, for sustained interest of narrative, unstrained dramatic force and command of variety of metre, this ia one of the beßfc poems which Mr Bracken's prolific pon bus given U3. Tlio picturesque descriptions, the vigour of style, the polished Vorees and tho echo of groat masters which rings in the original music of Mr Bracken's lines, will ensure for his legend uninterrupted attention and, in most cases, a second reading. Iho story is wot a Christmas story, but in a vulume of staries for Christmas wo do not require every one to be appropriate to tlit» vt-ason. Tho task of writing verso of tint kind for tho annual has been undertaken by Mr iitevvara, of South Canterbury, who }i;n produced two thoughtful, pleasant, short pnoiMß, in which he talks to ths< colonists, not of tho stereotyped frosta and snows and yula logy, but of tho ilovprs tho fruits, tho twigs of birds, and tho hundred accompaniments of summer. Ho sings of — ' A joyous merry Christmas, A i. hrifitnin* fair nnd young. Whoso praifOH hi tho poets Of ihu tjoutu LaudbhtUl boaaufr." This with tho lines " Ho rings tho f aino flwcot carols Ad bo of olilcu time." is Ihn koynole to bolhp vms, and ihujaforriH ono unur.stTcrabic argument in favour oi a locally compossid Chrisl-mas story book. \V«s want tho old id<-a.?, bnt wo want them in :; new dress, just na rnt.ui'o faevs m luiv in a now dress. Mr Stowwd's poetry supplks tliu new dress very taste ully for tho most, p:wt, and with much grace. We would su^om, n. lililo more polishing of his v.tso in future. For instance, tho convolvulus is a bcuutitul flower, but a ma?s of " convolvuluses " is inoro effective in a picture than in the lines of a lyrio.

The prose stories Tory in character. Some a*e of coniiderable excellence, and the others all showevidencoof talent* hat wants only the discipline of study and reflection. A Colonial story, (any one who takes the trouble, to think can realise that the class of incident i« by no means raro in the upß and downs 61 Colonial life)- is told by the editor with skill and a touch of genuine pathos. Bis " Kismet of Cuvtfl" is of a different order; highly seniational, dramatically treated, and showing B-'Kic knowledge of character. Mr Belfe*B story of "Diamond Cut Diamond" is * b/ightly told story of Colonial eporting life* Tiio incident will pertispg he remembered by sporting men, and tho eporkling, easy Style of tha narrative, will obtain for Mr Selfe the applause of many readers. Mrs lnnes contributes a story entitled " Monoy or Love,** tho only one tho scene of whicli is laid itt Christchurch. Told simply, and with an eye for character, it would be bettor if it were a little longer. Sudden transitions, and a ten*' dency to caricat uro, aro developed by brevity and haste of narrative Skill in Blory-tellinjj specially, if n reasonable space bo allowed, M judged by the manner in which these eMimbling blocks are got over. There is one loo«l Ak«toli of character in Mrs lnnes' story, wh-Hi it obvious to (he most superficial ob>erv-r. In this instance no harm can h» don-> a» the sketch is to the honour o£ | both piirt.ies to it— tho drawer and the drawn. But the practice is dangerous, us the sympathetic authoress will do well to remember I when she draws her next set of characters. A high authority (Mr Pa»n) has told" vm I lately that novelists must tuuko their sbudies> of character amongst thoir friends. But be is earrful to teach his readers that when the humanity is taken for the publio, the personality is left behind, so that no one can recognies the sketch as meant for a particular person, while all accept it as true to nature. > The Rev H. 0. M. Watson tolls, with tfi* simple directness with which readers of hi* beoka aro Tamiliar, a noble story of uA. Heroine," and Mr Shaw, of Wellington, contributes a rather gloomy tale of " A Wasted Life," with a good moral, no doubt, bufc entirely unsuited to a Ohristmas book. Mr Shaw's readers xcill probably call it a story of wasted power. There is besides a nnrrative (anonymous) of * child's fate, the title of which, "Lost in the* Malice," ib sufficiently eugge&tive. It is written with the roalistic touch of an eyewitness, and eonae simple pathos, occasionally marred by too evident labour for effect. WV had almost forgotten Mr Vincent Pyke, wW ha» contributed what for constructive power, skilfulness of development, and striking denouement, is certainly tho best story in the book. " Under the Wattles " certainly doe» ju«tice to Mr Pyke's lively imagination and practised pen. Readers of "Wild "Will Enderby " will recognise fche afcylc, animated,, humorous, descriptive, with ocauional flight* of overdrawing. Mr Pjke has set an, example in one direction to his colldboratmn. He has wisely refrained from detailed description of bis heroine. It would have beeta. better if some of tbe others had done like * him. In conclusion, we muot commend the illustrations of Mr Cousins aj praceful in conception and of good execution. Worthy of Mr Ooueins' reputation, they add greatly to tho saleable value of the annual. •Edited by M. Moßley. At all bookielle»\