The Library Corner

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18785, 19 May 1923, Page 7

The Library Corner

By

"Bibliophile"

“A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life”— Milton

THE LIBRARY CORNER W. Robertson Nicoll. The death of Sir William Robertson Nicoll deprives literature not only of a writer of talent, but of one who was a beacon along many of its paths, and whose light was always directed upon what was good and worthy. In the journalistic, literary, religious, and political worlds, he filled a niche of his own, and all who came into touch with his- writings will feel as if the loss is a personal one. He was connected with many publications, but perhaps best known by his editorship of the “Bookman,” and of “The British Weekly.” In the latter his Letters of Claudius Clear was the most popular ■ item, while the notes of “A Mau of Kent” also came from his pen. Sir W. Robertson Nicoll was an in- | tellectual force for a generation, and: his influence in literature was only I equalled by the kindly interest taken ; and invaluable help that he gave to j many now well-known winters at the 1 beginning of their careers. In writ- 1 ing of W. Robertson Nicoll, Sydney Dark says, “He has not been content to add merely to the popularity of living writers; he has been a discoverer of talent.” Among the writers he helped to bring to the front, are J. M. Barrie, Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler, .John ; Buchan, lan Maclaren, and S. R. Croc- I kett. ; The son of an Aberdeenshire minis- : ter, W. Robertson Nicoll himself spent,'] eleven years’ service in the ministry of ; the Presbyterian Church, which ill- ( health compelled him to leave for the , field of journalism. He inherited his I : love of literature from the father, who I ( despite an income which never exceeded 1 ( £2OO a year, acquired a library of ■ ( 17,000 volumes. The intimate relation ( between father and sen is shown in ( the book, “My Father: an Aberdeen- ] shire Minister, 1812-1891,” of which ( the preface runs: “The greater part of ( this little book was written under an ] impulse derived from Mr. Gosse’s very , remarkable record—‘Father and Son.’ < In his brilliant and pathetic narrative, |< Mr. Gosse describes the religious and | j literary training in a Puritan house- £ hold of the strictest type. He lays j stress on the manner in which his : young life was cabined, cribbed, and i confined, on the continual religious £ pressure brought to bear upon him, and j on his father’s refusal to face all the £ facts of science. During the same period I was brought up in a Scottish manse, and in an atmosphere of reli- \ gious belief almost as rigid, and quite ] as faithful and sincere, as that of Mr. < Philip Gosse. But the methods my i father adopted with his children were i entirely different —so different that I 1 have been moved to describe them.” < Sir W. Robertson Nicoll possessed a 1 rare combination of poetic and com- 1 mcrcial qualities, while a good deal has j been said about him as a mystic. Miss c Stoddart has written, “Perhaps the i truth about his mysticisms may be best < expressed in Lord Roseberry’s words i on Oliver Cromwell: ‘He was a prac- i tieal mystic; the most formidable of i all combinations.’ ” An article by ( Dixon Scott, published some years ago, shows the influence then wielded, and which was continued to the end:— Every Thursday in “The British Weekly,” Robertson Nicoll addresses an audience far more numerous, far more responsive, far more eagerly in earnest, than that controlled by any other living critic. He praises a book —and instantly it is popular. He dismisses one, gently—and it dies. He controls the contents of the bookshelves of a thousand homes and they change beneath his fingers like bright keyboards and every alteration 1 means the modification of mind. What Claudius Clear reads on Wednesday, half Scotland, and much of England, will bo reading before the end of the week. • ♦ • ♦ Official History of Australia in the War. Vol. 7.—Angus and Robertson, Sydney (per A. D. Willis, Ltd.) This volume of the official Australian war history, by H. S. Gullett, covers the doings of the Australian Imperial Force in Sinai and Palestine from 1916 to 1918. The purpose of the work is to record the work of the Australian Light Horse, and it does not attempt I to give a complete narrative of the i campaigns. The part played by the Australians, however, could not be set out without at least a broad outline of the operations of the British Army as j a whole, and this is so clearly given that one gets an intelligent interest in the whole state of affairs. In detail, of course, only the fighting and cam- 1 paign life of the Australians are dealt J with, but New Zealanders figure in ' many of the pages, and so give an 1 added interest to a work which is in-1 1 valuable in many respects. In Chapter 5, dealing with the Anzac Mounted Di- - vision, is the following:— <1 v The New Zealand Brigade, like the t light horsemen, had served and shone c upon Gallipoli. Its men, made up of c the Auckland, Canterbury, and Wellington Regiments, possessed many ’ of the qualities of the light horse- A men, and some distinctively their s own. Like the Australians, they were 1: pioneers, or the children of pioneers, i born to and practised in country life, natural horsemen, and expert a riflemen. Closer in physical type f than the Australians to the big men I of England’s northern counties and a to the Lowland Scotch, they perhaps c lacked something of the almost ag- i gressive independence of thought and | individuality of action which marked I the Australians. They represented j t in fact a younger dominion than the s Australians; they were more closely, I though not more purely, bred to the e parent British stock, more “col- I onial” and less “national” in their c outlook than their Australian com- 1 1 rades in the division. But, if the J two bodies of young men presented interesting differences, mental and i physical, they were almost indistin- a guishable as fighters. All the quail- i ties which their countrymen rejoiced c to find in the Australians were to be 1 found in the New Zealanders, with € the exception of little incidental ex- 1 cellences which sidelights disclosed 1 on either side. The New Zealand a Brigade not only won much glory for c its people; it reflected everlasting credit upon the great business quail- s

ties of the New Zealand Government during the war. Not only in its fighting capacity, but in its administration and economy, it was a model of what a mounted brigade should be; and Australian Light Horse officers of distinction were frequently heard to declare that the finest mounted brigade engaged in Sinai and Palestine was this splendid little body of New Zealanders. Between the Australians and the New Zealanders there was never in the long campaign a thought of jealousy or a moment of misunderstanding. Each trusted and swore by the other. This volume opens with the invasion of Egypt by the Turks in the spring of 1916, the subsequent chapter dealing with the arrival of the Anzac Army in Egypt after the evacuation, and giving a broad, general view of the situation on all fronts. We are then taken through all the subsequent activities in the desert to the Battle of Romani, by which the whole character of the campaign was changed, and the Turkish advance upon Egypt definitely chocked. Afterwards we are taken on the march to Gaza, through the Battle of Beersheba, and on to the capture of Jerusalem, and finally Damascus. Aleppo and the armistice end a volume written with knowledge and judgment, and full of interest and instruction from first to last. There are many masterly sketches of individuals, and some straightforward criticism of officers high in command. General Sir Archibald Murray is held to have been a failure in Egypt, his failure to some extent arising because he was too generous to his subordinates, and too obedient to War Office orders. A full account is given of the Surafend incident, where the murder of a New Zealander by an Arab caused the burning of the village by New Zealand soldiers, supported by Australians. All the disciplinary machinery of the army was unable to discover the perpetrators. and Lord Allenby had the division assembled, and addressed them in rather strong language, which created a rather strained situation, which was finally relieved by Allenby’s glowing and appreciative farewell to the Australians. The volume holds 77 maps and 83 fine illustrations, many being photos of notable figures, and these add greatly to its interest and value. Earl Russell, who has had a most varied career, has just published “My Life and Adventures” (Cassell, London). The grandson of Lord John Russell, one of the most prominent Whig statesmen of the Victorian era, Earl Russell has been Poor Law Guar dian, District Councillor, Magistrate, financier, and, of course, a member of the House of Lords. He has had many adventures, and describes the events of his life, and particularly his matrimonial experiences, with remarkable candour. The volume contains many interesting meetings with famous people, and some good anecdotes. Here is a pleasant reminiscence of the Earl’s Oxford days:— Spooner, the warden of New, is, of course, the well-known author of that turn of speech which has added a new word to the language under the name of Spoonerisms, of which the two classical examples are his remark to the porter of Paddington, ‘‘ I have two bugs and a rag with me,” and his announcement of the hymn in chapel: “Kinquering Conga their titles take.” The author met Walt. Whitman in 1885, and quotes from an entry made in his diary:— Yesterday I went over to Camden and called on Walt. I found him much what I expected, a fine noble figure, but sadly broken down by his paralysis. He was most pleasant to talk to, though I didn’t venture to say much. He was glad to hear his poems were appreciated in England, and asked after Tennyson; said he had read very little Browning. After we had been chatting some little time, he looked at me and said, “Why, but you’re not like a lord.” He was living in a little cottage in the street, with a notice on his door, “Walt. Whitman.” And there he is, one of the greatest men in the world, who, unaided, has sprung up to God almost unknown, unrecognised, and uncomplaining. Fiction. In Murray’s Fiction Library (John Murray, London) are being re-issued many notable novels of the last few years, and the cheap price, combined with the handy format and clear printing, should ensure a strong demand for them. F. Anstey, Conan Doyle, George Gissing, A. E. W. Mason, Seton Merriman, Rider Haggard, and Stanley J. Weyman are only a few of the writers whose works are produced, and there is a wide selection for readers of all tastes. We have received copies of the following:— “The Great House,” by Stanley Weyman. This story came from Mr. Weyman after ten years’ silence, and shows that sure touch, and clever handling of events that his readers always admired. “The Firm of Girdlestone,” by Con an Doyle. A story ranging over a wide field, from Scottish university life to London business and diamond dealing at the Cape. Todd in this author’s clear-cut, incisive manner, and containing many exciting incidents. “Master and Maid,” by L. Allen Harker. A charming Irish girl arrives unexpectedly at a boys’ school to reside with one of the masters during her father’s absence in India. The sen sation she creates among the older boys, and the many escapades that occur, help to make up a tale throbbing with humour and interest. Sonnet Competition. Up to date the number of entries is not so large as was hoped for, but probably many are receiving the final polishing before being sent forward. No date has been previously mentioned, but verse-makers should have their efforts sent in not later than 29th May. The best sonnet yet received is from Archibald Ell, and is a quite creditable performance, showing an apt choice of words and a sense of rhythm. Verse-making friends are asked to forsake timidity, and submit an example

of their powers in the composition of a sonnet. Archibald Ell.—A very good effort. In the second stanza you write, * 4 With* slender branches which th rough-la c<‘ and twine.’’ Would this not read better as ‘‘With slender arms which interlace and twine?” The third stanz% ends the first lino with “lair,” which, scarcely harmonises with the * 4 fair grot” and ‘ ‘bower” previously mentioned. Something after the style of the following is suggested:— 44 And as I lie within my calm retreat, With, etc., The balmy freshness of the ait tastes sweet.” Philo-Spartan.—Although your atItempt technically fulfils the sonnet conditions, there is something lacking tn it. It is not enough to check the syllables in a line, and consider that they amount to the correct number; there must be a proper flow and rhythm in the verse. There must be a regular recurrence of accent, and a falling off at the end of a line robs it of all effect. The second line of your first stanza runs, “Twinkling in the sun, chattering brightly;” now, consider tho lack of force brought about by the last word. Compare the above with the sound of “Twinkling in the sun, and chattering bright,” which, of is not recommended as a grammatically, correct change, but is used to showj the difference. Your “Upland Stream”, possesses this fault throughout, and you require to tune your ear to the smooth-.’ running of verse. Your descriptive words, however, show some poetic vision, and an appreciative love of nature, which should enable you with more practice to produce quite creditable verse.