BOOK CORNER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 13, 16 January 1936, Page 5

BOOK CORNER

REVIEWS "MOKE AUSTRALIANS," by Nelle Gram Cooper (Angus and Robmtson;. "Herein you’ll mid the JariOu, The stingray, and the bower-bird sweel, Birds, ueasts, fish, insects you will uieel. There are twenty-four of them all f (old, and they are lhe eiibjccT of lour Id ten line iiiymvs with lue rest, ui me page in Handsome drawings by • Phyms Shiliilo. jhe children of tlic piiiuary department will level in iliein, while older children will not refuse tu htuu tile lines and study the pictures. ( I Many of these Aurtralians me not known lo us except by repute. Many’ or them arc luil of interest in myuiu and drawing, but, thanks Ire, tliev are. nothing more for us. Thus lhe j)ia- • im.’iu.i-,snake or I’yinou; “By colours mi'f-grecn and yellow, ■ I <1 recognise this ha mJ.-mi re fellow, I He it eat up ini??, and rats and raobiir, Up aa.s such very taking habiis. ’ This is nature-study made very ( pleasant; nay, .fascinating. :: :: :: "WOMAN ALIVE,” by Susan Erty (Hodder and Stoughton) pp. L'uti.--L.\riirsioi)s into the distant jiitUte are fairly < "innion in modern liteialute. I hev call for lively imagination on lhe pari of both writer and reader. Since noyhood days seine of us have Jules in mind when contemplating such creative, outpourings, and we niarvnl vp] agaii tu.xx real his presence "as. Dtiu’is have been less Jortuuaie in rirnir I‘ore.casis and have been iiiodedies rather than prophecies. Miss Lily uses a prychie media for the phalasiu of (lie world 5(1 years hence, i hp intrdduction is a little tedious and ' rd, but lhe subsequent narrative grips with intense, realism and .fascinates with the fantastic id*a of the world with only o >e woman left, alive. How the others perished is told wit J a .full conception of the tragedy invol'ed. The survivor js an ultra femim.-t "ith an extreme pacifism informing her absolute monarchy, for that is what it. amounts to. The wo] Id is divided into two main seetionn—lhe I’nited States of Europe and the League of English speaking nations. A war of brief duration has taken pla<p in 1950, to be followed in 1955 with onp of but a. few hours. Aircraft and means of transit by other machines have revolutionised the world. Miss Erty has somewhat overdone th? cavagry of the U.S.E., but max' have doire do purposely for con trast. »Stclla .Morrow is enthroned Queen of Great Britain and is affianced to an American after first declining in most vigorous terms to be the mca-is of perfect uat ing the. human race. Men have made such a mess of things that rhe is not going to breed girls lor wives—knowledge has so increased that prospective, parents can del ermine the sex of their children. Aller she has given in to the pleadings war threatens, but she stnpr that by again refusing marriage unless all the means of war a ip. scrapped. Then comes a pooling of all the knowledge in tlie world. Great archives are established and th-e scholars of every country con 1 tribute to the enormous deposit of re cords, Stella works out that she may ' have, up to twelve daughters, and rhi-y in (urn "ill have a certain iiumtier ol children. Of course, inbreeding cannot be axoidcd undvr the circumstances. Gc i< rat ions come and go before the earth can bp ex en partially populated. The wealth of the time will net bp nveded for a long lime lo come, but ■ she is determined that when tn? occa- ' sions arise all shall be in order for her descendents. The only records not ineluded are those relati'.ig in any r«gard io war. The marriage takes place and the slorv emir. 1 his is but. a brief indication of Die. lines amng which Miss Erty leads us with complete abandon in her cleverly <onici’.cd and powerfuilyt old siory <’f the "orld .* f ' years from now. , 'MORNING SERMONS” by reoi„U. Morrison, D.D, (Hodder and Stoughton , pp. 27-'. - This popular edition of t livse gems from inc morning ,'prinoiir preu'-hrd in Wellington Cliurc.i, Glas"O" ai? sure of a warm welcome. Dr. Morrison was always nt Ins best in the intimate fellowship with his own folk in the forenoon hour. There is a charming felicity about all Ins pulpit work, but lew, if any, of his publii-hrd sermons exceed these in Liat enthralling appeal of his captivating simplicity and p'Tsousive spirit. lhe deeps aie sounded in every sermon and high altitudes are climbed wirl, :w.'i. 'cl never does Dr. Morrison lose touch with the ordinary ma i and woman in their daily life. I’ako the opening cormon, ‘‘Th? Reawakening of Mysticism,” and ask yourself how many people would expect to find a pra/tical message for a working man and busy housewil-e in that. .there are some paragraphs not far remo'-ed from lyric qualities and the whole sermon sparkler as a jewel of rare literiliv excellence, nevertheless, 11 brings us face to face with life as we know it and on to what, is can be when t.ie attitude of mind is such that we fe?l i intensely the wonder and mystery ot things. ' Here is an opening to one .-ernion which typifies Dr. Morrison’» manner of address: “A minister in the ordinary* course of his ministry, has got to present his gospel in very dif- , [erent wavs. He has always got lo remember ’he ir not preaching in a vacuum, but preaching to men ami women for their peculiar trials and troubles and intellectual difficulties, therefore make no- apolog.v for turning aside h little this morning from the direct message of the Gospel, just to 1 endeavour to give you a reason lor the ! faith that- is in you in regard to God. Then he proceeds to deal with a profound subject with clarity of diction, pertinency of illustration and sweet reasonableness nf argunrent that we are carried irristibly along in the ' current, of his discourse. Scholarly ' exposition here smacks nothing of the 1 academic, although rtudents receive , lines of thought to be pursued in earnest research, and he who- runs niay read with understanding and enrichment. The volume is made up of U sermons on widely’ varied themes, a series of nine ou Abraham. 1 and of four on Nehemiah. Of course, • all arc urgently Christocentric. “CHIVALRY,” by Rafael Sabatini (Hutchinson, per Wbitcombe and Tombs) pp. 287. —Such a title for a ! novel by such an author naturally arouses eager Anticipation. Eealisa-

tion never flags on*e whit behind. Here we have Sabatini on his own ground and writing in the full power of hir magnificent craftsmanship. Historical value can always be assured in the glamourous tales he tells with such intimacy of knowledge and sense of proportion. Actually, lhe age of chivalry wai? gone in the fifteenth century, but there were yet a few men here and (here with the ideals still actuating their lives and bringing all under tribute. Here the scene is set in tile turbalent Italian Peninsular, with (he son of well abhorred traitor clearing the family name by steadfastness o< ["■pose, with ambition and splendour of achievement. Colombo do Siena learned the business of war as a humble commander of ten helmets in Colleonis’ company. XVhile very young he became a captain of fortune with a small condalla of his own of a hundred lances. In a Sicilian campaign he attained such success ar to win a great name aad enough wealth to acquire the homestead and xineyarJ of Montasio, in Sienese territory. The story opens with him working hard at his estate, and "ith him are two other condottieri who have their fortunes with his and now range themselves under his banner. The eight chapters are colourful accounts of Hir Colonibinos’ fortunes in typical episodes wherein highly placed women all upon iiis chivaliv. 'to tlm attack hi? goes "i'll peculiar zest and with the employment c.-f the arts of war as none other conceives them. His fust gallant knight-errantry disillusions him in regard to the consistency of a "oninn seeking his aid and agreeing to a price i.i whi< h marriage is the chief figure. Lox? is in the heart of the soldier, while intrigue is the dominant quality of the woman. She loses, and hates in the losing, lhe next 'entnie finds him cold at first toward the woman in lhe matter, but she becomes a prominent feature ere. th? issues are fully met, and she never fades from his. virion. Justice tempered with mercy in Hir ColombtDo is rather a rarity in his age and he is frequently more than dan g-erously suspect because of it. For- j tun? seems again and again to frown upon and make a mock of him, only to find hir- ingenuity breaking out into fresh ways of consummating his ambition, until ultimately the name once execrated becomes the most tamed in the land, and th? Council of Ten in Venice call the son of the traitor to be Captain-General of their amiies, amid popular acclaim. Then comes an opponent anti climax, only io be superseded by a victory more dear to his Ireart than all the splendid achievcmentc. nn (he many battlefields. Hir Colombino is a composite portrait made up from many great leaders whose swords "ere 'n the market. during those tumultuous days of the cc-ndot-lieri of the quattrocento and cinquecento. He stands out with clarity in intimate portrayal and with strength in bold characterisation. Th? whole ctory abounds xvith the glow c-f colourful Italian life and vitality lives in the welter of love and hate, treachery and loyalty. ‘•Chivalry” is a magnificent nnx ?| full worthy of its highsounding title. THE ROUND TABLE PRECIS OF CONTENTS With its December number the Round Table, having completed its “century'’ of quarterly issues, appears in a new gaib. Expert attention lias been given to the choice of typefounts ami to the design ot' an ati.ia I '- tive cover, but there has been no change nierclv for change's sake, and Cetablished tradition has been happily combined with modern clarity amt freshness. Naturally the sanctions c'isis cv er shadows 1 lie whole issue. Not only does more than one editorial article r.’fvr direct ly or imdirectly to kne Ilalo-Abysriman dispute; three of the self-governing Dominions (Australia, Sc-utli Africa and the Irish Fiee State) deocri'oe, as part of their quarterly contributions, the attitude of ibaupublic opinion towards th*’ dispute and towards the Leagme of Nations. India too, has a woid to r-ay. This collection. <T Empire views is one of the most import ant and interesting features of the number. Again, a c.or-te.-xpondent in tnr I’nited Hiates, und<»r th? title “America Keeps out. of War,” tells how the new American doctrine of neutrality—which is vital ' to the future relations between that country and th? League Powers, <¥>- pecialiv Great Britain —has developed in recent months, and on "’hat foui.Rations of popular feeling it reposes. An article on the new Naval ( 'inference elucidates the problem conf ion I ing lhe delegates by recounting the history of naval limitation .si:ic»t the war, and then nciing the new factors that, have latieriy appeared, chief among them being the changed conditions in lhe Far East and tne I’acHic, lhe naval rearniairrcnt of Germany, ami the League crisis. There follows »<'» article written in the Dominion, on “Australian Defence Policy.” This is a coni i ibulion of outstanding valua to all those interested in imperial affairs. ‘‘The Cc’inmo’i wt’alt hs of lhe North, ’ whose relations with each other and with Great Britain are discussed by an expert roi ic«.-pondeni, are of course, the Scandinavian <ountries, wliicn taken together are excelled only by India as a market lor British goods. In the next a'licit* a leading member of the settlers’ community jn Kenya expresses their views on a situation that has grown extremely seriou* during the last few months. The next article on “German foreign Policy” brings us back to Europe and the League crisis. What are Um fundamental principles that guide the outlook of the Hitler regime towards international affairs, and what is their leseon fcr Great Britain and other peace-loving powers? An article entitled “Federalism and Economic Control” deals with the hidden but *ontinuous struggle between the rigidities of federal constitutions and the demands that the modem economic system, and the public attitude towards it, lay upon the political machine. “Interregnum in India” describes at first hand the political situation following the passage of the Government in India Act. The narrative article from Great Britain discusses the issues of the general election and the background of the trouble in the coal mines. Two sections of the Canadian article deal with the Social Credit movement in Alberta and the Iliberal triumph in th© (Dominion elections. ‘‘ Australia

and the League” coulaias a carelul review of different strata of ,-pinior.; South Africa also sends a section on the union s special attitude towards the Abyseinian crisis, as well as an account'd the oldstaading problem of her Indian minority. A description o the economic, budgetary and political situation in New Zealand serves as a background for interpreting the results of the November elections, lhe number ends with an obituary notice ot Sir XVilliam Harrison Moore, who was chairman of the Melbourne Group of the Round Table from its inception, and a frequent contributor to the re-