NEW BOOKS REVIEWED.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17131, 18 June 1927, Page 13 (Supplement)

NEW BOOKS REVIEWED.

CURRENT LITERATURE. “The Italy of the Italians. By E. R. P. Vincent. Mr Vincent has a knowledge of Italy which it is given to few Englishmen to possess. His book is full of little-known facts, and he shows us, so to speak, behind the scenes. He has studied the Italians closely, and is obviously a keen admirer. “The Italian peasant can live on nothing, sleep on nothing, set about enormous tasks with absurdly inadequate means, and he will smile, worship the Saints, and die in peace.” In ail his journeys and sight-seeing Mr Vincent is constantly trying to discover the spirit which animates the scene. Of St. Mark’s, Venice, he says: “It is during the late afternoon and evening hours, when the setting sun illumines the Basilica from the west, that a peculiar golden radiance floods the interior, shining from domes and arches and transforming the pavements. ... To be alone in St. Mark’s, to stand illumined in its radiance and supported with its ancient strength, is to share a religious experience with forgotten generations. It is a building of the heart and not of the head.” This book should certainly help the English to appreciate the charm both of Italy and of the Italians. “Across Arctlo America,” by Knud Rasmussen. Mr Rasmussen’s account of exploration in the Arctic North and of life among the Eskimo makes an attractive book. His investigations into the life of the Eskimo—who, he calculates, number about 34,000 in all —is specially interesting, and we are given a vivid glimpse of a people who are among the most curious in the world. In reading the following description of an Eskimo dinner one is made to realise what a gulf separates these people from' Europeans: —“Only the elders used knives; the younger members of the party simply tore the meat from the bones in the same voracious fashion which we may imagine to have been the custom of our earliest ancestors. Besides the two caribou, a number of heads had been cooked, and one was served out to each member of our party. The heads were an extra, and we were allowed to keep them till after, to eat in our tent, on condition that none of the leavings should under any circumstances be touched by women or dogs. The muzzle especially was regarded as sacred meat which must not be defiled. Then came dessert; but this was literally more than we could swallow. It consisted of the larvae of the caribou fly, great fat maggoty things served up raw, just as they had been picked out from the skin of the beasts when shot.” Hunting and Ashing are, of course, the mainstay of the Eskimo, and the author presents us with some interesting accounts of the way they set about these tasks. For instance: “The salmon llshing was worked on a simple plan. The fish were found in a stream connecting two lakes; the stream was dammed and a shallow' basin built with stones, leaving an entrance which was allowed lo remain open all day until the signal was given. It was then closed, and the whole party, armed with lisli speags, plunged in and set about, spearing the fish, traps being set to catch any that might otherwise escape.” The life of these people is a terribly hard one, as the problem of food supplies is often insurmountable. It is appalling to learn that “girl children are invariably killed at birth unless previously promised in marriage and thus provided for already,” and that “old folk no longer able to .provide for themselves commit suicide by hanging." From the New Novels. “Young people were all stagey since the war. Tod much freedom and slanginess, and too much showing off 1 It was reaction, and there was no help for it.” “Women always complained of lateness, so much more than men." —“The Grey Pilgrim,” by Philip Jordan. Tragic story of a man consumed by unreasoning jealousy, which ruined his own life and killed the happiness of those dear to nim. But was it altogether his own fault? “Women are fanciful, but sometimes what men call fancy is really fact.” “A woman has a hundred moods, and no man can ever really understand it.” — “Hoodman-Blind,” by A. C. G. Hastings. Clever and original. A young engineer loses his memory through a w>ar w'ound, and spends adventurous years in Morocco. When his memory returns his wife has married again, and he sacrifices his happiness for her sake. “One marries a person of the same type and is quite happy on one’s own level. . . . Marriage isn’t poetical. It’s a sensible business partnership.” “Embraces are not all in love; . . people remember that they have laughed simultaneously at the same trifles where they would have forgotten embraces.” “The true lover is nothing if not mercurial." “Money for Something,” by H. Connolly. Amusing account of ordinary young man who falls in love with a rich young tennis champion. He is afraid lo trust his luck, though luck is very kind to him. “No woman was really clever who didn’t make the most of herself.” “There’s such a difference between a woman that men call a dear and one that women apply it to I” “Pretty hands didn’t’ need rings, and ugly ones don’t deserve them.” “Echo Answers," by Elswyth Thane. A woman of the world and a man of illusions try to revive a love affair after 20 years Good atmosphere and compelling characters. “What was success? Was it material gain? Was it fame or power? Or was it just the achievement of happiness?” “It always flatters a man to be made to feel unexpectedly that he has said something weighty.” “Dugdale’s Success," by George Barnard. Amusing account of the dilemma of a young writer who writes saleable trash under a pseudonym, and has to hide his identity when he finds his work abhorred by the girl lie loves. “One is never happy when one has nothing left to wish for." “Montmartre might be described as a Manchester iluminated for the visit of Royalty who never came.” “When one is in love oneself all the rest of the world seems to be in love, too.” “The Other Mary,” by Bruce Marshall. One wonders how the family of a dreamy professor and a frivolous, brainless wife turned out as well as it did. Or where the younger daughter acquired the fineness of character which, prompted her great sacrifice.