BOOKS AND WRITERS

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19914, 17 June 1936, Page 11

BOOKS AND WRITERS

COMMENTS AND EXTRACTS. "There 15 not much use in the sheep passing resolution in favour of vegetarian 15m “'IIHE there are still wolves who 11k 9 mutton.”——Dea.n Inge.

MUSICAL MEMORIES. " “ CHORDS OF REMEMBRANCE." SOME VIVID \‘IGNETTES. n i" . . _ “l was prepared to teach the whole world," \Vriics .\lme, Mathilde Verne, early in “Chords of Remembrance“— and. 200 pastes later: "Over 1400. pupils have passer] through my hands" One was the Duchess of York. to whom the hook is dedicated: another, her sister, Adela. They figure by the score among her innumerahlc \ivid vignettes. It is easy to set! that character has always had an irresistible attraction for her. That and her' amazing industry are at the root of her success as teacher—and now as author. Her father, Johann Wurm. was of Bavarian peasant, stock. A sister of her mother's was to become the mother of Hubert Herkomer. It was the elder Herkcmers who attracted Johann and his young wife over to settle in Southampton. The family soon numbered ten, all musical. Mary, Mathilde, and Alice became pupils of Clara Schumann, who was assisted by her own daughter, Marie. Pldorowokl’s Vlolt. At this time Alice writes to Mathilde: “Last Saturday Fraulein Marie sewed clean frilling 1n Madame Schu—mann‘s dress during my lesson—ready tor the Pop. Concert." Another Schumann vignette: Clara playing a Brahms Intermezzo “with such fire,” then turning to say: “Now, Mathilde, I hope I have proved to you that one can make a. great eitect playing only mezzoforte, piano, and pian—lssimo.” Some years after the Mathilde \‘erne Pianoforte School had come into being Mme. Verne had serious thoughts of closing it for good, and had a‘ctually gone so far as to' give up the premises. It was Padarewski who was the unconscious cause of its summary resuscitation. He expressed a wish to see the school. “ And there was no school to see!" With characteristic impulsive-mess within a. week or two she had found a new home for it. ‘There was, inevitably, in the establishment, a charlady ('her mother. in—cidentally. had made shirts for “young Rudyard, that little rascal." who used ito .sell his schoolbooks for poeket‘mouey). After coming to one of the Twelve O‘Ciocks, she said: “I‘ve only/i been to one concert besides yoursH and then i heard the Lady Peachi Melba sing." Distracted by Caretakers. Another ’charlady vignette, this time of Hans Richter, distracted at rehear—sal by caretakers noisily dusting the seats in Queen's Hall,'and shouting, at last: “You \vlfes—you wii‘es down there—don‘t care, please—don‘t care Just now!" To reproduce the thumbnails is to risk losing sight of the artistic philosophy that permeates these pages. There are words of deep wisdom for the student, and, in one chapter, shrewd comments on the musical world as at present constituted. .\lme. \'erne is opposed to the issue of free concert—tickets, particularly invitations to critics. She continues: “1 must say [hat a great many of the people who give recitals nowadays would never lmvc hcen listened to in ihc post." Sim also has some caustic strictures in ullcr upon ihe practice 01' cugaging lcuchcrs solely on the {ace—value or the examination ‘ccrtifl— Gates they can show. As to modern .music she amrmg: “Concord, discord, and more noise are acoustical facts, and it is [he way in which they are used that limiters." Where, she adds, can one look to—day for the solid with or a Johann SeiiilsLinn Bach? It is a searching ques—lion. THE HI 11l 1111 E

i LIFE IN TIBET. l CUSTOMS AND RELIGION. i VIVID BOOK OF‘ REMINISCENCES. The. title of “Nowhere Else in the \Vorld," by Gordon finders. with Ed—ward Anthony, apparently refers to Tibet. For the customs. religion. history, personalities, and future oi’ that once forbidden land form the principal subjects of recollection. Mr Butlers, the son of an American school—master working in the United Pro—vinces. has been fascinated by lefit from his childhood, which was spent in a mountain village garrisoned .by British troops on its Indian frontier. Here, as a boy, he learned much fromi travellin, traders and a high—caste Hindu hfilman attached to the family.‘ Later an elderly and learned Tibetan became the lads mentor or guru. By the time Sir Francis Younghusband's expedition set ofl’ in 1903 to counteract Russian influence on the Dalai Lama. the youthful American was as well documented as any Euro—pean official on all the factors con—tributing to the local political situation of those years, when Russia, Britain. China, and Japan were all extremely interested in, not to :say scrambling for, the goidflelds of Tibet and the “stupendous“ riches of her monasteries. ' Mr Envders was completing his edu— ‘ cation in the United States and still; thinking and talking a great deal about 1 Tibet when the European \Var brokot out? He had always been interested in aeroplanes (graduating from the popular sport of kite-flying in India), and soon he was piloting bombers in France The Hermit. Kingdom. i After demobilisation ‘he was ap—pointed a representative of the United States Department of Commerce in Shanghai and Peking. He USO-Ll his new position to complete his mental picture of the "Hermit Kingdom," which. honeror, he does not appear ever to have actually visited in the period covered by the present volume. . He became friendly with the exiled Panchan Lama, the spiritual head of il.amaism and by far the most able and reputable of the three “divine " rulers of the Tibetan theocracy. This pon—tifl's professional piety and crurlition did not; exclude a very lively attention to the civilisation of Europe and n bene—volent ambition to make Tibet; already the geographical centre 01‘ Asia. its most enlightened and progressive eni—pire. Mr Enders before he parted com—pany with the Panchan, had provided him with an elaborate programme to this end-and conceived the greatest admiration for the fine intellectual and moral qualities of this combined prelate. mystic, diplomat, business expert, and perm-hearted gentleman, the son of a woodcutter so obscure that‘the father‘s name was forgotten long before the son reached adolescence. ' Some Good stories. Mr Enders tells a number of good stories, both grave and gay, in this pleasantly informal but informative book, which is illustrated by well—chosen and .somellmes strangely im« pressive photographs. The epigraphs to the chapters deserve a special word of praise. They are adroilly rhymed and pithily translated extracts from popular Tibetan and Chinese songs and books of maxims. A rather small and inadequate map is provided, but no in—dex. The part played in the compilation of the volume by Mr Edward Anthony is not clear from the text. but an excellent idea of present—day Tibet and Tibetans, their friends and enemies. can be obtained, if one discounts '1 certain persistent prejudice against the Japanese, from what, whether by two authors or one, is here written.

IMPOSSIBLE T 0 TAP. POSITION OF LAKE TSANA. “ Lake ’l‘sana and the Blue Nile." by Major R. E. ‘Cheesman, is a book on a district of Abyssinia which was evid—ently not written merely because that country is in the news. Its topleality is Incidental. Primarily it is a dir—ect description of the “Abbai"—the local name. of the Blue Nile—above and below Lake Tsana, and of the lake itself. Major Cheesman was British Consul in Nm‘th~\\’est Ahyssinia from i 925 to 1934'. As soon as he receiv—ed his appointment. he was impressed by the challenging fact that, the heat waters of one of the greatest rivers in the world were largely unmanned. lie went to the lioyal Geographical So—- - vt‘iety to suggest that they should lend him the necessary surveying instru—ments. The society agreed, and they were well repaid by the results which .\[ajor Uhcesinnn brought home. His surveys, he says, “extended over a period of eight years, inter—spersed with nflleial journeys. makinhr a total of 5000 miles travelled on mute-hack." it has been suggested that If an un—friendly Power gained possession or Lake ’l‘snnn it would he pos‘sible for her to endanger the irrigation of the Sudan. it is satisfactory to receive geogreiphiral refutation of this sugges~ tion. The lilue, Nile [lows for most or its roursr. In a deep ranon which it would he impossible to tap. Besides, any deflection of the upper waters would scarcely he noticed. for the \mter whirl] crosses the .\liyssinhui~ Sudan lmrdr‘r [lruhnldy runws almost entirely i'rnin trihliiary streams which iI-l\t' joined the illue .\‘iie til-tow Lake 'l‘snna. “ You Would Die!" “hit his wife. .\lnjnr tilircsinan Visited the snurrr at ihr illnn .\‘iie, \\'hcn .\irs tilieesinnn asked the priest “ho was with her \\hnt would imppen it‘ she were In luithr‘ in the spring. she was told. \'ei‘y M'l'imisly. "You would die." The place is holy and the water i< believed to possess supernatural iu'm perties. It certain conditions are oh—semed the results are heneilcinl: if not, they are quite the reverse. Fnr example. it the water is drunk atter. instead of before, a meal‘ it is said to prove fatal. ‘ The book is full of desrriptlnns at the local people—their reremnniais.‘ their hospitality. their lili‘lilm'lS ni' em, ernment. their appearnner. dress. nn-l‘ inevitable umbrellas. They add liwiyl interest in :1 enrrfuily written and. \aiuable work.