BOOKS AND WRITERS

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20145, 17 March 1937, Page 10

BOOKS AND WRITERS

COMMENTS AND EXTRACTS. "We are piedged to defend France and Belgium against strictly unprovoked aggression. Apart from that minimum though \volghtv obligation we can best serve our own peace and Welfare and the world's by resuming systematically in Europe a moderating and mediating influence“ ' ‘3 mm..-

AUSTRALIA’S FRINGES. THE LURE 0F PEARLING. A PURGATORIAL ATMOSPHERE. In “And Far From Home " 'l‘. E. A. Healy takes his readers into a most interesting \vot.d. where the Commandments are intermittent and there is no doubt about the raising of a thirst. The occasionally purgatorial atmosphere of Australia's northern coast is made as vivid as its ‘tropical beauties. \\’hen the. author lost his job on a Melbourne newspaper he made his way round to a decaying pearl fishery port in Western Australia whose “psychosis" he conveys most rleverly, and in that isolated little toy world he started another paper for himself and made it pay. “Eventually the cir—culation settled at Ho =copies per week. Advertising rose rapidly.” He learned much about the lure of pearlmg. “Each shell is like a ticket in the Calcutta Sweep. it may be worth—less, it may hold a fortune. Often the sudden fortune, the quick find of a ‘stone“ or ‘brick,' as the perfect pearl is termed, is the greatest mis—fortune that can befall the pearler. Easy come, easy so, is a dangerous philosophy, and prevalent." Eventually he found his way round to Port Darwin to play his professional part in the excitement over the arrival of the record—breaking fliers, and to observe with philosophic eye all the problems that arise when aborigines, meeting the white man on his frontiers, have their own standards “sup—planted by a. shabby and spurious civilisation.“ One old native, who had come to see the sights of Port Darwin. “when a motor car sped to—wards him, threw up his arms, shouted ‘debbil—debbil.‘ and died." Per—haps he may be regarded as one of the lucky ones. Mr Heaiy leaves us in no two minds about the difficulties or Australia’s search for a native policy. BULLDOG DRUMMOND. i POPULAR “HERO" IRE-APPEARS. AN EXCITING MYSTERY. Colonel Henry Talbot sat motion—. less, staring into the tire for perhaps 10 minutes. Then he? studied a sheet , or paper. He said, “It ’can't be coincidence.“ The Colonel had summoned guests. He rose as they came into the room. They were Hugh Drummond and lion—-al-d Standish. They had answered his summons in curiosity and hope. There was a short pause; then Colonel Tal—bot spoke deliberately. “Jimmy Lati—mer," he said, “is dead.” Then they shouted: ”Jimmy dead! How? \Nhen?" Then the Colonel told the story of Jimmy Latimer. dead in his cabin on the Newhaven boat instead or keeping his appointment with the Colonel. That‘s the start of the Bulldog Drummond thriller, “Challenge,“ just published by ilodder and Stoughtou. ‘ . OHINESE JADE. % QUEEN MARY'S COLLECTION. 1 ”_ i A DELIGHTFUL ‘BOOK. ‘ Sir Walter Raleigh must be credited with having introduced Britain to art as well as tobacco. He brought. to England the first piece of jade. To—day one of the finest collections of the Chinese variety in Europe is reputedly that possessed by Queen Mary. “Chinese Jade." by Stanley Charles Nott, is a book which will be the de—light of the collector. A Chinese classic enshrined its fas—cination: “Benevolence lies in its' gleaming surface: knowledge in its luminous quality: uprightness in its unyieldingncss: power in its harmless—ness: eternity in its durability: moral leading in the fact limit it goes from hand to hand without being; suliicd.” This book. mania beautiful by a series of over 3.30 roprmiurtions in colour ii‘tOl’iDChi‘i)ill(‘. aunt lino—~n num—her from the rollm‘tlous nt‘ Queen Mary, the Duke of \\‘iudsor. anti the Duke of Kent—~lxr.‘ivillos a iiosvriplivt' account (if the Sixllifli'iillt'r‘ and lumin—ing of the rarvings Ixrmlurml by Chine esc ‘crafismrn from the earliest times.

CAREER OF A TYRANT. APPALLING TORTURES INFLICTED. DICTATOR OF VENEZUELA. “Tyrant or the Andes,“ by Thomas Rourke, describes a career without parallel in history, and a reign of tor—ror or which the world as yet knows little. liomez. the son of a pcon of moun—lain stock and an Indian woman, was 63 when he first trod H «'il)’ street. Ilie was almost illiterate; he neither grlrank nor smoked; his houses were as ihare an-d (‘omforiless as barracks. I He founded several families 01’ ll{legilimaie children, some of whom he .recog‘nised and employed as high olil—'cials. But it is doubtful whether he ever felt affection for anyone, or aroused it. Mr Rourke is a hostile critic, and deprecates most of the dictator's achievements. Gomez assumed power Iwhen Venezuela had a foreign debt of 13:3 million bolivars, and an internal debt of 67 millions. llc left it free .Irom debt and with a balance of near—ly 100 million holivars in the ’l‘reas—ury. Ilis sagacious handling of the situation in the ollfields after the war [consistently enriched his country. He .built roads and spent money lavishly on public works. Big Outlay- on Espionage. ‘ His motives may. as his biographer suggests, have been personal rather than patriotic. It is significant that Gomez spent two and a. half times as much on espionage as on education. “There never was another man so cruel as Gomez." a Venezuelan woman told Mr Rourke. lie gives scores of instances of appalling tortures inflict—ed in prison on those who. dared to oppose or criticise the regime. A PICTURESQUE CHARACTER. l GENIUS, CIIARLETAN AND CAD. LIFE oi.“ PAUI: UAUGUIN‘ I So much legend has been wovenl around Paul ‘uuuguin that, as his latest biographer, Hubert Burnett, re—marks, the only two points in it which resemble fact are that he was at one time a successful French business: man and that he died, a painter, in} Polynesia. “ The Life of Paul Gauguin" is‘ welcome because it tells all the known facts about a highly picturesque character. Mr Burnett does not attempt I critical appreciation of Gauguin‘s art. lle does not explain why "Gauguin, who never deluded himself that he was a painter of the ilrst rank, produced a few masterpieces; nor why his in—fluence in Europe for at least ten years was more powerful than that of far greater artists. A strange Mlxturo. But Mr Burnett does enable us to understand the man—a turbulent, dynamic fellow, 8. mixture of genius. charletan. freeliooter and cad. He also dispels the erroneous impression that Gauguin found an earthly paradise in the South Seas. Both in Tahiti and the Marquesas his life was a constant round of petty difficulties and privations, Neither a life of abandonment nor that of a recluse was his intention; the stories of his depravity in Oceania are so many malicious myths. Gauguin had courage. Hundreds of artists have sat in cafes and observed that if only they could go to the South Seas life would be beautiful and pro—ductive. Gauguin did not talk about it; he went. l IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE. l i A PUBLISIIER‘S RUSE. amps A SMALL rou’rUNE. An American publisher, realising that it pays to advertise. recently thought up a schcme to assure the rapid sale ni‘ a curtain hook. So he had one word in the hook misprinted, and offered a prize 01‘ 555001! to the first rcadcr who could detect the error. The book cosl. Bs. and in the first week 17.1 mm copies werr- sold. By the time the error was found the pulillsher had rcupml a small [or—tune. #m