Books and Bookmen

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XL, Issue 20, 13 May 1908, Page 46

Books and Bookmen

The Attainment of Health, and the Treatment of Different Diseases by Means of Diet : Phillip G. Muskett. (William Brooks and Co., Ltd., •Sydney and Melbourne.)

An exceedingly valuable book of reference, chock full of sound information as to the place a right dietary plays in the health of nations. In the introduction, into which is compressed the syllabus of this necessarily bulky volume, man is defined “as an organism surrounding a digestive tube.’’ To those suffering from even temporary indigestion, or the melancholy inseparable from acute dyspepsia this saying will be pronounced a profound altruism. The enormous amount of meat consumed per head (2 cwt.) in Australia is animadverted upon, and the evil of a too purely flesh diet is shown as acting prejudicially upon the Australian race as a whole. Quoting Sir William Roberts, the great English authority on all that pertains to diet, the author says “that one generation of dietetics would produce an influence upon humanity second only to a new creation of the race.” And not only is the correct dietary pointed out. but the proper preparation of the food that comprises that dietary is sternly insisted upon, the author emphatically declaring that proper education in this direction would lead to domestic happiness-* an improvement in the gcneril health, physique, and stamina of th i whole population, and a decrease in Irunkenness. The opinion of ■Mr. Leonard Merrick, the eminent novelist, is shown by the following:—“Cookery is not only an art; it occupies a unique position among the arts; it is the solitary art for which the demand is greater than the supply.” And that this should be in a country where everything conducive to the fostering and perfecting of the art of cooking is favourable, is surely an error of the high<*s£ magnitude, and which, now that the error so clearly and forcibly pointed out by Dr. Muskett has been made apparent, that it should result in the amendment of Australasia at large. For to the most superficial observer is demonstrated daily, and hourly, the spectacle of sufferers from overfeeding ami from malnutrition, caused by food being so vilely prepared that it not only loses its digestive principles, but its nutritive qualities, and,, moreover, is an offence to the eye ami palate. Also, it is high time that cookery should be taught as being absolutely necessary to the girl who. in the natural course of events, will one day preside over the destinies not only of the man she marries, hut those of their progeny. For. as according to Christian tradition, the fall came about through the agency of woman, so must the redemption of the race be won by her. and the art of housewifery is of infinitely more importance than the three Rs or the acquisition <»f so-called accomplishments, which. in nine cases out of ten. owing to unfitness through heredity or environment. or both, or lack of the talent to acquire more than the little knowledge that is so dangerous, and. we might say, so distracting. a thing to the hearer, spectator, or recipient of the fruits of mala< complishment. Dr. Muskett. in expounding his views, has arranged them in the form of ten propositions. Of 1 liese propositions, the first deals with tlu climate of Australia. The second says that “a better knowledge, on the part of every person, of the different' '•lasses of food and of their action on lln system, is eminently desirable. The third declares “that the food habits of Au'-tralians are characterised chiefly by the eating of an injurious quantity of meat and the drinking of an excessive amount of tea. The fourth, that all the world over, except in Australia, the food of different nations is suited to their climatic conditions. The sth, Gth. 7th. Bth, and 9th deal with the products of the soil and sea. Of the sea the author says that far too narrow a view is taken of the value nf its products, and the important part that toilers uf the sea have ever taken

in the aquisition and defence of British territory. Jn relation to the defence, and in view of the vital importance of the “National Defence Movement that is being pushed forward for the safety of Australasia generally, we think that no review of this book would be complete without the re-asserveration of the warning uttered by Dr. Muskett in the introduction to this book.” Our maritime defence is one of the most pressing problems of Australia. There has been no hostile descent so far on these shores. Nevertheless, let the words in "Ham--1

et” be well remembered: “Yet it will come; the readiness is all.” The tenth and last proposition deals with the alcoholic question as being not only of vital interest to the individual, but of supreme importance to the State. Though the use and value of fruit and vegetables are strongly advocated in the daily dietary, and the wrong use of alcohol strongly deprecated, the author is particularly anxious that lie shall not be mistaken either for a vegetarian or a> teetotaler. What he advocates is, in short, something like this: “It has been pointed out to you (the reader) that the climate you live in will not permit you to go on much longer without losing both your moral and physical stamina as a race, if you continue to head the world as the largest consumer of flesh. History has taught you that a nation that becomes over-indulgent in its eating and drinking becomes an easy prey to invaders. By following a proper dietary, suitable to your climate, you are within easy distance of discovering the philosopher's stone and becoming rejuvenated both in mind and body. I

have given von the proper dietary for the cure of the various ills that have come to you as a result of an improper dietary. And I have gone further, and shpwed you how to prepare the food that comprises the dietary that suits your particular complaint. And I can

back my assertions by referring you to the expressed convictions of the World’s greatest authorities on matters dietetic. And the reward of following my dietary will be that as an individual, or a community, yon will be the survival of the fittest.” The value of the hot water cure is pointed out, and also the Salisbury, and Weir-Mitchell cures, examples being given of these. As a book of reference, it should be invaluable to the physician, as it in no way encroaches upon his domain. A correct diagnosis of any particular complaint must have been reached ere the author of this book can be consulted by the sufferer. Curiously, and yet naturally enough, prompted by that great healer, Nature, when one of her children falls sick, they immediately begin to wonder what improper food they have eaten, and they invariably ask the physician they have called in what to eat and what to avoid. And with all due deference to a much, and often undeservedly abused profession, nine times out of ten the physician has overlooked the question of diet, and wonders why the patient does not respond more quickly to the treatment prescribed. Nor is the boo’- the dry-as-dust compilation that the ordinary volume. “How to become your own Physician,” is. nor, we might add. the dangerous weapon that the ordinary medical work is apt to be in the hands of the ignorant layman. The adoption of any particular form of diet, being purely Hie prerogative of the individual, except in certain eases, great care lias been taken to make each dietary as attractive and as varied as possible, in order to encourage its adoption. And the best thanks of the community are due to Dr. Mnskett. who has so lucidly and concisely, considering the importance and magnitude of his subject, set before his readers in such an interesting and inexpensive form “the attainment of health and the treatment of the different diseases by means of diet.” The book is attractively bound in red cloth, is suitably illustrated, and printed on exceedingly' good paper in beautifully clear type. Its classification too is altogether admirable, the reader seeing, at a glance through the index, the contents of 'the book. It is sure to meet with a ready sale.

Sir Hilton's Sin : G. Manville Fenn. (London: George Bell and Sons.)

This is a sporting novel of the highlymelodramatie type, and it is sure to have a great vogue, not only amongst the sporting fraternity, but amongst those who, for reasons both "Hiltonian” and otherwise, are debarred from taking a personal active interest in a sport that has from time immemorial had the keenest fascination for all ranks of society, from Royalty downwards. The plot is neither complex nor uncommon, but has the merit of being developed on the simple unaffected lines that are so dear to the fraternity whose highest ambition is to pull off a big race, and to whom the cults, issues, and subtleties of life are an unwished for or an unknown quantity'. “Sir Hilton Lisle, after having ■’run through his patrimony, by his failure on the turf, and in the hunting field, had tried to redeem his fallen fortunes by marrying a rich, but plebeian, wife, who, after her marriage, had sternly insisted on Sir Hilton’s withdrawal both from the turf and the hunting field, holding the trading middle class view that the pursuit of either was wicked, common, and ungenteel. A vacancy occurring in the parliamentary representation of the borough in which Sir Hilton's estate lay, Lady Lisle is fired with the notion that Sir Hilton has only to get into Parliament, backed by her enormous wealth, to become a great Parliamentary leader. To this end she had placed to Sir Hilton's credit at the County Bank the sum of £4OOO to provide for the necessary outlay contingent upon a contested election. How Sir Hilton was tempted, in spite of his promise to Lady Lisle, who. though middle-class, was at heart good, that he would never again have anything to do with racing or gambling, to risk this money on the mare La Sylphide (once owned by him), and how, in order to save his old friend, the sporting Lady Tilborough, from ruin, he steers La Sylphide to victory', must be learned by the readers if this brief outline has interested them sufficiently to buy the book that contains this truly exciting narrative. A further interest is added to the story by the game of cross purposes played by its principal characters, in which the secret marriage of “Sydney Smithers (Lady Lisle's precocious, but not altogether unworthy nephew) and “Mary Ann Simp, kins.” the Orphean dancer, and daughter of “Sam Simpkins,” rascally trainer, bookman, and the villian of this story, and the unfounded jealousy of Lady Lisle, who imagines that Sir Hilton has

been indulging in illicit love with Mary Ann Simpkins, plays a prominent part. Though this book cannot be cited as belonging to the higher class of sporting novels, it is suffieienty arresting to while away pleasantly that dullest of hours which even the most ardent sportsman finds unbearably' heavy at times. We are indebted to Messrs. Wildman and Arey for our copy' of this book. Sheaves : E. F. Benson. (London. William Heinmann and Co.) Though it is increasingly difficult to agree with Mr Benson’s views and opinions on matters of belief or surmise, it is always with distinct pleasure That the majority' of readers take up any book of his, because, however much they may dissent from him on the subject-matter, he has under demonstration, it is impossible not to admire the broad spirit of charity, sympathy, and culture that is evident in every page he writes. But in order that a writer shall convince his readers, it is imperative that he himself should stand convinced that the pro|Wsition be has presented to his readers shall have at least the saving merit of consistency. And it is not consistent with the riding ot Nature that masculine youth shall mate with feminine early middle-age. “Edith Allbutt” (a beautiful widow), who during the whole of her unhappy married lift—twelve years—had suffered martyrdom at the hands of her husband. After his death «he had lived in seclusion, recuperating both the graces of mind and body, which had lain fallow during the worse than wasted years of her wifehood. At the age of fortytwo she had returned to the world more than ever a desirable possession in men's eyes. At “Lady Rye's (Edith Allbutt’s sister) she meets “Hugh Grainger,” aged twenty-four, who is of the type of whom it is always averred that they will remain boyish until they die, and the twain fall in love, and marry; but not without some serious qualms by Edith as to the wisdom of the step. Then a> year of undiluted happiness for Hugh

Grainger, and a happiness so intense el to be almost pain for Edith, to whom the habit' ef self analysis had become a fetish. Then came motherhood, the joyof which is discounted by the perception that the young husband cannot realise the crowning joy and responsibility of fatherhood. Then a period of bodily weakness, aggravated by the morbid spirit of self-analysis that had become second nature to her, and which told her that, not only was her vitality inferior to his, but that she could not always adjust her mental attitude to his. And then one day watching Hugh playing Indians with Lady Bye’s children, the conviction was forced upon her that they looked upon their relations as abnormal, though the thought was too vague to be put into words. Then the visit (unknown to Hugh) to the eminent specialist, whp discovers that she is in the first stage of consumption, and who insists upon the immediate migration to Davos as being her sole chance of recovery. But the youthful husband had planned a’ week at Munich, where he is to sing the part of Tristan, and the one hope of recovery is sacrificed to give him that week of pure undiluted happiness he has se set his heart upon, for to do Hugh Granger credit, his marriage to Edith, so far, had brought him nothing but pure, unalloyed happiness. More morbid selfanalysis, and then, last scene of all, where Hugh, summoned from England, where Edith had banished him for a tvhile, fearing to lose his love by the continuous. spectacle of her bodily weakness, and fearing also the danger he ran of infection, sees her die. The moral of the story is more obvious than the reason for its existence. If Mr Benson, at the outset of his story, set out with' the idea of showing that May and September can mate successfully, he has failed most woefully .in his assumption. The depiction of the morbid analysis of the heart and the mind of a twice disillusioned woman of forty-two is not pleasant in the contemplation, even though the woman be as pure and as unselfish a sthis creation of his. The fanciful sentiment of an hour’s "bliss being worth an eternity of woe has given placo to a more reasonable adjustment. Any, sacrifice to be acceptable to the powers that be must have the merit of being a’ true one. For any breach of her laws, Nature exacts full toll. Edith Granger paid hers, and it remains to ba seen whether the spectacle of the -penalty, paid by her will influence Hugh Granger’s future life. And it is not unreasonable to' hope that at some future time Mr. Benson will continue his delineation of Hugh Granger’s fortunes, and so justify the present harrowing of his sympathetic readers’ feelings. For the delightful pictures of leisured cultured life at home, and abroad, the clever dialogue, and the frequent epigram, the reader will have nothing but gratitude. But. as is usual with Mr Benson, he is more entrancing than convincing. j. The Top Weight : Nat Gould. (London: John Long and Co.) Lovers of a good racing novel will be more than satisfied with this latest emanation from Nat Gould’s facile pen. In any depiction of racing men and their entourage, it is commonly considered indispensable that any account of racing shall be characterised by vulgarity of idiom and floridity of racing demeanour and procedure. But what Whyte Melville did for the sporting novel of bygone days, Nat Gould has done for the modern sporting novel, and this, too, in an age when exaggeration and realism is rampant. In “The Top Weight,” Nat Gould has given his readers a thoroughly comprehensive idea of the turf and turf men in a depiction that the most fastidious could not take exception to. The restraint shown, in the vivid descriptions of the various racing events which “Spanker” (the outsider) brings off successfully, are all the more admirable, as it is easy to see that the subject is one with which the author is very much in love and at home in. There is the usual love story, without which even a racing novel would be incomplete. No more natural or lovable heroine ever graced the pages of a sporting novel than Vida Ormiston (the heroine of this unusual love story). The interest is well sustained throughout the whole book, which, beginning with the discovery of “Spanker,” ends with his winning the stakes of the Grand’ National, though lie carried “the top weight.” Our copy of this exceedingly naturally written book lias beef received through the publishers.. DELTA.