Books and Bookmen.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 1, 6 January 1909, Page 49

Books and Bookmen.

The Forbidden Boundary : B. L. Putnam Weale. (London: Macmillan and Co., St-Martias-strest.) Unless the reader be prepared to digest strong meats it were better not to, at> of which "The Forbidden Boundary” is tempt to feast on the eight short stones the first. For whatever theme Mr. Weale dilates on, it is impossible for him to trifle with it, and. indeed, the problems he places before his readers are too serious to trifle with. Strong, virile, highly dramatic, provocative and nauseating (at times) he is, but never sensational, unveracious or unsympathetic.* 'The Lorbidden Boundary, as Mr. Weale’s former readers will have guessed, is the moral and physical boundary line that separates the peoples of the East and West. Once the Western crosses this boundary line, there is no retreat, and hereafter the descent to hell is made easy for him. In “ The Forbidden Boundary ” Bantrew, the story’s principal character, crosses this line" with less excuse than some of his fellows. For he had realised to the full the toll that would have to be paid. And because he was averse to paying this toll, and because hitherto he had escaped temptation, and also because his eyes were fully opened to the knowledge of the evil of the thing, he deemed himself secure from temptation. And, indeed, it would have been well for Bantrew if he had lacked knowledge. For it is knowledge, overripe, which is as much, if not more, of a snare, as the purest innocence, and it is the man who believes himself over-armed who is mos susceptible to many things which even weaponless adolescence can avoid. Of Bantrew’s temptation and fall, we are given an elaborate detailed account. But of Bantrew’s ultimate fate. Mr Weale has left us ignorant. After carrying his read-

ers so far, they will have just cause for complaint, that he has not carried them farther.

A great many questions material to the solving of the colour cpiestion are opened up in this book, questions that we find difficult to answer. Hitherto the Westerner would seem to leave considered the despoiling of the Eastern as his natural prerogative. And so it is gratifying to learn from this book that Japanese fathers are at last waking up to the very doubtful gain of the distinction of their daughters becoming either geisha or the temporary wives of the Westerner for mere pelf. If nearer contact with Westerners has done no more than this for the Japanese, it has accomplished a great deal. The mating of East with West is not, we think, at present desirable. But we should see to it that Eastern women are treated with the same honour as our own. no matter how much their moral code differs from ours. “The Adventurous Frenchman” is a story of the Russo-Japanese war. and describes the adventures of a contrabandist. “The Cult of Sparta” is a gruesome story with little to recommend it except its very obvious moral. “The Fever Bed” shows an additional reason, if one were needed, why " the forbidden boundary ” should not be crossed. “ A Misionary of Empire ” is a superbly conceived story that makes us rejoice, that we are of English blood. “Root.” as it title signifies, is a story of the spoils of war, and reads like a modern discovery of Eldorado. Though we are strongly Imperialistic in spirit, and in practice when possible, we are somewhat infected with Mr. Weale’s pessimistic outlook and warning, and are tempted to exclaim about the East as the

late Mr. Seton Merriman exclaimed about Africa, namely, that the East is for the Easterner?, and that Providence has willed it so. And then we remember our “Missionaries of Empire,” and like “John Lynch.” feel that not only are we prepared to fight, but if necessary to die to maintain British prestige. One thing

is quite certain, and that'is that such writers as the authors of " The Forbidden Boundary ” and “ The Broken Road" are writers with a mission. And their mission is to show how mistaken our treatment of these Easterners has been.

and also to show the special pitfalls the East has for the West. It only remains for Westerners to profit by the esoteric knowledge gained by men. who have a special insight into, and a faculty for dealing with these peoples, who are'h closed book to the majority of their Britsh rulers. Our copy of this book has been received through MacMillan and Co. DU-TA.