Books and Bookmen.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 8, 24 February 1909, Page 51

Books and Bookmen.

This. My Son: Rene Bazin. (London: George Bell and Sons). If the entente eordiale had done no more for England than to give her reading public translations of those two great masters of style, M. Rene Bazin and M. Anatole France, it has not been fruitless. That Dr. A. S. Rappoport, assisted by Jliss M. Edwards, has been responsible for the translation of “ This, My Son,” is sufficient guarantee of its excellence.' The book’s theme is similar to that of the “ Prodigal Son,” except that, instead of M. Rene Bazin’s prodigal repenting of his follv, and returning home to ask his father’s forgiveness, his parent goes to Paris to seek him, finds him half demented in an absinthe den, from whieh he is rescued, only to reach home and die. AVe have so often dilated on M. Rene Bazin’s incomparably ehaste style that we can add nothing farther to our appreciation of it, except to say that if any thing, “This, my Son,” exceeds in pathos, interest anil realism any of the three books that have preceded it. Every book-lover should buy ami read it, and acquaint himself with M. Rene Bazin as a writer of genius, a man' of profound knowledge, and sympathy, and the coming Saviour of a regenerated France. We are indebted to Messrs. Wildman and Arey for- cur copy of a book whieh we place on the same shelf as our Bible and the greatest of poets. Some Ladies in Haste : Robert \\ . Chambers- (London: Archibald Constable and Co., Ltd.). It would almost seem as though Mr. Chambers felt the strain of writing his greater books and endeavoured to seek relaxation iby sandwiching a lighter one in between. Not that “Some Ladies in Haste” is indifiefent fare, but it differs from his more epicurean dishes much as the roe of a good Yarmouth bloater differs from the finest Russian caviare, and, like the roe of a bloater, is more easy of assimilation and digestion. In this vastly entertaining story Air. Chambers seeks to show his readers the dangers that lurk in the application of the modern science called mental suggestion. Fortunately, out of compassion for the nerves of his readers, Mr. Chambers has chosen to make comic, happenings rather than tragic occur to the ten subjects he experiments upon. - We do not propose to detail the extraordinary doings and goings on of the live ladies and five gentlemen who constitute tin l dramatis personae of this" farcical story, uiit " for the benefit of the sentimental readers who will have begun to scent love-making, and perhaps a little scandal in the title, we will give the story away *o far as to toll them that the live ladies and the live gentlemen, after coming again into possession of their right minds, marry anil live happy ever after. Ann we strongly advise all believers and experimenters in mental, suggestion to read this book, if only to show them that mental suggestion., like electricity, is a very cjuefit -thing" if it gets out of hand. For instance, one of Mr. Chambers’ currents,got astray, and he fears that it was intercepted and divided equally between the Kaiser and Mr Roosevelt, whieh. according to Mr. Chambers’ hero, accounts for their erratic utterances ami proceedings. It is a long time since a Book so full of spontaneous humour and ingenious conception came intp our hands for review, and it has fully compensated us for much that has been both dry and hackneyed. The Conventionalists: Robert Hugh Benson. (London: Hutchinson ami < <»., Paternoster Row.) Me have no bias against Mr. R. 11. Benson, because hois a Roman •Cat holie, as wp believe in religious toleration, but we think it an abuse of privilege to use the pages of a novel for the purpose of proselyting. Had the Protestant Church amongst its safeguards an Index Li brorum ProhibHoiUiiTj The Con veil tionab

ists” would be placed on it, so dangerously persuasive, so insidiously and so seemingly fairly is it written. If to lead the life human, is necessitous to the working-out of the destinies of humanity, in the aggregate, be conventional, we are glad to be numbered in the ranks of the conventionalists. For the “Contemplative” places himself outside of the pale of humanity, and we cannot think that any sane or healthy human could do this unless he were, like the Algy Banister of this book, subjected to very severe outside pressure. The virtue of a Contemplative would seem to us to be a purely negative virtue, and surely a man can walk as closely with his Maker, in his natural sphere, as out. of it, though we concede that his way may be more get about with difficulty. Ami we would remind Mr. Benson that Algy Banister might have won his crown as a martyr (if martyrdom was the road iie felt he must travel in order to find his soul) along the lines of convention and witii less hurt to his fellows. Though we hear a great deal from Mr. Benson about Algy Banister’s duty to himself, he entirely omits any mention of his pervert’s duty to his parents, a duty that had been intensified by his brother Harold’s death; or his duty towards Mary Maple, whom he had pretended to love; or his inherited duty towards his numerous dependents; or his duty towards bis King and country. The contemplative life, with all that makes human life sweet and wholesome, and tolerable, left out of it; in its place a life in which utter loneliness, useless introspection, scourging*, semi - starvation, weariness of body and spirit, alternated by hysteric uplifting, lastly oblivion, and tile very questionable prospect of reaching the goal aimed at—for surely God is mocked iby this travesty of sacrifice —is the life Mr. Benson would have us believe is most acceptable to God. That perversions of every law framed by humans are bound to occur, is- undeniable, But in spite of Mr. Benson’s farcical representation of conventionalism, we still believe and maintain that convention is one of society's strongest bulwarks instituted for the preservation of its weakest members.

DELTA.