REVIEWS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7, 14 August 1912, Page 44

REVIEWS.

The Common Touch, by Austin Phillips; The Grey Terrace, by Mrs Fred Reynolds (George Bell ami Son) ; and How ’Twas, by Stepheq Reynolds. (Macmillan and Co. Auckland: Wildman and Arey j Mr Phillips’ book, besides being strongly human, highly modern, and o£ considerable literairy merit, is a virilq protest against the growing cult of antinoniianism that prevails in our*, younger intellectual circle of to-day-Long ago we glimpsed that, in the culti of intellectualism, that “touch of nature that makes the whole world kin” would be lessened or lost. Air Phillips in thia story of his shows us that intellectualism, unbalanced by humanitarian! is Llrdf moot fatal snare ever yet laid for humans. Alonica Priestly was a thoroughly] human giirl in the grip of a literary circle who made antiminism its fetish. Possessed off a small income, she had tried to supplement this by writing and had up to the beginning of this narrative had her work accepted by a relation' who was a publisher. But this relative, noticing that each succeeding work bora less and less relation to real life, refused to accept any more work of hers untjj she had recovered that common touch which makes the whole world kin. Tho rest of this admirable story is concerned! with how Alonica Priestly regained het healthy normal to.ne and ultimately] came into woman’s natural heritageMore power to Air Phillips,. whoso strictures on antinoniianism are not a bib too strong. x How ’Twas. Mr Reynolds’ wine needs no bush. "How Twas,” dedicated to that famous writer of the sea, Joseph Corrad, and his wife, is, as might be expected, 4

Chronicle of longshoremen and life. We the longshoreman, in these thirty sketches of his, in every conceivable aspect of life. Sketches that are humorous, ironical, pleasing, or tragic jostle one another for place in this truly realistic human document of fisher life. As an extemple of the ironic, we give the palm io “Bengie and the Bogey Man”; of the humorous, ‘"Log of the Bristol Beauty”; of the pleasing, “Dear Papa’s Dove Story”; and of the tragic, “Turned Out.” But all are inimitable, and stamp ■Kir Reynolds as being without peer as the mouthpiece of the longshoremen, Who are indeed fortunate in his championship. The Grey Terrace. Mrs Reynolds’ plot has the double merit of originality and reality: A London doctor, while attending an incurable patient in a mean lodging house, hears cries of murder in a room below. Going downstairs, he discovers a drunken man trying to murder his mistress. By a feat of skill he manages to wrest a knife out of the brute’s hand and throws him to the floor, only to discover a minute or two later that the iwould-be murderer is dead. Upon which discovery the intended victim, with truly feminine inconsistency, dubs her preserver meddler and murderer. A consultation with another doctor proves the dead man to have been of apoplectic habit, and the woman’s preserver is acquitted of homicide, though the fall may have accelerated the would-be murderer’s death. Of the delightful love story that runs like a 'silver ribbon throughout this Htiory, and of the complications that come about through the base action of the woman who was saved from a horrible death, the reader must, if he wishes to learn more, buy the book and Head fo,r himself a pathetic story which arrests and absorbe from start to finish and leaves the reader asking for inore. Not very high-class fiction this, but true to life and incident. Mothers to Men : By Zone Gale. (New York: 'Macmillan and Go. Auckland: Wildman and Arey.) A theme that we have often wondered llias not been chosen by novelists has (been Chosen by Miss Gale in “Mothers to Men.” In these days, right or wrong, of woman’s suffrage, it is too often lost sight of that women are mothers of men, and that amended legislature could be without friction brought about by women realising more clearly their duties iand responsibilities as mothers bf men. The book's scenes are set way back in a very primitive village in America where women suffrage and other modern innovations and forward movements are looked upon with distrust but are actually being carried out to it'he letter. The recital of how these ladies ran the township’s one newspaper tfor a day, and the object lessons shown Ito the men of what the duty of cemetery boards and other parochial institutions are is simply and night humourously and instructively told. In short, ‘‘Mothers to Men” is as entertaining, as interesting, and as cleverly shrewd as it us original and inspiriting. And if any Woman is in the least doubt as to what is woman's proper sphere she cannot do better than read ‘Mothers to Men,” which is pure genius. The Shadow of Neeme : By Lady Bancroft. (Ixtndon; John Murray. Auckland: Wildman and Arey.) We remember Lady Bancroft over (thirty years ago when, as Marie Wilton, she melted us to tears or ravished its with her superb personations of Peg Woffington in “Masks and Faces,” and in her capacity as one of the finest dancers in comedy on the English stage. We also, many years later, read a collaboration by Sir Squire and Lady Bancroft, which dealt most interestingly, entertainingly, and informatively with their joint experiences and reminiscences on 'the stage and off, and also some very inuch later reminiscences. And now ipomea a novel which is founded on an incident of real life which was told to Lady Bancroft when recovering from an illness; a recovery so weary and protracted that Lady Bancroft amused and Occupied herself by weaving this story of “The Shadow of Neeme” around it. Frankly, “The Shadow of 'Neeme” has little entertaining merit, and is too patiently sentimental to suit modern readers. But it is one of the most naturally told stories we have ever been called Upon to review, and its plot has the

merit of originality and cohesiveness. But the dialogue is banal to a fault, singularly so for a lady of l-ody Bancroft’s experience and ohann. Nevertheless, it may be that owing to her transcendental talent on the stage we have set too high a standard for the author of “The Shadow of Neeme.” And so in common gratitude for past 'benefits received we conceive her entitled to that indulgence. always given to a beginner.

BITS FROM THE NEW BOOKS.

Some Irish Bulls. “A neighbour was inquiring from Mrs. Clancy how she was able to recognise the twins, they were so much alike ‘in form and feature, face and limb-* ‘Ah, that’s aisy,’ replied Mrs. C., ‘I just put my finger in Patsey’s mouth, and if he bites me, shure I know it’s Mike.’ ” “A vicar was showing a friend round the churchyard, and coming to his own little plot he remarked, ‘That’s where I'm going to be laid if God spares me.’ ” “An Irishman was sleeping with a companion. In the middle of the night he was discovered out on the floor. Asked by his bedfellow what he was doing there, he calmly replied: ‘I got out to tuck myself in.’ ”—“Bulls, Ancient and Modern,” by J. C. Percy. Mecredy, Percy and Co. The New Woman. “Vulgarity, nor more nor less, The modern maid entices — At first she did but ape his dress, She now. affects his vices!” —“By the Way of the Gate,” by Charles Cayzer. ' Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner. A Little Moralising. “Culture is knowledge gained not for its own sake but for the sake of the refining of the mind and the sweetening of the world. To know by head-rote and not by heart-rote, all the rules of politeness, would never make a man polite. Knowledge is for loving use.”—■ “Literature and Life,” by Rev. L. MacLean Watt. Black. The Danger Zone. “In South Kensington the female population exceeds the male by three (or even more) to one. It is a dangerous region, and he is a bold or reckless bachelor who is drawn into an entanglement in it. Such news in a region flies with a swiftness exceeding that of any 'known force in Nature.”“.Little Brother,” by Gilbert Gannan. Heinemann. A Neat Simile. “The world’s a big oyster, and education is the knife to open it with.”—■ “Roddies," by Paul Neuman. John Murray. A New Whistler Story. “Whistler once bought some tapestries of a Frenchman named Barthe, who, not being able to get his account settled, called one evening for the money. He was told that Whistler was not in; but there was a cab waiting at the door, and he could hear his debtor’s voice; so he pushed past the maid, and, as he afterwards related, ‘Upstairs I find him, before a little picture, painting, and behind him zo bruzzers Greaves holding candles. And Vistlaire, he say: “You ze very man I vant; hold a candle!” And I hold a candle. And Vistlaire, he paint and he paint, and zen he take ze picture and he go downstairs, and he get in ze cab and he drive off, and we hold ze candle and I see him no more.’ “Famous Houses and Literary Shrines of London,” by A. St. John Adcock. Dent, “ There’s Many a Slip.’’ “Few, probably, know the history of ‘There’s many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip,* which is a translation of a Greek proverb. Ancaeus, an ancient king of .Samos, was fond of gardening, and planted some vines in his garden. But he was told by a prophet that he would never taste wino from them. Time went on, and, the wine being duly made, Ancaeus was lifting a cup of it to hib lips, at the same time asking the pro[fliet mockingly where his prophecy was now. ‘There are many things between the cup and the lip,’ replied the prophet. As ho spoke a loud tumuli was hoard outside, and Ancaeus was told that a wild boar had broken in. Hurriedly putting the cup down without drinking, he rushed out to join the hunt against the boar, and was killed. And the prophet’s remark, turned into a hexameter verse, passed into a proverb."—“The Pothumous Essays of John Churton Collins,” by J. M. Dent.

A Good Beginning. “When Percival Charles Grandstand won tlhe ‘Daily Mail’ prize of £50,000 for making standard bread out of sweet peas while crossing the Channel in an aeroplane, a reporter said with some confidence that this was but the fitting crown to a career of exceptional brilliance. He was correct. I wrote a patriotic article on the subject myself, entitled ‘Where we Excel Germany,’ and sent it to fihe ‘Spectator.’ The ‘Spectator* eent the article back to me again. I have still got it, and you can leave it if you like. On the other hand, if you don’t you needn’t.” —The opening sentence of Barry Pain’s story in “Printers’ Pie.” Making Conversation. “I was never a born conversationalist, and always found tlrat business was more difficult in the intervals between ■the dances than on any other occasion. There is not time to get up a political discussion; metaphysics are a little out of place, and family talk is 'bound to be one-sided. There is such an air of sentiment about that the only possible subject seems to be love, and there I am at my worst. I can never talk about Jove without making it; so I plunged into the topic forthwith. “ ‘lf,’ I declared, referring to my programme and finding it illegible, ‘if only I knew your name I would ask you to change it.” ‘“Never mind,” she answered, ‘for I never accept proposals at a dance. One never knows whether or not they will be remembered and confirmed next morning.’ “ ‘Don’t talk about “accepting proposals” in that bald way. It sounds just like a beastly insurance company.’”—• “Men about Town,” by F. O. L. Humphreys. Her Dullness. “No really nice woman is ever reasonable. It’s simply another word for dull.”—“A Three-cornered Duel,” by Beatrice Kel.ston. John Long. Her Career. “Marriage is one of the mlost difficult of 'careers for a woman to follow satisfactorily. Women may bo born mothers, but they are not .born wives.”—“The Third Chance,” by Gladys Waterer. George Allen. From ■■ The White Shrine.” “Compromises are like new boots—until we have become used to them they pindh the extremities of our principles.” “Love is passion hallowed by drcams. Sentiment is the sleep in which the dreams may come.”—“The White Shrine,” by Gerald Villiers-Stuart. Andrew Melrose. Eve, Plus Art. “Artistic women have always been the devil. Use 'them, but don't trust them. The turn of an ankle has more than once corrupted a Cabinet.”—“The Outward Appearance,” by Stanley Makower. Martin Seeker. The Perfect Husband. “The really agreeable husband must be a person who takes you for better for worse, and shrugs his shoulders and loves you all the same, and doesn’t care twopence three-farthings about your ideas; but never forgets that you take sugar in your early morning tea, ami never has cold hands when he does up your blouse for you.”—“Up to Perrin’s,” by Margaret B. Cross, Chatto and Wind us. Richelieu in Love. “Queen Anne and her confideiite were one day conversing together, and could 'balk and laugh at nothing save at the expense of the amorous Cardinal Richelieu. Madame de CHievreu.se said: ‘He is, I assure you, passionately smitten, and I know of nothing which he. would not do to please your Majesty. Shall 1 send him here some evening, dressed in baJ&din, to dance a saraband? Would your (Majesty like it?’ ‘What folly!’ replied the Queen; nevertheless Anne was young, she was full of spirit an I fun, and the idea diverted her. The great Minister, although ho had in hand nil the politics of Europe, could not defend lliis heart from the assaults of love. He accepted the singular rendezvous proposed by the duelie»s—for already he believed himself sure of conquest. IBoocan, who played admirably on the. violin, wax summoned. Richelieu appeared clad in pantaloons of green velvet, at his garters lining silver bells, on his hands wore castanet®, and ho danced

a saraband, wludh Boecan played. Tho Queen and her favourite remained concealed behind a screen th rough which the gestures and movements of the dancer were seen!" —“The Married Life of Anne of Austria,” by Martha Walker Freer. Eveleigh Nr Ji. The Tete-a-tete. “ A man and a woman may become quite intimate in a quarter of an hour. Almost certainly they will endeavour to explain themselves to each other before many minutes have elapsed; but a man and a man will not do this, and even less so will a woman and a woman, for these are the parallel lines which never meet. The acquaintanceship of the latter, in particular, often begins and ends in an armed and calculating neutrality.” —“ The Charwoman’s Daughter,” by James Stevens, Macmillan. Beauty's Fate. “AU beautiful people are spoiled.”—“The Drunkard,” by Guy Thorne. Greening. Experience Wanted. “The thing that « woman demands most of love is that she may prove it.” -—“ The Prelude to Adventure,” by Hugh Walpole. Mills and Boon. From “ Austin's Career.” “A man can’t argue with the woman he loves.” “ A widow is free to choose any sort of friendship, a sentimental friendship, a financial, or an intellectual friendship.” “ Society is a Raree-show nowadays. Only offer it something expensive and unusual, and you arc the talk of tlntown.” “Women lose a number of pleasant things by remaining single, but bv marrying they get nothing nine cases out of ten but unwelcome shocks and a bad (bargain.”—‘‘Austin's Caree/,” bv Violet Tweedale. Ixmg.