Literary Chat

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, 1 November 1900, Page 157

Literary Chat

By Danvers Hamber

Messrs. Wildman and Lyell, of Auckland, have sent Under Fate's Wheel, by Mr! Lawrence L. Lynch, and Caged, by Mr. Headon Hill, two of the latest additions to Messrs. Ward, Lock and Co. 'a Colonial Library. Iv the first-named the author tells a story which will appeal very strongly to the lover of sensation. The villain of the plot, who is a commissioned officer in the American Army, takes a dying comrade's name and fortune, elopes with and betrays a farmer's daughter, and then by the aid of hypnotism takes the dead soldier's place in the latter's family. Of course he has to pay the penalty for his many misdeeds, aud Mr. Lynch tells how this is broughtabout through a labyrinth of complications, all in the end satisfactorily explained. There is much about the cycling abilities of various persons concerned m the story, and therefrom the book takes its title. In Caged Mr. Headon Hill has given us one of those romantic mysteries his prolific mind delights in. This author's novels are always widely read, and m Caged Mr. Headon Hill's admirers will find plenty to interest them. There is an exciting hunt for a very valuable diamond, the heroine is confined in a mad-house, there are murders and attempted murders, there is a terrific railway accident, and finally the lunatic asylum is destroyed by fire. Added to the big sensations there are several minor incidents more or less thrilling for the reader to enjoy before the evil-doers aeet with their just punishment, and the innocent are able to breathe freely.

Miss Mary Johnston, whose story, The Old dominion, evoked much commendation and aroused some enthusiasm amongst literary critics, has followed up that success with a brilliant novel dealing with the very earliest days of Virginia. If is entitled By Vrder of tie Company, is a volume in

Messrs. Archibald Constable and Co.'s Indian and Colonial Library, and is forwarded by Messrs. Uptou and Co., of Auckland. When the novels of the pres'ont year come to bo summed up I am sure that 8,/ Order of The Company will bo given a very high place. Already the public appreciation has been very marked, and as early as the day of publication— tho book was published simultaneously in Midland and New York— not less than forty-six thousand copies had been subscribed for. Even in these days of mammoth sales such a number, before anyone knew the valuo of the book, must be considered as something in the nature of a triumph. The story i H a delightful one. Shortly put, the plot is that to escape a detestable marriage Lady Jocelyn Leigh, a ward of the King's, takes her serving-woman's place in a shipment of English girls sailing f or Virginia, whither they are bound in order to become tho wives of such as are able to give one hundred and twenty pounds of tobacco for a helpmate Jocelyn Leigh falls in with Captain Ralph Percy, a soldier and landowner, and is forthwith married. Arrived at his home, she explains matters, and the man who diced whether he would or whether ho would not go in search of a wife finds himself in plenty of trouble right away. The King's favourite Lord Carnal, quickly appears upon the scene' in search of the wandering fair, for he is the undesirable suitor. From this point the story takes the reader through an admirable field of adventure. Necessarily My Lord Carnal spares nothing in his endeavours to worst his happier foe, Captain Percy, but in the end he has to submit to defeat. Miss Johnston paints the picture of the early English folk in Virginia most excellently Her charaoters are limned with force and judgment, and consequently they seem to be living personages. Her dialogue is inspiriting, and the love story running through the

book is exquisitely fascinating. Miss Johnston's descriptive powers are as admirable as her drawing of characters is clever. Her men and women are living creatures, and she takes her readers quite under command from the first page to the last.

Major Arthur Griffiths, the author of lie Chronicles of Newgate, has established himself in the foremost ranks of writers of detective stories. In Fast and Loose— forwarded by Messrs. Wildmanand Lyell— hehascomposed a tale of crime and retribution that will be attractive to a great number of people. Bank robberies and other frauds on a large scale give plenty of work for the detectives —both amateur and professional. Major Griffiths writes in easy style. Fast and Loose is a volume in Messrs. George Bell and Son's Indian and Colonial Library.

Messrs. Upton and Co. send a work written by Messrs. T. K. and H. P. 0. Ashworth on the subject of electoral reform. It is entitled Proportional Representation Applied to Party Government, aud is published by Messrs. GeorgeKobertson and Co., Ltd., of Melbourne, Sydney, and London. The authors have written their book because the subject of electoral reform has been brought before the public tniud by a clause in the Commonwealth Bill, which provides that the Federal Senate Bhall consist of six senators from each State, directly chosen by the people, voting as one electorate. This clause has presented a problem which has been very freely discussed. On the one hand the advocates of the Block Vote assert that the party in a majority has the right to return all six senators, and on the other hand there is a small band of ardent reformers putting strongly forward the claims of the Hare system which would allow the people in each State to group themselves into six sections, each electing one senator. The Messrs. Ashworth state that the object of their work " is to suggest a reform which possesses the advantages of both methods and the disadvantages of neither, which will still ensure that each

electorate is contested by the two main parties, but will allow its just share of representation to each; and which, by discouraging the formation of minor groups, provide a remedy for the evil instead of aggravating it." It is obviously impossible to give a just share of representation to two parties and allow each party to elect its most popular leaders in an electorate which returns only a single representative. The authors, therefore, affirm that the first necessity for reform is to enlarge electorates, so that each may return several representatives. They state that the requirements for giving effect to the principles of organisation and leadership in such an electorate are :— 1. Proportional representation to the two main parties— xVtinisterial and Opposition, the majority and the minority. 2. The election by each party of its most popular candidates— i.c , those most in general favour with all sections of the party. The following general rules are suggested by the reform of true proportional representation : — 1. The unit of representation is equal to the total number of valid votes cast at the election, divided by the number of seats. 2. Bach party is entitled to one seat for every whole unit of representation contained in the aggregate votes polled by all its candidates, and the odd seat goes to the party which has the larger remainder. With the view of ensuring the return of the most popular candidates the authors suggest the following alternative proposals :— l. Each elector shall vote for any three candidates, or 2. Each elector shall have six votes, and have the option of giving two votes to individual candidates. There is no doubt that the first is much the simpler, but the Messrs Ashworth believe that the second is the better proposal, as it allows more discrimination without the sacrifice of any of the advantages. To deal with this question thoroughly I should require several pages. I think, however, that I have said enough to show that this book is well worth studying. I quote the list of rules for the proposed reform, applicable to all legislatures in which party government prevails :— " \>

Electorates to be grouped so as to contain at least three seats, and preferably not less than five seats, nor more than twenty seats 2. Candidates to declare when nominating, or a few days before the election, whether they are in favour of, or opposed to the party in power, and to be classified accordingly as Ministerialists or Oppositionists. 3. Ballot papers to contain the names of all candidates nominated, arranged in two parallel columns, one headed Ministerialists, and the other Oppositionists. The list of candidates under each heading to be arranged in alphabetical order. 4. Each elector to have as many votes as there are seats, and to be allowed to give either one or two votes to any candidate. The votes to be distributed as he pleases among all the candidates of both lists. 5. The total number of valid votes cast at the election to be divided by the number of seats ; the quotient to be known as the " unit of representation." 6. Each party to be allowed one seat for every whole unit of representation contained in the aggregate votes polled by all its candidates, and the last seat to go to the party which has the larger remainder. 7. The candidates of each party having the highest number of votes to be declared elected to the number of seats to which each party is entitled in accordance with the preceding rule. 8. In case of a tie between candidates or parties the lot decides. The alternative plan for rule 4, which is the simpler, would read as follows :— 4. Each elector to vote for half the number of candidates that there are seats, i.e., three votes in a five or six-seat electorate, four votes in a seven or eight-seat electorate, etc The votes to be distributed as he pleases among all the candidates of both lists." In a foot-note to the above the authors state that it is unnecessary to dwell 011 the absolute simplicity of the rules. They involve no radical departure from existing methods of voting or of counting votes. Once the totals are added up, the calculations necessary to decide the successful candidates are within the scope of a child at the State schools.

Messrs. Wildman and Lyell have sent Missionary Travels, by Dr. Livingstone This is the first volume in tho now sories of the Minerva Library. Tho publishers are Messrs. Ward, Lock and Co., of London, to whom it is faint praise to say that they aro doing the rising generation a great good by issuing such a renowned book at tho very moderate price of two shillings. The book is printed in good type, contains many illustrations, and has a very valuablo index. To those who have never read tho story of the great explorer's sixteen years' resideneo in Central Africa this reprint must be of immense interest. Dr. Livingstone shows us the Africa of forty years ago, so that just now, when our thoughts are constantly turning to tho Africa of to-day, is the time to learn something of the early history of the Dark Continent.

I have lately been reading Parts of the Pacific, by a Peripatetic Parson, published by Messrs. Swan, Sonnonschein and Co., of Paternoster Square. It is now no secret that the wandering clergyman is the Rev. Thomas Eykyn, at present the Church of England minister at Waihi. Mr. Eykyn is evidently a parson of the " muscular Christian " order, and, as one of his critics has already said, that peculiar product of the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century, a " Broad-High " man, caring very little whether he officiates in a chasuble or in his shirt-sleeves, and whether he is clad in white or black. Mr. Eykyn spread the Gospel in North Queensland, New Caledonia, Fiji, New Zealand, Hawaii, and the coast of North America. Certainly he went about his work in a manly way, and this published record of his life in these parts of the Pacific, while largely being an entertaining and colloquial description of little-known lands, contains much sound information on such questions as missions, emigration, coloured labour, and the general treatment of natives. His personal experiences afford very interesting reading, and the anecdotes abounding in the book are delightfully

amusing. Mr. Eykyn writes in a breezy, vivacious manner, and I hope that Parts of tie Pacific will be widely read. I should like to quote dozens of the delectable yarns contained in the book, but perhaps that would be hardly fair to the author, so I will be content with two. In the days when missionaries were new to Fijians they were frequently cooked and eaten by the natives. One unhappy man wandered into the cannibal territory, and forthwith was killed and cooked. Though stripped of coat, trousers and shirt, he was cooked in his boots. The feet were considered a special delicacy, and were reserved for the hightoned palate of the King. Unfortunately for the monarch and perhaps fortunately for missionaries, a royal tooth was broken in the endeavour to chew a bit of the sole studded with substantial nails. The con-

sequence was that an edict was at once issued that " throughout the King's dominion no more hob-nailed missionaries were to be eaten." Of a doctor in charge of a Northern Queensland hospital the following story is to ld :— " He was sent for, after his postprandial dose of whisky to hold a, post mortem on a man who had been found dead in the bush. Accompanied by a constable he arrived at the house, and knelt down to examine the the corpse, already considerably affected by the tropical climate. In this position he fell asleep upon the bosom of the deceased, and when somewhat rudely awakened by the officer, he proceeded to pronounce his professional opinion in the following words : — ' If there is no change he will be a dead man in less than twenty-four hours." 1 Parts of the Pacific is forwarded by Messrs. Wildman and Lyell, of Auckland.