LITERARY CHAT

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume VII, Issue 6, 1 March 1903, Page 478

LITERARY CHAT

By "THE SAGE."

" The Hole in the Wall " is the title of a new book by Arthur Morrison, published by Methuen and Co., and forwarded for review by Messrs Wildman, Lyell and Arey. In several of his former works this author has proved to us how well he knows his London, and at a time when so many of the old landmarks are being swept away, it is a special pleasure to read a book the scene of which is laid amongst them. The greater part of the book is taken up with little Stephen's tale, and the two opening sentences give the reader a good idea what to expect. "My grandfather was a publican — and a sinner, as you will see. His public-house was the Hole in the Wall, on the river's edge at Wapping ; and his sins — all of them that I know of — are recorded in these pages/ 3 Stephen was a small boy whose mother had died while his father was away at sea, and Grandfather Nat took him to reside with him. Much happens at the Hole in the Wall and in the neighbourhood, which Stephen finds hard to understand, but his childish impressions of what he sees and hears and his comments thereon are charmingly given. His grandfather does a good business in a very undemonstrative way by purchasing smuggled tobacco, or watches and other trifles from the crowd who

live on Jack ashore, and think nothing of knocking him on the head, and chucking him in the river if he is likely to prove too troublesome a customer. A pair of scoundrels, partners in the shipping firm, " Viney and Marr/' are described. Their vessels are " pawned up to the royals/ Marr absconds with all tlie cash he can lay hands on, some eight hundred odd pounds, gets murdered, and flung into the river, another murder follows at the door of the Hole in the Wall. Little Stephen picks up a pocket-book with the eight hundred pounds in it which the second murderer has dropped. His grandfather declares it is his, and puts it by to start him in life. The news that Stephen' s father has been drowned by the " piling up " of one of the heavily-mortgag-ed vessels, gives little Stephen a stronger claim to it, the old man considers. The rest of the book is taken up with a number of plots by Viney and other villains of a pronounced type, to secure this money for themselves. The book is admirably written, and goes to prove in a graphic manner that for poor Jack the dangers of the deep were at one time, at least, eclipsed by those he had to encounter ashore.

" Felix/ by Robert Hichens, another addition to Metliuen's Colo-

nial Library, also sent me by Messrs Wildman, Lyell and Arey, is entirely of a different nature. It is a detailed and most intricately-writ-ten character sketch of a highlyimaginative and sensitive young man whose father, a country squire, was dead. At the time the story opens, Felix was living at home with his mother and sister in a country village, and was heartily sick of it. He persuaded his mother to let him see life by visiting France instead of going to college. France delighted him, though he spent -his time in a secluded spot chosen by his mother. In the forest he met old Louis, a tailor whose one great achievement in life had been making a pair of trousers, sown up at the feet, for the great Balzac to keep warm in while writing. He worshipped the illustrious author, and lent Felix all his books. Having read them, the young man goes home with the idea that he knows life through and through. Home life disgusts him more than ever. His sister, to his horror, is about to marry a quiet country parson, who gets terribly on his nerves every time he meets him, as do, more or less, his mother and sister, whom he pities for their deplorable ignorance of life. He takes chambers in London, and goes to a School of Journalism in order to study life at first hand. He gets introduced to Mrs Ismey, a publisher's wife, and her bosom friend, Lady Caroline Hurst, two characters such" as one rarely meets, but need not regret one's loss overmuch. But Felix is at once fascinated with the former lady, and becomes her tame tomcat. She confides in him that Carrie is a confirmed morphinomane, and borrows money from him ostensibly to take her to Paris to get a specialist to cure her friend, but in reality to revel herself in the morphia dens. For although the reader easily understands that Mrs Ismey is the greater morphia fiend of the two, the innocent Felix does not, until he is told by her maid, when he suffers horribly, and conceives it

to be his mission in the absence of her husband, to rush off with her to Paris with the idea of effecting her cure. He is not eventually over and above satisfied at the result of his experiences of life, and when he re-visits the old tailor, and is asked whether he is happy, has to recall the old saying, " Happy is the man who has a good mother/ before he considers he can consciously answer in the affirmative. As a description of the morphia habit and its victims, the book is certainly well worth reading, but the reader may consider Felix's character scarcely worthy of such a long drawn oat delineation.

That universal favourite, AndrewLang, is to the fore again. " The Disentanglers," publishd by Longman, has just been forwarded for review by Messrs Upton and Co. The story opens in a dusky little room in Ryder Street, in which we see two impecunious young gentlemen, Merton and his friend Logan, who commenced the conversation by the gloomy assertion : "Itis a case of emigration or the workhouse." Merton does not favour emigration, and Logan continues, " Oh, hang it, where is there an opening, a demand, for the broken, the stoney broke. A man cannot live by casual paragraphs alone." Merton implores him to "Be inventive ! Be modern ! Be up-to-date ! Think of a felt want, as the Convenanting divine calls it : a real public need, hitherto but dimly present, and quite a demand without a supply." The conversation continued until a great thought flushed Merton's brain, and he announced that lie had hit on the Felt Want himself. It was in effect that they were to start business as " Disentanglers." Their advertisement explained the nature of the business. It was headed, " To Parents, Guardians, Children and others," and set forth 'the sorrows and anxieties which beset families in the matter of undesirable matrimonial engage-

ments and entanglements. The advertisers proposed by a new method to restore domestic peace and confidence. No private inquiries- were, in any case, to be made into the past of the parties concerned. Highest references given and required, etc., etc. A wealthy friend finances the Disentanglers, and they start the firm under the respectable title of Gray and Graham. They have previously enlisted the services of a few impecunious yoiung ladies and gentlemen of undeniable good breeding and attractions, but with affections previously engaged. This was to serve as a guarantee that the cure would not be worse than the disease, for these lively young parties were to be thrown, quite casually, of course, into the way of young couples whose parents objected to their union, and their superior powers of fascination were to effect the desired disentanglement. The firm prospered exceedingly, and the book describes humorously and graphically the different instances in which, they were employed. Perhaps the best two stories in the book are the Adventure of the fair American, whose father had willed her to the man who, fulfilling certain conditions, should bring and add to the Museum, lie had himself founded, the most original and unheard of natural variety whether found in the Old World or the New, and that of the Canadian Heiress. In these the principals of the Firm take prominent parts, and as Andrew Lang is nothing if not up to date, wireless telegraphy, motor cars and submarine boats are in great requisition in the recovery of the heiress. The book is one which should on no account be missed.

Is there yet room for a fairy story ? Has not the world already store enough of dainty chronicles of the qiuaint little folk that for all of us^ who keep our memories green enjoy an existence essentially as

real as the personages of history ? One might think so, and yet the theme, being almost as old as the oldest of human passions, it is capable of a variety of treatment nearly as great. If there be space for a new love story these must be a vacant corner for a new tale of fairyland. To be welcome, however, it must conform to a high standard. It is mot everybody that can draw the bow of the genius who, in antediluvian days, very probably, pictured for the children of all time, and all ages, the story of the Giant Killer, or that wielded by the Grimm Brothers, or even the slimmer weapon of Hans Andersen ; nor is it everybody who, having the strength, can avoid the tendency of the strong to teach. Fairy stories must not teach, they must reach and win the heart in other ways. What does " Alice in Wonderland " " teach/ Nothing at all ; it simply refreshes, as the dew does, and that is the office of another story, not at all like " Alice " in other respects, that has just reached me from the author, Mr Harry A. James, of Liverpool, whose publishers, George Newnes and Co., have collaborated with him to some purpose. The title of the book is " The Doll Man's Gift," and the author, like Mr Dodgson, is a grave man verging towards middle age, whos« serious business in life is the pursuit of science. If his leisure is given up wholly to the creation of such books as I have before me, he is to be envied by aJI men grown weary with the monotonous round of life. It reveals a world of fresh and gracious beauty, or rather another aspect of that world to which glimpses have been given to us by the errant fancies of our noblest poets, in language that is comprehended by those who still trail the " clouds of glory." It were a thankless task to outline the story, which is its only fit interpreter—though that is hardly right, since the thickly-interleaved pictures, from the pencil of Mr K. M. Skeaping are as much a part of the

book as Tenniel's are of Lewis Carroll's immortal production. I can only invite my readers to ask for it through their. booksellers. It is exquisitely printed and bound, contains 200 pages, and the published price is only one and sixpence.

The Premier of New Zealand, recognizing the good that may be done by the encouragement of literature in New Zealand, has offered a Special Prize of Three Guineas through the New Zealand Literary and Historical Association for the best original story. lie has aptly chosen for the subject one which gives the author an admirable chance to display his descriptive abilities in dealing with adventurous pioneering days, viz., that of

goldmining from the time of the earliest discoveries in Otago, the West Coast and the Thames. The only other conditions of the competition are that the story shall not exceed 3000 words in length, and that it be forwarded to the Registrar of the Association, P. 0., Box 540, Auckland, not later than June Ist. As is usual in such competitions, the story must be signed by a norn de plume, and the name of sender and his or her norn do plume enclosed in an envelope. Judges will be appointed by the Council of the Association. It is to be hoped that others will follow Mr Seddon's example of offering prizes, as the Association is well worthy of support in this direction. Full particulars can be obtained from the Registrar of the Association.

Vol. VII.— No. 6.— 31.