LITERACY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 154, 29 June 1907, Page 10

LITERACY.

The "Pall Mall- Magazine" for June is a good number. The work of John Sargent, R.A., the great impressionist | portrait painter, is dealt with by Cecil I Chard. On a kindred subject there is 'a readable article on "The Making of a Picture," by Dion Galthrop, which shows the infinite amount of attention to detail essential to good work. Mr. P. F. Warner's "Don'ts for Captains" should prove useful to aspiring cricketers, '"'The Woman's Sense of Honour," by Mrs. John Van "Vorst, is responsible for some good things,.such as the lady philanthropist's comment on a murder by a poor woman—"Yes, she killed him, and he wasn't even her husband!'! In the "Makers of Books" series the celebrated house of Blackwood is dealt with. H. C. Bailey has an interesting series of Napoleonic stories in this magazine, and the rest of the fiction is well selected. The latest addition to MaeMillan's Thackeray issues at 3/6 is "Round-about Papers'' and " Denis Duval." The volume contains Thackeray's contributions to the "Cornbill Magazine," both during his editorial connection for some time from its inception, and after a variety of reasons, notably failing health, had decided him on vacating the editorial chair. Mr. Lewis Melville, whose intimate knowledge and careful study of this author has made him probably the i first authority on the subject, has been editing this series of reprints, and especially in connection with this volume i his notes are most valuable. The novel "Denis Duval," upon which Tbackerary, was engaged at the time of his death, is reproduced. The interesting fact is pointed out that the last words that the author saw and revised in print, though not the last that he wrote, were, 'And my heart throbbed with an exquisite bliss."

It is curious that while M. Andre Siegfried's work on "The Race Question in Canada" (just published by Mr. Eveleigh Nash) has been translated, his earlier book, "Democratic en Nouvelle Zelande," ha 9 not been put within the reach of our public. Mr. W. P. Beeves, the AgentGeneral, who is something of an authority on our literature, considers M. Siegfried's the best book on. the subject. Strange v that the first and greatest of all the treatises on British democracy should also have been a Frenchman's work—for the people of the United States were, of course, British in every' thing but nationality at the time when De Tocqueville wrote the"Democratic en Amerique."

One of the three masters of a famous, if not very glorious, movement in modern fiction has passed away. Mr. J. M. Barrie founded the Kailyard School: Mr. S. R. Crockett made it a by-word, but also made it pay: Dr. John Watson, turning aside from time to time from his labours as one of the busiest pastors and most renowned preachers in the Presbyterian Church, scored with his "lan Maclaren" books a success that was hardly sought. His heart was always in his ministry, and it is only two years since he ended by resignation a pastorate of twenty-five years at the Sefton Park Presbyterian Church in Liverpool, and turned to lecturing and to work in connexion with the Westminster Theological College at Cambridge, to the vacant headship of which he would very likely have been elected had he lived. Lecturing in the United iStates killed him, as it killed Dickens; but his feebler constitution succumbed more quickly, and he died of blood-poisoning, following upon a serious attack of tonsilitis, at Mount Pleasant, lowa. It is "ully ten years since 'Jan Maclaren" ceased to shine as a Kailyard writer; yet no book could expect a more striking success, no book could have been more promptly and prosperously pirated in America, than "Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush." It translated into several languages—not including English—and was read with especial interest by the omnivorous German. It brought to "lan Maclaren" fame, fortune, and—Major Pond. Under the management of that great man, the new distiller of Scottish sentiment read selections from the "Brier Bush" to huge and enthusiastic audiences in the United States. It was what Americans call "easy money," but Dr. Watson never closed his ears to his religious vocation, and the few other stories of similar character with which he followed up his success -were no more than the occupation of his small leisure. His output of theological and moral writings was far larger. Lan Maclaren's latest novel, which is somewhat of a departure from earlier subjects, deals dramatically with that notorious character, "Claverhouse." The serial rights have been purchased by the "Star," and publication will commence next October.

Oxford will shortly confer an honorary degree upon Mark Twain. This is to use the veteran writer after his desserts, no doubt, as well as according to Oxford's honour and dignity; but what'people will admire most cordially in such a compliment is the catholicity of outlook which has enabled the greatest academic institution in the world to put the seal of her patronage upon the life work of a humourist—and a very unorthodox one to boot. However, Mr Clemens is no buffoon, as many of his readers used to think. He began in something of that capacity, of course:—by way of youthful ebullition; but his maturer books, however playful, have been the unvarying product of a critical, sane, and very energetic common sense, the value of which, in teaching people to think, has often been tremendous. His latest work, in particular, on "Christian Science," shows a mind so vigorous in old age as to be really distinguished; and the ceremony of conferring the degree in August, for which be is to make one more voyage of experience, will be immensely popular.

In the "Nineteenth Century" Mr. Herbert Paul has a delightful defence of " idle reading." The occupation should require no defence, but this is an age in which there are too many of those who would reduce even reading to a " system," who would destroy for young minds the pleasures of books by marking out a " course of reading," and condemning as idle and valueless that aimless browsing here and there which is one of the greatest joys Of literature. Such persons would do well more closely to examine the value of idle reading. The best of idle reading, says Mr. Herbert Paul, is that you cannot tell before hand what will come of it. There is no knowing what, suggestions may be set up nor how profitably they may be followed out. Some passage idly read may draw the attention to a subject so attractive as to compel "a course of reading " upon it — a very different thing from the " course of reading" that is approached in -the nature of a task. Or, again, some chance pass-

age may set the mind wandering, but it does not come back empty; it is a refreshing tonic; sometimes to let the fancy pjlay. Of these pleasures your person who scorns idle reading knows nothing.