NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18894, 8 January 1927, Page 13

NEW BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS.

SINGING-SICKNESS. On the first page of the first chapter of "The Passing Show" Mr Henry Russell tells us that "the warbling of amateur singers" was so fashionable before bridge and modern dancing arrived that it was regarded by experts as an incurable disease. "I have seen wives alienated from their husbands, friends whose ears proved too sensitive scorned as jealous enemies, and entire families broken up by the determination of a. man or woman to sing." Naturally also it required a great deal of courage on the part of a teacher to tell people the truth, and one suspects as one follows him through his brightly filled pages, that Mr Kussell has more than ordinary pleasure all these years afterwards in exposing some of "those absurd young people who quarrelled with him for his honesty. It is of course notorious that singing-sickness does worse things to its victims than make them wish to sing, and that it affects genius as well as talent of the second, third, or tenth grade. Mr Russell' spent so many years among "stars," of all orders and magnitudes, that lie could not avoid finding thorn out, but he found so many out, and shows so much joy in telling us, that wo wonder why. Of Caruso ho tells nothing more unkind than his "extraordinary lack of discrimination" —iu plain words blatant vulgarity —in houses and furniture; but Caruso is one of tlic few escape. Even the literary men, who of course did not suffer from singing-sickness, suffered from some of the secondary symptoms —Maeterlinck, for example, who might have been expoctod to bo immune. D'Annunzio we of course expect to be ridiculous, and he often is, but we do not quite expect Elconora Duse, cvon when under D'Annunzio's influence, to be so tragically unhumorous. Indeed the solemnity of the Duse affects Mr Russell himself, who in hor caso completely loses his sonse of proportion and of reality. Here is his first impression of her: "My eyes blinded for a moment by the sharp sunlight in the garden, I opened tlio door of the great salon with a strange feeling of awe. Instantly I had the impression of straying into some chapel, so silent and shadowy was this apartment. Through one high and half-shuttered "Window a singlo radiant beam fell across a book-strewn writingtable, and illuminated a carved chair, between whoso arms rested a motionless figure. In this impressive cliiaroscuro her form took on the semblance of a frail spirit of the Renaissance, throned in the ancient room. This woman had a sort of transparency. She was not young, but ageless, with such a noble liead as the Creeks loved . . . etc., etc., for another half-page. But the great achievement, of Henry Russell's teaching life was that lie, gave Eleonora her speaking voice again, so that wc can hardly expect him to write about her rationally.. (London, Thornton Butterworth, Ltd.)

THE WAR AND SOCIAL LIFE. The rise in importance of tho peasantry in post-war Europe, the struggle of the Labour movement with tho extremists within its ranks, the plight of tho middle classes and tho intellectuals, are all vividly outlined b.y Mr Lotluop Stoddard in his ' Classes in Post-War Europe.' Toe most interesting chapter in the book is that which deals with tho greatly increased power of tho rural workers 111 consequence of the partial collapse or tho European industrial system. "What could bo more thought-pro-voking," he writes, "than tho possibility tlint the great urbanward sweep which began with the industrial revolution has reached its term, that a reaction has set in which may restore; to the countryside that influence which it held for ages, and which it lost to the city a scant century ago!" In illustration of tho awakening class-con-sciousness of the peasantry Mr fctocldard quotes tho peasant dictatorship that was only recently overthrown m Bulgaria, the crushing of Communist risings by peasant armies in Switzerland and Hungary, and the development of an organisation called the Green International in the States of Eastern Europe. In another section, Mr Stoddard gives a distressing picture of the absolute deeny of intellectual life in Europe since the war, more particularly in Germany and Austria, and, what is worse, the decline of Europs s education systems. In the struggle towards financial and industrial reconstruction, most countries have tend:d, perhaps naturally, to yeglect everything except the material factors of life. So far lias the tendency gone that tho writer scos another Dark Ago coming unless it can be checked. The lot of the middle classes is also shown as an unhappy one, but, as Mr Stoddard points out, their growing solidarity holds out a promise that they may in the future regain their former important place in the social order. Mr Stoddard's works 011 the social and economic problems of the world are always worth reading, but they must be read with discrimination. He sees so clearly, and his field is so wide, that one suspects him at times of responding to ideas more promptly than to facts. (Charles Scribner's Sons, through Robertson and Mullens, Melbourne.)

NOVELS. So little has been heard of tho Hungarian Revolution that it is interesting to read something of it even in such, a romantic setting as "Tho Trail ot the White Knight," by Bruce G. Graeme. The White Knight is really a modern Scarlet Pimpernol, and though the plagiarism is unconscious, he is a perfect reincarnation of the hero of the French Revolution. The book is well-balanced, and though it reveals tales of brutality and horror equal to anything in history, it does not dwell unduly on these, but represents the "bourgeois" characters with sympathy and insight. Those who have the detective instinct will enjoy unravelling the various intricate devices with which the daring Englishman carried off his prison smugglings and escapes, and will rejoice 111 the lie finds at the end. (London : Harrap and Co.)

If "Publicity for Anne," by Alice M. Williamson, has an American edition, probably many well-known people in the film world may recognise themselves or their friends, for tho various types are very well known on the screen and have not beeu portrayed with any subtlety. Still, people who take an interest in the life behind the scenes will find it fascinating to read this account of studio life, the making of a picture, or the falling of an euiliyo star, since the writer knows lier subject and has a convincing command of film jargon. The book is short, but a longer story could not have l>een spun out of the available material. (Mills and Boon, through Sands and McDougall.)

"False Pretences." by Thomas Cobb, is described on the jacket as "an ideal novel for holiday reading," but even for that purpose it will appeal to those only who have holiday heads. The plot is very slight, the conversation mostly about love, and the book as a whole quite without any indication that the

writer might have done better with a better theme. He might, however, be more successful if lie tried the short story form, into which this novel should have been compressed. (London: Nash and Grayson.)

Miss Vingie E. Roc is such a successful contributor of American stories to fiction magazines that :i full-length novel by her could hardly be uninfluenced by that kind of literary experience. "Monsieur of the Bainbows" is a readable pleasant little book, with just the right dash'of sentiment, idealism, and triumphant virtue to please Miss Koe's admirers. The chief figure, an old Frenchman who has fallen on evil days, chiefly through the demon rum (which in spite of Prohibition lie could always obtain), is quite a lovable old man even if he sounds too good to be true. The other characters are rather far-fetched, but people who do not expect, or wish, to find real life mirrored in their reading will be quite content. (Cassell and Co., London, through Whitcombe and Tombs.)

It is a pit} - that one cannot always take authors' forewords seriously. Mrs A. Burnett-Smith, in her preface to "The Pendulum," tells us that everything in it i* true, and this wis call believe since it is all very commonplace, but when she says it is written so that "the things that eanuut be shaken shall remain," one can only say that 110thin" much does remain. It is a woman's story of her life, her growing up, marriage, children, and ir.cn friends, including an unfaithful husband who grows rich in the war, becomes a climber, and at last secures a title. It is all quite unpleasant, but as a study of modern manners perhaps lias some value. Many will wonder, liov.'i ver, whv the writer felt such an urg'ctt desire*to "tell it to the world." (London: Hodder and Stoughton.)