BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 395, 2 January 1909, Page 9

BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

, . VERSES NEW AND OLD, V' V. '.'h' ' "WHEN DEATH TO EITHER SHALL COME. When Death to either shall-< come,—■ • I pray it be first to me,— Be happy as ever at home,' •. . : . If so, as I wish, it bo. - . , Possess thy heart, my-own; . ..- And 'sing to tlie child: on thy knee, ;•' ..Or read, to thyself-alone. ;:' - ■ ■ The songs that I mado for thee. : —Eobert Bridges. ': . ■ - ' : ;'" - THINGS BEFORE WORDS. .: The ■ great • words never : wore writ, Tlie great spngs never were snng: : , They .that.were , greatest did their deed -. ; Without the pen or.tonguo. . The word from a heart of flame .-. Blazed and fliokered -and died; /■:•■■■'■.■ . • The moving song tho minstrel sang • ■■■: ■■■', Passed with the time and tide. ' ■;.'But the words, that never were writ, ; ; - And-the songs'that never were sung, . . -i'ln tho silent hearts of ;.heroes wrought,. . . - • Without the- pen or tongue. '. . : Instead , of : the .word—a .. deed;; • . . Instead of. the song—a man; . - The things that '.are the .greatest were ■ fa-hioned thus ■;; ... Since the ,w ; brld .began. . ; " • , . —Harold Johnson,. in. "The Bridge-Builders." MY COMRADE. She -does '-riot;come;on; summer,;days,'.-; ■ '-• ; ;'Of;pn'-those, ; 'nights-when"moonlight .fills ;,. The garden with-a- glimmering. haze; - And in;the time ; of daffodils ' ; . Far. 'far apat-t■ from me she stays.' ;;. But. when on stormy nights I >go . . ' i Sho paces with mo to and fro, v -,; ' v : ;Aji.a-,takes; a', thousand ; .yarying : ; moods, ■ As ivinds that know not whence they blow, j-I-hear the,rustle' of her- dress, 1 ■: ■ - A light kiss -falls upon' my hair,— ■ ... . .;- She seenis so near—l turn to ibless. . - Her,company,—hut darkness there ; '.. • . Holds'mocking -depths of: emptiness. • ; Ahon'-she murmurs: "I am.nigh,'' '■;P y; ': Oh/; dearest,-; listen! I am near." '' ;. • '.:V I hear the light■: step. flitting .'And' borne upon tho wind I hear, ' "Oh, dearest, dearest, it-is I!"-. . ; ;: -! Ah, God!;iFor j ust 'one:moment's space' .. .- /. To hold her to'my heart again! . * . Down,,down the woodland paths I race, :. -rMy' arms bntstretched , to- : -her;--rth6 rain : ' ' Falls : like soft tears upon my faco. />; . Bnt.always^out-of.Teach, the cry. .•■ Comes sobbing back among the trees, "Oh, dearest,-' dearest, it '.is I !"•■." ; • Aid thrpugh^the.thunder.oit'tae'seasi'':'r "Oh,. dearest, ■ listenam ■nigh/'' - i;; :,;Sttll,'''still; sh6 :,leads■-me,•on;apacei;'; , :-■ 1 : - .'And '-'still; t -'follow,';., "balling; her,- ■"' . v-'. • •Until, .through - w ell-known, meadow-ways, ; :.'And-down:. dark .avenues 'of 'fir;-., She';leads'm,e;tb. : .th6,;Peabefi4yPlac6.''^ • There,, sheltered, from the storms that rave ' 1 ;; - "Without, the '/'ancient guardiarijwall," 'v,:.; ' ; 'i Jae'-those who hear . nor wind nor wave— ; ;;And':there;she leaves me; though J':fall To bitter weepmg, by.-her-grave.- - " : —Ina M. Stenning, -m; the.."Spectator," ~ FROM THE GERMAN. t stari'ds; ; beside-.-his'-"field; : - Arid looks at';'it;'with':angry.frown. ...; "The soil I have with-labour "tilled; ' ■: .- With, finest-.seed I have. it sown; ; . Yet see tho weeds.how thick:they grow! -. i. - This:is the:Devil's-work 1,-know." : . .. Then l riins',to'him..his littie boy; ■ , •, Filled are; his; cornflbwsrsiMue '' ; ' ■Mi poppies-red. -; : He.;shonts with'-.j"9y:' . !/fJ}Plucked£thenum4he field for-you. See, Fathefi'iseorihisßloveljC'fihoW-lsiiut; .. lis tho good God who 'made them grow." ' • . iw the; "Glasgow : Herald." . , THE RESURRECTION OF ISLAM. The day when the: lamp. of the soul is kindled, ;; . and forth of prison , ' • Shouting the dead men-wake!" -■ At the trumpet-blast of doom, tho pomp and' shout-of the. risen,- ■;-' ; ; • ■ ■ The graves.astonied quake: ''.. . The sons of wrath.are amazed, they rend their - • shrouds asunder •■ ; ■ Headlong in chaos hurled, ' . They stop their ears • in - dread; for. the noise ■■ ■-; of the drumming-thunder . . I, . ,- That -wrecks an -age-worn--world; ' But the sons of Ciod lift up their eyes to the . lightning token-.- . .- •■; . ■ ' ■ : < Flashed from the face of liove, Arid thuhder-musib-proclaims ; in. their ,'ears the deep unspoken ' - Concord of things above: • / ..;■ t . '■ .': Eastward they look and long:to the gate of ...the dawn-bright repion / V.' ;.: . ' V Where spirit and sight are one: ! ";.. Their banners: are spread 1 abroad for the march . -of a mighty .legion - To victory with the Sun. ■ ■:':'■ —Pi, in the "Westminster Gazette." THE FORGOTTEN RABBI. . .: fiabbi Ben Shalom's wisdom none but his scholars know. • ...'' ..(High let: his; spirt' journey, e'eri;as hisflesh lies. • ' low!)' '' He, ere -he 'sp'ake; the' Shema;" prayed ,that that his fame might cease:— • : : ,"How;. ; shall ;I; give-you 'blessing if',you be-, ,;-grudge, .me- peace.f". • , . ■. ■,/■ ~ : ; Eabbi - Ben ; Shalom's ' teaching .'clings to kis scholars' still. ' ';• • -. -i-' 1 ,.'.-. : . ' Oft came, fasting, those, who, ■' had. dreamed of, ill:— ;." ; . God; in: such' dreams had spoken—how could .. they- answer best? _ '■ "Laugh at the-fear!'-' .said-Rabbi, "God has a ■ ■ right to jest!" ■ - " ■ . i Rabbi Ben ; Shalom's kind red;. long. in-'his. ear '"V' " deplored '•■X' ■''■' ■?;, .; Alms .they had'.spentyto, nourish one, with.a , •• secret hoard; ; . .'WhO'-of-'their, daily table—robber, of. God!—had . -taste:-:.. . ■ .v-; ; ' ;; ;;' .:"Have ;I nqt "heard," said Rabbi, "God. has ;. enough ,to- waste ?" ; ■ ,' - '; -; •Eabbi Ben Shalom, silent, sat with a dead man's son.. ' • ~. •. "I;at'hi6 'grave, 0 Rabbi, knew' what my sins -, ' had done! - ' . iGreat'jbut; fpr -me,-.how-'hiimbled! ... Can I : appease the .dead?"' :. ■'■'' ' • ~ "Cherish his seed)".' Said Rabbi. "Strive to be-great instead!" ' . . ■ V; Rabbi^Ben'Shalom's.'cbmirig; mirth" lirito mirth coiild' brins,—;- .' :."'V; :;;/■"' .v'- '!-. ;";;'" .:Fill.:himL ; the-.cnp,; he'd ■ drain; it';' striko on the ' harp,-'.he'd sing! ;■ ;■; . ; Blind seemed .-his:-jo'y:;to: triany, when on his ;- -brows death sat,—. ' •' - Only the few knew betterknew; he;- rejoiced ■:■ ;; .' '—in' that.! . ' .;■ _V--/'.V 1 •;■'.■ : TKns have Ben .Shalom's scholars dug him a . : . .- lowly bed,—.:',-'■, -'y•-.■'' •' (How:;'can :;the:soul , arid body ever- a like/path ■ tread?). ;■ ; ' ,; ;' Thus, when in Shool they slight;him',:6a.T .that' "his famo should cease," ■ Whoßo gainsays their folly grudges his master •,peace!. v ;. : -;■ " :'■ . —G. M. H;, in tho "Spectator." THE INSPIRA'I lON OF AUTHORS. io mail -brings, reports of - a lecture de,,<a'cd by Mr. G. Bernard Shaw in Liverpool 0 "The Inspiration of Authors." , 1 Mr. - Shaw .began by comparing literature . md music. In a ■ sense a really tine piece of literature had the characteristic, of music. " Unless.you understand that Shakespeare was : . writing niusic'. with ' words you will never understand Sbakespcaro at all. : .: .. .. Tho :. thing; is expressed in : such- a happy, manner that it sticks in yoiir.membry and.there,'is a ; charm'about it. And in that charm you come to' the ' sort of. spell that;the. artist; throws oil you to rnako yqu listen to his-message. That brings-you almost to the very; root of . - - what a great artist .has -to do. These men, : you will; find in every single case, had a considerable struggle with tho world. . You will find they had a message they were inspired, to deliver. Tor the thing at the back of all great /Bt is inspiration—as real a tiling 'as anything Siat.exists in the world and a

far moro real thing than tho_ value of 'the stocks and shares :'u which Liverpool is interested. A man finds himself inspired "to say something. If he says crudely and straight out what his message is the result is certain. He will'bo hanged or burned. There is'some' truth to which you have ' to , be awakeried; 'some delusion yon have to give up; some' step forward to take. There are not only old obligations you'have to throw up but higher obligations you have- to take ■on. At the present time there is. staring you ■'in the face tliis—that unless'you give"up the idea of : making' your;.own. liomb oomfortable and happy and start making your, city; and the whole population of your city comfort- : iable. there' is no futui'e for your' coiirit'ry; (Applause.) But tlie man who first begins to talk-about theso'.thirigs is not a popular; map. You call him all'manlier of .names, and when you find he is getting too troublesome you fire yoir last shot' and say bo isn't (serious. (Laughter.)' Ho has 'a hard; job: Hb .has a strong senso . ISo man who is-inspiredi bo murdered. soon as a man feels he has a message to. deliver his life' becomes extremely precious to him until he- has delivered it. In, order to. make you'-, hear ..that-, message, ho will, undertake work'tliat.no one else would; and. so your artists have' .devoted, 'their lives to; acquiring :an ; extraordinarily perfect, technique and their message ; is delivered to the worid in an, extraordinarily; fascinating; way-.; Their Words fascinate you, .When you listen to their music, .although; you kick against it; at first; it grows upon''you and you cannot get. away from it.' You'find that the artist, whether he bo musician, writer,; .or painter, throws a wonderful erichantmerit'arid 'spell on you, and in the ond you begin openly to'worship. CONFECTIONER ARTISTS. " That is whero tho. danger comes in.' I was going to say thattlie message gets accepted,'; .but-I, aril- reminded;;that the oldest ■messages we .have record of are very far from being accepted and understood. But you get it* very;largely, accepted, and then'-there;opines-a '.large; raco'of artists,; journeymen' artists, confectioner artists.. Too' great; man; took an art that hardly,. existed,;tunied'it into.ra,system spells: arid enchantments, and■when he has di^—from starvation very often —rand., had a; statueput/up'. to him you findan immenseiriuinber. of men, fascinated by-his enchantment and having themselves considerable attainments, in his art, who come-forward; and'lbegin ; to/collect and arrange . all the, beauties of his work,;lea ving' out all the difficulties- arid; the; sternnesses. Then: you get that; beautiful 'range of art, I call' confectioner ' art, ! 'the art, of Tennyson; "and 'the -ait,. if: you like,: of.-Schubert -coming after Beethovdn. And-the result'-;is,so beautiful,sometimes that Iwa- get'":io ;iote'-tlj^v^nfe^tiofler'aiH^j^: ; |- way. ive cannotlove the-great man,' while 6nthe-gre'at;.mari.that- it :all depends.-," (Heaiy hear.) I myself fain,- rather, -a .clever' .writer, and' get tremendously idolised. '(Laughter.) Ir don't it; altogether,.; because, it. is .ex-, .trabrdinarily'difficult'■ to live' up 'to.it;-. - I, used, to' be! trqul)led,;b/, it;-,in .my; innocent ;youth,':. .but' /as'-I got .'older, and more' unscrupulous I found '.that'";! had: -simply to; look ' as : intelligent' '". as ■ t . could and; ; ' 'people would.; believe" all tlie . things they - heard,', (Laughter.)' Idiscovered ■•'. that ; people would ev^n;fight'abdutfjme.V.j ;.11ie artist; was a .irian possessed by ;a nie'ssage' that very often he not' .'understand,' and when he. tried.'to ;reason .about • it' he found, himself,at' . variance *witli : liis ! inspiration. ' ' 'What'he has. got hold of is'.;riot altogether,his message. It. is yoiirj message.- As there i§ .something strug;glirig;;tb -come : butv'bf Ihhh 1 that he- wants to' mabe intelligible for [you, so that 'same thing must vhe' . coming - into ; your. minds ; and - souls tooy or' he never can succeed.' It is the pushing- forward'of this /strange, thing 'in every-; body ,'that'i gets the .artist • something.. lijie, idolatry,'^•'DnlekVJbtHex'.people;Want .-tb/hearV - ■ what: I have' said, then -what I have said was: not,-prthvsa^g« : '''^t ! tion of the - author'.arid"the' writer;;o£:'books; comes.in." ' V:" 1 ,- THE PSALMS AND ISAIAH CONTRASTED. ' If they, graspbd .this', they, would begin, to'' .understand what of 'literature, were. • Takerfbr<instarice;',that very w'ofider-: fiil V literatoire^-it. \i'as '-la^'Uterature-^whi^H 1 ;thex,'Jiad ;%een -forfuhSte'- etough^fi- ;r have translated .-into ■ splendid .Eriglisb-fthe ''Bible.' ''It you only study your-Bible you, will learn, everything that is"to "be;learned aboutlitera-;. ture:fifom- it; .The.Psalms of Davifl are >somo ofthe moist-beautiful'h'teratu're - that Exists. If you read the prophet: Isaiah you will find, very magnificent,'.from the pbint':of view of word mnsic; r-Yet there is'a; difference between .themy;arid the man - who,puts'them'* both at'exactly the 'same level r is a' ; man wliom the : ;message ;has ■'•not.; reached or who- does; ;riot;vindeifstanQ thevßible. . .The. Psalms ..are very beautiful.. .They-are .things yb.u.ffipuld' put- in-the hands'of fmen' who f are' sick;;ftrid •are not abie - to bear: the truth.- A man he .'has'.Snmeiterrible-' disease arid'-is'iri despair.;;' You so to him : and. ybu t ;say,'; 'YeS';-. . it "'is very'.: terrible". ' ;I ; bad'.it myself ■ a, year ' ago, arid -1 was well agairi in a' fortnight.'■ (Laughter.) Probably he will be well again in; a fortnight. . But you haven't told ;hiin the -truth. ;. You have simply applied an; anodyne; Now the Psalms'arb not the truth;; .Over and orer again, beautiful ■; as they; are, tlie'y say what:the 'world,.'knows is. not true;'i They .paint 'the ■rigiiteou's ;man-,as never coming to evil. That is not true. ' We know the : very success; promised; to .the righteous man is what' the right'eous .inan has 'to 1 do .without. 5 When you come to Isaiah - you have a ' mail standing up.to tlie triith arid telling'yoii some stern', YouVhaye to; understand that .'the .Psalms,;;a.lthough, : ;they'- are; as beautiful as Isaiah; are not ;-as truo' . Isaiah; : Ybu '■'will..''^eyer;''-understand' the- truthV of -Isaiah until you. understand the -falseness that youget froiri'the .Psaliiis.. You ; must'learn to take, out-not .merely; the truth—which is '.a very , difficult; thing_ to, define—but at any ratbithe thing that is : true to. : you';; and:of,ten a 'thing that is false. in a -way, will help to ril'ake you- Once • you 'learn to;,attack literature iri. this wayiyou will find your Bible. . will begin to expand; -.- You" will, find that there is '■ riot, only, that' old; Hebrew „ literature which we call the'Bible,;b.ut you will discover, that all the. literature, of. the world is , a; Bible and that English 'literature.as -one :of; the' most magnificent' Bibles, in; existeiico. .(Applause.), ■ You will see ; !also . that inspiration - is . not'. a thing : which":'oxistea. in some old; time V : that the "message did;not' 'come down; once for.; all some, thousands of years ago, to. be. left iri'the hands sometimes ;of ra£hnr 'indifferent clergym'eii .'.to expound. - Inspiration' ; has never ceased.''• Withv the; progress ;of* the.' human mind it,;has been' coming' o\;crj' year clearer and deeper. : .., HOLIDAY READERS. . Most travellers. ...when ; they .i.coiitemplate re'adirig. a' novel . ohva' railway .journey take the wise predautioii-of getting over the'„bperi-' ing cliipter^';at. ; l , :horiie, 'wheni ; ensconced iu a .corner, .•s»atij'.''-lil»e3t;.. .opei tlie s may ..drop;;forthwith" into' the main curr.erit';bf' the:-riari'ative/arid', be borne continuously ' onward; ;:';The beginning'' of a book is, apparently/ ol'ten,;as ditlicult.a; thing ior. the' winter- as . for the 'reader. ' ' Those '-intb whoso ;hands;...'manuscripts. : piisis . with a yie\v to- 'publication, tell' us - that a - large proportion of those' candidates for wings which, are crushed in ' the; chrysalis- are. so because ; of 'faulty beginnings.;; Some introduce too many characters -ijt. the opening' scene, and this, even if there ;is-no biographicar'or character sketch, ushering in l 'each,,makes craggy reading and-confuses the reader. Others'begin with .a . strikirigly- dramatic, incident; 'which, even if,it is. in;.the direct: line of the 'nar-. rative, which 'it .often:- is not, arrests ..'the' attention oiily for, a moment, after, which the story runs, into the sands. ■ In other cases still the opening: is at fault for the opposite reason that sometimes : an . ending is ■ huddled up. ; ; '-An ending' " is -' huddled ; up because;'the author is in ■ haste or because he is jaded and does not' care t<j' elaborate his conclusion'. At the beginning, however. his; mind .was fresh, he had tliouglit much of;' tliis : part of his, book,! with.- the consequence that ho bccoines diffuse' ; and spins out matter • suitable for a mere' prorogue into some half ,a score-of chapters.There is. a i.differenie. in -kind, however, between openings, that thus fall, short through lack of skill and those that are difficult to the- reader because of ' the author's excess of strength. '■ The;" Egoist" furnishes-a good instance. ' The reasons which inake the "pre-lude"-to that' book hard reading ,are chiefly ' three. . One is a'.vein.of fantasy inMeredith's. imagination which makes him prefer an odd image to a plain one, or to force the plain

ono in which-' n thought lias first presented itself to an odd issue. Another is that habit of leaving largo gaps between his thoughts ■which led Barrie to say that when. Meredith had climbed up to: an idea he drew up the ladder after him. But the chief reason is the; extraordinary fruitfula mind that crowds out idea upon idea until tlioy are congested and; telescoped into'ono another—a fruitfulness comparable to that of the goddess in the Hindu mythology who boro twins which had themselves liad twins before they were born. The result is that that chapter is like a. five-bar gate at the beginning of a run, and it would be curious to know how many readers it lias caused to throw.the book aside. It, is not an-integral part of tho'story,; it is'only, a "prelude"—that is to say, .something: more than; a preface and less than an 1 introductory chapter;, but it is "part of "the book,'; and he' loses something who,, after making sure'of. a.| wedding between Vernon Whitford and Clara Middleton._ does not turn back upon it and find f.liat. it? suggestions are no more than .-•-'chalk -.eges to tempt the thinker .to sit.!' Still Meredith's is not,, in this case, an examplo that all-can successfully follow, and the . normal beginning is one! which,' . the natural soring of the story that is-to .follow, catches the attention at onco, and yet is only the first note of a crescendo which, carries the ' render through 'a large . portion of tbi l book before.he knows.where lie is. Many will,:be at.': one with Leslie' Stephen in .thinking; the Gurtli and" Wamba scene in"''lvanhoe'!.. "the best beginning of'.'a Vnovel ever written." ' ' " '