BOOKS OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 12

BOOKS OF THE DAY.

FAITH AND THE DOUBTER. . ; Two.books,.each!dealirig,fthough 'from, ai : markedly 'difFei-ent r point' of view,' witli tho subjcct of religious faith,, find, a place on "Liber's" .study tablo week. One . ia.*."Gteat '.Ideas; of Eeligion,"-. by J. •G. . ; Simpson)''\Carion and Precentor of St. , 'Paul's (Ho'dder .per. S. . . nnd-W.-Machay)! The tiilo,of the'sccond■workis ''Man, ..Considered, in Relation, to , ' God', and a Church," by' W. Ca'rewHtiz- • ' litt"(Bcrnartl Qunritch). ; To,criticise. in ■ detail '.works ' .of: ■ a. .theological character, in columns, read by people holding, and holding very' dear ;to them, their ' own -private views'on 'matters -of _ per- ■ , sonar faith - or belief, can, I think, eerve '•; no good purpose. Oii : such matters the • • average 1 newspaper render- prefers, and, • sol am of- opinion, prefers rightly,-to. . think and criticise for himself.'' Wherefbr, I - J J simply' confiub 'such ' coinment as I mako on works-of■ this nature "to tho . .briefest! possible '"resomo.' of or' direction to ..their specially' outstanding 'character-; , istics. : Canon Simpson's book contains a ..series' of papers,:originally .'published;in! tho . "Treasury -Magazine," and certain ■ ' sermon's delivered by h'iiri in St.-Paul's. ! ;The..'author'.'describes;them,.'taken as a : . • ! wn6iei?M^'?'aii. ; 'attMipt'":td set forth'tho '.'..prtaripl.<»,' of; the : • Otoistiau 'rdigion- in'/tj?®' annosghero_of contemporary thought.":' Tho'special- arid : quito: noteworthy' feature-of" the''various -!..- essays and sermons is tho insistence thoir- ; author'makes .upon the . duty of thu Christian Church of to-day in interesting , "• itself via-various sociological questions of . importance. "Antiquated methods of. in-. : (ei'pretatioh, •top," says .the authoiy "nolonger. 'cuhv,ictiori;"'. On'.tho. much-..' diumsscd- question of the attitude of tho . Church- towards '.'divorce,; thovauthbiv marks 'What," abovo air . things,, we: : ehoijld: be ranxious 'to:.avoid is a-growing-divergence between,-a national policy, • guided by'sloppy-sentiment, -and ignor-; antly violating Christian -principle, and a petrified Vecclesiasticnl : 'tode;' 'supported by . a ,no- less blind and- unintellgent as- ■ suUption*.:;that'' thie'.laiv''_a3'it stands 'is tho Commandmeht'of Christ." '(Price 55.)" '•Mrr..-W.'.'.Cattw"flazlitt. la'-a- veteranauthor, whose mfine one usually.connects - more with.Shakespearean and literary, and clramatic.'crcticism:'generally.-.than w.ith works dealing with theological'- ' ' He claims' thit'in'his o'f :w'hich", the volume befOYe','in^fti' '.(jtftltfMt'"toijie;T#f \" Bomo 500 jiages—is,'-I -npticei- V fifth-and : revised edition V'"in" rid''lVa^. I 'attacks re-" ligion or a,faith'.in';God;;'bnt'it involves a very sevoro attriirider-oi.tho Church and of'- tho Sdcie'ty'' l fti , '.'.',WhifcH".;the Church is largely responsible";•• The author de- " mands -'a 'of life and- truth in / . place'-Of- that ,of 'falsehood',"' deception',, and' finance,", an ' abandonment of "tho superstitions: : '.ainl'7 hybrid'.' '.theological 6ystcms. urtder. which':,so;'many:, of .'us; live, and .'die " - His-general-point of view is that'off rin 'advanced ,freethinker,', but'he : : pinny, PWSQ.naI on,d original, theories.of his own,'such as ; that a,subtle. . . -rnuv Blood. A grandson of the famous ■ : William .Hazl.itt, first .amorigst his - liter-nx-y J critics 'of-.his day, and famous for 1 lit possession- of a specially vigorousmyle, ... .the! author!.(leals.!witli tho many'.,phases of .his subject with mothodical thorough- ■ ..kiss,: .setting forth his'views with most '. commendable terseness and'.'verbal Clarity. : ! lis is, unlike most frcetliirikiri# writers - . (UKrevealed rcligdon', , sparing in his employment c?t' satire when-'matters of actual faith are' concerned. 'This, moderation, : however. is not maintained -when tho V isuthor-discusses tbo ; .part :played. by - the Church'-in./mollei-.u 'society... The , wprk 'is . alniost'-(.'.yciopimd'e -ih-Jits" character; arid Wen-thbse—arid there wilt necessarily be ; nialii-^wl Hiy fail-to--agree .with 'the - author's theories and contentions, must . acknowlcdge/tho'erudition and literary iudustry.- wliicU are/exhibited in their presentment." (Price Gs.) :'. A SUFFRAGETTE CYCLOPAEDIA. ; "Tlio SufTragfTjiminaJ"' and - Woman's • Who's W,ho" (London: Stanley Paul and Co.) may bo described; 'briefly and not inaccurately, as a sort of "Women's Whittaker' and. "Hazell's Annual" combined. Tho "object of the editor (A.J.8.) been -to "collcct as much authentic information' concerning" the Suffrage societies and prominent Womeii Sufl'rng--ists as possible up to the.'time of £OMg ■ to press."; The book contains "biographies of nearly 1000 women, and a selecv tion . of. the' many. 'men distinguished in. .tho..cause.";' :There.- of BUlfrago . societies,-.'associations, leagues, clubs, and go.forth;' a!:'list, quite, :astonishingly long,-of "suffrage organs," a dictionary ' of dates,-and, finally, some two hundred pages-of biogi'aphies. !- Such splendid examples of Suifragetto "derring do" as "Breaking Board of Trade window, Bristol;;, Juno; -1900"; "Being chained to tho grille: of tho'Ladies' Gallery in the Ilousg of Commons" j "An encounter with Mr* Birrell on the railway .platform ntßrigh- , ton"; "Taking part iu the rush on Downing Street" ; etc., are chronicled with evident self-satisfaction. The "recreations!' of tho Suffragettes; as set iorth in this Women's Who's Who? , are various, but "attending Suffragist lectures," which is : go: frequently mentioned in this connec-. tion, may strike tho non-Suffragist as a uoriiewhat., tepid form of amusement. As .for Hiss' Sylvia Pankhiiist, she scorns the very idea of recreation, for the entry un-der-this head, in her case, reads: "Has no ; timo' for.'any,",. Reference, .to. Australian -and New Zealand sympathisers ' are not many,, but Ladjr - Start gets a ueveiiTline notice in tho biographical section, -concluding as follows:—ils ono of the most popular women in tho Empire." To th9se who support tho Suffragist movement tho book will probably be of great interest, although, to mako tho volumo practically useful to tho latter-day.variety I -of tho.militant .section, the editor, might ■ very well, havo ■,arranged for special ■"chapters headed, 6a'y, < / Pr'actical Hints on Safe and. Easy Arson," and "First Lessons in • Bomb-making," "Practise oil Pa," "How -to Interest tho Kiddies in the Cause," etc., etc.. -These omissions may, however,. be-repaired in. a later edition.. THE HOCKEfj LIBRARY CATALOGUE. I .'have, always held 'tho'-opinion that tho Hocken Collection of books dt-alirig with jthe history of-Now Zealand 'ana Polynesia'should havo bcon incorporated with the-Dunedin Public Library, so ably ~ managed:by Mr. Al'Ewon, but' JJuuedin— ' or those who had the final say in the matter—judged otherwise. Tho Hockcn Collection has ibeeji catalogued by Mr. \Y. H. Trimble, and a printed catalogue has now been issued, a copy reaching me from tho Otago University Museum authorities. It is a. substantial well-printed volume., of..'somo 500 and odd pages, and on tho wholo tho classification recorded geeriis Jt'o.'!have!.been, conducted on .the proper 1 lines. I notice, however, that in the "Subjcct Section, tho arrangement ' of the itarns, although nominally in alpha- , betical order, leaves very much to be desired.'Under the heading, "Biography," for instance, .the right way. to have adopt--1 . ed would havo been to place tho surnamo of the person referred "to .first, . .then'.his Christian name, and third the exact title ' of - tho "work.. ■! .am .glad l ,-.,t0, see from a ,preface, . for . > iyhich l ,-llv. : Wm. Downio ."Stewart is responsible, that Mr. Georgo I'emvick :"has -written an • interesting memoir-Of the life of'Dr.-Hocken by way of preface to a- collection of papers by, Ills Doctor, which is now in courso of iv-ing printed by the Government." Mennvvliile, the (.'.rit:i'ogue now published, deMlite it.s inadequacies in more than one direction li'or instance. Ilicre is a compieio absence, of 'publishers' names), conKHf.ntM"':r ■ most interesting.-and' valuable . vJ(lit'ion.:to New .Zealand biography.