VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1972, 31 January 1914, Page 9

VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

A Traveller's Notes. "Odds nnd Ends of Foreign Travel" is the litlo of a littlo book by George C. Morant, F.C.1.1., tho proceeds from tho sale of which aro to be devoted to the .funds of an estimable institution, tho British Insurance Clerks' Orphanage. Sir. Morant has for many years occupied a loading position in the British insurance world, and in tho course- of his business careor has travelled in many widely-separated parts of Europo and tho world generally. His ".Odds, and Ends of Foregn Travel" include brief records of more'or loss exciting experiences in Japani Oliina, Central and South America, and in yarious European countries. Tho author makes no pretence to tho possession of literary stylo, but the goseip, about his wanderings is unfailingly good-natured, arid his pictures of foreign scenes and manners often very entertaining.

Dickens, Sala, arid "Household Words." Mr. Percy Fitzgerald must bo an old man now, but hie enthusiasm for discussing Diokensian subjects is still as strong as ever. Hβ has written agood many books on Dickens, his works and personality, and has a rather irritaking trait ot' repeating himself, or rather, of introducing, in a so-called new book, but slightly altered versions of passages familiar to readers of his earner works. Still, his enthusiasm for his subject generally results in his . books being interesting, and his most recent work, "Memories of Charles Dickens" (Arrowsmith), contains much new detail concerning Dickens's editorial experiences on "Household Words," to which Mr. Fitzgerald himself was a frequent and valued contributor. There were, says ■ Mr. Fitzgerald, careless essayists' who "lot him in" by -writing libels, and equally careless writers of serials who failed to produco their .monthly instalments of, "copy' 'at the right time. George Augustus' Sala was, it seems, a, special sinner in. this.way.' His serial story, which, so Mr. Fitzgerald says, "promised well," but which : 'Liber" remembers Sala himself} when, on Mi lecturing tour in New Zealand; describing as the very worst novel ever ■written," was entitled "Quite Alone." About half of it was written, and in the office when publication commenced. No doubt Diokens and his faithful sub-edi-tor, Wills, considered this a sufficient precaution, but they soon discovered their mistake. For on September 10, 1864, Sala's "copy" camo' to an end, and) despite the frantic protestations of "Bozj" and despite, too, Sala's profuse promises to send in the required instal» ment, none came to hand. What happened is told by Mr.' Fitzgerald as follows:— : ' ■ ' "On November 12 it was concluded. Had the unhappy Sala, then, therefore redeemed his promise? Nothing of the kind. I believe ho, supplied not another lino, and it is certain that 'Boz' was compelled to call in the aid of a deft' emergency man—Andrew Halliday—who in an incredibly short time contrived to finish off the tale, imitatinc the style and peculiarities of his friend—for such -he was—with due success. 'A curious episode altogether." Dickens was more than once unluckj with. the. serial stories he published in "Household Words." Lever wrote him a. novel, of'which great things were expected. ' But, according to Mr. Fitzgerald, the story proved to bo "out of old-fashioned, and, above all, unsuitcd tea- sober congregation." "Boz" himself had to step into the breach and-"serialise" "Great Expectain , order to counteract tho depressing effect of the Irish novelist's story. Similarly, the .magazjne experi-. encM 'frost""'; with; .'tip rd; 'Lyt/v' tori's,'' Strange Story." Irate subscriber's wrote to the editor wanting to know if it "really would <nd in. March," and in great haste Dickens commissioned his friend, Wilkia Collins, to come to his assistance. Tho result was "The Woman ill White." Count Fosco made a great hit with tho public, and tho situation was saved.

Stephen Leacook's Fun. One turns with pleasurable anticipation to any new volume by Stephon Leacock, the clever Canadian professor to whom we owo those vastly entertaining books, "Literary Lapses," "Nonsense Novels," and "Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town." Mr. Leacock's latest collection of sketches, "Behind the Beyond, and Other Contributions to Human Knowledge" (John La-ne; per iWhitcombe 'and Tombs), contains, some excellent food for mirth. The title piece, "Behind the Beyond," ia a description of a modern problem play, and is a most' ingenious and amusing burlesque. In . the series entitled "Familiar Incidenta," the Mark Train influence is openly perceptible, b'uff when .Mr. Leacock takes his renders to Pojis, ho is himself again, and the humour is quite delightfully ironic. Some other pieces are added as make-weights, tho best being a semi-serious, semi-humor-ous attack iipori an unduo glorification of the classics, "Home and Humbug" being the title. Hero is a 1 ample slab or two:—.

I began to lie about the classic*. I said to people who knew no GreeV that there was a sublimity, a ' majesty, about Homer which they , could never hopo to grasp. I said • ' it was like tho sound of the sea heating against the granite cliffs of the lonian Esophagus, or worcta to that effect. As to the truth of it, I might as well-nave said it was like the sound of a rum distillery, running a night shift on half-time. ... When I reflect that I have openly expressed regret, as , a personal matter', oven in tho presence of women, for tho missing books of Tacitus, and tho entire loss of the Abracadabra of Polyphemus of Syracuse, I can find no words i'n which ~_to beg for pardon. In reality I was just as much worried over the loss of the ichthyosaurus. More, indeed. I'd like to have seen it, hut if tho books Tacitus lost were like those ho 'didn't.:l wouldn't. I bolieye all scholars lio like this. An ancient friend of mine, a clergyman, tells me that in Hosio'd he finds a pecu-' liar grace that he doesn't find elsn. where. Hb's a liar.- . That's all. Another man, in politics and in tho Legislature, tells me that every night before going to bpel he rends over a page or two of Thucydidca to keep his mind fresh. Either he 'never goes to bed or ho'* a liar. Doubly so. No one could read Greek at that frantic rate; and, anyway,. Ills mind isn't fresh.. How could it be? He's in tho Legislature. Idon't object to this man talking freely of tho classics, but he ought to keep it for the voters. My own'opinion is that bofpro ho goes to bed he takes whisky.' ■ "Why call it Thucydides?" Don't misß Mr. Leacook'3 new book. In some; of the sketches tho fun is a little thin, like a poor claret after a full-bodied old Burgundy, but thevo arc many purplo passages which make ample atonement. There are somo clover illustrations, by an artist, A. H. Fish, wlio has evidently seen some Beardsley drawings—and remembered them.

In "Personality in. Literature," Mr. R. A. Scott-James, olio of tho sanest and soundest literary critics of the day, sums up tho characteristics of somo authors much in the public eye. Of the great G.B.S. ho says:—"lf he has not completely failed! (as a writer of plays), that is because ho. has not completely failed to live w> to his theoriee." Mr. Chesterton's philosophy is rather neatly de-scribed as "a_ sort of sublimated public opinion, miniis tho opinion of the intellectuals." Of Arnold Bennett, Mr. Scott- 1 James remarks that "ho is aware that life is a. spectacle; that to make it interesting you must mr.ko it vivid, you must ihow . it M louifftbiiis tkftt ui ifttozifi} us/ft v^s^sSf

ate." But surely not in oithpr "Clayhanger" and "Hilda Leeways" is there any groat intensity or great passion! To "Iriber" the outstanding feature of both these- stories is their uncompromising, if somewhat drab and rcpcllaut, realism.

Maurice Baring (tlio Hon. Maurico Baring—though of tho "Hon." this clover writer and reaj good follow takes but scant account himself) has a now book out with Duckworths. ' Tho title is "Lost Diaries," Judging by tho "Times" review (Lit, Supp., November 27). it is just as rich a store-of excellent fooling as was the same author's "Dead Letters and Diminutive Dramas." Baring's books are essentially books to buy "for keeps." (Price, 3.5. <5cL).