LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2699, 19 February 1916, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

A Famous Historical Work, Apropos to the reprint, in two volumes, m Messrs. Dent's Everyman Library, of Green's famous work, "A Short History °f. the English People," Mr. Clement K. Shorter writes in 'The Sphere':— Mr. Green was the iirst -man who attempted a really considerable onevolume history which had also the distinction of style. The book charmed and thrilled us, yet it did not receive a unanimous welcome by any means: Green jyf s l ? VoW ®^'. v a disciple of Freeman and fstubbs. lou will remember that it was said of the great constitutional historian and the author of -'The History of the Norman Conquest" that: — ''Ladling from their separate tubs, Stubbs butters Freeman and freeman . butters Stubbs." lhere were those who resented this. .Mr. i'roude, I think, took no part in the rray, although Mr. Green had referred to his "reckless disregard of truth"; but other historical writers, including a "Quarterly" reviewer, gave Green's "History 1 ' exactly tbe sort of trouncing that Macaulay bestowed on Croker 5 6 "Johnson." I think I remember one art'iclc by Dr. Brewer which made one feel that Green's "Short History" was one of the worst books ever written. We wore told of its many sins of omission and commission. We were reminded that that wonderful Pilgrimage of Grace described so finely by Froude was not even referred to by Green. Then there were many of Mr. Freeman's pedantries repeated in the book. Freeman, wo know, would anathomatise anyone who did not call all the Greek authors and warriors by their Greek names and uot by their Latin equivalents, as we were wont to do. Ho anathematised also the people who used the term Anglo-Saxon, or who refused to call Alfred "Aolfred." It was one of Dr. Freeman's fads that because the Battle of Hastings was fought on the 'hill of Senlac, outside Hastings, it should be called the Battle of Senlac, and l so we have Green writing:—"lt is not to his victory at Senlac, but to the struggle which followed his return from Normanby. that William owes his title of the 'Conqueror.'" Well, we have all gone back on Mr. Freeman's pedantry. The man of to-day who called Alfred "Aelfred" would be pronounced an ass, and only a silly schoolboy would refer to the Battle of Senlac. NeverGreen's "History" has become a classic, and there is no doubt that Mr. Dent will sell many thousand's of it in the now form. That now form owes its existence to a clause in the last Copyright Act, which permits any publisher to re-issue a bcok in a cheap form thirty years after an author's death if the original publisher has not thought, fit to do so.

Lan Hay at the Front. Lan Hay's book on tho war, "The First Hundred Thousand," has been delayed in' publication, but was to bo issued in London last month. The author of "A Knight ou Wheels," "A Safety Match," and that excellent story, "A Man's Man," is now a captain in tbe 10th Battalion of tho Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. His full name is lan Hay Beith, and, like so many men who havo achieved literary fame, he was for some years a schoolmaster. Writing to a friend in London, he.says:—"W«llj we have been busy with the. Boches during tho lakt three weeks. Our division led tho way into action on September 35, and was in for three days and nights. . . You can imagine we wero pretty well reduced in numbers by the time we came out, but the men behaved splendidly. I succeeded in coming through without a scratch, and have written; a full account of the proceedings fox Blackwood's. ... Everything is going well here, which accounts perhaps for tlie enemy's desperate attempt to create a diversion in the Balkans. For some mysterious reason, I have been recommended for the Military Cross. This is not the same thing as getting it, but time and the Gazette will show." Tho letters have been appearing in Blackwood's Magazine, but their republication in book form will give thsm a much wider popularity. The Eternal Feminine—in Recent Flotlon. "A woman incapable of love is like the foolish virgin without oil."—"Mi mi's Marriage," by V. Mikoulitch. "He wants me; that counts lor a good deal with & woman."—"The Spirit of the House," by Kate Murray., "It is always best to tell, if there's a chance of being found out."—"Nymphet," by J. L. Carter.

"I always think one can tell so much about people from their laugh." "Women's instincts aro nearly always right and their reasoning generally wrong."—"For This I had Borne Him," by G. F. Bradby. - .

"The great moment was drawing closer and closer; she. was growing afraid, as are all women when the sound of Love's wings comes too near them."

"I have nover yet met a woman who objected to being kissed, though somo of them may pretend they do." —"To Love,"' by Margaret Peterson. "There is one blessing in being >plain; you are not always worrying if you are looking your best. A smut or "two Teally makes very little dilferenco after all."

"Looks do count: Gay what you like, argne as you choose. Looks are for over one of tho greatest assets life can give." "All Englishwomen 'do' their hair, and it looks liko it! I always imagine it turned and combed and snugly placed—'done' in fact. A 'Frenchwoman attends to her hair, as she does to her virtue, carefully. It has expression then —the coiffure." —"Conquest," by Oliva Wadsley. "A man must never be criticised or reproached by tho woman who wishes to win his love. Never cry before him. Never worry him to write letters, or make any kind of complaint about such letters os be voluntarily writes. Never answer letters by return, unless business requires it. Never be first at the rendezvous, but yet avoid keeping a man waiting unless ho is deeply epris, and then the longer ho waits the better."—"Tlie Honey of Romance," by Maud Churton Brabv.

Stray Leaves. The greatest cartoonist of the war is not, as might havo been expected, a Frenchman or a Belgian, but a Dutchman, Louis liaeraaekers. So powerful lias been the effect of his cartoons in Holland, indeed all over Europe, that the Germans mako oomplaint to the Dutch Government of violating, with bis pencil, the neutrality of Holland, lie was oven brought before the Dutch Courts and charged with "endangering neutrality," but the prosecution Veil through. A collection of ltncmacIceis's cartoons was on exhibition in London when the last mail left, and was attracting much attention. It is to be hoped that a selection from the cartoons will be published in the same form as the "Jiultur cartoons" of the

clever young Australian artist, Will Dyson. _ In an endeavour to answer the question, "Who is the greatest American humourist?" the New York "Sun" recently took a poll among tho # bestknown humourists themselves, with the result that George Ado was among those receiving the greatest number of votes, and Harry Leon Wilson, Booth Tarkington, and Mark Twain among those voted second. George Ado's clever "Fables in Story" are familiar to many New Zeaiand readers, but Mr. Harry Leon Wilson's fame is, I should say, mainly eonfincd to the United States. As a matter of fact, tho Canadian Stephen Leacock deserves to be ranked above all the writers mentioned above, Ravß, of course, Mark Twain. As an unconscious humourist, Mr. Won't Row Wilson should rank high. That clever writer,' Mr. W. L George, whose "Making of an Englishman ' and "Second Blooming" were so popular, will have a new novel out soon. It is the story of a young man ■ ,^' 10 .^PP® 1 ' classes, who, inflamed with philanthropic ideals, joins a settlement to work among the poor. He is speedily undeceived as to the usefulness of the movement and the worthiness of those who control it, and, conceiving an unreasonable disgust of his

own class, marries the beautiful daughter of a washerwoman.