LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2711, 4 March 1916, Page 9

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

A Bundle of War Books. Written in. October last year, Cap* fain Granville Fortescue's little book "What of the Dardanelles?", (Hodder and Stoughton, per S. and W. Mackay), necessarily loses a certain amount ot its interest by the. evacuation of tho Gallipoli • Peninsula. - It is, nevertheless, a work of no small importance, and of special interest to New Zealandets. . Captain Fortescue holds that the initial blunder at the Dardanelles was 'made when ; no land attack was planned in conjunction with the initial naval assault. on the Straits. ■ The few Turkish troops in the . vicinity of Seddul Bahr and Kum Kale in mid-Marcn would, ho con. tends, have been a mouthful for two resolute divisions. A second mistake— ''miscalculation," the author charitably calls it—was made when the British and French warships tried to force their way through the mine-fields. He scouts as nonsense the excuse that the attack on the Dardanelles was simply " <i naval demonstration," and declares that the one thing demonstrated by the naval action was tho strength of the Turjkish defences. ' Space does not allow of any summary of Captain Fortescue's little book. Suffice .it to. say, however, that he hoids we should never have attempted to force the Straits, but gone straight up'to tne Bulair lines, and attacked, and captured them, working down southwestwards therefrom, and utilising, also, 'the Asiatio shores. Written, as I have said, in October, 1915, the author advocates evacuation if possible, but seems to support tho idea of holding Seddul Bahr, the key position in ;tha Dardanelles,'; at all costs.he refers in t.brnis of glowing eulogy to the valour' displayed oil the. Peninsula by the Australians and New Zealanders. His final conclusion is that' "Germany will have to be beaten in France and Flanders." As to the Balkan States, their boundaries can . be; readjusted when Germany is beaten. This, how. ever, "is a secondary problem, and one than must'not be allowed to' delay the final result." (New , Zealand, price Is.' 6d.) ■ . " -'V,- ; ' ■ In /'The Truth:.Abo'at Lpuvain"-.,(H0d :i der »nd'Stbughton ! ,"'per 4 'S?a'nd W'? : Maov kay), M. Rene Chambery, of -"L'Etoile Beige," a Belgian newspaper now published at Amsterdam,'tells the revolt-, ing Btory of German'inhumanity and oestialfury at Louvain as he' has gathered; it from trustworthy sources, from men and Women who actually witnessed the outrages committed fiy the Huns. Tho accuracy of the narrative and the good faith of its editor are vouched for 'by M. E.. Giran,' a, Belgian, Protestant pasteur. The little book completely disproves the lying'- excuses made by the Germans when tho news of the outrage had horrified and' revolted i;he civilised world I—that the German troops had been fired/upon by francs tireurs and even women. On the contrary, it is now-proved by M. Chambery, and proved to the hilt, that the assassination of the■unfortunate . inhabitants of Louvain—l76 men,'women, and children, and 13 .ecclesiastios. were actually massacred—and the--wholesale destruction of historic, buildings .'.and valuable property was nob only premedi-. ,t-afed, but the result of. specific orders given by General Manteuffel, "a name," says tho author, "which conjures the •devil before us, and is borne, in truth, by a man of devilish instincts." (New Zealand price, Is. 6d.) In a little shilling book, "The Showmen, A Legend of the War" (Werner Laurie), that past master in tho art of satire, Mr, T, W. H. Crosland, whose "Unspeakable Scot" and other books have been so popular, has written a lively skit. upon Mr. -Harold Begbie's now famous story of. the;so-called Angels of Mons, "The Bowmen." Mr. Beg"bio's. 6tory was, as, he has 6ince told •the public,, purely a work .of - imagination,, yet curiously enough, quite a number of people still- insist that' its main incidents had counterparts''in-real life. Mr. Crosland's skit is amusing enough, though many of , the references to London scenes and characters may puzzle a New Zealand reader. (New Zealand price, 15... 6d.) "Religion and tho War" (Methuen and Co.) is the title''of a littlo book by F. R.. Barry. M.A.J Fellow and Lecturer in Theology, Oriel College, Oxford. The ; papers of which it is composed are intended to be read, sas's_ the, author, as "studies in pacificism and Christian warfare, representing an endeavour td apply the interpretation of Christianity and''especially the Cross" (to the author it's central fact) "to the problems of the present distress." A Nature Bosh.' Mrs. St.ratton Gene Porter, whose "Girl of the Limberlost," "Tho Harvester," and "Michael O'Halloran" havo achieved such widespread popularity, is an ardent student and lover of .nature, and there are those who nrefer her intimato and pleasant little books on natural history subjects to her novels. Amongst tho best of these studies is the series entitled "Music of the Wild," which previously only obtainable in a three-and-sixponny edition, has now been republished by Messrs. Hodder and Stoughtoii (Wellington, S. and W. Mackay) in a handy and cheaper form, and should therefore roach a new olid much larger public. Tho American >i'oods are rich in birds, and Mrs. Porter writes of tho music of the forest with a keen appreciation of its ' wild natural beauty. (New Zealand price, Is. 6d.) Physical Culture. From Mr. Werner Laurie I have- received a copy of a very useful littlo '")\)k._ "Tho British Manual of Physical Training," tho author of which, Liout. C. F. Upton, of the Royal Army Medical Corps, was winner of the open lightweight wrestling championship of the world last year. Tho author, who lias had world-wide experience in physical culture, under Japancso and Indian professors, as well as the most prominent European experts, has, it is claimed, concentrated into his book all that is most essential for the knowledge of modern physical culture. Tho lessons set forth seem to bo of an essentially practical nature, and the illustrations and diagrams are numerous (New Zealand price, 2s. 6d).

Books Received. Amongst other new hooks received this week is an exceptionally interesting addition to the literature dealing with early Now Zealand history. This is "Old Whanganui," by Mr. T. W. Dowues (H. I. Jones and Sons, Wha. nganui)., I hope to givo a review of this work next week. Other new hooks to hand this week include "On Land and Sea at tho Dardanelles," by T. 0. Bridges (Collins and Co.) ; "Naples and Southern Italy." hy E. Hutton (Methuen and Co.); "Modern Essays" (Edwin Arnold'); "On the Westorn Front," by Arnold Bennett (Methuen); "A Book of Ghost 6," and "Another Books of Ghosts" (E. Nash); "Queen Adelaide," by Mary F. Sandara (Stanley Paul); and several new novels, including Sir Gilbert Parker's latest story, "The • Money Master" (Gordon and Gotch). Reviews will follow in duo course.