BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2793, 10 June 1916, Page 9

BOOKS OF THE DAY

A NOVEL EXPERIMENT IN VERSE. . ' EaTryea'r there was published in America 4-book ot quite singular and striking J'ffuiality, both as to subject and as to stylo; a book which, has since gone into many editions, and still continues to ..have a remarkably large sale in the . country of its origin. This is . Mr. Edgar Lee Masters's "Spoon lliver Anthology, au English edition ot which has just been published by .Mr. T. Werner .Laurie. The poems, if poems—(never did vers libro sd affront accepted poetic conventiony-they can be rightly called, of which tile book ;s composed .first appeared in the columns: of the St. Louia "Mirror,", where they .speedily attracted attention, many if them being copied into newspapers - all (over the United "totes; -.. ; Mr. Masters, has conceived tho original and rather gruesome idea of making the" .ootupants of the cemetery, of a little-country'town in. one of tho -Middle Western States break the silenco of tile fomb and give forth to the woTld what might be called brief autobiographies, or character ; - sketches • of them•Belvesj recounting soiiio curious '• scones and episodes, sometimes dramatic, even tragic, in other leases' merely humorous, from their past, lives. A voice from .tlio grave has na need to he aught but truthful, and tho stories; ill; which, these dead, men and women of Spoon .River lay baro the-individual and .collective life of the little community of . which: .they were once members bear, one and all, (,n Tindefinable but unmistakable air of grimmest reality. .Mr! Masters's strong 'point --or tlie strong point, of those for-whose voices he acts as a kind of human phono-graphs-is irony.; Take, for instance- the first poem which, follows the'prefatory verses. It is entitled "Hod Putt/' and rims as follows:— Here I lie cloeo to tho grave Of Old Bill Pioraol, IVho grew rich'trading with the Indians,. and who . - .- 'Afterwards took tho bankrupt law And emerged from it richer than aver. Myself grown tired of toil and poverty And beholding. how Old. Bill .-and others grew is wealth. -Robbed a traveller one night near Proctor's prove,. Killing him unwittingly. while doing so, ; For the which I was tried and hanged' That was ' my way . of. EOlni into bankruptcy. Now we.who took,the bankrupt law in .our respective ways Bleep .peacefully, side ; by. side. How ' deeply ;,.lTr, Masters cqn' fathom', the human-heart,'ho#,'.truly pathetic..bahlie his delineation of human suffering, n ay be~»seen by tho lines headed "Mrs. Charles Bliss," a wife whom., both parson and 'judge, urge .'not", to obtain a divorce from n_er husband "for the children's sake." Now look at the dead woman's own view •of - tho case:' : ; But' two of tho children thought he was ■- rigfllt, V: •- : ■; ■ W And twoi.-of ;tho .children thbught'-Iwas • right, Ana the two who sided with him blamed me. ■ : . - ' ■And the two who sided with me blamed •» him. - • And they grieved for the one they sided with.. . ; And all'were torn with-the guflt of judg- . ing, ■ i ; - r -,. And'tortured in soul because'they could not odmiro ' ; . Equally hini:and'nic: L' Now - every gardojier knows that plants 'grown,-in:cellars.. '' •' Or under -stones : aro " twisted and yellow and • weak,-.-.. And no mother would let her baby suck Diseased' milk from her breast.. Yet;preachers.and'.judges advise tho raising of soul© -.- '. Where there is'no.'sunlight, but only twfc Jig-fit. • No warmth, but only dampness and cold Preachers and judges:-; ... Neverthelcssj-such can be the difference in-. points of. view, -when , we come to the ' ten-line self-epitaph of the "Rev. Lemuel Wiley"-we find that-worthy actually regarding ;liis- action in • tho "Bliss!divorce case as the one bright spot in his clerical career:. . 1 . -, ' I preached four , thousand sermons, I \ conducted forty revivals; And baptised many converts: ' l'et no deed of mine-:.-Shines brighter, in the' memory 'of tlio • world, -. " And none-is. treasured more by-me; ' Look how I saved the Blisses from divorce, And-kept tho ohildren free from tha.t disgrace, , To grow up .into moral men and women, Happy /themselves, a credit to the .village. .- Then .we. have the village laundress, Mrs.-Kessler, who, from her prosaic employment can.,deduce a whole ■'philosophy, of life of her/own. She says: • Mr. Kcsieivyou know, was.-in tho army,,. And he drew .six : dollars' a mouth as a pension, And 'stood .on the corner talking polities; Or sat at home reading "Grant's Memoirs," And I supported the family by washing, Learning (he secrets of all the .people. . From ibeir curtains, counteiipdncs, shirts -and skirts.- ;..; For - things-', that '-aie^,'new grow old at length- '. : - They're ' replaced :.with; better- ;or "none at all: ' - - ' ' .. People are prospering or. falling back, And rents and palchf-s widen-with'time. Wo thread or needle can pace decay, And there are stains' that baTfle-"soap," And there are. colours', that run in spite of you, . Blasjed though • you-'are'4or epoiliii s - a dress, ■ ■ HandkerohiefS; iiapery;' have their secrets— The laundress, Life, knows. : .'&U about it-;-' And I,- who'went to'.all tho-funerals : ~ Held -iu: Spoon River, swear I never Saw; a dead face. without - thinking it ; looked - : . liiko something washed and ironed. '.In common with all communities, Spoon River had its Pharisees ami hypocrites, • p u t in the grave the': mask is ruthlessly torn off. So that "John M. Church*' tells us: .' I was attorner for the "Q," And the. indemnity Company which insured The owners of tho mine. - .with.judffe and jury," nr*t, courts,v to beat the claims UI the crippled, t-ho widow and orphan, ' Ana made a fortune thereat. Tho bar association kang my praises ! In a- resolution, ' But the rats devoured, my hea-rt, •- And a. snako made its, nest in my skuli. Some of the stories,deal with rather impleasant subjects, aiul here and there may be. the realism--of .tho author i a 4 oilond the over-fastidwus. But the ri'g ged:-- sinoeritj-, the self-evident truth of these pen portraits—these transcripts. from life, this comodie. • humaiue,'. as it were 1 of the little Western town—is singularly "compelling. Mr. Masters's verse mav perhaps, owe somotliingi.-in'' stylo to' Whitl lnnii, but his methods are " mainly his own, and lie must be credited with,having produced one of the. most-curiously original and striking books we have had' from America for -some years past, (New Zealand price, Cs.) ' TWO HEALTH BOOKS. To tho useful and deservedly popular Health Series (Methuen and Co.), the publisliers have recently added hvo volumes, J"- to , Live long," by J.. IV. ; Carr, M.D., and "The Health of., tho'.Skin,-'- Jiy ueorge -Periiet, M.1)., in which, ns in previous of tho series, a largo amount of valuable information is conveyed in an interesting and popular form. JJr., tan- maintains that in spite of tho number :of outside influences, a .'mail is still largely the nutlior of his own destiny, and can lengthen or shorten his days according to his own .good sense and care, or. want of it.. It is with the rules of' general, health day by day that the book deals and by the . 'avoidance, as far as possible, of technical medical terms, the author- succeeds in bringing his advice; well withm tlie practical'and-useful-com-prehension of aiiy ordinarily well-cducated Teader Moderation in all things is, ho evidently,-thinks, tlio golden rule for health, and upon this text, in his final chapter tlie author gives us a discourso • at once pleasantly philosophical . and souuiay wise. ' Dri Pornet*s work 16 that of. a specialist writing on his own special subject, and nothing that concerns tlie hu.man skin is overlooked in his useful little

book. The principal maladies of the skin, their treatment, and possible cure are set forth in detail, and manicure, massage,and shampooing find a place. (N.Z. price. Is. 6d. per volume.)