SOME RECENT VERSE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2908, 21 October 1916, Page 13

SOME RECENT VERSE

' •'The Moods of Ginger Mick." iin' Ginger Mick wus vulgar. 'Strnth! ' When things wus gettin' slsw J E took to 'awkin' rabbits, w'ich is very, ; very low— , 'B if-us the sort o' bloko to watch ivlion ; 'e come in yer gate: rS 'ad a naisty fightin' face that oil nice people 'ate. But 6pito.uv orl 'is 'tilkin' frame an' langwidga flowin' freo. I seen the thing inside uv Mick that inade 'im good to me. - An' spite uv orl the sneerm' tbts tliat > leery blokes imploy, I knoo 'im jist fcr 1 wot: 'e wus—a big eoft-'earted boy. . . I intra juice irne cobber 'ere; an' don't make no ixcuse ' To any culchered click tlwt it's a peb I intrajuice. . I dunno wot 'is ratin was in this 'ere i toshul plan;: . ; j I only know, inside o' rat, I intrajuice a man. - - ' • - J ■ The above three stanzas are taken from the Introduction to a volume of verse, "Moods of Ginger' Mick," by C., J. Dennis, an advance copy of .which, in unbound, sheets, has Kindly, been sent me by the publishers, Messrs. 'Angus and Robertson, through Messrs. ,f. P. Shand and Co.. Ltd., Cuba Street. All who know the delightful verso in which "The Sentimental Bloke" sang of his fights, his loves, the varying joys and woes'of his life, will remember the freciuont references therein to one Ginger Mick, a bosom; friend—or cobber, as tlie Bloke called him, of' Mr. Dennis's hero. In. his new volume if is Ginger Mick,' tlie rough-spoken, rou-jher-mawiered, "barrer" man, "rabbit' '-awker," iero of many a Homeric contest in'Spadger's Lane, "off littlo Lon," the dread of the "Chows," the f.efier of : the ; "Johns," who occupies tlie centre of the stage. His old friend, "Hie' Sentimental Bioko," tells of how Mick camo to go to the front, of his experiences in Egypt, and at Gallipoli,. and not' only shows us the gradual development into a "first-felass fightin' main" of tho erstwhile "push" hero, but: describes in his own. homely freedom of language, the moral evolution ;of his "cobber," 'At first,. Mick is very doubtful about the "call." ?E sez to me, "Wot's orl this flam in' war? •The papers torks u.v. nothin' else but .scraps. 'An' wofs ole England' got snaka-'eaded , for? • 'An'- Swot's the strength uv: callin' out • our chaps?" ?E sen to me, "Strath-! Don't she rule the • sea? 'Wot does she want wiv us?"- 'o sez,to

' The "Sentimental BIoEe" enlightens him a-little on. the subject _ of the Huns, and Gingor Mick is visibly impressed. ~ ,1 tells 'im irot I reads about tie 'Uas, An' wot they done in Beljiim. an' in

France,. jWiv drivin' Janes and kids before their

guns, • ... [&n' never givin'* blokes a stray dawg'-B

'■ chance; .-■■•._.• !Aii' W they think they've got .the ole '.. world beat.' •'■■."'■: :"' Eez J e, "I'll the first Dutch cow :• I meet."....',...... -„, . ■~. ~. . -

>' Finally, Mick'hoars and heeds "The 'Call of Stoush." •."'.

i\Vhy did 'e go? T3 'ad a decent job. 'Is tart an' 'iin they could V made it

- right. - " ' : ■' IWhy does a wild bull fight to guard the

•' mob? Why. docs a' blooinin' bull-ant look for : .figW? Why does a rooster scrap an' flap an' • 'crow? ?E went becos 'o dam well 'ad to go!

Tl'he call wot came to cave-men in. tho days When rocks wus etylish in tie scrappin' '. lino; The call wot knights 'card in the min- • slrcl's lays, That sent 'em in tin soots to Palestine; 'i'he call wot draws all fighters to the . • fray, Jt come to Mick,-, an'- Mick 'e must obey. The Call uv' Stoush! ; . .\. It's older ; than .tho -ills. '.'..-'■ loTin' an', fightin'-'there's no more to ' tell •, ■■•: ■,'■,- ; : , ■■'.'■ • Concerning men. An' when that feeling :' thrills . - -' ' -' ■■■ The blood uv' them Ws fathers mixed •. it well, ;'".. ';."," They 'avo to 'ded it—bein' 'ow they're built—. • 'As traders to J e"ed : the clink uv gilt. ; In the Kingdom of Khaki, Ginger SUiok finds the true Democracy. There was no room in tho Australian Expeditionary Push/' it is termed by the "Sentimental Bloke" and his "cobber"—for "side" and "swank." 'So the lumper, an' the lawyer an' the

chap 'oo shifted eahd,' They are cobbers wiv the cove 'oo drove ? a quill; .*'.• The knut 'oo swung a cane upon the

Block, 'e takes the 'and JUv the coot 'oo swung a pick on Broken

• '111; And Privit Clord Augustus drills wiv Private Snarky Jim— . " - ' Thoy are both Australian 6oldiers, w'ich is good enough fer 'im.

Ginger Mick, like so many others, at first Inds discipline and drill rather trying. He soon -tires of _ "Egyp's burning sand." But tho grit in him comes out, and h© writes in highest spirits to his old friend the Bloke:. ."Ifs a game lad," writes ole Ginger. It's a. game I'm likin' grand, An' I'm tryin'ler a stripe to "fill in time. I 'ave took a pull on shicker fer the honour uv inoilana. An' I'm unipy round the chest an,' feelin'prime. iYoh kin tell Rose, if yeh see 'er, I ser- . loots 'er o'er the'foam, . An' we'll 'ave a cray for supper when I comes a-marchin' 'orne; At Sari Bair tho found the "stoush" they had been longing for in tlioso dreary weeks: . , . . ... the days we drilled at Mena in (lie shadder uv tho,Sphinx, and it was at Sari Bair that Ginger Mick found out that a man may bo a ■"torf": '."E wears perjarmers an' 'e cleans 'is . teeth!" and nevertheless be the bravest of the brave. All through the voyage Mick had been much annoyed by one Keith, who, he considered, "put on jam." It come about like this: Mick spragged 'im first, iFer swankin' it too much aboard the ■ ship. ? E 'ad nice manners an' 'o never cursed; iWhieh set Mick's teeth on edge, as you •iy tip. ■Likewise 'e 'ad two silver brushes, w'ich Ms muimna givo Mm, 'cos 'e fancied sich. •Mick pinched 'em, not, as you will understand, [Becos uv any base desire fer loot, But just becos, in that rough soljer • band, r p'liem silver-backed arrangements didn t

!An' etiket must be observed always,, (They fetched ten driuks in Cairo, Uin- ' ger says). .... ! They have a set 40, Keith being neat jji his boxing, but hardly class enough

for the' champion of Spadger's Lano. They are friends after that.Still pride o'class kept 'ein from gcttin' thick; ! It's 'ard to get right next to Ginger Mick. > • In the trenches, however, enlightenment comes to both, for Ginger,, who : . . . . gets it solid in the neck, , An' flops, an' counts on passin.' "in Ids check, is watched over by tlie ex-dandy of Collins Street, who point-blank refuses ' to leave him and secure his own safety. . "I'm an Australian," he says, and binds Mick's wounds and finds his way . once and for all to Mick's heart. And so in duo course we find the "Sentimental Bloke" philosophising t!.us: ■ "I'm an Australian." Well it takes tho bun! It's got that soft spot in the 'eart o' Mick. But don't make no mistake, 'e don't gush none, Or come them "brother'ood" remarks too thick. ;. ,'E only writes, "This Keith's a decent ' coot, Cobber o' mine, an' white from cap to 'boot. "'E wears, perjariuers an' 'e cleans 'is teeth; The sort o' bloke that Ginger once dispised! But once a man shows metal under- . neath, Cobbers is found, an' brothers reekernized, ■-..:. • ' ■ Per, when a bloke's' soul-clobber's shed in war, 'E looks the sort o' man Gawd meant 'im ; for: , -, , • ■ My quotations must come to an end, although I should much havo liked to tell, in tho wofos of his i faithful old friend., of the end of Ginger Mick, how he foil, after gaining .his corporal's stripes, in one of the bloody fights on Gallipoli, his lieutenant burying him down by. the beach, putting mimosa on tho mound of sand above nim. ..'■.. . 'Twas the nearest thing in Teach To golden wattle uv 'is native land. But never was the.fairest wattle wreath More golden than the 'cart uv 'im beneath. ... Tho officer's letter to the Bloke ends: "He was a gallant gentleman," an expression which puzzles the recipient of the letter not a little. Lord! Fancy 'im among the gentlemen! 'E wuz a man; that's good enough fer me, *Oo mis 'is cobber many years before 'E writ it plain fer other blokes to sea, An' proved it good an' plenty at the

TD wus a man; an' by the way 'e died 'E wus a, man 'is friend kiii claim wiv pride.

It -will bo seen that in "The Moods of Ginger Mick" Mr. Dennis fully maintains the high reputation he won by his "Songs of a Sentimental Bloke." The book is pocked full of humorous and pathetic touches, and is replete with a convinoing air of humanity and truth. It is a book which proves that kind. hearts, faithful friendship, heroic courage—all that is good ana noble in man—can rise.superior in the soul to all that is mean; and .base and sordid. It is a book of .which "Liber" at least can say it is a delight' to read, and which wikVbe treasured by those who buy it as a much-cherished possession. The book should be oh sale in New Zealand in a few. weeks' time. In view of the rapidity with' which the first edition of its predecessor went out of print, _ I strongly recommend my readers to give an advance order to their booksellers, so as to make sure of a copy when once the book is on sale. (Price 45.)

For Trflnoh Reading. Tho publishers of Mr. Dennis's immensely successful verses, "Songs of a Sentimental Bloke," and of Mr. Ogilvie's charming poems, "The Australian and Other Verses" (a review of ■which, is held over) nave had a happy thought in issuing a handy-sized pocket edition of each of these books, for sending to soldiors at the front. I could not well imagine a better and moro welcome gift for an Australian, or New Zealander, than one of these little volumes. There is no abridgement, the complete text of tho largersized editions being Tetained._ A similar edition of the "Ginger Mick" book will also be published. I havo received sample copies of these editions through Messrs. J. P. Shand and Co., Ltd., Cuba Street. •■-.-. Callipoli Days and Nights. To the already quite respectable pile of books dealing with the Dardanelles campaign has been added a little volume, "Gallipoli Days and Nights," by Trooper L. M'Oustra. (Hodder and Stqughton, "The Soldier Books"). The author was a member of Peyton's Division, originally a mounted corps, but which served" at Gallipoli as an infantry unit. After spending a day or two at Mudros and Lemnos, the division landed safely at Snvla Bay, advanced up the plain a, couple of miles or so, and then dug-in. Tho author gives a lively and interesting account of trench life, but adds little that is particularly novel. \ Dysentery hit the men vey had, at one time fully 80 per cent, of the regiment being in its throes. He praises the >Turk as a fighter, unless taken by surprise, when officers and men alike are more apt to lose their heads than Britishers. Life in the dug-outs was tedious at times, but there was a good deal of caul-playing. Says tho author:—

When we had lime oft" ■at night wo played whist in there. We found a little gloss bottle, filled it seventh-eighths with water and the other one-eighth with rifleoil. With a piece of wick (rifle rag) this made an excellent lamp. Our dug-out, in fact, became so popular that often at night wo had about seven or eight squashed in airing their viewa of various subjects. We had to levy toll of rifle oil on all visitors later on.

Tho author complains that "soldiers back from France," and many of tho public, are blissfully unaware of tho realities of life on the Peninsula, and have been apt to underrate the intensity of the struggle which went on at Gallipoli so many months. Tommy Atkins, from "Wipers," "does not," he says, "seem to understand that Atkins m Gallipoli was constantly in the trenches, and never got a real rest until he was afloat again. He has not experienced the supreme horror of dysentery, of which every man who has been a month on the Peninsula speaks with bated breath. "The fact," he adds, "that tho Suvla and Anzao forces failed in their endeavour should not bo detrimental to realisation in this country of the fortitude and enduranco shown there in the face of overwhelming odds." The book is strictly concerned with tho doings of the British divisions. Save for one brief reference to some Canadians, the overseas troops are not once mentioned. (Prico Is. Gd.).

Stray Leaves. Madamo Adam, the famous Vrcnch writer, who is credited with having been the inspirer of the FrancoRussian alliance* has republished her .striking story, of tho groat Russian

[General Skobeloff, "Tho Groat White i General," which first appeared thirt-v i years ago. Skobeloff's motto was "Tln> ! German—thero is the oncmy," and Madamo Adam's book exhibits his extraordinary provision of Gorman aims and ambitions. Mmo. Adam has no doubt that Bismarck caused Skobeloff to be murder.nl in Cijji,sequence of a speech delivered to a deputation of Serbs at Moscow, in which he foretold as inevitiiblo ilw 6tragglo between Slav and Teuton.

Liko his. friend, Mr. G. K. Clioslciton, Mr. Hilairc Belloc lias often sung the ( praises qf beer, JUid is credited — indeed in his writings ■ho not infrequently credits himself — with a distinct affection for Calvorley's, "modeiit quencher" in the shape- of a tankard of good honest alo. 'Ono of Ins favourite yarns, eo J. read ii: a Homo paper, is of a Sussex yeoman who rode up ow> aftomoon to a country inn and called for a pot of beer. Tho beer being brought ho drained it at a draught, and called for a second, to which ho applied similar treatment. He then,, so the veracious chronicler - records, alighted from his horse and wont into the inn, with the remark, "I'll have somo of that alo." The story may or may not bo correctly credited to Mr. Belloc, but "Liber" can well remember it as having heard it told, a good many, years ago now, of that excellent Yorkshire cricketor, and doughty trencherman, George TJlyatt, the scene being a wayside inn outside Ballarat.

Tho famo of Will Dysou, the clever young Australian artist, whoso "Kultur cartoons" made such a hit in Ixjudon, lias been increased by a second.series exhibited recently in London. One critic writes: "Dyson is, perhaps, one of tho most powerful Britons alive today. Pages of argument dry up beforo a few strokes of his inspired pencil; the mouthed periods of tho pacifist shrivel before his wit."