BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2920, 4 November 1916, Page 13

BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

3 'I (By Liber,) ■if ■- - -- -— . . i 11 .* ■. i Give a man a pipe Tie can smoke, Give a man a booh he can read; ' y And his home is bright with a calm, delight Though the room be poor indeed. —James Thomson.

BOOKS OF THE DAY A GREAT POSTAL REFORMER. The late Sir John Henniker Heaton pever realised his ambition of bringing about a universal penny postage, but it was undoubtedly due to his persistant energy over a period of close upon .twenty years that a British Imperial penny postage was established, a booh which was afterwards extended to the .United States. Never, outsido his own ■particular hobby of postal reform, a tfery prominent politician. Honnikor, Heaton. was extremely popular with 'his follow members of tho House of [Commons. "Tho member for Australia," as he was often called, waa in many ways an interesting personality, tend his biography, "The Life and Letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton, Bart," written by his daughter, Mrs. 'Adrian Porter, and published by Mr. John Lane, makes, on the whole, very good reading. Born in the old Kentish bity of Rochester, so familiar to readers of "Pickwick" and "The..Mystery lof Edwin Drood," Heaton was the son nf Colonel Heaton, of an old Lancashire family, his mother being a Kentish lady. At sixteen, being of an adventurous spirit, young Heaton went to (Australia. ' He had somo unprofitable experiences in connection.with tho mining and sheep-farming industries, but finally discovered his true metier in jour'Jialism. His first billet was on a small .'paper at Parramatta. Next came the editorship of a Goulburn paper, with 'the Biirely predestined title "The Penny !Post."_ Finally he moved into Sydney laud joined the staff of the "Town and Country Journal," owned, with the Sydney "Evening News," by Mr. Samuel Bennett, whose daughter Mr. Heaton married in 187& becoming in time !j>art proprietor of his father-in-law's Newspapers, hoth exceedingly valuable properties. He remained in Australia 1884, standing for Parliament in |1882, but being defeated by a small jnajority. In England he threw in his poilitioal lot with the Conservative Party, and at the general election of 1885 was elected for Canterbury, holding that tooA for twenty-sit years, when ill--health caused him to retire from Parliament at the dissolution of 1910; Naiturauy, special attention is paid by his j'tnographer to her father's work as a f postal reformer. His title by common consent was that of "Father of Imperial Penny ; Postage." It was largely lowing to' his exertions "that the cost of fabling to different parts of the world rwas very • greatly reduced. Imperial penny. postage first came into force on Christmas Day, ■ 1898, Anglo-American postage was won. by Heaton in 1908, &nd an Anglo-Australian penny postage was established'. a few years ■ later. I'Four times Heaton refused a R.C.M.G.. ■.hut he accopted the,baronetcy offered lAui while visiting Australia. .Although never missing an opportunity ;ior pressing upon successive- Governments the importance of postal reforms,. Heaton never bored the House, | Biicthis personal popularity, aided no doubt by his generous hospitality,'and his unfeignedlv genial nature, was picat. His friends included men such as larnell, to. whom, politically, he was Strongly opposed, and many interesting anecdotes of Parliamentary life find, a place in his biography; t°n ioUS e * am l )l0 of Parnell's retaaikabo powers of detachment: is ftuoted by Mrs. -Porter. After making brief speech, m the House denying ..the authorship of tho letters forged by the notorious Pigott, * the Irish leader walked out, and meeting Heaton 111 the lobby, immediately buttonholed , an d the pair engaged in an anirtWir nVerSatioll - J Everybody thought . laruei] , V as persuading Heaton to deaend him to. his Australian friends. As a matter of fact' Parnell, who was ini t a being Jnado to find gold m the Wicklow Mountains, had noticed iij an afternoon paper that a "mountain ■ of £ j\i h '} d „ b ?? l i discovered in Australia, and that H.H. had received some specimens. Heaton, said tho report was Siue and gave Parnell a wineglassful jot the' crushing." On that day week, almost at tho same hour, the • Irish leader again appeared in tho lobby, and Walking up to Heaton, said, smi'lingly, i have analysed-thoso specimens, and ■ting go thirty-two ounces to tho ton." *i.H.said he was wrong. Parnell took irom Ins pocket a scrap of paper and read, "twenty-seven ounces of gold land five ounces of silver." This agreed jexactly with the analysis of Messrs Johnson, Matthey and Co. Parrieli 'explained: "I tako an interest in the matter. I have a small workshop, to tost the minerals in the mountains at ; ill lcklow, some portion of which I own.' Wlien - opponents thought his .political career was at an end, Parnell ;Jvas quietly working in a laboratory The least concerned of all men. Heaton was very fond) of wintering ( Jn the Biverina, and, although no gambler, frequently visited Monte 't it, . remember seeing ■Jjord Randolph Churchill being denied .entrance to the Casino because he was wearing brown boots; while another .Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr 'Lloyd George, met, tho same fate because he wore a Norfolk jacket. He iwas particularly fond of telling the old story of the nian at Monte Carlo "t>? ■ ro J? I? 0 ? 1 tables muttering • Ruined. Ruined! as lie staggered out ™ "l e A minute later a shot .was fired m the gardens and the officials, I '™! out. found the man lying; in the middle of the putli with a smoking re--jrolver in his hand. In accordance with custom the officials stuffed his pockets jwilh bank-notes ere they went to get assistance. The moment'they were out of sight the "corpse" rose to his feet, and re-entered the Casino. Tho indignation of the officials can be imagined ■when, after a hue and cry, they finally .discovered him playing a winning game of rouge ot noir with their money, secure in tho knowledge that they dared not arrest him!

Some of the numerous letters written by Henniker Heaton to successive 'Postmasters-General and the official replies thereto, which are quoted in the liooli, are very amusing. In 1891 Heaton compiled a long list showing Jtlio haphazard methods of tho Telegraph Department in charging some words as one word and others as two words, or even throe. Here aro some 'curious examples:— One Word. Two Words. iCpstairs. Downstairs. JCan't, won't, don't. Shan't. South Stain ley South Hampton Court. Hampton. Wick. A further list of anomalies, published in 1001, includes: One Word. Two Words. St. I'aucnis. - Charing Cross. r.M. JI.P. Steamship. S.S. St. Peter. Peter St. Mow Brighton New Bronghton. iTwenty-five. Twenty five. Ivcedlemaker. Cabinetmaker. Amongst Beaton's favourite yaj'ns — lie was famous for Ilia big stock of amusing anecdotes—was that of an announcement?. tbafc appeared in the London .newspapers .(by_;;.cable) to the effect that the wife of a certain Governor of ■ Australia had given birth to twins, tho eldest of which was « son. This announcement evoked unqualified aston-

ishment among their Excellencies' frionds. Explanations were demanded, and as a result it was found that the cable; "Governor twins first son," was a misreading of "Governor turnsfirst sod," the^. message being concerned with the ceremonial opening of some railway. Tho hook contains a number of interesting; portraits, illustrations, and facsimiles of letters, etc. (N.Z. price, 10s, 6c1.). John oxenliam as Poet, Mr. John Oxenham, so well known as a novelist, bids fair to achieve an evon greater popularity as a writer of verse of a strongly religious character. Of his first little book of poems, "Bees in Amber," over 100,000 copies have been sold, and its successor, "All's Well," has enjoyed an almost equally decided success. A third collection of Mr. Oxenham's verse is now before me, "The King's Highway; Some More Helpful Verso" (.Methuon and Co.). In his prefatory remarks the author, after declaring that "the end of the present world-strife must and will mark also the end of the most monstrous tyranny and the most hideous conception of

'kultur' the world has ever seen," reminds us that "unless on the ashes of the past we build to nobler purpose, all our gallant dead will have been thrown away; all this gigantic effort, with all its inevitable horror and loss, will have been in vain." To render impossible such a calamity, "it behoves everyone of us, each in his and her own sphere, and each in his and her own way, to strive with heart and soul that the future shall repair the,past, that out of this holocaust of death shaU come new life." : And so, in one of his new poems we find him writing: Tho earth is ploughed with sorrows, Scored to tho bone her quivering breut with deep red furrows; Furrows that ache for healing and for rest. Sow now the fair seed of righteousness, Justice and mercy, honour, and good faith— And ye shall -harvest fruitfulnoss and peace Even from these fields of death.

To- those who have lost their dear ones the poet offers words of comfort such as these: Think not of any one of them as wasted Or to the void like broken tools outcasted— Unnoticed, unrejretted, and unknown. Not so is Hi 3 care shown. Know this! . In God's economy there is no "waste, As in. His worlc no slackening, no liaste; But noiselessly, without a sign, The ■measure ,of His vast design Is all fulfilled exact as He has willed. Ho unto Himself has taken these, Not to tlicir loss but to their vast increase,'. ■ : To us—the.loss, the emptiness, the pain; But unto tiicm— all high eternal gain. Many beautiful and inspiring thoughts are enshrined in Mr. Oxenham's powei- 1 ful verse, tho note of which, though ever heartening, is one of insistence upon tho truth and comforting power of tho Christian's belief. "The King's High Way" is a little volume which should bring solace and comfort to many a suffering, anxious soul in these dread days of war. (N.Z. price, Is. Gd.) From Messrs. Methuen and Co. I have also received a new edition, with eight coloured illustrations by Mary Bredall, of Mr. Oxenham's first and best-known poems, "Bees in Amber." In their new and attractive form theso poems should attain an even wider popularity than that they have alruady aonieved. In its dainty white cloth binding the new edition is specially suitable for presentation purposes.

"Nelson's History of the War." In the thirteenth volume of "Nelson's History of the War" (Nelson and Sons; per Whitcombe and.Tombs), Mr. John Buchan gives an interesting resume of the naval operations during the last few months of 1915, and describes the "winter's war in the air," with special reference to how the British air service rose to the occasion and laid the foundations of that pre-eminence over the enemy which wo now possess, and which has been of such signal assistance to ns on the Sorame and elsewhore. In othor chapters the conquest' of the Cameroons and tho Russian success at Erzerum aro dealt with, but tho most interesting feature of tho volume is the lengthy and wonderfully detailed st-ory of tho first battle of Verdun; In viow of what has happened at Verdun during the last fortnight Mr. Buchah's explanation of tho way in which the -Freuch coped with the first of the German onslaughts, that- which began early in tho new year and lasted well into April, is most useful in helping us to -understand exactly what was achieved by the French last week. The maps and diagrams in this volumo are, as usual, numerous and intorosting. They include a long bird's-eye viow of tho Verdun, country by Louis Trinquier. For this map alone tho book is well worth buying. The appendices includo statements made by Air. Balfour on "The Froodom of the Seas"; by Elihu Root, the famous American statesman, on "The Responsibilities of Freedom"; also Sir Edward Grey's speech on tho policy of blockade; the reply of the Foreign Office to the American Note of November, 1915; and General Dohell's dispatoh describing tho conquest of tho Can^eroons.