LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3136, 14 July 1917, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Answers to Correspondents—•H.J.J.Y. (Palmerstoh North)- Tlianks for letter. Thfi "Caxtona ,, ie an old favourite of mine, and 1 would print the pasaisje, but for space limitations. C.r.,1. Hewora: Thanks for siiggcstion, but so'space to dc.nl will) matter at present. J.B.H. (Hult): In '".Everyman's Jj\brat.v,". Is. 6d.

"Reflections on Victory, and How (o Secure it Now," by Arthur Capcl (T. Werner Laurie). lir. Capel, ivlio has sorrpd pighteon months at the front, a<lvocattw an extended spstem of federation. Ifis leading oJa.in3 is that, ire and our AJliw a,re virtuajlr a. ,fe<loration, that we havo Shown our "will to cn-oporato" bx "mixing our blood together,"' and that il: would bo folly to go back to lh« old system of balance cf pmrcr, with itg fcciirriiig certainty of war. Therefore, ho calls for an immediate convention "of representatives -nominated bf tho Goynnunente of the Dominions and tho Allies for the purpose of drafting a plan for a. federation of the British Empiro niul the.Allies," this federation to bo used as on instrument for bringing about and propnrvinß peace by inritiug neutrals tojoin and eventually including thosn of our onoroies who havo an earnost and sinccrv desire for -peace. Tho author, girre us a seriea of interentiug'historical studies, all bearing directly or indirectly on' tho question of combination to prevent war. Mr. Oapel points to the greatly superior birth-Tat© in Garmany as an.-argument against the thoory that tho power of can be 6nally broken by Iho Allioe, and eridondy l»lengs la tto Lo-wes DicTceneon whool of political students who sro opponed to tho "puuis.li. nient" of Germany. Whilst; eireption may bo taion to certain details of hin scheme as being unworkabln. fhpre is much in his book (o provide useful Ihonghl; and discussion. (Price 2s. fill.)

Slray Loaves. English novels are in short supply nowadays in the New Zealand bonlUhops, whUet of American fiction, of a, sort, there is a surfeit. The reason for thin appears io be thai a. large proportion of 1.1)6 former are nnt issued in colonial editions. The local booksellers 101 l nir (hey cannot sell English novels in (heir original form (they are mostly published nowadays at from 1 Ss. net, nliich tnciiuj Us.- fid. in tho Dominion), and only pronirn them fo order. Quitp a number of ;;ood novels are being published in Lon« dou, war or no ivar, as anyono ran eeo who reads tho reviews in "The Tinier" Literary Supplement, but only a. small proportion of them ;iro issued in colonial edition?, hero sold at four shillings. The reason for not issuing colonial editions in irreatcr numbers may bn accounted fm- |o fomo cxlont by tho shortago of paper, bill, apparently this obstarln does not prevent us Kct.l.inc a lot: of scnrmilratr. slufl' wliir.h inisht very \vi>ll lip Infl. »nw>iiPd in Uin ioloma.l form. Me.n.Ti-whilo Ilicro is a posilivn floor! of American novnk mostly of I lie highly efotimontiil kind. Ihoush published in America. a.l. 1 dollar 2.H rents to I dollar 50 cenb (ss. to Bs.). a.ro nil sold her* at tho Don- r*gulflr price. U,r colonial cditione, namely, is., iKsuryl in fliaotlj- thoHßine form en in tho States:. If ih -payo Um j\mfirir,a.n publisher lo do this, one iron! , ! iraajiuo liiu

British riv.il could, follow the- «mc course.

The 6ncond pri?.n in Hodder and ■Sloiirhfon's thniisand; guineas prizo novel wmpotilinn whs accorded to H. Jlufsihvc lor a ftory <-alled "Jlyola." Tho story, which deals with New Zealand life, hifi juit been publiphcd in London, and copice may Ixi expoote<l here very shortly. If i« litly yeai's since IMioda lon publitsncd her lir.3*- novel, Up as a Flower," which, as did itn suctctwor, "Red as a Hose, .is Sha," oujoyed nil immense vuguo.' J>u«l ieviowjr» arn praising a nen- n(ory l>s r tho veteran. ■'A.Thorn in the Flesh"' is"ilin title. 'J'ho '"J'iinns" ißviewor cipeolf.s of '.'the inipcrifihabio vigour, humour, and irony uf i>l iss Hrmijihlon." Auioriuiu papers po inlo mild ewtacie.s iiver a collection f>l short stories, "Ueoi, Iron, and Wine,'' by Jock Lait, torinorly «i reporter on the- Chicago "Horaltl." Mr. Lait is crelitwl with biiriiiK written a story for every day of t'h W(H>k for 1 over a year, tho length varying from 1500 to ttOM words. 'I no quality of th stories now published varies greatly, but at hife bcot Lait is quite, jjood, although as 1111 imitator of (j. Henry's method the discijilo' Jn tar bohiud tnu musiur. Homo papor.s record tho death at his favourite .liamsgiito, where- ho had lived , since hi.s retirement from tho editorship of "Punch," of Sir I'rancis Uurnand. In hi* younger, days Bnrnand was an industrious iKiiiptor of French plays, and waa the author of several burlesques, of which "Ulack-oycfl Susan" was the beat; known. His burlesque novels wero clever productions. "iStrapmoro," by "AVeeder," was perhaps tho most successful of thesn efforts, but his best work was the "Happy Thoughts" series, which came out in ".Puuch," and when ropriuleil had a large sale.

Another death of which 1 read in the Homo papers is that of Mr. William Wordsworth, who was the eldest surviving grandson of tho poet. Hβ liad lived for many years in Italy, at tho beautiful island of Capri, wintering, however, nt Home. Be was α-fine classical scholar and a poet whoso works (especially his sonnets) wero greatly admired by tho select few who read thorn. No Ices an authority than Jliitthew Arnold describe*! 0110 of his sonnets as UlO finest in the English language. The author always refused, to publish them, his roason being tho similarity of his name with that of hi.i-. grandfather. Cassclls will publish very shortly a work whitih is , expected, to causo 11 sensation on ■ both sides of tho Atlantic. This is an account of his experiences in Germany by Jlr. Gerard, lato American Ambassador at Berlin*. Soino startlim* disclosures as to the diplomatic ntgtods of tho Hun nro expected.

The lCt. Hon. George'W. B. Kussoll, ■whoso "Collections and Hccolleotions" and other books of Victorian reminiscences hiiTo been so popular, lias written a "Memoir" of the lalo Arthur Stanton, commonly known as Father Stanton, who was Vicar of St. Albans, Holborn, and a very prominent figiiro amonßst the English Eitualists. Tho biographer's cousin, tho Eov. E. F. Bnssell, was a euroto at St. Albnns, from 18« V to 1913.