LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 28, 27 October 1917, Page 13

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

"Doreen." . From Messrs. Aligns and Robertson, Sydney, come three pretty little booklets, especially suitable for Christmas gifts for Australian soldiers at the front. One, entitled "Doreen," contains four new poems by C. J. Dennis, whose "Sentimental Bloke" and; "Tho Moods of Ginger Mick" have been so popular. The new verses depict certain episodes in the domestic life of "the Bloke" ami his faithful Doreen, now settled, far from the crowded streets of Melbourne, on a fruit farm. They are very happy, but occasionally there conies some slight rift in the domestic lute. There is a little dispute over the chopping of somo "kindlin' wood," and as to who left an axo lying about, for little Bill to cut his thumb with, also a difference of opinion as to the ordering of a piano. But "The Bloke's" philosophy—"l've married a woman"—and Doreen's good heart, always to be touched by kindness, straighten things out very quickly. "The Bloke's" sufferings from "sciatikcr," and Doreen's capacity as nurse, are described with much humour:

But I'm married to a woman, r,u', 1 gives yeh my straight tip, It makes a man fed glad uv' it when sickness gits a grip; 'Er looks is full uv tenderness, 'or ways is lull uv love. An' 'er touch is like a blcesin* as slie gently bezels abovo; VEr speech is firm, bill motberiif, cr manners strict but mild; Yer 'er 'usband, an' 'cr patient, an' 'er little ornhin child. When yer marri'd to a woman an' yer feeliq' well an' right; When yer frame is full uv ginger au' yer mouth iB full uv skite. Then yeh tork about the "missus" in an orf'aud Eort.uv way. She's 'andy in the 'ouse if she don't 'avo much to 6ay, But when Oto Man Sciatiker, > does jyeh up reel neat. Then she's yer own reel mate, she is, an' all yer 'ands an' feet. An' so' Doreen, she nurses mo while 1 lie there an' grouch:. Fer 1 am snarKy when I tumble that it ain't me dyin' couch; I barks al 'cr. an' snarls at 'er, an' orders 'er about, An' nearly wears the feet orf 'er wiv trotlin' in an' out. Au' while 010 Man Sciatiker, V 'as me in 'is sway, Doreen, she jist gives in to me—an' alwus gets 'or way. It is good to know that "The Bloke" can still .he as sentimental a.-; lie was in his "courtin' " days. There 1 is a little set of verses, entitled "Vi'lehs,'' which quite delightfully proves this, nut all the four poems aro very charming in their way. Mr. Hid Gye contributes some appropriate illustrations. (Price. Is.) Australian Fairy Stories. Messrs. Angus and Robertson also send me two attract ively-got-up bookltts, entitled, respectively, "Uum Nut Babies'' and "Gum Blossom Babies," words and pictures by Miss May tiibhs. The author provides some very ingenious and. pretty scenes, in which children and • various denizens of the Australian bush take •part. Her tiny, kiddies are drawn in many varying positions, 'possums, frogs, native bears, and various Australian birds sharing in their quaint adventures. These are really Australian fairystories in miniature, and display rich 'powers of imagination on the part of the author artist. As Christmas gifts for children, these booklets should have a great vogue, (Price, Is. each.)

Wilkie Collins. A correspondent ("H.P.") ha.s written to thank "Liber" for the list of "twelve old novels well worth leading" which was published in these columns a lew weeks ago. She says: "I could only get live out of the eight I had not read, but I specially enjoyed 'The Moonstone,' by Wilkie Collins, and agree wilh you that it is one of the best mystery stories ever written. What others of Wilkie Collins's books could you recommend ?" Weil, "1 would not presume to dictate," as ill'. Jingle renmriied. when suggesting the menu ior the dinner w'liion cue grateful Pickwickians bad ottered him when tney arrived at Koeuestci', but I might suggest that my correspondent should read what is generally admitted tu bf Collins's masterpiece,,."'l he Woman in AVhite," the central figure'(the villain) in which, the rascally Italian adventurer, l-uuiit I'usco, is to my mind a wonderful hit of character drawing. "No Name" was also one of my lavourites when J whs a novel-devouring youth, but principally because the. background is the line old city ot Yoi'k, near which. I lived. Then there is ''Armadale," a highly-sensational: story, which J. can well remember coming out as a serial in "The Cornhill Magazine." If I remember rightly, the villain of this novel was a governess, Miss Gwiit by name, an astonishingly clever and horribly ingenius (criminally) sort of lady. Other successlul novels by Collins were "After Dark," which Dion Boueicauit (I think it was) dramatised very successfully, but which L have never read, and "Man and Wife," in which Collins made a bitter and ralher silly attack on athletes. Collins's strong point was his plots. Eoth his "AVmuan in. White" and his "New .Magdalen" had big runs as plays. .Many New Zealanders will remember the Into AVybert Reeve's iine flmracler study of "Count Fosco." Jn

"The New Magdalen" the famous English actress Ada Cavendish made a big hit. Janet Achurch produced the play in New Zealand. It is generally undefctood that it was due to Wilkie Collins's influence that Dickens wrote "The Tale of Two Cities." curiously enough the most mi-"Dickenjsv" of all" Dickens's stories. Collins, it is said, made several valuable suggestions as to the plot. lie was one of Dickens's most intimate friends, and collaborated with "Box" in "No Tliorouahinro.-" To latter-day literary tastes AVilkie Collins's methods may appear a little slagcv. But he was a bom story-teller, and to-day. when new novels are scarce, the best of his work is well worth looking up.

Stray Leaves. ■or,*iiqn« }som uoaq 3aoi| suisiouuo HSMfi' piiß 'o[us ati.rai >: 3ui,vm( si uoi.-|ipo uujia.ikiv 3i|j, 'oj l>uu'uoi[uu 'J - a •s.issiji; S([ poiisjiquci 2uiaq si .t'IRWJi 's[ooqpireii .lurwtoU a'jua ,irti| p uom'po i|ii(dio atpi 4<:i[:( oui s\\v\ 'A<!;> ,[d(||ii OI|) 111 SU.tt 01|Al •u.'jiii;:».sui|;>'.(ii vsiu;) ouajoji SSIjJ

Mr. H. CI. Wells's latest novel, "Tho Soul of a Bishop," was to have been published in London on September 12 by Messrs. Cassell and Co., so that copies should soon be available here. Air. Wells's much, discussed book, "God, the Invisible King," should have been on sale here soveral weeks ago, but tho New Zealand supply has been held up in Melbourne as a consequence, of Ihe silly and wicked strike, on (ho other side.

Gilbert i'miikau (son of the Into Mrs. Julia T'rankau. tho well-known novelist and author of that wonderfully-clever parody of "Don .luan" and "One of liiO'lins! been r,i the front for some timo now, and recently got \im captaincy. Last year he published a little book of war poems, "With the Guns," which was well reviewed. A new volume of war poems from his pen, entitled "The Cily of Fear," is now announced by Chatlo and VVinrlus. ~ Amongst new 'novels lo bo published by Messrs. Cnssoll. 1 notice "a family romance from Hainpstoad," "The 1 rce of Heaven," by (bat clover writer, May Sinclair; "The lioad to Mandalny, a storv of smuggling and German inU'igiie in Burma, by the veteran Anglo-Indian

novelist, .\hs. B. ST. Croker; "Wolf Lure," the scene of which is laid in Franco a century ago, by those always eutorlaining writers, Agnes and Egerton Castle; and a new animal romance by James Oliver Curwood, entitUl "Son of Kazan," being a sequel to "Kazan the ftolf Dog." "Bartimeus," whoso lively sketches of the Navy have been so popular, has written a fuil-length novel, "Tlio Long Trick," dealing with tho life of the Royal Navy during the present war. Cassells publish the book.

The Rev. \V. Tudor Jones, at one time well known in connection with the "Unitarian Church in Now Zealand, is publishing a new theological work, "The Reality of God." When Mr. Tudor Jones was in Wellington he was a devoted admirer and expounder -f the theological views of Rudolf Euckcn and Professor Harnack. 1 wonder what ho thinks 10-dny of his fonfter idols: Both HarnackandEuckcn have proved themselves complete traitors tu the cause of religious freedom and political honesty. One of Euckcn's most recent utterances) runs thus: ''We will not in the t'uturo let foreign idols be forced upon us, but will servo our own gods! Both ho and Hamack have most basely and wantonly misrepresented England and the cause of the Allies.