LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 81, 29 December 1917, Page 10

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Cermatty Under Three Empires,

Princess Catherine Rndziwill (Catherine Kolb-Danvin), the author of "Germany Under Three Empires" (Cassell and Co., per S. and W. Mackay), has written more than one interesting study of European international, politics, and her books have been specially valuable for the curious sidelights they have thrown on the inner history of the Hohenzollcrns and Habsburgs. Her enlightening study of Bavarian Court life, "The Tragedy of a Throne," written under the nom-de-plume of Hildcgarde Ebetitlial, was reviewed in these columns a few months ago. In her latest book, Princess Radziwill has produced an intimate and profound study of the dominating influences which have contributed to the making of tho present-day German Empire, and that most foul and abominable thing, Prussian militarism. A Russian by birth, the author's marriage with " Prince Radniwill took her to Berlin, where sho resided for some years, acquiring a personal acquaintance wth tho inner workings of Court and political i ; fo which has provided her with a rich store of interesting reminiscence, and has well h'tted her fortho task of writing modern German history. Her book is well planned, and gives a consecutive record of German Imperialism, and all that it has stood for in Eurone since the Franco-German War. The author first sketches the German-Aus-trian relations prior to 1870, showing how Bismarck's genius and unscrupulous cunning _ finally made. Austria. .. a more pawn in Germany's ambitious game. Nest, she traces the "process

iof union," under which the German States were slowly but surely welded into a union which roado Prussia tho predominant power in German politics, as it was in military organisation. The author then dcficribes tho growth and development of German militarism, , as a whole, and not as it had boon previous to 1870, mainly a «Prussian product, and ends by a dctr.ilcd examination of the disastrous effects of Kaiscrism, as it has found its latest and worst personification in Wilhelm tho Second. Tho narrative, in which reference is frequently made to hitherto unpublished documents, is punctuated by a long series of clover character sketches of German and Austrian royalties and statesmen, and throws much new and interesting light upon men and women who, opnnly or secretly, have played important roles in the history of tho Central Powers and tho relations of thoso Powers with oufcsjde States, moro particularly with Russia and tho Balkan countries. Many piquant anecdotes find placo in this very interesting and readable book. A series of fiuely-oxßcuted, full-page ■photogravure portraits of German royalties and statesmen adds greatly' to the interest of tho text. (N.Z. price 18s.) "A Bookman's Budget." ' It is doubtful whether the London buyers who select new books for tho New Zealand book trade will esteem Mr. Austin Dobson's latest production, "A Bookman's Budget," a probable good seller, so to make suro of a copy I should advise thoso of my readers who are "booky" people, and not merely novel (favourers, to order a copy at once. (English price, 3s. 6d.) Homo papers are loud in praise of Mr. Dobson's, book, which appears to be somewhat on the lines of the lato Frederick Locker's "Patchwork" (long, alas, out of print). Mr. Dobson's book is a collection of tit-bits of prose, and poetry and interesting literary . anecdotes (mainly eighteenth century), together with comments by tho compiler, and scraps of original verso from Mr. Dobson's own very graceful 'pen, the pen to which we owe the delightful light verse enshrined in "Old World Idylls" and "At the Sign of the Lyre." Judging by the reviews, "A Bookman's Budget" would seem to.be an ideal "dipping" or bedside book.

A Persian Philosopher. Thoso who remember what capital fun Mr. E. V. Lucas got out of that seemingly arid field, Dr. Giles's "Chineso Biographical Dictionary" will be glad to hear that in his latest book oi essays, "A Boswell of Bagdad," Mr. Lucas has made a • new and equally amusing iind in a biographical dictionary; written as far back as tho thirteenth century, by one Ibn Khallikan, a Persian litterateur and philosopher. Ibn Khallikan paid great attention to the wisdom of his contemporaries. His quotations from his fellow-writers are quite delightful. Thus, what better thing, has been said of friendship than the words of ono At-'filiami, who wrote:

In the company of noble-minded men tliero is always room for. another; Friendship, it is true, renders difficnlSbs easy; a house may be too small for eight persons, yet friendship will make it hold a ninth, j . Mr. Lucas quotes, too, one Ibn Faris Al-Razi, an Arabian philologor, who died before the Norman Conquest, as saying: Tiiey asked mo how I was. I answered: "Well, some things succeed and 6ome fail; when my heart is filled with oares I say, 'Ono day perhaps they may he dispelled.' A cat is my companion; books, the friends of my heart; and a lamp, my beloved consort." - ' The cat is still a favourito animal with many French literary men. Gautier and Baudelaire both adored cats, and Anatole France's readers know how the modern Voltaire esteems their company. Books in the Trenches. In that excellent war book, "L. of S." ("Lines of ComnmuicaUon"), Captain Agate, who, before the war, was dramatic critic for tho "Manchester Guardian,", has a very witty, if discursive, chapter entitled "A Choice of Books." The author's own choice of "a round dozen companionable books for a campaign" is, I nm afraid, hardly in,keeping with the literary tastes of the average British officer. It includes cisllt novels: "David Copperfiold," Balzac's "La Cousine Bette" anil "L'lllustre Gauclissart," Flaubert's "L'Education Sentimentale," Maupassant's "Bel Ami," H. G. Wells's "History of Mr. Polly," Conrad's "Lord Jim," and Laclos's "Les Liaisons Dnngerouses." I am afraid that, much as I love a good French novel, I can scarcely fancv. myself reading "L'Education Sentimentale" or "Les Liaisons Baiige'reuses" in tho trenches. Choderlos Laclos's book I once tried to read, but couldn't get through it, and surely if a Flaubert book is to be chosen it should be "Madame Bovary." Captain Agate, however, has tho courage of Ms opinions. Emerson and Matthew Arnold he regards as types of tho perfect prig, and he agrees.with some humourist who tried to prove that George Eliot ought to have been a policeman. •

There are some good stories in the '•Recollections, Literary and Political," of J. H. Balfour Browne, for many years a leading member of the British Parliamentary Bar. Here is an amusing anecdote about one of_ Mr. Lloyd George's experiences in Wales: Talking of liars. Mr. Lloyd George went down not long ago to speak in Walee; the Mayor 'of the town was in the chair. He introduced the present Prime Minister with .a few appropriate words. He said: "Gentlemen, Mr. Lloyd George has come to epeajc on Welsh Disestablishment, and especially to answer the Bishop of St. Davids. In my opinion, the Bishop of St. Davids is the greatest liar on the ,face of the earth. But, thank Heaven, gentlemen, xta have here to-night one that is a match for ■him." ' It is quite commonly assumed that tho majority of the town-bred soldiers will, when 'the war is over, refuse to return to their old sedentary occupations. The city cleric, it is assumed, will have got so used to an open-air life tliat he will want to be a farmer and so forth. This view, I notice, is ridiculed by Lance-Corpora\ Ward Jluir in his "Observations of an Orderly. "I never yet," ho eays, "met the man who, having tasted .the joys of roughing it, is determined not to return to a humdrum desk in an office; on tho contrary, that office and humdrum desk have now become this travelled adventurer's most roseate dream.' Lance-Corporal Jluir has a thrust at certain armchair .patriots:— "Perhaps," he says, "it is allowable to point the moral against tho shirker - discovering armchair patriots aforesaid; that no small proportion of our unit was composed of over-age recruit's who, instead or informing tho world nt large.; that they wished they were younger, And, by Gad, I envy the lads their chanco to do anything in tho country's cause, did not rest until they had found an opening-" < Tho partnership of E. 0. Somerville ami "Tuartin Ross" (authors/of a long series of humorous Irish stories), broken by. Mias Martin'e deftti about 4

year ;i(jo, in lo ho hroiiftlil; In a lilnriivy termination with a voliinm of "Irish Monioi'it's" li,v liolli million*, A(, i.lm limn of her doiilli Mis» Alurtiii Imd written koiti'iil of ln?i" autobiographical chapters fur Iliitf work; and l.liran liavo aincu lionii coniplolwl liy lior omwin, Mins iSoiiu'iTilln, who has almi illnnIrntal tho hook find milled Jior own recollections lo tlio loxl.