LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 56, 30 November 1918, Page 11

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK.

"A Poet's Pilflrimage." A friend- of mini , ,' a devoted admirer of George Morrow, wilT'liavc il thai -lie is no true llorrovinu who docs mil; hold "Wild Willi's", lo In , the 1 great Ueorgc'.i magnum opus.* In viiin do 1 contend for Hie artistic mid general snprcmacy of what to me is tins incomparable, "Lavengro." My friend admires (lint honk immensely, lull, lit- says, "for the I'L'iil heart of Borrow go to 'Wild Wales." There yon have tin , man; it. is a human document, not a melange of personal ox- I perience and cunningly compounded lielion." T am reiniiided.nl' my'friend's enthusiasm' for one of the less known Borrow books when I dip into the pages, las 1 did the other evening, of Mr. W. 11. Davies's " r \ Coot's Pilgrimage." Davies's poetry is well known, and he has also written more limn one- bcolt, notably "The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp," which deserves lo live. Mr. Davies's |jilKi'iiniiKi!' fras largely' coiilinrii to Wales, lint, more to 'South Wales Hum tp the lounlry Horrinv df-crilies. Like Hoi'i''.i|v, Mr. Davi.es is an entliu c ilislie nedesfrian, ami like th- aul-hor of "Wild Wnles" he lias a wholesome ■likiiiK for. goml nlo and mi iill'eelion. for a well-kept wnysido inn us keen as thai /which inspired Slienfilnnc's famous lines. Mr. Davies's oilrepealed panej, r yi'ie.s uiion the joys to bo found in what Mr. Jiieliard Swivellor would have called a "modest <|uonchi>r" would be as. lillleto the liking of tlio lallei'-day I'rohibilionisl as was [Sorrow's ('iithiisiasm for n liiiikiird of honest home brewed In his friends nmployeiw of the Hible Soeiety. Hut, like "Wild Wales," Mr. .Davies's book is no mere record of experiences at village inns. II is iv chronicle of "theioad," imd if full of charply ctclied portraits ot the riuaint, and curious characters to be met with thereon, especially Ihe members of the groat tramp brotherhood. There is a certain Koeming naivete about the poetpedestrian's record of .his experiences V.-hieh 1 at least find very fascinating. A Monmouthshire man himself, he walka from f'armarlhen lo Cardiff, and from lirisiol lo Maidenhead, and cvcrywhdt) liuds plenty of food for his genial philosophy. He notes I he. allei'-tioii of the eoutiicrn Welsh for singing. That tho

Hiiiißs ;i:v nearly nlivays religions in tone iluo.i nol prurent the singers fjiiarrolliiij; ami indopd, tho pictures Mr. Dnvirs iliiiw.s iif his coiiiitrymen are, it ii:il; no diiwiiriclil ri'iii'llanl as I hose (if ■Mr. Ciii-iiilur llvans's "lly Peuplo" and "I'mpel Zioii," Dl'ti'ii (lecidt'dly iinpleasiii};. Interspersed with the pen portraits of Ilia wayside iic(|\iiiiiitiiiicps, JJr. .Onvies gives his readers an occasional set of verses. F select the followiiif,' neally-tunied littlo nocturne for r[notation: Sometimes I wateli tho moon at nielli, ' No matter, be she near or for, U]i liiph or in a leafy Irec Caught laughing like a higger star. To-iiiclit the woet. is full of clmuls, Tlic east is full of stars that fly Into the cloud's 'lai'V; foliapc, j\nd (he moon will follow.by and by. I sec » dark brown shabby cloud--The moon hits sone liehivid ils back; 1 looked to see her turn it whiteShe turned it to a lovely black. , A lovely c!oud-a jet-blacli <Jniid— Tt. shines with such ■:>. clorious light That I am find with all.my heart. ■She turned.it black-instead of white. Tl-ia not: everyone- who may like. Sir. Uavies's book, jn«l; as there are quite Horlhy folk who fail to find' enjoyment in "Uiveiifjio" and in "Wild Wales." Hul to iiio .Mr. IJnvies's tsimplc stories of his wayside t'xperieiue.s are replet« wilh quiot liuinour and an iinafffcled. homely phiivsujiliy which are most engaging.

Seeing Double! In one ot the lain James Ingliss's bouks. "The JliiiiHiu: , of the Scot," there •is a story of a- lainily liutler, who had unbilled not wisely mil too well, givjiig a departing yuest ddvicc some-, thing after tlii?style. Jfeipiiijf Hie guest on with his coal,'ho wuxeil ■ .gushingly Jamiliar nnd confidential: "Sinister. Waller (liic). I've kenned ye ever m'nee ye was that heich (holdiui; hie liniid at a very unsteinly hcipht Iroin the iioorl. A a', llnister Waller (hie), ye slid aye stick tao the yae drink. Kh, man, 1 ken a' nlioot it. But noo, Jlaister Walter, jist a wird (hi«) o , caashion." Then, very solemnly; "Ifmi, when ye ixaiig polside,. yo'll 50c two cnahs (hie). Tak' tho first .vln.'llic ilher yin's no there." In a reeantly-piiblishedbook, '[\ least of Fun," by Jloiiciu Siine, J ■ fincl the •followiiiEt amusing parallel to tho Scots yarn:— 'The Benior major of a British regiment was (tiviiig Hie benefit of his advice and experience lo a youthful 'sub. "See, here!" he exclaimed. "This is your first dinner, and—well, po easy with tho decanter, my boy. Hesjcmber esprit do corpn-and-ei--»imt all that sort of thine. Here 8 a Rood tip. i-ee those silver "olridlesticks there? .When you can see four tnsUitul or two—why, clear out—to home. .See?'. '•Perfectly, nnd thanks awfully," replied the young officer., "But don't you think you had better ro home atonce? There is only'cue candlestick." A Good Word for Ihe/Viclorians. An interesting series'of articles, on the liail'-lorguttim iiovtli.sts of the last, century has been nppftiriiiir in "Jvveryman." 1 am glad to sei.' dial -sumo one has taken up the cud-eN in defence!, of' Wilkie. Collins, _ Anthony Trollope, and Lytton. It is fashionable, 1 know-, to isiicm" at tlio socalled minor Victorian novelists, and to assume that oniy Thackeray and Dickens nro worth remembrance, but 1 am afraid that many of those who play the -superior person in this way liavo never read tho books llioy iiU'cct to despise. Let.any 0110 read Wilkie C'ollins's "Woman in White," '|Xo N'lime," and that best of all detective s,-oriiw, "The. .Mconsione";. let him sample Lyttou in. .say, Two'of liis.historical novels "The Last of the' liarons" and ':Thp l,ast Days of Pn|iim>ii," ortake him in another, and,- Liher "thinks, a more successful vein, viz.. ",\ly -Xovel," '''The C'axtons," and "Night and' Morn.in;;"; let him take one of Trollope'swholesomely .restful stories of. Knglisli country life, such as "l-'raniley a;;e." or "The Small'. House- at Ailington," and I am .sure that, if lie .is cap--able of appreciating really good fiction, , he will ii>rrue with me thaftlip so-called minor Victorian novelists ' nvn : lj\- no means Negligible. lw myself, '"-'J am' blessed with an eclectic taste. .1 caii revel in a new story by Hugh AV.alpole, Comptou jrKonzie-, Prank Swinnerton. .\. I). lo say nothing of H. (I. Wells' and Arnold TJejineH; but. the:-e-nre tinie.v when I turn to (lie shelves where repose my Victorians, nnd find in Trollope, Lytlon, Collins, and Lover, as well as in • Thackeray, Dickens,' and Hie "Wizard , -of the Xort.h," as unalloyed joy as is permissible to an nydin-" nry mortal. This iill-tno-l'rpquent jibing al (he. ..Victorians is lo .'.me.:,an.'offensive pose. As for the intervening-period Thnnitis Hardy fills-Hint in witli an unfailing feast of pleasure.

Stray 'Leaves, ... . ' \ At a recent sale of part of the TTutli collection al. Soiheby's Gallon's "The 1 loyal. .Book,' , circa' 1187, quite .'perfect nnd in. tho finest wa.s sold for.JilSflD. It had been obtained by Jlr.'. Huth in.. 18112- from the University Library, Cambridge, in-exchange .for another volume-.of equal rarity-ami value, estimated at '.tXill. II r. G.W. ■'■'!■:. Dussell, to whom we. owe that amnsinp; volume, '"Collections and K'ecnilcctioi's. by .One Who ; Jlas Kept: a Diary," and so many oilier books of reniinisceiiCTS, has a new 'volume- of .recollections in-preparation with Mr'. , Fisher I'liwin. entitled. "Pi'i'ine Ministers and Rome Others: A Bnok of Reminiscences."The seven I'riiue .Ministers of whom he writes range from Lord'-I'almerston. to ■Sir Henry Ciimphell-Bannnrinaii.. Sections of the book are devoted lo religion and the Cliurcli, and. tliiire are two stories, founded 011 fact;-entitled "A.. Forgotten Punic,", and ■' "A. .(Jrimenir i'Jpisods." '■•-,''' '' . Selma.Lagerlof's books have been Iran'sluted into, many foreign liinguages/in-' chilling some , ' of the' liiore.obscure ones.. An ilppljcation lias jiist lieen. , received by-: Poubledny. I'nge; and Co., for the right to translate "Jerusalem" hilo Japanese. This will' innkft. the second or third .'hook of hers, lo be. reproduced in that language'. ■'-. . ./ J . i ..-'... ' v