LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 62, 6 December 1919, Page 17

LIBER'S NOTE BOOK

Some Dialect Verse. Yorkshiremen and those.': who care for dialect verse should note the appearance of a little volume, ent.tlod "Loot Livvv," by J, S. Fletcher, tiie well-known novel- //- ist and writer of topographical works. "licet, tivvy" is a Yorkshire verso tale of tho realistic oort, which John Mane-

field '60 greatly favoured a few years ago. The story is told by Mattha, the last of a good' old yeoman stock, who loves passionately, and against his better judgment, a "light" woman. : "For I haato her, ivaur nor ivver, but shoo pulla; shoo pulls, all t'eoame; An' hajifo o' ma's cowd aa snaw, an' V other haafe'B hot wi' flaamo; r An' theer's times' 1 could rive- her to rcga, an' stamp 'en under mi heel! But thocr'u snmmat shoo' 9 teo'd around ma at'B tougher nor onny Bteel." Judged by English reviews, Mr. Fletcher's poem owes something to a Thomas Hardy inlluence, but, as anyone who knows Yorkahiro dialect verse—it can l>e studied in an excellent and cheap little book edited by Professor Moorman—can testify, the rural comedy and tragedy of the North Country has not a little iii common with, that of Hardy's WeEsex, or of the country-which is the scene of some of Eden Philpott's rather grim romances of village life.

Wit in the Loqal World. Thoro aro some good otoriea, some quite jicw to me, at least, others' belonging to tho genus chestnut, in J. A. Strnhan's book, "The Bench and the Bar of Eng•nnd." Two samples:—The lato Lord Justice Mathew was walking one morninr; up the Embankment on his way to Court, when one of those roguea who swindle nitnple people by selling lo them painted sparrows, saw him, and (thought ho looked a likely customer. Sidling up to tho Judge, ho produced from under his coat the painted sparrow. "Pardon, guv'nor," ho eaid,'"but this' 'ero bird flew inter my bedroom .this morning. It stoma a rare 'nn; can yer tell mo what kind it is?"

The Judge took out hi* glrxnes and looked hard at the bird.' Then he looM harder at .the man. "No, no," he said, thoughtfully. "1 can't t»U you what kind of a bird it is, but from the company it keeps I should guess that it is a trool-bird."

"Once a hurrM and nervous connsol was arguing, before Lord Esher, and citing case after casii in support of Uis wguinent 60 quickly that Lord Esher quite lost his" bearings. Counsel always rave his references to the' cases cited as So-and-so 'Q.B.TV At length Lord Ts«hi>r demanded niisvilv. 'What do you mean bv "Q. 8.1).":' Counsel rcpl'cd in amazement, 'Why, my. .lord. Queen's B?nch I)ivi?ion. of conr?o.' 'Well.' answered Lord Esher, 'gazing at him with indignant, banting, eyes, -'if. you mean Qucon'R Bench Division, why don't" von say Queen's Bench Division? When roundel keeps heaving at ray head' ovr.v rewind this 0.8.D.. and that Q. 8.8.. and (he other 0.8.T).. I feel inclined to ray to him, U.B.'D.' "

Stray Loaves. There is a piquant note by the late Andrew Lang concerning an American edition of Thackeray's "Esmond" 'in a letter offered bv Messrs. Mnggs Bros..- in their latest catalogue, "Autograph Letters. Manuscripts, etc." The letter was written to Mrs. (now Lady), Eitchie, and Lang says:- _ "I have to writs an Introduction, save the mark! to 'Esmond', for some Yankeo edition. It will mainly he historical, and rescue the character'of good, dull, proper, honourable King ■Tames, so cruelly mad? wicked and witty! But could vou tell me in one line whether Mr. "fhnckerav dictated that style fluently; that the book was dictated is th« most amazing thing in the world., . . . Perhaps you know, the author clearly didn't, lioiv much 'Esmond' owes to Woodstock?" The lato Owen Meredith once said that tho King could accomplish things beyond the power of Heaven itself; and, when asked for (in example, ho-, stated that the King, by making her husband a knight, had 'made a certain woman a lady."—"The Bench and Bar of England," by ,1. A. Strahan.

During"'the war, that once greatly ' esteemed -literary weekly, tho. "Athenaeum," develop"!! n, etrwr SHnlht ■ nml pacifist strain, Now that it. is hack again : in ite' old rote as a purely literary journal it ia my much the "superior person." For instance, it has just discovered, apropos to the Hon. .T. M. Robertson's new book "The Problem of Haro'et," that the pipy so nnny ppnn'o consider to be Shnkesneare's greatest triumph "is a failure." Elsewhere "Hamlet" is- 'as "the Mono. Lisa of liternhirc." Tf this be Shakespearean criticism —new style—T confess I prefer tJip old.

Professor Pearsall Smith, to whom we oivt, thnt brilliant little book "Trivia," has edited ."A Trca«.r.rv of I'V'Hih Prose-" for Messrs- Constable. The worst of these now all too ntini?rnus anthologies is that they encourage a habit of "sniorot" rftiwJinjr,. mere literary dram-drink-ing. Better a sound nnd solid knowledge of.a dozen good authors than a mere ncdrtine ncauaintance with a couple' of hnn(lvetl authors renresented hv disjointed snipnets and called "treasures'* or "titbit?"

Mrs. Humphrey Ward'* new novel, "Cc-'win Philip," is descrihed as a study of the chanw wrousrht by the war on the modern eirl and the relations of men e.nd women. The publishers are Colli:'? and Co.. who also annonneo "The Plain Girl's Tale." by Dr. 11. H. Bashford. who wrote that elpver work "The Corner of Hr.rlev Slrcet." Collins also announce n°w Tories bv At?<) and Ew>rt<"i Gentle, Marmaduke Pickthall. and Francis Bn»tt You m*—quite a strong list.

/ Robert Hichens's new novel "Mrs. Harden," which Cassells nr" publishing very (shortly, is a story of London life. Frcm tlie came hou?» a new Rho-Vsiau romance. "Tlie Veldt Trail," br Gertrude Ford.