BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 18, 16 October 1920, Page 11

BOOKS OF THE DAY

Three Books on Social.Reconstruction. .■ ?!£**.recently published books dealing with social; .'and, economic' problems from : ..T«ry_different.standpoints, but all /well, worthy of attention by 'students' '6f the postwar, situation, ari,.Hr. G; D. ■ H. Cole's "Social Theory" (Methuen and Go.);,."The .Case....For. Capitalism/' by .' Mr. Hartley. Withers (Eveleigh 'NasliY per:--Whitcombe -and . Tombs);. and- "A Now Aristocracy, of.-. Comradeship," by , William Paine ("The New Era'' series, Leonard Parsons, per ..W'hiteombo' and Tombs). Mr. Cole, whose previous hooks, " 'SelfrGovernment-in.. Industry'' and "Labour-,, in tho : , Commonwealth," have arous-, '. ed much.'discussion/ and some ■ considerable controversy,.-comes forward in/his latest"wQrk"as a severe/critio'of Parliamentary..lnstitutions, and as-the. opponent of 'a system, .the 'of ' which, wouldbe "vocational-'associations," all represented':in-ci sort of Congress.- Not only would" industrial and professional associations be represented .in the Con-; gress,, which would co-ordinate' arid "crystallise their.wprk;. but'thorp-would'also be. ..associations' of, consumers. Apparently;'although on-'this point' the "author; is! scarcely so clear '.as he might be; ; each association would-. have free .control of. 1 , the industries and. activities, which sep- -- drately- and -particularly to the callings and interest, of .its members.; but questions affecting other • associations pr". individuals'wpuld_vbe "settled, by the Cphgress., ,In a/certain degree this is" en: • enlargement of' the guild-system whichj was discussed' in,,.. Mr. Cole's previous! books. -The--author is ,ons sound ground- ! when'he attacks : certain-/anomalies.andi absurdities' in" the system,"but", it' ia- doubtful whether his suggested; .substitute' for .-'the' sovereignty. of : tho: State" 'would'be /any/great .improvement. 'Under his plan" some twenty l 'to'thirty: •"regional": Governments,* would be created .in. England./alone," not 'necessarily on ai geographical ■ or', even :a /population, basis,' .but on the' basis of common • economic fnferests, a groundwork-which • it-would. Purely- be" somewhat 'difficult to 'define.' ; (N.Z." price, ■ '6s;' '6d.)■'' "• -'!'■ '-- ■'".■- '•;■ :' Mr. Hartley Withers, who. as editor of a leadin? eixmomio Journal,.and as a much.praßtised. writer/oh.financial sub-i ijecte- : is well 'aualififed-'to'. deal ''with; .the economic, problems -of /the;, day,,.is, J ■in his ."Case for. Capitalism;" no anoltf-' gist -:for "the* evils which have from' the. improper employment of- ' capi-talistic-..ppwer. "He .admits that there is "joins' Teason"' for the'bitter criticism' and abuse : whibli'have'been/direct-. Ed against, tho' system of. capitalism, but, ■ he 'contends, ■ "crltioism.- ( Tvh'i<ih.'. , .is; bad-tempered and -unreasonable will do; more harm 'than'good."' '; HeV'tells tib : 'that/he has written-his book "to show ■that the 'greater output of- goods -and •[services, on whioh'.material progress'depends;, cannot be expected with certainty ' '.under any' .fonn.of.,Sciolism'-' that- has■ \ -y'et.i.lieeii :i>roposed''. an^,/ernes'!.;-that, ■"Capitalism, though':a,certain '-amount' of robbery goes 'on in its back-yard, ' does' hpt- itself'rob 'anybody," but has, ■ on.'the- contrary, ."wrought 'great benefits ■ .'for, all classes." Mr. Withers'is "the 'keenest of-individualists ahd scoffs''':.''at "institutions and systems that""'turn' men and- women ■ into, machinery working' ■under,the control jof. officials oir.'of mono-, polies"; 'He is-Justaei much opposedi to: the. guild system as' to-the. nation-; ftlieafa'on of industries, and one of-the liveliest interesting chapters, in lisf book is"that in which he Criticises' -.the7«xposition''-;- ; of: Guild-'Socialism--ae' :giyM..in: Mr., Cole's,eriflier/bbbk, ."Selfgovernment in-..lndustry.": -His final chapt'ef, "Capitalism and Freedom," in-cludes-'an- indignant denunciation of 'a class of- capitalist; of ' the."new l-u. ■ "■' The 1 "specfaole r ; presented ;oy- the rich, bounder'.'spending.'money in ; vulgar ostentation has had.much to do,"' he t says, "with the-spread; of; 'academio ! .Socialism,, amongst,the educated classes."Throughout his book-Mr.. Withera hits out hard against Socialism, itf whatever . epecious form.it may' present ■ and 6tudents of industrial' and financial ■ problems should find -it/ both -interesting: "and- instructive 'to" ;oompare his •' cohteh- ■ tions.with the theories,of writers such-as • Ox. ,Cdle,, (N.Z: price, 95,).' ~:" to Mr,> William' Painb,' author of "A New Aristocracy .of Comrade-' .ship," the war has been productive of-an -.entirely-new spirit of-.fraternity which,-, in-varying degrees• of inteneliy, {9 --' grow: ing-' from man; to.' man 7 and from nation ,to nation," and.'must in'.time.ha.yb'its' effeist lipon'tho ecohomio-.ciuestion.';'; He ~ eshbrts those who believe in the regeneration of society to "set about crtating, by, example and encouragement,-a 'prbvi- . sionalbody of teachers to 1 interpret tho new.'spirit." In successive. bhapters hodescribeß .'the', old and new 'aristporacies, and' the aristocrtioy:iif- trade).arid then: pleads for-.tht) establishment of an.'"aris-'.: . .-Koracy;.-of ■'• the .people "'being-specially. -. insistent upon the' value of/boys clubs,: . ■ membership of which'should be gerier'al ; and not'sectional. • It,.is .'to.'.the .boys .to-, day and the young ..thb. auture :that ; he looks for that good -work' of •niiitual'sympathy,-' assistance,: and: .well- ' directed effort which' albne, ; sb-'he'-' con-.-tends,.can,save, society/from ruin, ' .author; quotes'several 'interesting.;' in- ;: stances "of the excellent; Jesuits, he .has 1 'witnessed.'of the mew-spirit-of■ comrade- • .ship,,and : nlthoiigh in places;'haß. views ; may appear unduly optimistic,'the earn- I estness and, sincerity.,-of his book' are ~ pleasantly convincing,' (N.Z. price, '65.). Some New-.Vailim'a.Letters.'.'-'..- •.?'.-

-\ Do not.let any 'good Sfevensgriian imagine from the heading, of ..this note that tome hitherto unpublished letters' by "R.L.S." have been dlscqver#d, to be added to those which Sidnby Colviri edrrjid • so admirably. These - now "Vailima tetters" are; ;w effect, - .extracts from the diary of ■ Captain H. G. cVF;.Garland,' who acted-for. some time im'the early .'this year as aide-de-camp; to' Major-General. Robim whilst -the' General, ■was Acting-Administrator of Samoa, Captain Garland writes in a genial,- - unaffected way of .his experiences of Samonn' life and gives interfering descriptions of various functions, European, nna native, in which he took part with' "the Chief. Tho little book,- which a num-' ber of/excellent illustrations; reproduced from photographs, has been'very tastefully produced by'tho pnMishcrs, Messrs. (Ferguson and Osborn.- ; ■•- V . Stray Leaves. At last theTe is to bo a.''complete' Conrad;" At present,-to'mako up a .sot of.the now.famous novelist's writings is-a tack of no'small diffioulty,, for Conrad has changed his publishers' from time to.time, and several of the earlier stories are out'of print,'save in a form which docs not appeal-to book-lovers who'like to possess their, .favourite authors in a drea) of-some'dignity. The" new ( complete edition is to bo "issued this .(English) autumn by William Heinemann, who has, 1 presume, arranged :copyfight matters ; with other publishers. It'.'is .to.be a limited edition, each novel having. ;a; special preface by tho author, who. will Bigh the first volumo of each sot. Tho edition is to consist of eighteen' volumes; and the price is twenty guineas (English price). To he ordinary bortk-loycr this, of course, will be prohibitive, but ao only 750 sets'are being issued',..the, edition will probably increase in .vnlno within a very short time, and'those who'can afford tho initial outlay ."will 'probably find their purchase• very ,prtStable .if they hold for a rise.' ■"-.'->' , A now volume'of essays, "Adventures and Enthusiasms,"' by L.',V; 'Lucas, is announced- for early publication, but' so far 'there is no news as to • the ' travel book' which "will, no doubt, be one. outcome of this author's recent trip to In,dia, Japan,'and'America._ -''An - entirely noW "Life 'of- Cecil Bhodcs," by Basil Williams,'is 'arinounc'cd.'.'as a: forthcoming to "Com stable's "Makers of. v the. Nineteenth 'Century" series. -The.author has hddaccoss % the-private'.Rlod.es'Papers,.•:....,'.

—James Thomson.

The holograph MSS. of/Robert Louis btevenson's "Amateur. Emigrant" and 'Across the Plains," was sold recently at a Philadelphia auction of. autographs for 3600 dollars (,£720). In more than onq.English paper, notably. tho. ; usually very accurate "Times Literary Supplement,' an extra "0". was added, and the supposed amount, ,£7200, duly commented:. upon\ as -ultra-sensational. A curious feature ■' about- ' this btevenson item" was that the auctioneer drew attention to the fact that it contained a oliapter in. "Tho Amateur emigrant '■ which, an written by the c°ll lnc . lu ded "two-lengthy passa-es of rather indelicate nature but of intense .interest,",.and .were exclud'edtrom the printed version...'. ■•■ ■ ; Lord Alfred . Douglas has started weekly review. •"Plata English: -.- The noble editor has evidently dipped his pen in gall when Bitting down to discuss certain of his contemporaries.