BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 60, 4 December 1920, Page 13

BOOKS OF THE DAY

Arnold Bennett on "Sex Discord." . .'Mt.-'Arnold., Bennett . has- 'written, in "Our Women,• Chapters, on the Sex Discord" (Cassell and Co.), n book which.,is sure to provoke much-diversity of thought and opinion' whb'rtver'it is -read'and discussed.. In moro -than one of-his.. novels, notably in "The: Old : Wives', Tale,'' with its marvellously penetrating study-- of the three' Povey sisters, nnd again, in the famous trilogy in- which' Hilda Lessways is tho leading figure,' Mr. Bennett has proved himself a singularly' acuto analyst of-femininei. psychology.,. In his new book he avows' 'himself a' feminist, bnt whilo sympnthisiflg with the lattcrdayi- demand for ;• feminine 'fresdom—and giving sound reasons why-'that attitude should bo sympathotieally received—lie tells the modern .wonmn some very .bluntly, if wittily; •put' home- truths. .He is optimistic as :to .woman's .future i£ women »ill;%only'-be'.'sensible.enou'gfr to : recogniso certain" limitations -which"'- .-sexr-viimposes upon tliem./" 'At. tlie ? bld "ideaH'of ?living only for lovtf''he'scoffs, and' arglite that women whose days are interestingly and usefully full will liave' no time to lie inorbld.-V.Their' minds -will be .nourished. 'I'hcy will thlnlf more, of their own ;niirnlß arid-o£',men's'minds. and Ibpb--o£ ■ their own bodies-and of.,:men's bodies..- And men ''will assuredly be 1 thereby led to do the same. Theiphenomonon will shed;, its superfluous grosßness. Affection may be strengthened,; but.. crude sasslon will utminish. And inclinations and habits modified'accordingly.' ■

J Woman . is, says'.'Mr.' Bluett,.'-,inftn'/i----,6uperibr."in willpower and tenaoity.. : {if perseverance," "but- it, is- evident''that.'-.lie "«>es notgreatly-admire the "inaiv- : vYoniai\" type. '-HS-'contends!' that in paying- duo attention tq tliqir appearance, to "looking nice," as the colloquialism 'lias it, even professional women will only. #e-.making yan .essential'contribution -to the wellt Wn'g of tW.body politic."' Th'e deliberately or carelessly dowdy" woman: however intellectually gifted,and.indepondeni of, spirit as she" may be, evidently finds noVfavou'r ■ with the huthor; v

Miv' Bennett, gallantly champions' "the .claim',of "the. w to-aosubstaritiaj measure "of eooriomio : -'independenco. 1 ''Of course," he admits, . "the salaryrearnihg girl is that terrible .thing, a money-grub-ber": ... "" " :

• She'.'waritß, iijoney, ".either for.'herself'or .for others", but:, usually ..for'-herself, 'and she-plunges into the lcnbblo world in order .to get it. i Money always. Costa';«vprioe. She" pays the.prlce ta the .loss of dualities iof Ignorance and''naivete, and depe'nddence, which ones wfee highly esteemed; and she pays it In hard, work. often in discomfort, aoid"' sometimes--to-', impaired health:.'' Money vis partial , ar L ,, complete ■ economic.", freedom,' which: is- what aho -is •after.'!'-* >•!' ' ''•" ■!' -.-.'v. •

... So, „that, .after .all,. that harsh" term", "mopey-grubber," is, considerably, whittled 1 ..Of that.'much' 1 cherished product and pride of the Victorian' period, the woman," -Mr* Bennett ■ eays^'-''The- disadvantage, of. the • purely domesticated' woman' is • insipidity." ; He foresees .the happiest results from " o new independence of woman, always provided,- bien entendu; that liberty-does jot''degenerate into license;' '"It .i§," he says, certain that the niere' increased activity of women, as well as tlie increased variety. ..of ...that activity, must ' produce reactions, both mental and physical -in theinter-play.' of which inter-play ; i» about lifo"; : In-his- introductbry- chapter,: Mr. .Ben- ' nett enlarges upon the courage which must bo credited to any author who attempts any such analysis of the causes of sex discord as he here gives. Ho himself exemplifies that iour.uge' when'' he writfea as .v 1 a- U ,

1 ' ITM-trutlvis'thal intellectually.. and trea-i tively man is the superior oT'-womitn, *uid .tljut 111 the region of creative intellect -there are 'things which men almost habitually do, but which women have not-done, and-give practically no signs of over being able to 'do.-". ; . Tor- ages : women iha-vo-had every opportunity that education - can furnish- to shine creatively :in painting and -• in C mijsic'. Thousands of: women pive half their'-lives ; to" painting in conditions ftxact-ly similar to- the' conditions -lor males. The musical institutes are packed with women, who study exactly as men study What rowllt in creation is visible? As for Action," women have long specialised in it. Probably there are . more women' novelists than men to-day. - But no msderh woman novelist has yet cut a world-figure.

. Mr. : 'Beimett gives ' his! leaders some highly amusing pages, when in ;th'<r person of an imaginary.. Jack, . ho sets.: forth the ''masculine view of the sox-discord, following' it up by a similar pronouiicoinent by an imaginary Jill. . There/is wit and humouT .and; much sound' social philospphy in Jlr.' Bennett's book,' which should -.stimulate,-, healthy and profitable thought:on the-sex'-pfoblem. '| 0 ;;'-

In Praise of Buskin. " '' - In connection. with. the Centenary celebrations held last.year a Aumlier of .'lectures on the. great Victorian were delivered. : Theso••have-now. been published'in" ft volume: entitled, Huslcm, the : Prophet;.'and.Other eeiitenarvyStudies" --(London;- Gcbrge Allon" nntl Unwiii, Ltd.). " Among the contributors to a vol,limo which i? a.fiiie tribute .to Ruskins -memory great: teachor and .social are.-Mr. tne poeti -Dean-Inge, who. wi'itcfi.on Kuekm S,'PlaK'i the -Bight Hon, J. 0Jlastermaii' ("llttskm, A. Hobson ("Rusliin 48<Pohticftl iiconoml4") - Professor J.'A; Dale (.-EuSkin : and Shakespeare"), H. W- Nevinson,- who contributes some interestwc personal memories j. Mr. Laurence , Bmyon,, and Mr. -.7.,Hv-Whiteboiise, t'/p .In.tt.er. quoting, in the lecture entitled "iiusKin-anil liTi lOarly Friendship," ..soiue -.very' interesting letters written- by Uuslaii- to. -.Jlr. .William. Jilacdonald.' There are fe.w good (ibraries," public, or private, m wlnc.i Ruskin's writings are'- unrepresented., The centenary/ volume -.deserves a places in every collection of lw'oks wluch includes '.'sonio :pf. 'Buskin's .works. (N ; price, i 05.),..... ' ' ' "

''Nerves and the. Man." "Nerves and the- Jtnn" J.oiulon, jno. lliirray'; pfT "Wliitconibo ■ <)T)'' Tonips) is described by .the author,. Mr: Loosmorc, If. A., a practical .psychologist oiTwicte. experience, as "a popular psychological and constructive study 'of'nervous breakdown." The author is to ho ;con•gratulated upon the fresh and healthily-, sliimilfitin" character of tho : advice ho proffers to those who suffer—or think tticV suffer—from what has 'been described ns the "rhakdy ,of the age. Given a! stout' heart,' and a firm will, and as to the possible;attainment of bobi. eorae excellent .'advice is given: «lrlocsmoro contends that "nerves can be conquered. As prevention is better than .c'rtfe it' is sow! to have ' smie .useful hfnts as to the avoidance of that stato pi ;n*or,ry. often over meip trivialities, which if. unchecked,either, of inward volition, or outride persuasion aiuF guidnjiee, lead- to . nioro or ; Jess, serious nervous breakdown. . . The. author. -ir .is pcs'l to sec, - Vttcly-; realise.? the/.value . of pood humour as 9 Tjvujently Ho has rend and di pes ted his flergson, and, ho is "sufficiently in .touch with modern phases of amusement to have little but* praise, for what may b& • called "ChapUnism,"'. The value of both good literature-and rriu?ic as, an aid to the evolution of'a cheerful 'e'rnpernnient-.is also emphas'scd. ..Altogether Mr. TiOOsniore' may be: con |jrm tula ted u pou ..bovine written a verr-cheerful,. anin-in?. "and,, ot the same time, usefully suggostm book on" a subject too -oftefi dealt with in a. drab, ana 'iininterestitrptfny. *.(N.Z V pvlca 7a. Gd.) ..."

The Everlasting Problem, From Messrs. George Allen nnd Unwin. Ltd., comes a little volume entitled "Perils of Wealth nnd Poverty," the author being the late Canon Barnett, long and honourably connected with varjftiig;philanthropic, social reform, and religious activities in the East End of I/mdon. In a wefaeo by-Mrs. Barnett, the.author's widow, it is explained.that the-book'ie an expahsion-of n very.striking article written in 191$ for the PNjatteentfl Century," by Canpri Bar-

nett, in which hd dwelt upon "the stunted lives of the poor', and urged the duty °° cheerfully meeting the financial responsibilities . which would be involved in remedying the conditions under which they lived."- While certain of tho speci<il ly deplorable conditions to which the author draivs attention are peculiar to tha. crowded..eentrca of popular oil' in Great Britain, not ft few of his theories nnd contentions raig-ht bo profitably studied by oversea statesmen and municipal authorities. In addition to Mrs. Barnetfs interesting preface, the Rev. V. Ai Boyle, wlio was personally and closely associated with the self-sacrificing nnd adniirablo work carried on by Barnett, pays an eloquent tribute to the letter's practical and personal exposition .. of that Christian Socialism of which he was so prominent an exponent. CN.Z'. price.,'35.'.6 d. net.)

"The Captives." A new novel from the pen of Mr. Hugh Walpole is an event of some im--1 portance in tho present-day literary i wbirld, -for Mr. Walpole is admittedly in : the ..very fro,nt rank of our British novelist's. ; His latest effort, "The Captives,".which has just .been published in Macmillan's Colonial Library, records the struggle-and revolt-against a-'drab-and dreary environment of a Cornish girl, Maggie who, oil the. death of her father, a selfish'and grimy country clergyman, whose attitude to his daughter always been cold and unsympathetic !>,■)« up to London to resi<is with w>. old: maiden aunts. These latter are devoted members of a small religious-sect, the lungscote Brethren, who worship in nn u?® conventicle under a worthy; but half-fanatical preacher, who, , each Sunday, enlarges' upon the Second Coining. Mr.. .Walpole has elaborated his picture-of the Reverend Mr. Warlock and his congregation with a wealth ot meticulous detail, which remi >, S t, *** oi of Mr. Arnold Bennett's "Five Towns" studies, more-particularly his "Clayhanger." and it is..mqre !( ihnn possible that somo readers of his-story may consider tho picture to bo overworked and rather tiresome. The minister's son, Martin Warlock, comes home after some years of ™denee abroad, an admitted failure in lite, but though iveak-willcd, possessed of a,certain charrii of manner which.wins him the love of the "captive" Maggie. ■But Martin -hag made an unfortunate marriage whilst-.abroad, and Ma«gie'lias to conceal her' love for him from lior strait-laced relations. Mi\ A\ r arlpeJc-*dins suddenly, lir/his- pulpit, and the .wayward son,-.pb'se.ssed with the idea- that Ins return has, ..brought misfortune on tho family disappears. .After a time-Mae-gie persuades; liorself, or is persuaded by her friends,-, into a marriage with an e derly and', worthy but very stodgy Anglican clergyman, although well knowing, and, indeed, frankly confessing to her husband that she has no real lovo for b l ®.- As mtoht'have been expected, such an all-starred iinion does not turn out a success, and. the ".wandering Martin returning to England, poor, friendless, and.hi bad health, the heroine [lies to licr lover, nurses him tack- to health amidst those Cor'nisli rural scenes wnioh the author can put to such picturesque, accolint' B3 a background, and the story closes with Maggie having somo tair prospect of permanent escapo from her 'captivity?, and of winning-peace as well lie freedom:-,/ It is a very long novel, but tho splendid'literary artistry which it exhibits in-'-its every chapter innkes its reading a-fascinatng pleasure for thoso who can enjoy fiction of a speolallv highclass cbiiriictor.' Tho minor figures'iri the story are" drawjil.yith consummate skill etoiyvas ; a.-whole, with'itsi.com-. pleio change *Df-'::subject -and treatment from anything Mr; 'Walpolo lias yet given his admirers, is a striking exemplification ot his ..versatility,.

Old Books on -Shorthand, •'•J«cen.t'«atßlogtte issued by-.'the 'fam. bits Jjbndou. firm of Sotheran and' (It), gives details of a large collection of books oa shorthand offered for sale by thnm. Shorthand is a much older art than many ■people imagine. One Timothy Bright !i generally accepted- as tho first author ?f an .English system,, his "Characters, jn Axt (if Shorte, Swifte, and Socrete Writing," .a tiny little volmii'! having .been ipublished as far back as 1588, when good ; Queen': Bess was reigning. It is now a_ very rare volume, and brings .a •big • price.'• The; hook is not Tepreo'euted in - the. Sotheran-'catalogue, which', however, includes a copy of John Willis's /Art of. Sten.ogranWe,"' which was pub-lished-in IGO2. The system used by the delightful, old Stuartinn gwipper • and diarist, Samuel' Pepysjnvas Th'omas Sliel-ton^s-"Tachygraphy, flie most exact and compendious method of Shorte and Swifte .Writing, that hath yet been published," a : copy...ot. which is offered by Messrs. Sotlieriiii at fifteen guinciis. Pitman's 6ystem,v now eo widely in use, wasj it is said.'foimded, 'to some extent at feast, .iipon ii .system invented, by one Samuel Taylor, .frho.lived towards the end of the eighteenth century. '•■■■•

Russian Fiction in English. Mrs. Garnett's great work, a complete •English- translation of tho works of the great _Bussian:-hovelist, Dostbevesky, is to be brought to-'a' close this winter with "Tho.'Erfend ! of the. Family." The series .will thpil :ihcludo practically everythng that. Dostpevsky wrote, and will consist of twelve volumes. Mrs. Garnett also promises the two final volumes of her translation of Turgenev, which she began a good many years ago now: It is not everybody who can relish the pessimisjp. of Dostoevsky, but Turgenev is hotrso'drab an(l dreary as are most i-f tlio great Russian novelists. His, "Smoke" ■and '"Virgin Soil" are classics which everyone should read. Personally I prefer to-bpth.-Ttirgencv's andDosfoevsky's lohj f novels: the short stories of Tchekov, N who' has ! 'been callcd the Russian lie Maupassant. He lias all the Frenchman's gifts of'realism without stressing so violently the sexual motif.