A POPULAR NOVELIST

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 104, 26 January 1935, Page 17

A POPULAR NOVELIST

Appreciation of Annie S. Swan Mrs. Burnett Smith, under her maiden name of Annie S. Swan, has been a popular novelist for 50 years, writes St. John Ervine in the “Observer.” Her first book, “Aldersyde,” was published in 1883 and was sold outright for £5O. Her latest book, in which very simply and unaffectedly she tells the story ot her life, plainly reveals the secret ot her success, that secret being the beauty of the author’s own nature. There is not a line in her autobiography which shows that Mrs. Burnett Smith is aware of her charm and unquenchable Scottish courage—but the charm and courage are abundant. She modestly disclaims any pretentions to importance as a writer, but is she not falling into grievous fault I when she says: “I have never had any illusions about tve place accorded to me in the world'of letters. Judged by some canons, it is a very low place. An author who has kept ana increased her admirers through 50 years as vaiied as those in which her working life has been spent is surely entitled to regard herself with some respect. How many writers that were regarded as the white hopes of contemporary literature in 1883 are now remembered. Annie S. Swan is remembered and admired and eagerly read in 1934 as she was in 1883, but a multitude that may have given themselves airs in her presence when “Aldersyde” was new are unremembered dust and their books have Jong since been pulped. If I had as much hope of being read for as long as this very gracious woman’s work has been admired, I should feel exceedingly elated. Mrs, Burnett Smith, the child of a Scottish farmer, married a young

schoolmaster who was ambitious to be a doctor. Marriage made that dream look as if it might never be realised, but the bride's success as a novelist allowed it to be fulfilled She and her husband needed all their strength and fortitude and determination to face the reproofs, gome extraordinarily ill* matured, which were addressed to them by their acquaintances and friends when their resolution to make a doctor of him became known —he was accused of living on his wife’s earnings—but they had the fortitude and the strength and the determination, and Dr. Burnett Smith’s career in medicine was a rich reward for the distress they suffered. The proud .young Scot could scarcely have survived the sneers of the mean-minded if be had not had a heart of corn, to use an Ulster expression: he must have foundered if his wife’s heart had not been as stout as his own. They had their troubles—their beloved and only son accidentally shot himself as he was packing his bag to return to school —but they had also their unfailing affection for each other, and in the balance happiness outweighed distress. Supported by the consolations of her religion and her own serenity of spirit, this gracious woman, one of the finest I have ever known, confronts the future with as much calmness and courage as she has endured in the past. She belongs to a Scotland that seems, alas, to be dying. but what a Scotland it was. how fine its temper, how unquenchable its courage I USES FOR VINEGAR Help For the Housewife 1. Black shoe polish that has become too dry may be made lit for use again if a little vinegar is added to it and allowed to soak in gradually 2. To refresh the atmosphere of a sickroom, sprinkle vinegar bn hot cinders in a shovel. 3. To clean a furred kettle, let a strong mixture of vinegar and water stand in it for several hours. Then bring it to the 'boil. Empty the kettle and rinse it well with fresh boiling water. 4. A little vinegar added to a tin ot grate polish keeps it soft, and gives a bright finish to ironwork. 5. Busty screws may be' removed more easily if vinegar is applied to the woodwork round them. 6. Burnt enamel saucepans may be cleaned with a mixture of vinegar and bathbrick. ■ 7. Marks on brick or tiled doors and hearths may be removed with vinegar, applied with a soft brush and then washed off with soap and water. 8. Coloured frocks, blouses, .stockings, and so on, should be soaked in cold water, to which a little vinegar has been added, before they are washed. This prevents the colours from running. 9. Greasy sponges soon come clean if soaked in vinegar and water 10. Cauliflowers, lettuces, ami other vegetables may be quickly cleared Of worms and grubs if they are in water to which a little vinegar has been added. 11. Glass stoppers that cannot be removed should be well moistened with vinegar. 12. A mixture of vinegar, water, and crushed egg-shells is good for cleaning discoloured water-bottles. THE KING’S SILVER JUBILEE. A private escorted party leaves Auckland April next for extended holiday England, etc., going Canada returning Suez, affording exceptional opportunity for intending visitors to England and Hie King’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations. Barty limited in numbers, immediate application for remaining vacancies essential. For fares, etc., apply “Jubilee Tour,” Box IG2O, Auckland, C.l.—Adyt.