WOULD HISTORY BE REPEATED ?

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 104, 26 January 1935, Page 19

WOULD HISTORY BE REPEATED ?

A Spiritual Leader in a United Danubia 'Blind Mouths,” ‘by T. F. Tweed (Loudon: Barker). From the pen of the author of “Rinehart” has come another arresting and thought-provoking book. In a note to his publisher printed on the jacket he confesses that he has been guilty of barefaced —not shame-faced—plagiar-ism, but pleads that the pirated theme is nearly 2000 years old and can bear endless repetition. This theme deals with the life of a young man who appears in the countries of southern Europe, having sacrificed the chance of a brilliant medical career to go among the peasants he loves, preaching a spiritual and ethical revival. His knowledge of psycho-therapy and osteopathy enable him to effect cures which, to the simple peasants seem to be miracles and his teachings are such that, they may readily understand them. To them, this saintly man appears almost as a Saviour. Reverting again to the author’s letter to the publisher, he-says: * No apology need be offered for recapitulating the tragic destiny of the central character, for I feel it to be true —more so to-day than at any other time—that, given the same circumstances, the attitude of Church, State and articulate public opinion in every modern community makes it Inevitable that history would repeat Itself. Colonel Tweed handles convincingly many aspects of a big theme. There is a note of prophesy, perhaps, in the fact that the story is laid in a new kingdom of Danubia, in which are united Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Rumania and Bulgaria. Recent events in the Danube and the Balkans might be read as pointing that way. They have a dictator, too, a man who accomplished much, but whose ideals underwent a change as he gained in power. There is the old theme of town versus country and the older one of peace or war. The central character, Johann Zimri, is made to condemn religions that pray for the success of one side against another in war. Brought by his followers from bis beloved country districts to Vienna to use his influence to prevent a war against Italy, which is being deliberately engineered by the Grand Elector, Zimri meets a terrible death at the hands of a mob whose “patriotic” feelings have been influenced against him. In this man, .the author created a splendid character who, the reader will feel, it would have been an honour to know. It is a book upon which different interpretations may be put, but the moving climax seems to unlock the door to the secret of the author’s main message. Confronted by a sudden change in circumstances, Zimri’s three most influential followers, the very ones who had summoned him to the capital, abandon in an instant their scruples against war, and become all eagerness for it, leaving Zimri’s two most devoted disciples to wander away in misery. Here are laid bare the frailties of human nature. » PAPER, PAST AND PRESENT “Paper and Its Relationship to Books,” by R. H. Clapperton (London: Dent). This is the fourth of the J. M. Dent Memorial Lectures to lie issued in booklet form. It contains a first-class summary of its subject clearly written and cleverly compressed without becoming in any way obscure-even when dealing with the more technical aspects of paper making. Mr. Clapperton begins with a discussion on the predecessors of paper, goes on to its invention in China, the westward spread in the art of its making, and the impetus given by the invention of printing, and ends his survey with more particular references to the various aspects of present-day production. Mr. E. F. Benson, the novelist, will be the next Mayor of Rye. His citizenship of this ancient Cinque port is derived from his occupancy of Lamb House, formerly the home of Henry James.