BOOK REVIEWS

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 257, 29 July 1942, Page 3

BOOK REVIEWS

Two Good Plays From Ireland “The Rugged Path” and "The Summit,” by George bliields (London: Macmillan). I'liese two line plays by the well-known Irish dramatist George Shields have both been produced al the Abbey Theatre, Dublin. Plays with a purpose, they are most thought provoking. "'The Summit continues the story beguu in "'The Rugged Path,” in which a most despicable murder is committed by a member of a very lawless family. 'This family has the neighbourhood terrorized and Mr. ..Shields sets cut to show now difficult is the path chosen by two Irishmen who, in the cause if good citizenship, feel constrained to tell the truth at the murder trial. Mr. Shields illustrates how the stigma s f“l remains upon an informer even though he is morally bound to inform. He shows also how old hatreds and old feuds abide end how the Irish peasants, riven by three wars in living memory, will sell their souls for a quiet life. R ls t -* ns attitude that makes it impossible tor the police to fulfil their duties- In ‘ -Lire b’ummit” Air. Shields solves the problem cf the lawless clan for the llittle community he has created. He demonstrates, and no doubt hopes for his Irish audiences to appreciate the fact, that if lawabiding citizens will only forget their political differences they can by uniting meke themselves strong enough to do away with lawlessness. 'These plays are swift-moving and full ot action. I hey are primarily fot Irish audiences, Lut tiiey read exceedingly well. “Pax Christi,” by Albert D. Belden (London: Allen and Unwin). The Rev. Dr. Belden in this book attempts ‘ to share with the world at large a vision, a prophecy and a plan which have been n.y mental meat and drink for the last 30 years.” The Peace of Christ, as he sees it, is to come from “live hundred million Christians, bound together in a new Pledge or Sacrament of Love which they would refuse to break at the bidding of any worldly power, and at one stroke the world is evangelized by a great collective deed.” Whether or not Dr. Belden convinces one that his plan is wholly practicable, what he has to say is of supreme importance, deserving of most thoughtful consideration.- Hugh Redwood in an introduction calls the book “a challenge, in terms of almost frightening logic, which no Christian who reads it can possibly ignore.” . , “The North Wind Blows, by Anne Ilepple (London: Harrap). This is an innocuous story told in an ingenuous manner, but it has action enough to hold the attention and while away a pleasant hour. The heroine is a refugee from Central Europe, who is without her necessary "papers” and l tries to evade the British police and forget her painful experiences by working on the land. She takes a position on a very isolated farm in the North of England and proves herself in spite of a fragile appearance to be a I-aragon of a land girl, though her strangeness soon leads to her being suspected of espionage. With the aid of the penniless owner of the farm she manages to clear herself and all ends happily as a good love story should. “Sniping” and “Shoot to Kill, by lon L. Idriess /‘Guerrilla Paths to Freedom,” by Rupert Lockwood (Sydney: Angus and Robertson). .Some of that knowledge that lends greater power to blows is contained in these books. They are unollicial, but this is more an advantage as they have a reader interest that is too often lacking in ollicial manuals. lon L. Idriess, Australian author and successful last-war sniper, contributes two of the books. The, third is by Rupert Lockwood, who saw in the Spanish Civil War something of what determined civilian-soldiers can do. if well prepared. Both these authors’ not only know their subject from practical and technical viewpoints but they tell it interestingly and illustrate their points with real events. Mr. Idriess finishes his book on sniping with a true.personal experience of sniping with the Australian Light Horse during the Gaza-Beet sheba stunt of the last war. The book is worth its modest price for this alone.

“Cooking for Canteens,” compiled by Catherine 11. Mac Gibbon (Christchurch: Whiteombe and Tombs). This useful booklet, most of whose material wots originally prepared for canteen members of the Dunedin Women’s War Service Auxiliary, should also interest those in charge of institutional cookery. There are chapters on nutrition, menu planning and cookery methods and many useful recipes tor 50 servings.