BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17281, 23 September 1916, Page 12

BOOKS AND BOOKMEN.

BOOKS OF THE DAT. THE HUN AS CRIMINAL—AND BEAST. First published in January of-this year, Professor Morgan's now famous book, "Germin 'Atrocities: An Official Investigation" (T. Fislier Upwin, per Whitcombo and Tombs), has run into several editions, a copy of the latest and'cheapest of which is now beforo us. A more damning exposure and indictment of the deliberate villainies perpetrated in Belgium and north-east-em- franco by German otlicers and soxbers euu never oe torthumnug: Proie&sor dtiorgun, who is a i•rcicbSor ot cciiicUciu.u.uu t«aw in uie tuiiveis,ty ol uonuui , unu ftiio huh recently acted as Cue ixomo Omen's opt\uai Loiuuus- j siouv-u' witn the isn'usii fc.jk.pudi-.i<uury , i'ur.e, mid maiiy :-pee.;.i quindicaiioos ; to lit him lor the pos.Uon ol oiiieial British investigate! of aur. baroarism and crime. He is most careful through- i out to between rumour, i however circumstantial and apparently | well founded, and actual evidence. \\ e j need not follow him through hi*, record of tho almost unspeakable cruelties and actual sarageries of which the Teuton j troops were guilty in certain Belgium and French towns and villages. It is J a record which wumot fad to provoke two thoughts, one as to how it could have been possible for so-called civil- ; iscd human beings to so degrade their j humanity and befoul the name and lion- I our of their race by indulging in sue!) i completely vile, indeed, in certain cir- j cumstances, positively douioniivcal atro- | cities. Talk about the fanp.tieal lurk | wreaking veagonnco ui>on the unhappy j Armenians! why. he is almost n penile- j man- compared with these highly cdu- | cated'German'officers and their soldiers. The second thought which comes upper- | most in the reader's mind involves the question of of punishment. , It would b'p an everlasting disgrace to I the Allies were not the punishment of ; some at kr.st of the German criminals j to bo insisted upon in the per.ee settlement.. Profp*sor Morgan's book is well planned. First rotnc<3 nn ncrourt of how the, British ofnrinl inquiry was ;n----stitut'ed TM* is followed In- a critical arialvsis of th<? German White Book, in whl'li tho credibility of tbn evidence for the (Wnoo is subiVrtod to it innsterly nnd merciless di«ooticn. SofintV'b pp.JTitrof!nVt ; eT<. Then comes n detailed report- of, the inqtr'rv, ex- '> c •■•P.I! fi"f! nar[KettVvtv enoe« of murder—PT>d worpp thnii ren'Tdor—whilst in n third nnd eonrlnd'nct is a trthubtod; nT ,,f rWp'l;*?'.irui'lrc'* of a lf! r r« mass of t?neum"nt"rv cv'ttance. Professor Mo,--^ n 's hfiok' '" "-"> •>? tbo r ne * Vportnnt and valirhle memoires ponr servir thnt has np to now been placed at tho cornernfl of students and historians of the war. THREE READABLE NOVELS. ; '"CAPTAIN CALAMITY." "Captain Calamity" (Hodder and Sto.ugb.ton; per Whitcombe and Tombs) is by Mr Rolf Bennett, author of that i capital yarn, "The Adventnres oi I Lieutenant Lawless, R.N." The hero of Mr Bennett's new story is an Eng-. lishman of good family who " gotis under" socially for a forgery com-' mitted by his brother, a real live viscount. Not only does tho hero sacrifice his position in but his fiancee is unfaithful to'him, marrying the delinquent brother. The hero goes to sea before the mast, digs for gold in Alaska, does some transport riding in South Africa, skippers a pearlingground in tho Persian Oalf, and so forth, and finally, when tho reader is first introduced to him as Captain Calamity, is in command of a British privateer in the Malay Seas, a hardbitten, daring adventurer, somewhat of tho Captain Kettle type. The story proper deals with tho adventurous career of the privateer Hawk, and its dare-devil commander, and phlegmatic but resourceful engineer, M'Pnuloch, a true first cousin of Mr Cutcliffe Hyne's famous character,, the redoubtable M'Todd. How Captain Calamity captures a German island, to say nothing of a Hun gunboat, thirty or forty prisoners, and a tidy little pile of bar gold and other desirable portable property; to quote the deceived and lamented Mr W'cmroick, and how, too, his name is cleared of., dishonour, and of the coals of fire ho heaps upon the head of his uniaithful fiancee I may not recount in detail. Suffice it to .Bay that the story goes with a swing from start to finish. "THE PASSION FOR LIFE.'' That well practised literary craftsman, Mr Joseph Hocking, gives us in his latest novel, "Tho Passion for -Life" (Ward, Lock and Co.; per Leonard M. Isitt) an excellent war Story. At thirty, Frnnois Erskine, a barrister, who is just beginning to taste the sweets of professional success, is informed by his doctor that he may live a month or two,, perhaps even a year, 'but that ho must consider himself a doomed man. Erskine goes down to his na.tivo Cornwall, determined to Tec his life ebb out in as quiet comfort as possiblo. He makes acquaintance with the Lethbridges, the father, a determined «fcnti-militarist, who dreams of his son Hugh marrying into ono of tho county families. Soon we have tho outbreak of war, tho niarriago of Hugh Lothbridgo to a farmer's daughter, and hi.s enlistment. As for Erskine himself he discovers a German submarine, baso in the cliffs below his house and there is a tough scrap with tho Huns. . • Also, tho supposedly doomed man falls in love with Lcthbridgo's daughter, but dare not avow his affection, thinking that death may at'any moment call him away. In tho illness' which follows his set-to witb the Huns an operation takes place which removes the cause of his original malady, and th«, death sentence is removed. T Hugh Lethbridge, long supposed to have been killed at the front, Kiddenly turns up safe and sound, the crusty old father relents, and welcomes his danghterrin-law and her baby, and wedding bells are dearly echoing in th* poar future for tho barrister hero. A pleasantly told, in places exciting, »nd always interesting story. < . " IRONMOUTH." Coralio Stanton and Heath Hooker (Mr and Mrs H. Hosken), the authors of " Ironmouth" (Stanley Paul and Co) are skilled compounders of sensational fiction, their work being, j. notice, in special favour with the readers of the feuillctons or serial stories now almost universal in the English provincial journals. Their latest story is certainly not lacking in excitement, tho plot centring rounff the evil deeds iof a Chinese secret society operating in England and having English accomplices or agents in tho highest sociai circles. Under* the pretence of manufacturing tabloids which are sold as a

TREASURES OF THE SHELVES. <By "LIBER.") Give a man a pipe he can smoke, Give a man a booh he ran read; And hii home is brinht wi'h a calm delight ' Though the room be poor indeed. —James Thomson

"Drink Cure," the Chinese aro really employed in making high explosives for use by friendly revolutionaries in their native country. How a North Country manufacturer and certain or his relations become entangled in the neb of intrigue and crime woven by the Chinese, and how two quite innocent people are murdered, and other quite innocent, people suspected of having; murdered them is related in a we'll constructed, vigorously told story which, of course, ends in tho discomfiture of tho mischief workers. LIBER'S NOTE BOOK. TENNYSON ON IMMORTALITY. .Amongst tiie many interesting letters sold at the Red Cross sale was one from Tennyson (written in ISSo') to Mrs Chnpm.an the author of that curious and once fiercely debated novel, "A Gonitis;. Lover." Whatever he may have been when ho wrote "Crossing the Bar," Tennyson was decidedly unorthodox in the eighties. Lutc is the' iettor:— Mi-.dara.—l am g-ratoful to you for yc-ur b.iok. winch couwukb an analysis of "Id Menu rum." J nkc lh)s much be.tor ttian Dr llatys, which i.cih;.i>t ycu have seen, and wh.'h i- personal to pteaso mc. Year* s oxcollent in aste und ;ua ; ,;uiorit. 1 iikt», too, niiiu you say abuus ilamtism. 1 really couid a.aio?.t fancy :hat p. '•*■) W!l * wi-il eu by myself. 1 bave tayui 0 ' .ho gaait! Lhitig ior ycais, aud all hat ibe ?amo woruS. I bink that ycu have not touched "p°n one treutticnx against tubjec ive umiKita.uy, viz., iliat ttC'-oruinji, ta &stro,:um.cu. ;Uii f&aiogical probiibiiiues thu-, Uitat Ooolous in a o-ri-ain number ol .'yes wi.i bi'ea ka hex last gwp, ai.d .cave '.lie cui-.n without cvc.i i (..iiiiiitt. 1 Ehctiu suv, as Aapolecn is repcxitd... 10 havß la.d -*mii wmcwuo ..as upon inm iio-A- mora glorious was Uio nnlujiw.iiv ci a sreiit Litis., a paii.ter. M ina.aacc, ihiin Una oi a grunt scdicv—no a-.cd how long the bos. painted and best preserved pict.iro wou.d ms.. " About ebU years. ".bah! telle iiiiuiurtalite,"— wj laithlu.iy, Tcnr.ysou. 1 uni indebted tor much of the inio:aiauoii on the Ked wle to Air Ciemj.it Snorter's al.-.ays interesting Library Letter ill tho Lou ion " fci/iiere.'.' G.U.S. CONFESSES. Mr Shatv ia stid icctunng (the. public at large; o-a tubjects • upon wiuoxt he btands muoii in uoed of instruction, iiut he is not taken so soricusly ao in the guod old days ol the i'abians, when to wcai soft collars, s'iouw-h luts and long hair, and to spout ill-dige3tcd slabs of the Socialist Gospel according to Karl Marx, were considered tho outward and vis.blo signs of 'intellectual Socialism." Fiftelds publish a " History of the Fabian Society," by E. R. Perse. The work contains footnotes by George Bernard Shaw, who in its earlier years wac a. prominent member of the society. Mr .Perse quotes from Mr Shaw's essay on "How to Tram for Public Life," Mr Shaw thus confesses his youthful ignorance, and incidentally that impudence which has never deserted him. " I made nil my acquaintance* th ; nk me madder ban upurl by he pertinacity wi'h which I at onded debating eoc.ctios nnd haur.ted all sorts of hole-and-corner debates and pubiio meetings, and mado speeches at them. . • Every Sucday I lectured on some, subject which 1 wanted to tench my-gc-if; and it was not until I had come to tho point of being able to deliver separate lectures, without notes, on Rent, Profits, "—here follows a list of about a dozen moro, nil congenial topics—" that I was able to handle Social Democracy as it must ho hand ed before it can be preached in such a way as to prese-nt it to every fort of p mau front his own particular point of viow. HBNNIKER HEATON STORIES. Sir J. Henniker Heaton was not, perhaps, a very brilliant success in tho House of Commons but undoubtedly his name deserves to bo gratefully remembered as the pioneer apostle ot Imperial Penny Postage.. In ' The Lite and Letters of Sir, J. Henniker Heaton," recently "published, find tho following curious story:—'To the Duke of Norfolk, as Postmaster-Gen-eral, fell the duty of conveying to Queen Victoria tho news of the introduction of Imperial penny postage. 'When docs this como into force? inquired her Majesty. 'We thought ot the Prince's birthday,' replied the Duko. In an instant the Queen, ever mindful of her supreme authority, had drawn herself up. 'And what Prince? she inquired in her most iey tone. But tho Duke was quite equal to the emergency. 'The Prince of Peace, ma'am—on Christmas Day,' he replied quickly. Thus it came about, we are told, tha*. penny postage was established on Christmas Day, 1898. There are many other amusing stories in the Heaton biography. . For instance it is related that one evening Heaton was dining with Lord Randolph Churchill, when the latter was in a mood half pessimistic, &alf playful. Their wants wero attended to by an old waiter called Brown, a well-known character in tho members' dining-room. "Ah, well," said Lord Randolph, it is a great comfort to feel that when I die I can at least be sure that Brown will put a wreath on my grave. "With the greatest of pleasure, my lord," replied tho faithful Brown, stepping forward with a low bow. Someone once wished to - know ■ where Gladstone was to be .found. On, was the reply, "Gladstone has gone to the provinces, to explain the difference between Eternal and Everlasting. Sir Richard Webster-Rafter wards Lord Alverstone—used to tell a story of a pair having been effected by the Whips on a critical occasion. For conscience sake—after the division—Whip Nu. 1 said to Whip No. i : " 1 think 1 ought in justice to explain that mv member broke his leg th's and so could not attend. infamous," said No. 2. "I will fortnve you, but only because my. mi'i whom I pair.nl with- yo-K man. is dead."

" THE ADVENTURE OF DEATH." "The Adventure of Death" is the curious title of a book by Dr R. \\ . M'Kenn.'t, recently published by John Murray. According to tho author, a well-known Liverpool doctor, who has seen many people die, death itself is rarely a painful thing, although pain from other causes may attend it. Few people, contends the doctor, dread death itself when they are ill, or when they are in perilous conditions, as in battle. Tho truth is, ho thinks, that as the danger of death increases tho fear of it recedes, lie says:— " When brought into conflict with a deep-rooted endowment, such as the maternal instinct, tho acquired fear of death, however overpowering it may bo in relation to the other facts of life, is utterly vanquished. ... I say it with a due sense of the importance of the statement, that my experience has been that,'however much men and women may, when in the full vigour of health, fear death, when their

hour approaches the fear is almost invariably lulled into quietness, and they face tho end with calmness and a serene mind." Most dying people, says Dr M'Kenna. are awaro they aro dying, the exception being with consumptives, whom the characteristics of tho disease make hopeful. Tho dying, says the author, need no human tongue to tell them; they know instinctively, but they tend to keep tho knowledge to themselves. Sometimes a man who is critically ill, who is. in fact-, dying, will ask the question not. "Am T goiriix to die? but co'nched in other language, though with the same essential moaning, " Am I going to get better?" and while one hesitates to choose the kindliest word with which to make, reply, the sick nnui will often add. " T am not afraid to know the truth." Death, in the author's opinion, is a quiet passing; into a sleep and need not bo feared. PINK PARS FOR PALE PEOPLE. Tho following quotations from recent novels may amuse some of my readers:— " I've alwnys noticed that nobody ran ba Mns'.e-min-led who isn't narrow-minded."— "Tho Bent Twig,'' by Dorothy Cailield. " Action and onergy aro the only things that count. Plainly they re ihe only things that reri'ly attract and fascinate people."— " Security," by Ivor Brown, "Think heaven for silk stockings, All s'.ss. grow excusable, if ycu make the tem[-. nUon strong enough."—" The Strangers' Wedding, by \V. L. George. "'I liko a man to be a man',' said Kelly. 'You mean ycu like r nir face to be red and his neck to buigo his col.cr. "Ihjre is a.ways a moment in any conversation with a man tha; a wcraan can make him vant to kiss her.' •• oho's \ery c.uvcr, Hikln.' sa:d iSc.3"Oh, if you call 'hat cleverness -bu. af er ail. what' tho woman *..-<« ab. u. anything?' She knows ft gc-ud deal,' said .vchy. 6he knows what sho wauto, and she gets it. Tha'.'s my notion of clevoruos*. '■ Tha Chorus," by Sylvia Lynd. " • Men think they know how to love, but thev never love, as a woman loves. .1 love you so much thai first of all I w if h I had been your mother, so ,hat I might have held you in my aims when you were tiny ana given ycu diil-water for your tummy-aclies and balh:d and powdered you. . ... A«« nczt 1 wish 1 had been your twin sis or. to havo grown up with you. . . • And next 1 v.-.sh I had been uie first woman in youi li.e. . . . And next I wish—oh, ana 1 m thankful to be-just yours. '—" Iho Uouoi Pot," by 'Co ui-.eas Barcyuska STRAY LEAVES. ' Professor Stephen Loacock's charm ing book " Ssnshine Sketches of | a Little Town" is to yield us a p-iay. its title will be "Tae Barber of Mariposa," which will suggest what epistab in the book Mr Michael Morton indrawn on for the drama. Ihe centra. part is designed for Mr Cyril Maui L-. who will produce the piece in Ai-w iioreat Etona, "Eton Sixty Year A"-o," is a book shortly to ue puu ii.d.ul bv Mr J'onn Murray, hnnse.f a" Etoniau. Tho author is Arthur t.A.tiger, and there aro chapters • |o General Neville Lytieltou ana Joh.i Hamilton, the well-known English novelisu, has married an American iady and settled down in tin. States. A new novel from bis pen, "Tno Sins of the Children,' will ap near very shortly. Ihe autnor, bj tho way, is a brother of Philip, Gibbs, author of that clever story ol journalistic life, "The Street of Advaiture, and now doing such admirab.c a correspondent, work lor the London "Daily Chronicle." Frank Morton of " Tho Triad," has published, through T. G. Lothian or Melbourne, a new collection of poem,, « Verses to Marjorie." Copies of the book have not, as yet, reached Zealand, but the book is out in London and the verdict of Enghsh re viewers, notably those of the Ac ffi um" and "Times Week.y Supple ment" are most complimentary. I am not an admirer ol of that clover but soinewnat eccenUK young English poet. Ezra Pound, bu some of my readers may bo interests to learn that Elkin Matthews wih .bortiTpubiiri. a new collection,of Mr Pound's work done since b« " Ripostes," which appeared m 191- ; The title is "Lustra of Ezra Pound. Sr J. G Frasor, author of that brilliant work; "The Golden Bough,"' has Old TestAimcnt." The publislieis are Macmillans, who also announce yet another volume of verse by the famous Indian poet, Sir Rabmdranath -fagore. 1? is a'sequel to the well-known "Gitanja'h." , . The late John H. Ingram, wlio wrote so much and so woli on Edgar Allan Poe, his work and his personality lelt behind liira an entirely new study ot that ill-fated young poet, Chatteiton. The book will be published by Hnrraps. Mills and Boon announce new stories bv Jack London and! the popular Anglo-Indian novelist, Ida Wylio, whoso "Rajah's Daughter" was such a success. Lord George Hamilton has written his "Parliamentary Reminiscences and ! Reflections," and they will be pub.isbed by John Murray. They cover the period from 1808 when Lord George first entered Parliament, to the year 1885, when he became the head of the Admiralty. Mark Twain's last phase ns a writer was a fondness for stories in which he could express his philosophy of life. Such a story was "What is Man? which, his friends, wisely or unwisely, persuaded him to suppress. Such a 'story also is one entitled "The Mys- | tenons Stranger," which had not been i printed when ho died. It is now apI pearing serially in " Harper's." and byI and-by it will appear as a book.