The Moving Finger

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 10, 12 May 1911, Page 7

The Moving Finger

11 The Moving Finger writes; and having icrit* moves 0n. ,.

A book of the day is Goo. R. Kirkpatrick's ''War—What For?" Rogrettablv, it isn't yet obtainable m New Zealand. Hcln The Maomland Workek to build up a book department from which will be procurable boycotted books for the working-class. This work of Kirkpatrick's is giantesquo com])anion to Herve's monumental "'My Country Right or Wrong." As soon n.s copies of both roach Maoriland we shall notice them, and you, reader, will want to buy them. You will feel the urge- to read them, and maybe you will be wise enough to read them to vouf children. * -* * Auckland "Social Democrat" is a credit to all concerned. How on earth Scott Bennett manages to join its editing to his lecturing and other duties we do not know. The issue of April 28 contained an eve-opening instalment of Father Grady's ''The Catholic Church and Socialism."lt got to the heart of things, and flamed alertness. '* * ♦ The. editor came to New Zealand to hear rendered "Workers of the World Unite" and fell in love with it. It is n song with meaning in it, and with vim and vitality; the tune is Al. Make it the song of those gatherings where men meet who have "'no time to waste in patching fig-leaves for the naked truth/" as Lowell writes. Don't let us be afraid of lifting up oxir voices in song as well as in speech : sing for the glory that is to be because we will it. •• Workers of the World Unite" is not only poetical in construction, but inspiring in sentiment and true in conception. Working-class brotherhood is wide as the seas, iotty as the stars. # * * Last week's ''Weekly Herald" refers to Chesterton's "hew" Look on Dickens. New ! ! I * * * According to an advt. in last Saturday's "N.Z. Times": The "Daily Telegraph" compares Jeff cry Farnoll with Dumas 3 the."Standard," with Borrow and Jefferies ; the "Pall Mall Gazette," with Fielding and Smollett ; the "Sportsman," with Dickens, Addison and Sterne; the "Kentish Mercury" with Blaekmoro and Stevenson. Heavens!—how did the critics manage to forget to compare him with Sliakespeare, Scott, Thackeray, Hugo, Anatole France, Tolstoy and Shaw. *. •• * Isn't Jack London a wonder? Talker and author, he is .also actionist; and in Mexico is evidently making his influence felt. Writer met him in Melbourne and found him the most genial and unassuming of men—yet underneath his handsome looks and kindliness there smouldered a determined and rebellious nature. London is out for keeps. Heed this : "Here are 7.000 3 000 comrades in an organised, international, world-wide revolutionary movement. Here is a tremendous human force. It must be reckoned with. * * The cry of this army is: "No quarter! Wo want all that you possess. We will be, content with nothing less than all that you possess. We want in our hands the reins of power and the destiny of mankind. Here are our hands. They are strong " hands. We are going to take your governments, your palaces, and all your purpled ease away from you, and in that day you shali work for your bread even as the peasant in th« field or the starved and runty clerk in your metropolises. Here are our hands. They are strong hands." May Day number of Sydney "International Socialist" is an eight-pager full of stirring sentiment and lovable photos. May its tribe increase. Bravo! Here is one librarian who isn't so spinelesfily goody-goody as to be a positive incubus upon Thought. 'At the libraries' conference, in the discussion upon immoral books, Mr C. (Wellington) said there was a ha>PPy medium in these things. He had read many books which according ix> Little Bethel opinions were indecent, but he did not concur. There was no need to burrow in the muck heaps, and She did not want to see dirty books on ihe shelves. Some books were not only indecent but were stupid, badly written and banal, which annoyed him more by their stupidity and literal rottenness than by their want of morality. But it was absurd to declare all problem and ccx books indecent, and to ask a librarian to tell a full-grown man that lie could not have such and such a novel because the literature was questionable despite the fact that the work

may be making history-or hitting at a prevalent vice. Tlio authors at Homo ; objected to the censorship because: puerile stuff was allowed to go through: and other work was banned. "As a citizen," said Mr Wilson, "I object to; have my literature selected by half- • illiterate grocers and drapers. Let us. clear our minds of cant on questions' like this. Exclude immoral dirty .books, ■ but do not say because a book conveys; a lesson in a sex problem or sex passion it should be ruled out of literature. ; * * * Fugeno Sue's latest translated story is '-The Sword of Honour." It is the eighteenth of the truly-named ''wonderful historic-fiction series," and is the translation of Solon I>e Leon. It deals with the foundation of the French Republic, and vividly depicts the clashing interests which carried out the great French Revolution. * * * "Belearie's" Sling Shots in Melb. "Socialist ,, are a feature of the paper. Says he: "Socialists who desire to convert convincingly the more intelligent of their acquaintances will get greater help from Sehaffle's 'Quintessence ot Socialism,' published in the Social Science Series, than from almost any other handbook. It has the advantage of beins written by a man who is not a Socialist, and who has written important books against Socialism ; but he states the case for the Socialists m this book with such absolute impartiality, and is so careful to dissipate the claptrap about danger to the home and to religion from the advent ot Socialism, that for purposes of argument with, or of introducing the subject to a rational opponent or an indifferent acquaintance,* there is no better weapon. Another useful book for such purposes is the volume entitled 'Socialism, Old and New/ a historical treatment, in the International Scientific Series. Any comrade with a ready pen who hapnens to have the recent book on Lassaile by the veteran Danis li critic, lirandes, might usefully einpioy a leisure hour or two by sending a terse review thereof to the 'SocialRobert Blatehford is never more delightful than when handling books and the writing of them. This "corner' paragraph from his nimble pen is too good to miss: "A young man wishes to bo a journalist. He sends us a long letter" made up of long words in long sentences. "Wo will give him a tip worth oh, ever so much. L-et him take his long letter, make it into a short one, keeping the sentences short and usincr only words of one syllable. If one "can say ''Dear Sir, —Being exceeding anxious to adopt the profession of letters, your advice as to methods of procedure will be esteemed/ , then one can say : "Dear Sir, —I wish to learn to write. I shall be glad if you will tell mc how to learn." We do not mean to say that none but words of one syllable should be used; but we do say that he who uses none but words of one syllable for a few months will learn a great deal; and, as a rule, the short word is the best. ConsiJer the force and scope of this lino of Swinburno's: Love, sleap, and death so to tJie same sweet tune. All words of one syllable. Do not strut; do not mouth ; do not cry ; '-'In the name of the prophet, figs." Set down your thmights in s-t terms, as strong and as clear as you can find We think Morris and Swinburne will do jou a lot of good."