LITERATURE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 82

LITERATURE.

"The Alternative." By A. F. Slade. London : W. Hutchin«on and Co. Dimedin: J. Braithwaite and Co. (3s 6d, 2s 6d.) "Tc the <.rare few, it is the best or nothing — to the contemptible many there is always the alternative." These words, spoken, by the heroine of Mrs Slade's newbook, funnista us with the key to the subject, and its treatment. It is a full Oook, almost too full to do it anything like justice in the space at our disposal. Kate Heriot, the heroine, has been endowed; by Nature with an exquisitely te>nd»er, sympathetic, affectionate nature. She is humble and broad-minded, always seeing the other person's point of view and making allowance for it, thinking little of he itself and her powers, though she is unusually beautiful and intellectual. Her desire is to spend and be spent in t,he service of those she loves. Her whole life is a denial of self. She never get* ' ''the best of -anything" : it is always ] ."the alternative," the compromise, which j falls to her. share. -She Jias. a -worldly, self-seeking, lying mother, a father of whom it is said: "The man is only the shell' of a man. His vitals are gone. His wife has wormed herself inside him and eaten him out." With such parents Kate's early days may be imagined. When Mrs Heriot determined that her daughter should make a "good" marriage there, was no hope for Kate. Any alternative was better than home under such conditions. She might have made 1 a plunge into the unknown world of work- J ing women; but her gentle, yielding nature made such initiative impossible ; v •elides, she already loved her cousin' Lyell Heriot, who had Left her — as she believed — without a word, and her courage had gone with him. She marries Keith Constable, and the story tells of her wretched married life, and of his jealousy and revenge. Of course, he discovers hk wife's indifference, and he then deliberately plays on her gentle and tender nature with callous indifference and refined torture. He will not condescend to woo ; she is his, "his goods, his chattels, his househould stuff."' Lyell *«turns, from India, dying, and Kate in her hus- j band's temporary abeence goes to name him. When Keith follows her be finds that his rival is dead. The unhappy •woman begs him to divorce her and give her her freedom -. he refuses, paTtly for pride's sake, and because he knows she is innocent, and partly because he is deter- J mined to assert himself and his own i power at her expense. A child is born, ! and troubles m-erease. Keith i& not wholly heartless, but he cannot endure opposition, and the gentle but unyielding disposition of his wife goads him to madness : a woman who would hare "-stood up to him'" -would have had- a better chance. Kate's very virtues annoy him. At first he refuses to notice his little son because he thinks it is not his ; then he* becomes really fond of the child, and* sets himself to wean his affection from his mother. In the end this boy also opposes Keith's will, with the effect of at onoe arousing the vindictrv-e, obstinate temper that will brook no opposition. " The Alternative" is a fine study of temperament, of the influence of environment on character and character on environment ; of the danger of choosing the lower path when the higher is possible. It is a very human book. With all Kate's virtues eh« lacks tact and courage : with all Keith's faults he has strength amd courage, and a curious kind of spiritual understanding. Each might have been happy with another or content alone ; but together each makes the other wore*. The stovy i*; too long, and there are far too many side issues, which, though they j may elucidate the main points, are not i roallv essential, and therefore weary the j reader : but taken as a whole 'The Alternative" is a very uncommon, even remarknble, novel, and the treatment of the two principal characters shows an almost uncanny knowledge of the seamy side of the contugal relation. It is in every way worthy to rank with the author's previous a.nd very successful fitory, "A Wayside Weed."

"Philip Loveluck." By Charles Owen. - London : George Bell and Sons. Dunedin : Whitcanibe and Tombs. (3s 6d, 2s 6d.) This is a New Zealand story, the ecene being laid in Wanganui airwl the neighbourhood, the period shortly after the close of the Maori war ; but there is no mention of the beautiful scenery or other natural charms foi which that district is famous, nor do the references to Maoris, full-blooded or half-caste, show due appreciation of that noble and manly race. Mr Owen's delineation of the Natives seem* to us to be singularly unfortunate. The chief incident of the story i- c the murder of Martin Fairman. a mean, cowaidly, viciou> monav- lender, hated and despised by all. Fairman. having got Philip Loveluck into his clutches, uses his powsr to make Philip's sister Ruth maTry him ; he treats her with contumely and insult, and finally brings a half-caste s>on, Wkemu, J»> live in the house with her. Ruth, indignant at the insult, returns to her brother, whom. Fairman proceeds to harass in every possible way. Among other things, he refuses to mend a boundary fence, and lets his cattle eat all Loveluck's best f«ed^ the latter, in a moment of passion, shoots one of th© trespassing steers, and pete three months' imprisonment. _ When Philip comes out of prison he is foolish enough to speak openly of liis hatred of his persecutor and determination to seek revenge. Hence, when Fairmaai is found murdered, suspicion naturally falls on Philip. The scene in the court, examination oi witnesses, etc., is very well done, and carries the reader on with breathless interest. An alibi is proved by showing the imposibilitv of Plain's having passed

from one house to another and committed; the murder within a given time, this result being chiefly obtained by the help of Mary More, a spirited colonial' girl and a splendid horsewoman, who rid?s the track herself, a& do two others. The accused is pronounced "Not guilty," and the real murderer, on whom no suspicion had ever fallen, confesses his guilt. Philip then marries Mary, and enters upon a happier and more prosperous life. Philip is represented by the author as a sin- , gulariy fine and noble character, but his want of self-control is very marked, sund leads directly to the final catastrophe, as well as to his sister's ill-considered marriage with a man whom she hated and despised, so that we cannot quite agree with the statement that " his faults antd failings had grown out of hie strivings to win the lofty vantage point, often, out of his contempt for meanness and wrong ; never out of self-centred and petty motives. . . ; That he was a maoi climibing- barefoot over the Tagged stones of life- to a higher pinnacle." Among them all .Ruth .has a bad time,, ior. the murderer of Fairm&n is the man whom shereally loves,, and his crime leaves her *to •walk " leadenrfooted. into the winter of her most unhappy life.'* ■,

"The Quest," by Justus Miles FormanLondon: Ward, Lock, and Co. Duhedin: B. J. Stark a<nd Co. (3s 6d, 2s 6d.) An emotional and romantic tale, full of exciting incidents, relating the efforts of a modern knight-errajit, M. de Ste Marie, "a genial and romantic Paris exquisite," full "of faithfulness, . gallantry, and i honour," to recover the lost brother of the* heroine, a beautiful, self-possessed, and prsternatuirally wise American girl. "The Quest" is suggested half in joke, with no very serious intent on either side, though the lady half promises her hand as a reward. Ste Marie finds the task very congenial, amd enlists the services of one Richard Hartley, another admirer of Miss Benham Togetfber they find the lost youth and restore him to his family. But, as often, happens, the work and the rewards a-re unequally divided. Ste. Marie effects the rescue, and Hartley g&ts the credit and the rewsard. Ste Marie's affections, however, are otherwise engaged : his r love foi the fair American was a mere j passing fancy, so all ends happily, a® a j good romance should. Every Jack has his Jill, and no poachers are allowed. Mr Formam never plays with, edged tools. He | knows the danger and the exquisite skill required. But his stories are bright and amusing, amd "admirably fitted to while ! away aji idle hour .' "The Stolen "I&aoer," by Nat Gould. London : John Long. Paper illustrated cover ; Is net.) . A lively story of bushranging, hunting, I racing, with alj their joys and .sorrows, by "the author with\he largest public in the world," the sales of whose books already exceed' six millions. Full of fun and frolic, and absolutely harmless, these books might be read in a Sunday school or on a racecourse. The scene of the" present volume, "The Stolen Racer," is laid in Queensland, and . has several "blackfellowis" on its list of dramatic person© : it is also the initial volume of a series of Mr Nat Gould's new volumes, about to be issued by Mr John Long in a new and attractive form, and which will no doubt meet with very extensive patronage from the discerning public. " Nature Study for the Senior Division," Books I, 11, m, Waverley School Seines. Edinburgh and London : M'Dougall's Educational Company, Ltd. 2s. In an amusing " Primer of Literature," contributed to the Metropolitan Magazine of New York by Miss Carolyn Wells, a " Nature Book" is described as "a volume of misrepresentation aibout animals." The definition! is good enough for some examples, American and otheir, but it dees not apply, at all to the book now under scrutiny. On the contrary^ indeed, after a fortnight's desultory reading among its pages,- 1 have crime to the conclusion that "this particular Natuire book is as markedtly well corasl<ructed for practical use as anything- of the kiiid> could be. Far from being taken up with animals or plants in undue degree, these three books in one contain equal and consietent presentment of all aspects and' phenomena of external! Nature. Everything on the earth's surface, and from the clouds above to the coal measures below, finds a. place in these pages : natural history and botany ; geology and physiography ; physios and chemistry ; physio'°gy 5 farming ; larnd-measairing ; manufactures, etc., etc. A really wonderful array of subjects, dealt with in ways blight, plain., and practical. Though meant for teachers' use the lessons are excellently well adapted for independent absorption by bright boys and girls. In fact, save iv cases where the would -be student is fortunate in his teacher, I would urge him to get this book and to go on his own with it alone as his pocket guide, philosopher, and friend. Then, wherever he may find himself— on the seashore, in a garden, mountain gully, or riveividie — anywhere, in fact, — he will find trustworthy "leaders" in his book that will tset him on many an entrancing track oi the wonderlands of Nature. However, I do not wish to convey the idea that this is a finely literary book. Books of that kind often egregiously fail with youngsters just because they ai-e too fine. This, above all, is a practical, matter-of-fact book, and whoever owns the credit of its making merits a real compliment for good, telling work well done. The illustrations, too, especiaJly the scientific ones, of -which there are many, are of a useful kind, well fitted to the text of the vai'ious departments. — Dinobnis.