THE READERS' COLUMN.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 164, 10 January 1914, Page 4

THE READERS' COLUMN.

(Conducted by James VTortley). LOVE. If Love come to thee in the morn, Say. "Love, why coiw-»t thou so soon!" And if he turn, go, sow thy corn, And labor on until the noon. If Love conic to thee when the day Is brightest, suv, "Ah, Love, 'tis sweet To toil," and if he go away, iio al»o thoii; ami bind t!-y wheat. It' T.ove come to Lliue when Uie sun * does down to meet the western sky, Say, "Love, my hours of work are done"; Then, if he hearken, pass him by. lint, if he come, what'er thou ask, And labor, Kinging by thy side— Rejoice, for love that shares the task Alone is love at eventide. - -.1. ,1. ileakc (prize lyric in the Book* man. YJSCOCNT JJIIYCE. In raising the Rt. lion. James Bryctf to the peerage honor bus been done to one of the most brilliant historical writers of the day. Viscount Bryce, wllo was born in 1838, paid a brief visit to Australia and New Zealand last year, lie was called to the bar in 1807. Hto chief works nrc "The Holv Roman Empile" (1 St»2}, "The American Commonwealth" (1808), nnd "South America" (11)12). .Mr. llryee has also had a di»guished political career. He entered the House of Commons in 1880. llii chief Cabinet appointments have been President of the Hoard of Trade (1.805), and Chief Secretary for Ireland (1905). As British Ambassador at Washington A(r. Bryce did much to augment the feeling of goodwill between Britain and America. 1 have just been reading his "South America" (MacMillan and Co.) | this week, and iind in it a charming | combination of keen observation and shrewd conclusions. The chapters on the rise of new nations, aud race relationships are particularly illuminating 'and evince much careful study of aotue j great national problems. :< I ART. ACCORDING; TO RODIN". "

t"Art by Auguste Rodin." Translated from the French of Paul Gaell by Mrs. Romilly Fedden. (Hoddel' and Stoughton; l(is net).

M. Gsell has made a very charming and readable book of what he, has induced the famous impressionist to say about art. We lay men get interested more or less in art in so far as we can be made interested by the manner in. which the subject is presented to US. Only the artist is interested for art's sake. In the book under review M. Hodin tells us things with brevity and lucidity, and interestingly, but witu none of Ruskin's discursiveness- Neither does Rodin pose as the superior person -in art. He talks to us of art, and as ha: proceeds 011 the way, exclaims to US just as a fellow traveller would cry, ''What a beautiful sunset," and wc poor creatures, failing to see from his viewpoint, he immediately falls to, and in minute detail elaborates the aspects of beauty. Thus: "He lighted a lamp as he spoke, took it in his hand anil led me to a delightful little statue of the Venus de Medici. . . . 'What do you notice!' he asked. I was extraordinarily struck by what was revealed to nie. The light disclosed slight projections and depressions upon the surface of the marble. "Good!' he tried, approvingly; 'watch closely.' As he turned (the statue) I noticed in the form of the body a multitudc of imperceptible roughness. Rodin* smiled. 'ls it not marvellous?' he cried. 'Confess that you did not oxpect to discover so much'detail. . . . It is truly flesh!' and, beaming, 'Van wjjllld think it moulded of kisses' and caress®!"' And in this easy conversational style the book begins, proceeds and ends. Like the author's masterpieces, it is flashing, illuminating, upon the many art subjects it touches. There are some sixty magnificent plates, reproductions of wellknown works of art, to illustrate the 'text. We have Millet's "The man with file hoc" and "The Gleaners"; Rembrandt's "Old Man," and Michael Angelo's ''A Captive" and "l'ieta." fto|p himself is represented by "The Tliinko?," "Mail Walking," 'The Broken Lily," "Balzac" aiul "Kve." These statues veritably seem to express, as M. Roden ten* its they should, not only the attitude depicted, but the mental aiul physical feeling behind it. This cannot be described by the term pose. Chapters dealing with realism, modelling, thought in art, mystery in art. and the beauty of woman follow one another with an apparently happy inconsequence; but perhaps the most interesting is that in, which the gifted artist takes us to visit the Louvre, and we are aided, with his train'ed skill to see the best in the best—a. privilege indeed.

| NOVEL NOTES, ' '""All the World to Nothing," by \Vvndham Mavt.vn. (Boston: ' Little, . Urown and Co.; 1912). This is iui exceedingly remarkably developed story of a young mail, IJirlmrd Chester, who funis himself in the private .■ apartments of the wrong houke, n position lie is under the circumstances unable to satisfactorily explain. Occasion . is taken by Nora Kilts of the situation to compel Chester to go through a formal marriage, ceremony in order to save a fortune, which is contingent upon her - being married that night. " Immediately the bargain is ("oiicluded, Chester, according to the agreement, making himself scarce, and the woman wh» has become his wile under such strange, circumstances not even recollecting his name. Neither,is it necessary that she should, for the whole business is being handled 1 by her lawyers. It would spoil the wellplanned and carefully-hidden p)ot 10 tell of the manner in which Chester ultimately wins his wife bjp his own personality. This nmisuaf story liolda tile reader's interest throughout.' "The Way of Avnbition,"' by Robert Kitchens, (London: ilethuen anil Co., Ltd.)

Tins i< an i'lii.-] \ and whimsical study ol lmw a 111:111, urged In- an ambitious woman, takes (lie wrong turn in fellowJii K his art. Claude 1 lentil, a composer of merit, seeks lo express what is in him, but 'his wife, Charminn, is ambitious for liiin, and her ambition will only be satisfied when 11 successful opera is staged, which bur husband is th» composer. By carefully dropped hints < harniiau succeeds in damping his industry along the lines it would naturally take. liy enthusiastic admiratioij #f th« lighter music, the poor man is urged alon.ir t Ih> road to grand opera. Mr. Crayford is induced to take up Heath, and join the conspiracy to make him mi opera conipos'er. To this extent tint little coterie which Charmian gathers round her is successful, but the opera is not. It, is a eli'ver -1 inly of the play and inter-plav of a woman's mind, and we are glad 10 find that both Heath anil his wife find happiness in failure—failure of the opera which is untrue to tho man's art, and happiness in a return to the stately Te Dennis and fugues, Heath's true vocation. (•Received l'or review from A. S. Booker, the U.K. Bookshop, Devon St. tßeceived from Hodder and Stoughton r publishers, London).