A NEW ZEALAND LITERARY ANNUAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVII, Issue 50, 14 December 1899, Page 6

A NEW ZEALAND LITERARY ANNUAL.

THE 'DOMINICAN STAB.'

We are in receipt of the Dominican Star, a literary annual edited at the Dominican Priory, Dunedin, and printed and published at the office of the N.Z. Tablet. The success of the first number of this interesting and welcome annual last year has encouraged the Dominicaa Nuns to issue it this year in an enlarged and improved form. As a result the Dominican Star for 1900 contains 200 pages of reading matter — an increase of 50 pages on last year's initial issue ; the illustrations — some 30 in number— are larger and more numerous than before ; the feast of literary good things is more varied and abundant, and of even a higher order of merit than the excellent pabulum supplied for 1899 ; the annual appears in a very handsome dark-green crocodile cloth-binding, heavily gilt ; and the price of the new is?ue remains the same as last year, 3s 6d. The Dominican Star reflects credit alike on the editor and on the Institute which hai had the pluck and brains to put bo excellent a publication upon the market. Paper, binding, letterpress, and illustrations do credit to the N.Z. Tablet Company's Office, which has • lcceeded in producing one of the best specimens of book- work that have appeared In this Colony for some time.

The Dominican Star is not a school annual. It is, as its titlepage states, a literary annual for the Catholio home, and as such appeals to a wider range of interests than those that are purely or chiefly local or personal. This is true even of the literary contributions from the pens of the youthful competitors in its columns. There is a singular lack in them of local flavour ; they come from places as far apart aa Adelaide and Caversham ; and they deal with subjects which would retain mnch of their fresh interest even if transferred to the Children's Column of, say, the Milwaukee Catholic Citizen or of the South African Catholic Magazine. The aim of the annual is distinctly high — not to say ambitious. And we aie glad to say that it has hit the mark pretty squarely. Both by reason of its unique scope and roal excellence in the field of Australasian Catholic periodical literature, it deserves a more than ordinarily detailed criticism at our hands.

Imprimit and in general terms : the Domiuiean Star offers 'a charmin' variety ' of subjects. They embrace six stories ; a like number of essays ; four lengthy and interesting correspondences from places so widely separated as the North Island of New Zealand, London, India, and South Africa ; five pieces, of poetry ; ' Chats in the Library ' ; timely biographical sketches ; all the pleasant chatter of the children to the ' G.O.M. 1 and of the ' G.O.M.' to the children — and a few other items besides. It is needless to say that the contributions are all original ; and those who perused laßt year's Dominican Star will be prepared to learn tfeat they are in the main of a high standard of literary merit. Some of them •re, in faot, from the pens of writers who, like Father Finn, S.J., and Lady Mulholland Gilbert, have already made their mark in the world's literature. Others are the work of skilled and cultivated writers, most of whom tantalise our legitimate curiosity by either giving no clue to their identity, or by concealing it behind the domino noir of a pen-name.

The annual opens with a well-told story entitled ' Herbert Howenden.' It is a tale of America, Ireland, and New Zealand. It enforces the gospel of work, of resignation under affliction, contains a powerful description of ' that curse of the land, an Irish eviction,' some bite of practical life wisdom, and so sweet, though brief, an appreciation of child thought and child philosophy that we confess to a wish to meet little Ethna again in a sequel to ' Herbert Howenden.' A capital short story — 'Detective Burke' — is contributed by Father Finn, S.J.. the well known writer of tales for boys. It will be very much enjoyed by every reader, the drollery of the whole situation created by the imaginative Father being greatly enhanced by its humorous and altogether unexpected denouement. ' Will and I ' (by Emily Moreton) is a simple and straightforward, but singularly sweet-tempered and charmingly told tale of brotherly and sißterly affection. We do not know who wrote ' The Experiences of Uacle Paul Pry,' for he — we presume it is he — leaves a blank where his name should appear. But his tale is singularly well sketched in, with all the fresh directness, too. of a personal experience, and with a quiet drollery and an occasional suggestion of naivrtc that are very winning. It is, briefly, a story of the Dunedin University students, their ' studies,' their manners, and their ways. Of the two other short stories in the annual, we are very much taken with that of 'The Old Violin.' It is told by Mr. P. J. Nolan, and is handsomely illustrated. The scene ot the Btory is laid chiefly in Wellington, and it tells of the hopes, struggles, trials, fears, disappointments, and successes of a poor young lady violinist. The plot is well constructed, and the development of the leading oharact rs in the story and of their mutual action and reaction upon each other is marked with a tenderness and truth and skill which stamp Mr. Nolan as a really clever writer of short ta'es. The last story in the annual is entitled ' A Practical Joke with Practical Results.' Queensland and New Zealand are the scenes of this welltold tale of squatter life. It is the story of the marriage of an excellent Catholic girl t » an Agnostic, and of his chance conversion to faith in God as ih°i result of a practical and almost fatal joke played by him upon his wife with a poisonous snake. Snakes proceed to bite in a much more direct and business-like way than the author describes ; but that is an unimportant detail. The tale is a decidedly interesting one and is ably presented to the reader. We are much mistaken if most readers will not thoroughly enjoy the airs put on by the New Zealand maid who contrives to make such an amusing display of her ignorance in the endeavour to establish, at the expense of others, a reputation for being better educated than they. A notice of other ar tides, etc , in the Dominican Star is unavoidably held over till next week.