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On this Page 9
Books ot the Day
ABOUT THE WAR
none Help
kANY books
about the war
have been
' published in
England, and
I many more
will be pub-
lished before the war . is over.
Most of those already pub
lished deal with the war in
directly, but that is not the
case with Commander Stephen
King-Hall's "History of the.
War" (Hodder and Staughton,
London), , of which three
volumes have already been
issued. Of course, it is not
possible to (write a well-balanced his
tory of the war while -it is: in pro-
gress: and the great events which
the future holds are hidden from
us; but it is the aim of Commander
King-Hall, "to write a real history
'within the limits of what is possible
whilst the events to be recorded , are .
still white hot from the anvil of
time."
Volume 1 . discusses the cause of
the war under such headings as the
Nazi, regime, the seizure of the
Rhineland. the annexation . of Aus
tria, the Munich, agreement, the
seizure of Czechoslovakia, and the
invasion of Poland. Volume 2. deals
with the mobilisation of the British
home front, the strategical situation
during September and October, 1939;
'the war at sea, and with, the diplo
matic relations of the . belligerents
. with neutral countries. The third
volume carries--, the story up to No
vember, 1939, ' and deals with the
home fronts in Great Britain and
Germany, military operations by sea -
and air, economic warfare,- and fur
ther diplomatic . activities. These
three volumes constitute a valuable
record of events, .and are useful for
purposes of- reference, as well as for
general reading.
Behind the Scenes
WHEN .M. Gafencu, Roumanian
Minister for Foreign Affairs,,
visited Germany. in 1939 he went to
Bbrchtesgaden at the invitation of
Hitler, who, in the presence of Goer-
ing, asked him why Roumania had
signed, a : defensive pact with Great
Britain.! ' "You know that Great Bri
tain could do nothing to help you,"
said Gocring. "You would be over
run and crushed before a single
British soldier could go to your as-;
sistance." Gafencu admitted that
was possible. "Then why did you
do it ? " roared Goering angrily.
"The British -. guarantee to a small
nation is useful when the war is
over," replied Gafencu. The im--
plication . that Great Britain had a
liablt- of proving victorious in war
did not please either Hitler, or Goer-
.jng, but they said' nothing further.
This story is told by. Mr. Beverley
Baxter in his book "Men, Martyrs
and Mountebanks" (Hutchinson and
Co., London) . It was told to him
by his friend M. Gafencu, when, the
latter visited London a few days
after leaving Germany.
" Mr. -Baxter, who was formerly edi
tor of the London "Daily Express,"
has visited many European- countries,
and has met many of the men who
figure prominently in the news in
these troubled times. In : his book
he gives the reader many interesting
! glimpses of events and personalities,
as seen from behind the scenes. He
describes Mussolini as "the junior
partner to a madman at, Berchtes-
gaden," and shows how the Fascist
party in Italy is split into factions.
some ot which dislike . the Rome- 1
Berlin axis. He states that Musso
lini's prestige in Italy began- to de
cline after the conquest . of- Abys
sinia; "It is queer, but it. is true,"
he writes. "The Italian people are
easily bored, and tenacity is not one
of i their qualities. That is why they
detest and ridicule the Germans,
who hang on to an idea like a dog
with a bone I came away from
Italy convinced that no one, not
even .Mussolini, could bring the
Italian people into war against Great
Britain."
Of' Mr. Chamberlain,- Mr. Baxter
writes: /'He kept his goal clearly
before .him— peace if possible, or
war held. , off . until we were ready.
There are many of us who believe
that; no .other, man could have
brought us into war with such
national uriity, such strength and so
'favorable a diplomatic situation."
Brett Young's Short Stories
.L," RANCIS BRETT YOUNG lias
r thirty-eight novels — including
/'My Brother Jonathan" and "White
-Ladies" — to his credit as well as
much poetry and some : biography.
When John Galsworthy, died not a
few named him as the natural sue--
cessor to the 'creator of the Forsyte
Saga, though there are obvious
differences . in . the' outlook and
technique of ..the two-men. Now
Brett Young publishes - a book . of V.'--;
short stories— "Cotswold Honey" /
(William Heinemann). There are
twelve stories of .unequal merit, rang
ing from the - powerful opening tale;
of .the belated proposal in the Cots- -
wold village of a retired Colonial
-civil .servant. 'on Mils retirement and
return to. England, to. tlie sweet :
woman whose love he : was too cow
ardly to claim 30 years: before, down
to some ship surgeon's yarns on les
ser themes. All of; them; however,
have the authentic Brett Young
touches; viz., a deep; feeling for the
English countryside, ;a deep compas
sion .for. the frailties of human na
ture, and a deep understanding of-
sailors, colonial administrators and
"foreigners" of the better sort. The'
story of the German soldier-com
poser who bought the old English
manor, house in which he was In
terned during the Great War is a
little masterpiece of understanding.
' Miscellaneous
Mr. A. S. Neill completes an' edu
cational handbook trilogy with "The
Problem Teacher'" (Herbert Jen
kins Ltd.). He criticises examina
tions , punishments , &c.; and con
tends tliat until child psychology is .
made the centre of education our
'-schools will be ; mockeries. .
Professor A. C. Pigou writes on
"The Political Economy of War"
(Macmillan) with a simplicity which
will commend his little book to lay
men. He draws, mu&h on his ex
perience' in the 1914-1918 Great War,
and applies it to present problems
,oi price-fixing,, rationing, control of
investments, &c. But in his epi
logue the professor strikes a note
of human puzzledom at the onset
of the present struggle,, for he closes
with these words:— "As an econo
mist I have not tne power, nor, as
a man, the. heart, to strain through
a night so black to a dawn I -shall
not see."
We are all Interested in soldiers,
sailors and airmen to-day, so will
give a friendly welcome to "Kit
Bag," a handy : little book about
English fighting men, edited by Pat
rick . Monkhouse, and published by
W. and R. Chambers (London and
Edinburgh) , with 12 excellent illus
trations. ; We are told much about
dugout cookery, life in a mine
sweeper, -army boxing, secret .service,
the medals of the British army and
the names of British war ships.
.There is a short chapter of medical
hints.
. "Gentlemen of the Empire" is the
title of a substantial book by Jack
McLaren (Hutchinson)', which gives
colorful accounts of the interesting '
and astonishing experiences of dis
trict commissioners, ' patrol officers
and .other officials of ' the tropical
outposts of the British Empire. Mr.
McLaren, who possesses a pleasant
style, of narration, reveals a good
deal of the life of Colonial Office
and Australian External Affairs
Office young men in the Solomons,
the Sudan, West Africa, Papua and
other places. The book would be
the better for an index and illustra
tions.
Mr. Arthur Stanley, whose antholo
gies of travel and country life are
well known, has compiled in "The
Seven Stars of Peace" (Dent and
Sons) a collection of extracts, long
and short, on the conception of
peace. Mr. Stanley expresses the
hope that "in these difficult days
some help and consolation may oe
found in the book." It serves, too,
the very practical purpose of show
ing what our alms should be In
fashioning a just' peace.
W . B. Yeats 's Last Poems
TF the Australian reader can de-
Jt tach himself sufficiently from nis
distaste for excessive concentration
on the perpetual tragedy of Ireland
and can ignore the sex interest in
not a few pages, he or she will reap
a host of rich things from the read-
( Continued on Fifth Literary Page).

BOOKS OF THE DAY

(Continued from First- Literary Pago) .

Ing of W. B. Yeats's "Last Poems
and Plays" (Macmlllan's) . Yeats
was a great Irish poet and ' play
wright. His literary testament sup
ports this judgment, even If the

non-irish critic may marvel at the
uniform sombreness of the greater
volume of work submitted to popu
lar judgment. Tho two short plays
in blank verse culminate in digni
fied Yeatsian tragedies, but hold the
reader's attention by tholr blending
of eternal queries with ephemeral
accessories. In the first the story
circles round the murder of a roy-
sterlng and brutal father by his son, '
because "he killed the house" in
which generations of his wife's fore
bear's had lived and died. Yeats
makes one of his characters say:—
to kill a house.
Where great men grew up, married, died.
x I here declare a capital offence.

Those who know the literature of
the Abbey Theatre will read the.
poem Beautiful Lofty Things with a
wry face. Few— even those who hate
treachery to the depths of their
being— will be able to scan the
poems on Roger Casement and
Parncll without acknowledging their
bitter power.
A.M.S. in 1916-18
A - SECOND volume of the "Official
History of the Australian Army
Medical Services in the War of 1914-
18," by Colonel A. G. Butler, deals
fully with the Western front warfare
of 1916-18. Well Illustrated and
documented with maps and records,
It . describes in detail the Immense
tasks of evacuation and treatment
of the wounded and sick, often
under enormous difficulties, and. the
measures taken for the prevention
of disease. Within the period
covered, the conflict presented main
ly conditions of trench warfare, and
"human attrition- by prolonged me
chanical slaughter." A vast field
was opened for surgery, as well as
for hospital treatment, affording rich
clynlcal and psychic experiences.
The author considers that the first
Somme campaign by the Anglo-
French armies, in which the A.I.F.
saw some of its most desperate fight
ing, and'.' endured the terrible winter
conditions of 1916-17, has., strong
claims to being reckoned the most
decisive operation of the war. "At
Its end, the balance of moral and
physical , dominance, though small,
was , definitely on tho side of the Al
lies, and.lt sufficed in the long run
to win the war. Through all the
vicissitudes of 1917, and even In the
great German offensive of 1918, it,
was never really lost."
In its early stages, the losses were
very severe. In a major battle it

was seldom that the field could be
cleared without extra fatigue parties
from combatant troops, while thai!
stretcher-bearers might all be "laldr
out" by wounding and exhaustion,.:
In one week preceding the capture
of Fozjeres, for example, the A.I.F-
suffered 5892 casualties, of whom'
1260 were killed, 162 died of wounds
and 4411 were wounded. The SommeJ
winter created a lasting heritage o£"-
ill-health, "due to or aggravated bv»
war service." Colonel Butler ascribes'
the fearful trial to a lack of suffl-,
ciont consideration by tho Britisln
i'eneral staff of the "effect of'tac-
,ical schemes on problems of food:
and health, and on the well-beinffl
of the human material available fori
attrition."
The work, which is published byl
the Australian War Memorial, 'Can
berra, is sold at 21/. Tho first vol
ume dealt with Gallipoli, Palestine?
-and New Guinea campaigns. A com-i
ing volume will deal with the final!

phase of the war, and with scientific
and professional measures that were?
'developed to maintain fitness.
Political Play Spoilt I
SEAN O 'CASEY'S new play,
"The Star Turns Red" (Mac
mlllan's) will anger most lovers of
dramatic literature for reasons other-
than patriotic. To publish a play
glorifying Communism and carica
turing the clergy of the Romam
Catholic Church as. the sworn allies!
of; Fascism and the existing social
system, is at the best of times to
give hostages to fortune. To do sac
In . the early months of a war inl
which all that Is fine and helpful in.!
Christian democracy and civilisation-
is at stake, is to invite critical ex
amination of a sternly righteous
kind. ' This powerful play is spoilt'
not only by the false values glorified
and the false antitheses created, but
by the reproduction of. swearwords
of -a repulsive kind. Granted certain,
premises the characterisation is ex-1
cellent,' especially that of the trade
union leaders. But all the \balance.lA
are weighted heavily on the Com
munistio side, so that in totality thej
play, is sheer, unbridled propaganda
and ; caricature. .
— — — -. ' ''

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