1934-11-05 — Page 7

LITERARY NOTES

BUDDHIST THOUGHT

Comprehensive History Of Founder

A STORY WITH A MORAL

Glimpse At Hardships Of East Africa

THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1934

ANIMAL

DR. THOMAS'S CONTRIBUTION

TALE WITH HUMAN

ASPECT ·

The History of Buddhist Thought. The Black Leopard.-By C. T

-By Dr. Edward J. Thomas." Kogan Paul and Co., London, 15/-,

F

A

Stoneham. Messra. Methuen & Co., Ltd., London. Price 7/6d. An animal story, into which Dr. Thomas is already well known human side is later introduced. It for his hook on the life of Buddha, is good reading and will be especial- but in the volume which he has now ly appreciated by those interested taak in the ways of wild animals. The produced he acts himself quite, distinct from that which he vell shrouding the dark forests of performed in his original and very East Africa is drawn aside and it interesting contribution to litera-is easy to understand the everlast- ture dealing with Buddhistic sub-ing conflict in the wilds, where carnivorous beasts must kill to live. jeety.

In a cave of one of the East fadeed, he has taken up the his- African forests, the black leopard is born, one of a litter of three. A the death of the Founder of the re-good description is given of the up- lixion. That Buddha himself was bringing of the young leopard, a religious genius there cannot now showing at the same time how these aleck-coated animals, the skins of But once the incidents of his life which are the prize of overy hunter, have been dealt with, the growth of

Thunt and kill their prey.

tory of Buddhism from the time of

the slightest doubt.

the religion which sprung out of his

The book falls naturally into two teaching, from the appearance of halves. The first describes the his school of wandering ascetics to growth of the black leopard, from

0

the development of several branches of the same religion, presenta study which has curious parallels in

full strength. The second half brings in the

a young kitten to

human side of the story, Here the

the history of the Christian Church; reader is given a true portrayal of and as it has been difficult to bring the hunter, a man, who will stop at the results of the various Christian nothing to gain the trophy upon -achisms into one comprehensive which he has set his heart,

volume, so has Dr. Thomas experi-

A glimpse in also given of some enced the same difficulties in the of the trials against which settlers very excellent survey which he gives in East Africa have to fight, in this of Buddhist thought through the particular instance, drought ond

marauding animals.

centuries,

Dr. Thomas does the student of Buddhism an infinite service when.

of

and spread so extensively through

out. Asin.

No Documentary Relics

Happy Conclusion

but lately there has been 0

Premier Mussakni

ARABIA

ADEN

GULF OF ADEN

ADDIS ABAB LABYSSINÍA.

BRA

LALIIANDIT

ITALIAN

INDIAN OCEAN

n'a-modernized, army

Having demonstrated during the recent Austrian crisis that Italy's army is the last word in mo dernisation, and that he stands rendy to use it immediately, if necessary, Premier Mussollat finds new mountainous kingdom discords to vex him on another international sector. Over in Abyssinia, the ruled by King Solomon's descendants, howitzers, aeroplanes, fanks and machine guns, assertedly in- doctrinated by Japanese commercial imperialiam, are giving Dictator Mussolini some, bad moments. Reinforcements of munitions and troops are being rushed from Italy.

MARRIAGE A LA MODE

Laughable Situations In First Novel

than

SURPRISE PACKAGE

Harry Stephen Keller Excels Himself

JUST ANOTHER"

SHORT STORIES BY STACPOOLE

Popular Writer In Typical Form

A new gathering of short stories

by Mr. H. de. Vere, Stacpoola, issued

Lack Of Originality In New Novel.

"TRIANGULAR" THEME

Infidelity-By

Alahile... Pharall.

Methuen and Co., Ltd., London,

7/6.

This is another of the vast num-

under the title of one of them, "The bar of "triangular" stories that Vengeance of Mynheer van Lok" have appeared during the so-called shows a deservedly popular writer in "frank" age which has come on the

world since the war. typical form

Briefly, it is the story of a young

The namepiece, which is by no means the best item, is a thriller woman who falls in love with a young man. He will put marry set against an East Indian back her, not being the "marrying kind," ground; other stories are of coral and she will not surrender other reefa and blue lagoons, and perhaps wise. Finally giving up the futile the wisest (called "The Luck of the struggle to make him see her, side Templetons tells of a lonely and of the question, she runs lovely Pacific Island where a trader eventually marrying a nice, steady and his girl-wife, suddenly enriched

individual.

4WAY,

by pearls and lured by thoughts of Her husband as all husbands in rity pleasures, realise at last that novels, is the kind that cannot un "the wealth that made it easy for derstand her finer feelings, cannot them to go made it equally easy for realise her gropings for the "real" them to stay."”

Mr.. Stacpoole is naver dull and this Intest volume exhibits a pleas Ing variety of moods and themas.

LEATHER BOUND

things of life! As inevitably as the day turning into night, the original loved one reappenra,, She is, un faithful to her husband, only to realise once again, that, her loved one will not marry her even then.

There is a scene on her husband's return, and she walks out of his life, soliloqulaing, apparently rather relleved to have lost both of the men in her life. It is needless to enlarge on the lack of originality in the plot. It is quite well written, Leather-bound editions of, gavels with an easy, realistic, fairly read- are to be published at one shilling able style that lacka real depth. more than the ordinary cloth bound

The fact seems to remain, how volumes...

ever, that to the majority who read All well-known books and beat-his book, the thought will come that Elgar Jepson made his name as selling novels are to be sold with it is "just another novel"

HUMOUR, THRILLS AND LOVE

Edgar Jepson Turns Pen To New Theme

Luxury Books For Everybody

a writer of light and quaintly humo-freal leather, gilt tooled binding, exactly similar to the high-priced | special editions. rous stories.

CLAUDIUS'S LIFE

AND DEATH

"Claudius the God" is the title of

Robert Grave's new novel, in succes- sion to "I, Claudius." The now book, which Arthur Barker will pub lial, is the story of Claudius's life from the time that he became Em. peror until he was murdered

SCIENCE DABBLING SPOILS in the early part of his book, ha Though the end of the story is Mr. Dayton. darling.By Lady

UNUSUAL BOOK Mary Cameron. T. Werner deals somewhat with the Brah- the happy conclusion of a romance,

Laurie, Ltd., London. mainism which prevailed in India at the author, whether intentionally an interesting |

Lady Mary Cameron-which is The Travelling Skull-By Harry

Stephen Keller. Ward Lock Later, he turned his hand with the time of the life of Buddha, and or not, has raised

An official of Selfridges, who in London. 3/6. thereby affords. a very interesting question. which is whether wild not the real name of the authoress

|considerable success to yarns of the troduced the idea to leading pub- Try to place yourself in the posi the background animals should be held in captivity-alternately astonished and shock-

"Usually, howaver description

ed a righteous world by her first. against which the Buddha formed in zoos and circuses.

tion of Clay Calthorpe. Just back in ore exciting variety, although, it lishers said: the philosophy which was to endure There are stil zoos of the old book "Merrily I Go to Hell" and she America from the Philippine. Is should be added, he never lost sight much a person has paid for a book, it is not a thing of beauty on the fashioned type in many countries, maintains the strain in her latest, lands, who discovered that his bag of the value of the delicately inter bookshelf.

ten-which is, a novel.

containing his personal belongings, woven love story as a sub-theme. But leather bound, carefully dency to confine wild animals in Modern youth never found a more had been "awiped" and replaced by But in his now work he has combined tooled book is one of the most pleas natural surroundings, allowing them unconventional introduction

another which contained a human in a most fascinating way all those ing forms of decoration in a room {far greater, freedom.

the opening scene in story which

skull.

qualities his public expects of him. and also usually the most expensive, Nura. Like the Christian religion, it

There can be no doubt that con-tella of the adventures of a couple

Picture yourself trying to trace Love is there, so is humour, so are In this idea, a now process is has no documentary relies from fining wild animals in a limited addicted to the bottle and the obli-the owner of the latter and getting thrills and excitement and inevite used and leather bound books enn the time of the prophet him-space, where they cannot escape vion it carries with it.

back your own property and reably, dominating the whole yarn, in be sold at little more than the price self; and in the early centuries human attention, is cruelty. This As a matter of fact, having met ceiving a crack on the head for your the true Jepsonian manner, walks of an ordinary edition." after the death of Buddha we find point has been very well brought unconventionally and virtually un-pains.

his newest and quite most charming, A publisher snid: "This is one of various Counells of the Church de-out in this book in a vivid descrip consciously they are married under And then consider what you heroine. Altogether, Art Obstinate the best book ideas I have seen for pieces of book nows. Faber and ciding upon what should be accepted tion of the feelings of the black the same conditions on the insistence would do if your employer and Girl" is a most enchanting novel. {muny years." as the tree and real teachings of leopard when trapped and finally of the father, and their subsequent future father-in-law suddenly made Buddha and what should not. The caged by man. Apart from this adventures add to an amusing naṛ- a confession to you that the skull first Council was held at Rajagaha point, which after all is debateable, ration of circumstances which all was that of a man, whom he had. immediately after the death of the book is well worth reading goes to show that marriage as an murdered some twenty years. pre- Buddha, and the question of the and the moral is there for those who institution works out well in the rules which the Buddha had laid wish to take notice of it. long run albeit the novel introduc down came prominently before it.

tion as in this case.

Thus, Ananda told the Council that Buddha, before his death, had told him that the Order, if it wish- ed, might abrogate any of the minor rules. There was, however, no in formation as to what, in Buddha's view, were minor rules; and in or- der that people should not say that they were being given up because the Master was no longer with them. it was decided neither to add to nor to abrogate them.

The Second Council

The second Council, about 100 years later, concerned itself with them. The second 'Council, about a hundred years later, concerned it-] Belf with the ten permissible prac

tices.

The third concerned itself with the heretics living with the monks; and though thore appears to have been no direct schism shown in

STRANGE USAGES OF ENGLISH

Husband In Quaint

Predicament

i

There are some laughable situa tions in which promiscuity is flung! to the winds, but the authoress hasi already legalised the, union ao that the complications are really not compromising. but merely based on a misunderstanding. They just did not know they were married but (found out later. A.F.F.

This story is told by Rev. the Hon. Edward Lyttelton, in "The Cluim). of Our. Mother Tongue," which Mr. Milford has published. This is A, book on strange usages of English:

A COMIC OPERA REVOLT

From Piccadilly To Barbary Coast

An affectionate husband, when first parted from his wife, very naturally wrote to her as "Dearest Maria. The lady had a gram- marian's mind, and wrote back furiously, charging her husband wanderlust. By Dare Dubois-Phil- with infidelity, since the word "denreal" clearly implied that there were other" Marins nearly as doar as herself.

ofther of these Councils, the fact is not on record.

does remain that during the first

three centuries of the movement

the Buddhist community had, be-

Eps. (Sampson Low 88.-6d.)

viously.

Harry Stephen. Keller excels him- self In this book ́ and, as with most of his other works, gives his readers their money's worth, though ad- mittedly he does go in at times for a bit of selence in what otherwise- would prove a very flos book

WORK WELL DONE Primer Of Chinese Characters

..

A Primer in the writing of Chin. ese Characters.-By David Dean Barrett. Captain, 15th Infan try. US Army Published by Kelly and Walsh. Ltd. Price 3, 50, Postage 15 cts.

It is not often that one finds an

In this entertalaing account of officer in the forces temporarily wanderings from Piccadilly to the stationed in Chins, who has devoted

The husband's reply, unhappily, Barbary coast, Capt. Dubois-Phillips his spare time to the study of Still less frequently do fills over 300 pages with excellent Chinese. adventure. He has tasted many we find that such a person has been Occupations and has found a zest in 80 successful In his studies as to be them all; in being a tramp, cowboy, able to compile a Primer for the actor, racing, motorist, explorer, use of others in the study of the bandit chief, and smuggler,

aide the original body, split up into SOMETHING FRESH

no fewer than seventeen schools.

Possibly those in which readers

IN FICTION

In China will be most interested are Yiddish Novelist Gains

those of the Mahayana and the Hineyana. And the conclusion:

which is come to, after perusing:

Big Distinction

language. :

He became a bandit chief in This Primer, a book of, 79-pages.

Mexico through being pressed into was written, primarily, as an aid the service of Gen. Huerta, who to the study of Chinese by the men sent him forth to meet Gen. Car- of the American army stationed in ranza's forces with a five-gun bat-Peiping. One does not know whe

this most interesting volume, ap- The first place in a batch of new tery of artillery and 300 scallywage ther the study of Chinese was made peare to be that the sole difference novels in giern by Ellis Roberts to As good as any comic opera is the compulsory on the men under the between the various schools was not "A. Week After Life," by Leo picture he draws of this adventure. author's command. so much, a complete divergence of Koenig, Yiddish, novelist, which doctrine as an interpretation of the has come from Mathuon.

If so, it would seem a wise or dinance, for soldiers on "service in

teachings which the Buddha had. This book has been well translated "OBSERVER'S" NOVEL this country often and time hang

left behind him.

LLOYD GEORGE'S WAR MEMOIRS

Last Volume This Month

Mr. Lloyd George's War Memoire will be finished off by this publication of volunnes three and four this mouth Nicholson and Watson are the publishers of these Memoirs, extrnata from which have appeared exclusively in the Sunday Observer

by Mr. Leftwich, and there are passages which remind Mr. Roberts

of thoen early stories of Israel Zang- will which brought into Englialı literature the customs of the London Jew

CHOICE

Six Books Selected

heavy on their hands and, to have an interlude when they were chach ed in Chinese by a man capable of giving Instruction in an interesting minnner, as was the author of this

A Week After Life," this ro The Oberver own choice. of book, must have been as pleasant. viewer anys, is refreshingly different novels for reuding deserves mention as it was bound to be profitable, from the ordinary run of fiatlon.

PLAYS IN BOOK FORM

Gordon

Daviot's play, ghing Woman" is published ispez in a back

nous Plate '88-84.

here:

Maurice Baring's Lovely Lady

of Dulwich, which has plenaed every reviewer Kata O'Brien's The Ante Roomi, Nichard Oko e

ENGLAND'S LITERARY. PRODUCTION

India's Coral Strand, Agnes As many na 8:765 books have been

The Romilly White's "Gape

Row

Monica Curtis's » Land James Hilton's Lost Horizon which won the Hawthornden

published: in England'

ths of this year: rge enough to "daunt London:

server

FOX

STAR HUGH WILLIAMS

POET WRITES PLAY

A play by Stephen Spender, tho poot, in one of the most interesting.

Pabut will publish this play.

CAPSTAN

worlds

The

Cigarette

most

popular

Virginia