1934-11-19 — Page 7

LITERARY NOTES

Bible In Many Tongues

Translated Into 678 Languages

"Our Heritage" is the title of the popular report of the British and Foreign Bible Society" just published it is prepared, as usual, by the Rev. John A. Patten, the society's literary superintendent, and not only records the details of the society's operation during the past year, but traces briefly the history of the efforts made to translate the Bible into English from Caedmon and Bede te Wycliffe, Tyndale, and Coverdale, who paved the way for the Au- thorized Version.

Nearly 11,000,000 Volumes. After making a survey of the society's activities throughout the British Dominions, the report deals with the worldwide distribu-,

tion of the Scriptures. Last year 10.933,203 volumes of Holy Writ were issued by the society, an in-į crease of 315,733 copies over the previous year

Eleven languages

were added to the society's list,.of. which nings were for Africa, ano for Europe (Lettish Romany for gypsies), and one for Oceania. This brings the total number of langu- ages in the society's list to 678. A Union version of St. Mark in Ngala, was issued. New Testaments in two more languages appeared→ |

THE CHINA, MAIL, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1934

The perseverence of Anne Sullivan Macy (right) enabled deaf, dumb and blind Helen Keller to learn to speak, to read Braille, to become one of the marvels of the world. Now, Mrs. Macy, stricken blind herself, is being taught Braille by Helen Keller. They are shown on their return from Europe.

Discovery Of "Morte D'Arthur" Ms.

Identity Of Malory Established

both for Africa: in Gang and VARIANTS FROM CAXTON'S TEXT

Lunda of Kambore.

THIRTEEN YEARS

IN ARCTIC

A Tale Of Present Day Doings

BRITON'S EXPERIENCES

North or '53.-By Bertram Barker.

Methuen, London. 7/6.

some

There are many tales that come from the Canadian north, fantastic, some absurd and some true. This book comes into tha fatter category.

It is the scrambled story of the experiences of a

young English: man, who spent thirteen years of his life in that great country where slowly the Canadian fron- tier is being rolled back into the Arctic wastes.

The story is scrambled for it keeps to a fairly accurate account of the events of his life, and in the |cominga and goings of those hardy caro-free men of the north, no life could in any sense of the word be called regular.

It is not a literary masterpiece, rightly enough when it is con- sidered that it is written by a man once a barber and then a frontlers- man. But it is none the less in- teresting through its unvarnished description of men, women and the life that they lead.

Considerable interest also at-l taches to the fact that it is written about the period since the Great War which has seen annually al- most miraculous new discoveries of wealth buried in what has been

known as the "Frozen North."

Radium, silver, gold itself is be-

The total circulation for Europe The manuscript of the "Morte, The identity of Malory; authoring found continually, by just asch during the year was 1,589,000 d'Arthur" was discovered in Win-of the Morte Darthur, with Malory, men as Barker. It is a tale of pre- volumes, a decrease of 104,000 in chester College Library recently. Knight prisoner, is thus at last sent day doings. little different comparison with the previous! The manuscript's first point of established, and we now also knew perhaps from the tales of earlier years. In Asia there was once interest is that it preserves the that the great bulk of the work, if frontier, days, but vital and en- again an immense circulation of colophons of notes of authorship not all, was written in prison. thralling to those in whose veins the Scriptures-6,708,000 volumes at the end of several of the main This is a striking confirmation of runs the blood of adventurers, ex- an against 6,956,000 in the preced-divisions, no doubt in exactly the the results of recent scholarship. plorers and pioneers. ing 12 months. Although China ferm that these were written by Professor Vinayer had lately sug-

in still in a disturbed state, 3.902, Malory himself. Since Caxton gested that the phrase "good deli-

year.

WITH KIPLING

Remarkable Increase In Traffic

60 copies were sold, which is printed the final colophon (missing verance" might be a reference to AUTHOR COMPARED 303,000 fewer than in the previous in our manuscript); we now prob-imprisonment, and had noticed that ably have the complete series,ja sentence in which the horror of Banned In Russia.

writes the discoverer of the maau-jimprisonment are movingly. de The Bible is still banned in script in an analysis which throws scribed by Malory was his own Russia, but the society, which inflight both on Malory and Caxton. work, and did not occur in the former times did a great work there It is curiously satisfactory to have "French book" from which he was "looks forward in faith and hope to Malory's footnote to Book IX., even at that point drawing his material. the day when the door that is now though it gives us no new infor-

Caxton as Editor.

A literary critic reviewing in the bolted and barred against the col-mation. Sir Tristram has just Caxton, as we know from the pro- London "Times" a volume of Wil porteur will be reopened."

arrived with the shiaid made by face to one of his editions of Chau-liam Faulkner's short stories: en- Financially the year has been Morgan le Fey to.splte Arthur:cer, appreciated a good, manu- titled "Doctor Mattino, compares. encouraging: The previous year So here levith of this booke, for script when he saw one. His text the author, with Kipling. closed with a defleit of £26,000, and hit is the first booke of Sir of Malory sometimes contains Comparison with Mr. Kipling, the income amounted to $343.000. Tristram de Lyones, and the iihrases which can be traced to the "this supreme master of the short The year reviewed ended with a secunde booke begynith where Sir sources Malory was using and yet story," is good enough for the small surplus, £696, while the in- Tristram gmote down kynge do not appear in the Winchester most cautious reader of reviews. come increased to £374,000, "a re-Arthure and Slr Uwayne, by cause manuscript. In such instances Few more remarkable tributes ault," says the report, "that makes why he wolde not tell them where-Caxton's text is to be preferred. have been paid to any modern us hopeful that the tide has fore that shylde was made, but to There are reasons for believing writer, English, Scots, Irish, sey the soth Sir Trystram coude nat that the Winchester manuscript Welsh, or American, than this re- telle, the cause for. he knew it nat. and that used by Caxton were de-viewer's praise of Mr. Faulkner's

Similarly one is delighted to dis-livered independently from the short stories.

turned."

SHORT STORIES

Readable Volume Of Twenty Tales

́UNEXPECTED DENQUEMENTS

Storm.

Business Man.-By Lesley Hutchinson. London. 7/6. This collection of twenty short

stories makes a readable volume with which to while away odd and otherwise tedious half hours.

The tales are all unexpected in denouement and well told, the

cover Malory breaking into French same source. Malory's manuscript, "The poorest of these fourteen before the story of the Morte pro-and that where accidental omistales, the London "Times" says, per begins-where the scribe, him-sions occur in one text the other "would be riches to most of the self feeling that this was an oc- will be found to supplement them successful short story writers of caslon, writes the last two lines of Some of the obvious

gaps in the the day." the colophone in scarlet!- Caxton text are doubtless due to

AND GARNETT

And here I go unto the Morte the carelessness of his compositor, JOHN GALSWORTHY Arthur and that caused Sir Aggra- but when the text has been edited rayne, and here on the other'syde to cover the, races of an omission folowyth the moste pytevons tale of this explanation will not do. There the morte Arthur Sannz Gwardon. is no reason why Caxton should left Malleore Kynght lhu Ayed Ely Par Gawaine's confession on his death- Par Le Shyvalere Sir Thomas out, for example, a line from Vout Bone Mercy. Amen.

Incidentally in

bed:-

30 Years Of Letters

"Letters from John Galsworthy, 1900-1980," is one of the new our manuscript) ... I fele myaalf that I muste books. These letters tell the story. below, so that the phrase "on the noone, and thorow me and pride ye John Galsworthy and Mr. Edward the next book follows immediately (nedis be dede by the owre of of a literary friendship between plots are good, but there is other syde" is certainly Malory's, have all thys shame and disease) Garnett. Mr. Garnett has added a failure to make the men and wo men in them of more interest to referring to his own manuscript. for had that noble knyght Sir few letters of his own, and has the reader than they would be if he footnote to the Beaurain's Launcelot been with you as he was written an introduction giving his passed in the street or read about tory Book VII. in Caxton's edition, and wolde have been thys unhappy estimate of Galsworthy the man

is particularly interesting.

warr had never, ben beginne and of Galsworthy's place in Eng- On feels no grief for their sor- I pray you all fit runs] that Caxton, finding that his text,lish literature, **

redyth this tale to pray for hym which omitted, the words, inj*****

in the newspapers.

rows fortune, and, therefore, the tales

Amen.

Arthur's Identity

or rejoicing at their good that this wrote that God send hym brackets, made nonsense, rewrote scribing the joy of Sir Tristram and are like good food cooked with in- good deliverance sone and hastely. it slightly, in order, that it should La Beale Isoud at their reunion, auficient salt. They, are good but

at least be readable. This was wrote "To let the toyse there not as good as they might be.

reasonable. But our manuscript ya no maker can make hit nother The best of the lot is "The Mur The wording of this may; I be proves that Caxton's literary con-no can thynke hit nother no penne derer's Wife" which begins with lieve, imply that the book (of which science did not check him there. can write hit nother no mowth can the sentence, "The only virtue is no original is known either in Eng-He went, through the whole book speke hit." That struck Caxton this story is its truth.".

lish or French) is in the main rapidly, touching up passages as excessive; so he revised it]

It does ring true and the angle Malory's own work, for elsewhere where the grammar seemed to himThere is no tonge can telle it nor is new-a star crime-reporter le inhe does not talk of having "writ to be rough and altering, phrases berte thyoke hit nor pen white process of presenting a murderer's ten" the book, but of having trans- which seemed to him archaiche bit. Often there are pages and wife to the newspaper public as lated it, "drawn out of the French" mentions in another preface how pages with scarcely, a, correction, the public is supposed to like mur or "braffly drawyn out of the the English language was chang- and then Caxton reaches a para derers' wives to be presented, and "French" being his phrases. And ing in his day or otherwise un graph he does not like and uses his the tory of all his little efforts be further, here occurs the word, al-suitable.

pencil freely. hind the scenes is quite satifne, ready familiar from the last colo-

The evidence of this manuscript torily sordid and Gertle, the wife, phon in Caxton's edition, "deliver. He did not like Guenever saying will clearly be of the highest, im- so very much what she probably ance. Its meaning is made cer that she would take her death as portance to any future ditor of would be in the circumstances.

tain by yet another colophon: meekly as ever martyr took bja Malary and the Warden and Fel

PROBLEM OF MODERN MARRIAGE

Alterations

And this booke (it is Caxton's death for Jesus Chri Book IV. endyth where Sir Laun-he wrote instead "me celet and Sir Tristram com to Christ's sake as ever courte Who

Who that woll make any tian Qu

When

more lette hym seke other bookas writing the Roch Miss Dorothy Sayera's first of Kyng Arthure or of Sir Laun- novel, "Cat o'Mary." will be pub-celot or Sir Tristrams. For thie Hshed over the name of Johanna was drawn by a knight pesoner Sir Leigh. deals with the problem Thomas Malleore that God sende of modern marriage.

hym good recovery

Bake no lower of Winchester for Jesus arranged that if sho

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