Studio: international art (41.1907)

Reviews and Notices

Hons of the Maoris. Collected and
pictured by W. Dittmer. (London :
George Routledge.) 25s. net.—Appro-
priately dedicated to the Right. Hon.
R. J. Seddon, who during his long term
of office did so much for New Zealand,
this collection of the quaint and grue-
some legends of New Zealand with their
weird interpretations in black-and-white,
will do much to clear up certain pro-
blems that have long puzzled the student
of folk lore. At first repelled but later
fascinated by the strange stories told
him by the tattooed natives with whom
he foregathered around their camp fires
during his wanderings, Mr. Dittmer
carefully wrote down all that he heard,
and later endeavoured with varying
success to give pictorial expression to
his notes. Specially noteworthy are the
Chant of Rangi-Nui, the Creation of
the Stars, the Fight of Night and Day,
and the Creation of New Zealand, the
illustrations of which are less weirdly
grotesque than those for instance of
Tiki and the Creation of Hawaiki, in
which the figures are mere caricatures

"THE TROMBONE PLAYER" BY GIOVANNI BOLDINI of humanity.

Three Vagabonds in Friesland with a

the truth of Shelley's poetical relation to Nature it is Yacht and a Camera. By H. F. Tomalin. With

only necessary to reverse all that he has already photographic pictures by Arthur Marshall,

said about Scott; Mr. Coleridge observes that A.R.I.B.A.,F.R.P.S. (London: Simpkin, Marshall.)

Coleridge was country-born but town-bred ; pro- js. 6d. net.—The purpose of this delightful volume,

fessor Collins likens Tennyson's descriptions to ex- as explained by one of the three "vagabonds" re-

quisitely finished cameos, and Mr. Loftie humour- sponsible for its production, is to divert rather than

ously observes in his essay on Keats at Enfield, educate, and it must certainly be conceded that its

that the operation of church restoration was not primary aim has been fully realised, for the interest

invented a hundred years ago. It is somewhat to is sustained from beginning to end, the reader

be regretted that the numerous illustrations of a being kept constantly on the qui vive as to what is

book of such varied attractions should all be from coming next. The " vagabonds " were evidently

a single hand, especially as, with some exceptions, travellers of the best type, who left their insular

notably in his renderings of the Vale of Health, prejudices—if they ever had any—behind them,

Hampstead, and the Poet's Walk, Eton, Mr. made a point of getting into true rapport with the

Walker takes an essentially prosaic view of his sub- natives, the charm of whose unsophisticated ways

jects, ignoring the delicate and mysterious grey they recognised, and met all the difficulties

effects that are so characteristic of the atmosphere with which they had to contend with cheery

of the British Isles. His love of red often leads brightness. Their experience proved how false

him astray, his reflections are not always true to is the libel that in matters commercial the

Nature, and it is sometimes a little difficult to re- fault of the Dutch is giving too little and asking

cognise his interpretations of familiar themes, such too much, for they met with nothing but kindness

as Byron's Tomb, at Harrow, which, instead of from the countrymen with whom they were brought

being perched on the edge of a hill has the appear- into contact, the result of course in a great measure

ance of being in a flat, green field. of their own wisdom in not expecting too much.

Te Tohunga : The Ancient Legends and Tradi- To them the human interest always forcibly appealed,

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