The Great "Push" Experiment. By Ambrose Pratt. (Grant Richards. 6s.)—A
"Push" in Australian means much the same as " Camorra" : it is a secret society. Mr. Pratt seems to know something about the working of these things, and so far he has a claim to be read. Whether he exaggerates or no we have no means of knowing; the general impression left by his narrative is that it is faithful to facts, though the final scene is not a little melodramatic. What we want to know, however, is not how things went between one "Push" and a rebellious member, but how these societies commonly conduct their operations. The hero, who tells his own story, does not interest M. His description of his love affairs is not attractive, to say the least. But the reader will put up with this ; he can always protect himself by "skipping." Anyhow, Mr. Pratt has something genuine to write about, and so stands above the level of ordinary writers of fiction.
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