Critics on the Hearth.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 40, 16 February 1907, Page 10

Critics on the Hearth.

. The critics — Julia, Midge, Geoffrey, and Jack, aged between twelve and eight. Jack; I cay; it isn't fair. Here's four of us and only six books. We can't divide up proper. ; Julia: Properly. Jack : Properly — who cares ? There ar'n't enough books to go round. Geoff. : One apiere and two for partnership ; that's not so bnd. Jack, which is our partnership book? Jack: "Dead Man's Land," because it doesn't stick together, somehow, and isn't so exciting. Midge (enviously) : With that great beautiful lion in the front eating a boy ! Jack : He isn't eating the hoy, silly ; he's only knocked him down. The boy's one of the heroes ; he can't be eaten. - Geoff. : 1 like it ; it's just the sort of thing which might happen. They go to Africa. Julia : Who's they? Geoff. : The people, of course ; " certain and uncertain Blacks and Whites." They kill lions and chum up with a lot of pigmies, and find some gold in old temples, and get caught by the natives. Then they escape and aro sick of Africa and jolly glad to got home. Julia: Well, that's all right. It sounds real, and I hate impossible books. What's this — " Jack Haydon's Quest " ? Jack : Ripping ! Geoff. : Fine ! Midge : Rubies in it, I saw that. They mike you feel so sort of scrumptious. Julia : What is it about ? Jack : Oh, Jack Haydon's father finds a huge ruby, and the Ruby King — that's an old native in Burmali — takes him prisoner, and he makes up his mind to rescue him. Julia: Who makes up whose mind? Jack : Girls have no sense ! Jack, of course. He goes to Kurmah with some friends and they fight the Dacoits and are taken prisoners, and Jack is nearly run down by a rogue elephant, and tho Ruby King threatens to torture him and his father, and they are rescued by the skin of their teeth with a heap of rubies. I tell you it's packed with adventures, and Jack Haydon is a trump. Midge : Boys' books are much more fun. Here's one of ours called " Our Great Undertaking," and the children just make a garden. Geoff. : These silly little kids in the pictures couldn't make a mud pie, let alone a garden. Midge : But they teach hymns, and do good all rpund. Why do girls' books most generally always preach We're not worse than boys. Jack: Cheer up. Midge! Here's "A Girl of the Eighteenth Century," in a pink gown and a big hat on the'eover. I bet she doesn't preach. Midge . Doesn's she, though ! Her fatiier goes off to fight, the rebels in Amorica, and you think she is going tohave such a fine exciting time all by herself. Then she makes friends with" some Methodists, and begins worrying about her duty to hor neighbours right off. Julia : But, Midgo, she learned to be an artist, and model wonderfully. Midge : What's the good of that ? She just gets thrown out of a carriage and paralysed, and has nothing to do but lie and bo resigned, till she gets cured and married. She might as well be a nowadnys girl. Besides, did people In the eighteenth century talk about being keen on things and getting in a dirty mess ? Julia: How do you know they didn't? Midge ; It doesn't foel right. The right kind of talk makes you feel all over.v and as if you were in an old castle or ji far away sort of garden. Jack : There's " Roger the Bold " it you want adventures. It's all about an English boy in the time of Henry VIII. who saw a gold plaque with a picturo of the secret city of Mexico, and how he went sailing and came to Mexico, and fell in with the Spaninrds, who were all traitors and frightfully cruel, of course, and how he fought for the Mexicans against Cortes, and was a friend of Guatamo, their king, and got the secret and the treasure. Geoff.: What I want to know is, if Roger did such wonders, why didn't he beat Cortes and save Guatamo after all. . Jack : Because Cortes really beat in the history books, of course. Captain Brereton would change that. Geoff. : That's what I 6ay. Making believe muddles things up so. If there had really been an Englishman helping the Mexicans, you bet Cortes wouldn't have won. Jack : It's a jolly good story, all the same. Midge, what oook aro you hugging? Julitv, It's only a fairy tale. Midgo : Only ! It's too funny and sweel and real and make believy. You see, the children find a 6and fairy who shows them half of an old amulet. And if they can find the other half lhey can have their heart's desire — that's to have their father and mother with them again. So they go looking for it in the East. Julia: How do they got there? Midge . Through the bit they have already. They go to old Egypt and Baby lon, and you just see tho places and feel them. And they meet Julius Caesar, and that's »vhy lie invades Britain. Geoff. : 'But I say, you know, he had done it ages ago. Midge : Yes ; but time is only a .vhat'd'-yc-call-it of thought. The fairy explains. Jack : Here's a bit about the ship from Tyre going down rather than give away the secret harbour. I say, this isn't a girl'B book ; at knows a thing or two. Midge : It's a sort of anybody's book. You just see what you do see in it, same as if you had the amulet. And it's exactly like " Puck of Pook's Hill," only it's quite ' ".different. Julia : And do they get their Heart's Desire ? Midge : I'd wish for another " Story of tho Amulet" this — directly — minute. — Dora Grcemvcll M'Chesney, in the Daily Chronicle.