“The New Idea.”

Northland Age, Volume V, Issue 16, 7 December 1908, Page 5

“The New Idea.”

Some half dozen years ago a tall, slim, dark-haired girl, who had made something of a name in her native State of Victoria as an elocutionist, accompanied Nance O’Neil on .a New Zealand tour, and a little later on reached London. After a time she got her foot upon the bottom rung of the ladder of Fame, and in a wonderfully brief space—though not without a determined fight'—won her way to the top. Her name is Alice Crawford, and in the Christmas number of “ The New Idea” appearß an interesting interview with her, written and illustrated by Miss Katharine Prichard, another clever

young Australian, who is doing literary work in London. This is one of ~ many bright features of the issue. Other notable illustrated articles are: "How Royalty Spend Their Christmas, ” “ How Sara Bernhardt Forgot Meiba,” and “ How Beethoven Became Deaf.” There is an appropriate and useful talk, in which an expert cook gives advice and recipes for many dainty dishes, suitable for the Christmas season, and an equally valuable article, in which readers are shown how to make a large number of uncommon Christmas giftß. On the fiction side there is an excellent collection of Christmas stories, the best perhaps, being the amusing account of how a little Queensland aboriginal was sent as a Christmas-box. The tale is humorously told by Henrietta P. Serjeant and capitally illustrated by Laurie Taylor. The Editor dispenses some practical advice about the purchase of gift-hooks for young and old; Dr. Woods Hutchinson gives some clear and convincing instructions on the rescue of drowning persons, and the Rev. Dr. Hodges tells the story of the first Christmas, for the benefit of the little ones. The usual departments dealing with domestic, social, and artistic phases of life are all given a Christmas flavour, and maintained in their usual strength ; whilst the review of the fashions of the world is admirably done. It is announced that there is to he still another enlargement in the size of "The New Idea” (without increase of price), of which two main features will be the inclusion of a sixteen-page fashion supplement arid the number of free patterns to be given with each issue will he increased from three to six.