BRIEF MENTION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19204, 21 June 1924, Page 4

BRIEF MENTION.

The appeal to the childish imagination as the basis of knowledge is the feature of “the Earth’s Story,” in which Mr Frederic A. Kumnier endeavours to give the young people of the present day an intelligent idea of the world’s development from a misty past. In the first part of tin's work, called “The First Days of Man.” '■ r r Kummcr has woven into a scries of fairy stories the wonder-tale of how the Sun combined with Nature to evolve a terrestrial sphere out of a gaseous fluid on which presently developed the glimmerings ot life. ‘i liis he follow- with an a <■<'<'nut of Naclji weaving (he first colours! r-g----tne Chinese bov Ling inonting 'he fi-'.t ■■■ V'-t -A- ’■ % ' oniHr.g D > fir:-! sword, and so on The second par’ of the story. ‘‘The - irst Days of Knowledge’’ (ffodder and Stoughton, 7s 6d net), carries Cm narrative on through another phase. In this second instalment Mr Knninier, who hails from Maryland, in D-e t T ri ! ed States, presents in logical and connected form the progress of the mental and moral development of man daring what may be called Cm dawn of civilisation. In turn are -•'sc’d in -p'-ie-’- (he nttem-ts of prunitivn man In t l iirk. Dm waude.u-.gs of the I 'rn-ttirnnis through Eurane, l- IH-g for fond and makum eave-"ict r nc and the gradual spread of the C-.man race over the earth. The--' f-flow an of Mir. hoginil'ngs of ■ o‘ip.-,- end "hrs inah. mg of metal n- r’ ; , and of -arving if wood and iv-’n .-d s'-vm .n j l on to f he

nv-eart and D 1 ‘ : ' ir r run ri-lp u-. to fho iniD-' i u *n a anpr-inu and ■he appreeiaCo of east- I '-e ”'e'd' w excellently d n ■■■■■’ d 1 d with 'ho re- ' "t oh ‘|v lerh.'no- of Vstnrv f-n E" ; ‘'-h ’ r ' ; r .

- KM-uo- said : .'• old he -I-d ;r o orv child in the e-nntrv co-dd ha"-:- ifstorv with Hm Cave--'on. Dy illustra-

tions and .-tones rnueh tliat .'s valuable, may ho cnnve o,| oV en to tender minds.” Air K mmo < honks eontain stories carutalhtold and pictures cieaiiv and art'stieallv reproduced, and they sho ’ld be studied and circulated by progressive educationnl'sfe iimughont (he dominion

Tho irlons and ways of the seh-'nl-ho--('•’l'.nw with yearn. and it may be doubled whether the modern bov has the same zest for “ ! oni Brown’s School Days” as had his elders. Even the school stories of Tnt' nt Haines Heed are in danger of being voted a back number. Happily. Mr Gunhy has come opportunely to tho resc-'e. "o has passed through an English public school and uriiversltv: he has achieved distinction on the athletic field; he has been a schoolmaster, and he has the gift of being aide to present his varied e\-nerience s in tho form of readable stories. With “The Now House of Oldhorough” and “Sparrow in Search of Expulsion” ho has won a chorus nf approval from an ever widening circlo of youthful readers, who are not likely to bo disappointed with “According to Brown Minor, or the Feats of Foozle*’ (Hodcler and Stoughton, 3s 6d net) It is accurately described as a “keop-you-young” school story, and parents who dip surreptitiously into its pages must not be astonished at experiencing a desire to rend - ii! oook through j.- is in tho worthy ■tradition of “Stalky and Co.” “Wee Macgregor” is among the immortals, and Mr .7. J. Bell has given the amusing little chap a new lease of life by issuing in /“The J. J. 801 l Reciter” (W. and K. Chambers, 2s 6d net) a number of selections in prose and in verse from ‘Woe Macgregor,” “Oh, Christina,” and other of his . works. All over Otago and Southland and wherever the Scottish tongue is spoken and beloved this bonk promises to be a prime favourite. Reciters, tver in search of something new and effective, will eagerly con its pages, which contain nearly M selections displaying commendable variety Mr Harry Pain is a well-established funmaker. and the re-issuo in hardy pocket form of several of his most popular brochure was a happv thought. Following such pleasurable skits as “Marge Askinfont,” “Robinson Crusoe’s Return.” “The Diary of a Baby,” and “If Summer Don’t,” ’be appearance will be welcomed of “r'Vinpbn’s Talcs of His Family” (T. Werner I.auric, Is 6d net). ’Hie stories told by Mr Frederic Tamplin, bootmaker and frequenter of the Red Lion, to his bosom friend, Mr Ernest Kemp, organist and music teacher, mostly concerned the Tamph'n family. Katie, George. C'lairie, Nellie. Egbert, Timothy, Jonathan, Teresa, Percy, and Frederick each have a chapter to themselves. and give Mr Tamplin abundance of opportunity to display his gift to the amusement of the reader. Almost evervone is prone to write poetry, but not everyone has the temerity to publish it. For one thing, publishing poetry is an expansive process, and sometimes it causes tho poet to lose his host friends. We trust, however, that nothing so untoward will befall Mr James IT. Elliot, of Hamilton, Waikato, who has ventured to publish a book called “Random Rhymes” fWhitenmbe and Tombs). The hook has the ominous dedication: "To my wife as some slight recompense for (he hors of neglect which tho composition entailed.” Verse of this sort does not call for critical analysis. It is manifestly tho sport of leisure hours by one who has a facility in rhyming, coupled with decided opinions on things in general, plentifully interspersed b v local allusions. Air Elliott has no love for prohibition and no liking for evangelical religion, but his verse has n spice of sentiment, and occasionally he takes a higher flight and sounds a tuneful note.