JOY OF LIVING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13907, 19 May 1909, Page 3

JOY OF LIVING.

(Home Paper.)

"After school and college avid other apprenticeship.* come- our journeyman UU.VS in tiie world ana our wauueryears into life and letters and art and tne wonderful city or Alansoul." 'thus .vir loxall in explanation ot a title, perhaps somewhat fanciful and arbitrary; for by 'wander-years" he would tunicate the Grand Tour through life—"our middle years that, must close with life's October." In the dozen or so essays which make up this individual voiunie apt reitectioiLS on lire are l-iilfully interwoven with animated pictures of associated persons and places.

*'l will write a book of the 'Wanderyears," the author tells us, "and a hook of 'old fires and profitable ghosts' it shall lie, • frankly personal, lull of eyes and l's, and polyyglot with the Esperanto of the pleasantly learned." This brings us to' our chief quarrel with Mr 1 oxall, which is on account of what we cannot help regarding as his unfortunate polyglot style. Irritating tags of French and German and even Italian and Latin, besprinkle his pages very often without rhyme or reason. Nor can we think the new plan of discarding the wonted use of italics an improvement in typography, although it does perhaps conceal to a certain extent the frequency of the occasions on which Mr Yoxall has apparently found mere English inadequate for his purpose. The genial writer of these essays obviously enjoys the present, looks forwards to the" future, and revels in pleasant memories of the past; in other words lie is gifted with a happy and enviable temperament, and he would lain have us all know how to live our lives well. His philosophy preaches the clittv of happiness and the follv of not getting as much as possible •■"At the bright, high temperature ot out'of the day that is ours: vouth and abundant caloric, of matur'itv we. must warm both hands while we m'av—of the sumptuous and splendid opportunity named life take royal possession while we can. AlacK tor the years that are forfeit, if we tail to perform our 'great task of happiness and veritably live, while alive! listing's for winter: let us go on our wan-der-vears meanwhile. For regardez, mes* amis, cast an eye on the almanack, and see how the dusk sets in! In this spirit of live enjoyment the essayist chats agreeably and discursively of many things and many journeys: of Thackerav in France, ami Dickens and Sterne;" of the. Loire and Ooetlie s Lott.ehen: of Jean-Jacques Aflame de"\Vnrens: of old China: of the House of Commons with which he is so familiar: and so on. If he never startles us with depth of thought or novelty of sentiment—well, flint was probably vcrv far from his intention, and ne veiV often manages to strike a responsive chord of sympathy, tor his outlook on life is alwnv-i sane and chantable The idler who never abours. r.r.d the labourer who never idles rnay both .'.aiii wisdom from his. page-*, .- heVn,i»ds tW. 0-1 «r.|ls a» /™ d tJii.."* at The price of .labour: 'two hohdavs are better than one doctor he -avs to the other. A»A we are nil ] well urged -.iot to tnke either ourselves ' or others too seriously.