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OUR BOOK-TASTER. CRATTY REVIEW OF THE WEEK S LITERATURE. p R "The Irish Peasant." Fac/ee. froIn the taint of party politics, in book any political bias, Miss Barlow's the h°1 peasantry is without doubt it on °a J rea4 a* Present moment. Jn Son *v faithful portrait of the genuine S°^' a'^ ^au^s an<* follies, p.M- generosity and humour. hom1U^ l0lXl a <3escriPtion of Lisconnel, the how^-k -r humble folk, Miss Barlow tells us fifte widow M'Gurk received a legacy of £ een shillings from an unknown kinsman in erica such an event had never been known before, and there is a consultation of the and ^°Ul S as to how it shall be spent °ff h 18 ^ec^ec* ^at the widow, after paying a «« K should expend the remainder on Wid °' ma^e*' But, listen to what the fr °w 8 basket contained on her reiurn home in rK town, There were other delights nndbe basket. A bundle of portly brown- Peoe au#?ar~sticl £ a made some full-grown ^'e secretly wish that they were children, tin*' °bi'dren themselves for the e baing without an unsatisfied wish in the ^PPerment-scented world. It was on this that a reconciliation between Mrs. r 0rk and Judy Ryan, who, it may be rnembered, had offensively obtruded an of potatoes, was cemented—durably, tO4ritworneiis from its intense adhesiveness r~by the number and length of the sticks stowed on the youthful Pat liyans. Then ere was a large blue bottle with a red and Yellow label, which contained a linyeement" arranted to cure the very worst of rheu- atics. This was to be divided between Mrs. SLuigley an(j peter Sheridan, sufferers of any twinges, who would now command, at i ? rate, the not despised consolation diffused ■P >trong odours of turpentine and cam- Prorated oil. The only pity was that such Powerful smellin' stuff should be marked so very plainly as to scare anyone from ymg it in'ards.' And in one parcel was a arge, warm, woollen skirt for Stacey instead the thin rag in which she had shivered °D{j many a mile that day, while another felled with the knitting yarn that Peg «eridan. who was lame-futted and lost >aont a bit of work in her hand,' had been for time out of mind. But the pur- a8es whence Mrs. M'Gurk herself derived tlktl, keenest pleasure were the two dark purple P?Pered packets which she left at the /—"slye's cabin on her way up to her own— 0 meagre funnel-shaped wisps, screwed up receive skimpy ounces and quarters, Qt oapacious bags, that would stand aqUarely on end when filled and corded, that you would not err in describing 8 one pound of two-aud-tuppenny tea, ai d °Qr of tuppennv-ha'-penny soft suga- • • When Mrs. M'Gurk finally com- peted her unpacking in the seclusion of her cabin, it appeared that she had brought otfaiug home with her except a penn'orth of » '•" She then bewails her fate at not having fien ahje to buy them red woolly wads for Sheridan' Joe." "However" v>ads the authoress), perfect satisfaction is Unattainahle and few women have felt more patented, on the whole, with the result of a Jky's shopping than did Mrs. M'Gurk as she QDabled into the rashes and rags of her °°riou8ly constructed lair, where she to dream of tobacco and yarn and alluring bakers' windows in the middle of her first strangely worded Hail .lIfm y," er6 We have, indeed, a picture of true human kindness, and through the remainder of these ob 0 arraing idylls there is a tender pathos, a een insight into the peasant's heart, and a Path pointed out to the truly philanthropic. hope that the success of this book may pre- vail upon Miss Barlow to delight us with another on the same lines at some early date. "Scandinavian Lunatics." It is, evidently, a determination of Ilen- ^usk Ibsen to introduce into his plays all the God-forsaken creatures to be °UmJ in his native country. In his latest Pfodnction, called in English, "The Master gilder, he has brought together some half- lunatics of a more or less pronounced oharActer who talk and conduot themselves the usual Ibsen lines. Harvard Solness is hero of the play, and therefore more in need of a strait-jacket than the others. He is a Carried gentleman with a Mormon ambition, goes about fascinating young women "lth his fatal beauty. One of these young he has met when she was a child of Welve years of age, and she oalls at his 401,ae after an interval of ten years to claim ? Promise whioh she states he then made to Solness, however, has forgotten | about it, and so in the °»owing conversation we hear all about the transaetion :—" Hilda Have you a very bad mernory ? Solness A bad memory? No, not that I'm aware of. Hilda Then haven't ?°n anything to say to me about what tip there ? Solness (in momentary ^Prise): Up at Lysanger ? (Indifferently) it was nothing much to talk about, it enlll to me. Hilda (looks reproachfully at flow ean you sit there and say such r^RS ? Solnesa Well, then, yon talk to me 0 .nt it. Hilda When the tower was Wished we had grand doings in the town. jl°lne88: Yes; I shan't easily forget that day. "da (smiles) r Won't you ? That's good of in ? Solness: Good ? Hiida: There was music the churchyard—and many, many hundreds People. We school girls were dressed JV^bite, and we all carried fl;igs. Solness those flags -I can tell you I remem- them Hilda Then you climbed up over scaffolding, straight to the very top; and 1 Q had a great wreath with you; and you that wreath right away up on the j Solness (curtly interrupting) on .Waya that in those days. It's an old j. Hilda It was so wonderfully thril- j**& to stand below and look up at you. n°y. if he should fall over! He, the Wilder himself! Solness (as if to lead ^jP £ Way from the subjeot): Yes, yet, that on Very well have happened, too. For ^bose white-frocked little devils, she „Dn* °n in such a way, and screamed "to me 80- Hi'da (sparkling with pleasure): jQrra for Mr. Solness!" Solness: Yes! *aved and flourished with her flag so that •tT<° a,ra09t made me giddy to look Jjj Hilda (in a lower voioe, seriously) big devil—that was I. Solness (fixes U0 steadily upon her): I'm sure of that, #ga-' It must have been you. Hilda (lively °°uld >" wa9 90 gl°ri°u8ly thrilling! 1 the ^'t have believed there was a builder in tre^"°le world that could have built such a Jon endoQ8ly high tower. And then, that ag 1 ^0Qrself should stand at the very top of it, tljea,r^e as life And that you shouldn't be tbioleast bit dizzy! It was that, above every- thjnj[! t'bat made one—made one dizzy to °f." This interesting conversation 'Icke ^ore amorous further on, in fact, apD„niD§ly so, and is only checked by the ailnoaran°e of Mrs. Master-Builder, who 'oom*11-068 ^er u"invited guest that her i^tri 18 ready for her. There is another ^Qil(fUe beiQg carried on by this festive *hileer> but this is, of course, put on one side 0ne J 6 renews his acquaintance with Hilda. lr0(1 not feel very sorry when the play is Via t an at)rupt conclusion by the icg u!" falling from a weathercock and break-' beconi18 ne°k. If this sort of play-writing Oughtets ^opQ^ar (and Mr. Archer says it ^ritfh+« 8 shall have our enterprising play- *r> PUr to Bedlam and interview- Native lunatics, io order to obt»in the plot and conversation for their dramas. If Ibsen is to be forced on the English public by means of advertisement, and the drivel written by some of his expounders, it is time some abler pen than mine exposed his wretched distortion of the playwrights' art, but I think it is only a passing craze, and will pass away like other little fads which come and go like the sea-serpent, so we will pray that this batch of Scandinavian lunatics will be the last we shall hear of. "Before the Deluge." The lady who has devoted much time and trouble to write an historical romance con- cerning Shem, the son of Noah, has (she in- forms us) obtained her information from an ancient MSS.discovered in a.bronze globe which was presented to her by an aged Jew. The story is written in Biblical phraseo!ogy, and is for the most part interesting; but, alas! the narrator must have been some remote ances- tor of Mr. Rider Haggard, for what befalls Shem, the son of Noah, in the city of the Sarpis is an adventure after that author'sown heart. The Sarpi were a bad lot, and they worshipped a god called Calvan, who was pro- pitiated by the offering up of human sacrifice. Now, Shem had been paying a visit to some friends of the patriarch, and while out a- hunting the mashtak (a cheerful brute about ten yards long) he hears that his host's youngest daughter has been captured by the Sarpi, so he sets eff with Kedish, the only man brave enough to go with him. These twain have a rough time of it in the city of Sarpis, and but for Valdara, the priestess, being smitten with love for Shem they would both have become meat for their cannibal captors. They do not, however, save the child, but are forced to witness her horrible death, which takes place as follows And I the chief of the Sa-p s bound the limbs of Mahalath round about with hempen cord, and he laid her down upon the altar and went backward again unto his place. And they that made music stayed themselves awhile from their playing, that the voice of their rulers I might be .heard among the people. And amidst the shrieking of the child of Juktan the ruler of the Sarpis cried out unto his god, 0 glorious and mighty Calvan, the sacrifice we offer thee is made ready for thine accep- t ance.' Then the god.Calvan rose up into the air from the head of Valdara the priestess, and he poised himself upon his wings, hovering high above the body of his victim and round and round he flew in ever-narrowing circles, and nearer and nearer he descended towards the writhing form of Mahalath, and slowly he swept downward until the abomination of his black wings brushed close against her cheek, while still her cries rang out unto the son of Noah, and she struggled to break loose from the cords that bound her. And the foul god Calvan alighted upon her shoulder and he fastened his teeth upon a vein that he might drain away the life-blood that was within her; and all the people bowed down and worshipped him. And the shrieking died away into wailing, and the wailing sank into moaning, and after the moaning there was shudder- ing and silence. For the god of the Sarpis had accepted the offering, and the child of Juktan lay motionless upon the altar." This appears to me to be a nice little story to read to the children on a Sunday afternoon, and if it results in sending them into fits—well, you can't blame the authoress. One does not acquire much fresh knowledge from this revelation, with the exception of a personal introduction to dear old Methuselah and two mighty giants, but on the whole it's not much of a book leaving out the horrible parts it's too mild to be interesting, and with these left in it's too repulsive for general reading. "A Forecast." Dr. Pearson's book is essentially a book for the study, but even for a critic whose time is taken up with trying to keep pace with the deluge of printed matter, there is a tempta- tion to ponder over his exhaustive work. Like a trumpet call will Dr. Pearson's words ring out through the Western world, and, perchance, arouse the nations to some realisa- tion of the coming struggle with the hords of China, of India, and Africa, that, having civilised vast nations of the East and put into their bands weapons of our own manufacture, they will turn upon us, and the West will be subjugated by the niggers of all sorts that they have for centuries held to scorn. Summing up, then, we seem to find that we are slowly, but demonstrably, approaching i what we may regard as the age of reason of sublimated humanity, and that this will give us a great deal that we are expecting from it- well ordered politics, security to labour, education, freedom from gross superstitions, I improved health and longer life, the destruc- tion of privile# in society and of caprice in I family life, better guarantees for the peace of the world, and enhanced regard for life and property when war, unfortunately, breaks out, It is possible to conceive the administration of the most advanced state so equitable and efficientthat no one"will ever desire to seriously disturb it. On the other hand, it seems reasonable to assume that religion will gradually pass into a recognition of ethical precepts and graceful habit of morality that the mind will occupy itself less and less with works of genius, and more and more with trivial results and ephemeral dis- cussions; that husband and wife, parents and children, will come to mean less to one another; that the old will increase upon the I young; that the two great incentives to effort, the desire to use power for noble ends, and the desire to be highly esteemed will come to promise less to capable men as the field of human energy is crowded; and generally that the world will be left without deep convictions or enthusiasm, without the regenerating influence of the ardour for political reform, and the fervour of pious faith which have quickened men for cen- turies past as nothing else has quickened them with a passion purifying the soul. It would clearly be unreasonable to murmur at changers that express the realisation by the world of its highest thought, whether the issue be good or bad. The etiolated religion which it seems likely we shall subside upon the complicated, but, upon the whole, satis- factory State mechanism that will prescribe education, limit industry, and direct enjoy- ment wii! become, when they are once arrived at, natural and satisfactory. The decline of the higher classes as an influence in society, the organisation of the inferior races in menacing forms throughout the Tropical Zone, are the natural result of principles that we cannot disown if we would." The only consolation one has (and its not much) after reading the pessimistic forebodings of the learned doctor is that this generation will have passed away before these changes take place. Irish Idylls, by June Barlow (Hodder aad Stoughtor.) lite Master Builder," by Hendiik Iben (Heine- mann). A Son of Noah, by Mary Anderson (Dijjby. Long and Co.) National Life and Character, by Cliaijus C. Pearson (Macmillan).
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ITe I wish yon would lift your veil a moment. She: What for? He: Well, er, 1 would like to kiss you. She: But I most decidedly object to kissing me. Besides, my veil is very thin. ¡ Bobby (at the breakfast table) Maud, did Mr. Jones take any of the umbrellas or hats from the hall last night ? Maud: Why, of course not; why should he, Bobby ? Bobby: That's just what I'd like to know. 1 thought he did, because I heard him say when he was going out, ',I'm going to steal just one and" Why, what's the matter, Maud ? To know wheter a garded has been planted or not a Western paper gives the following rule: "If one forgets whether beds are planted or not a good way to tell is to turn a stray cat into the garden. If the beds are planted the cat will proceed to race round and dih into them and act as if it had relatives in China whom it was anxious to get at; while if they are not it will sit down calmly in the path and seem to be meditating on the pro- gress ot missionary work in Africa. A cat's instinct seldom deceives iu this matters." "John," said the old chemist to his son "I will give you one hundred pounds to go away with. Maybe, as you don't like my business, you will find a better one." Three weeks later the young man landed in New York. A month later, finding but six pounds in his possession, he determined to sail home again. It was best to let his father know beforehand; but how ? A letter would be too slow, so off went John to the telegraph office. Four shillings a word to London, sir," answered the polite clerk to his inquiry, I want to tell my father I've spent all my money, and I'm sorry, and I'm coming home, and want you to forgive me, and a lot of other things, and I can only pay for six words to tell him everything," said John. Cut it short," reylied the clerk. John sat down and thought- An hour after, to his intense astonishment, the old man received the following telegram :—" Squills. London Fatted calf for one.' A judge of the Massacnusetts superior court has a habit, when making a obarge to the jury, of allowing his voice to drop so that his words can with difficulty be caught. While sentencing a prisoner at Law-tence, he fel into his usual habit, and a man in the court- room shouted, "Speak louder, your honour Speak up 1" Send that man out, Mr. Officer!" said the judge; and a friend of the individual, knowing the penalty which might be inflicted upon him foj such a contemptuous proceeding, ad- vised him to get out of towu at once. So the man hurried out, and the court went on. Call the next case," said the judge, when he had finished with the prisoner in whose case the interruption had occurred. Terence OTlynn ?" called the clerk but no O'i* lynn arose. The crier called him, but there was no answer, and the officers of the court began to look about. It was discovered that prisoner O'Flynn had disappeared that morn- ing, and his absence could not be accounted for until someone said. "May it please the court, Terence O'Flynu was the man you just sent out
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NEWS IN BRIEF. More than half of the bops grown in England are cultivated in the couuty of Kent on 34,000 acres. Edison says that all matter is intelligent." Edison should examine the contents of the waste- paper b takcts of newspaper offices. It is said that they are discovering diamonds by the bushel "at Kimberley. In the old days diamonds were measured by the quartz. In Spain it costs ICO.OOO.OOOdols. to maintain the Army and only 1,500,000dols. to educate the chil- dren. It is the exception to find a Spanish farmer who is able to read or write. Iron visiting cards are among the latest novelties in Germany. Forty of these cards placed one on the other are said to be only one-tenth of an inch in thickness. The cardf, or plates, are black, and the names being piiuted on them in silver show. up very dourly. The Bookman hears that joung Mr. living, Mr Henry Ii vins's elder son, IS occupied in wriuug a life of Judge Jeffreys, the" Wicked Judge." Mr. Irving has lately deserted the stage after a brief career in Mr. Hare's company, and has returned to his oiigiual intention of studying the law. SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder where you are, For the sky-sigus fixed on high Quite obscure you-aud the skf. ric n. The ilrst type-writer was invented by M. Prc- gi-iti,, of Marseilles, in 1833, but was a very com- plicated affair and difficult to manipulate. Any more complicated or difficult to handle than the invention of a later generation—the graceful sweet-toned invention with blue eye and fluffy hair ? asks the Evening JVews and Post. The per,iinbultitor nuisance has made its appearance in Melbourne,;and a raid upon mothers and nursemaids is in progiess. The Melbourne Punch has an amusiugcaitoon of an old gentleman wearing cricket-puds and walking in the roadway The pavement is entirely blocked with go-carts and perambulators of every kind and description. A Diiziel telegram fioin Essen says:—The CI iminal prosecutions of a number cf miners who were charged with inciting others to strike and taking part in the latest riots in connection with the labour movement have resulted in the cunvic- tion of five of the accused. They wero sentenced to terms of imprisonment with hard labour varying between four months and one year. One of the most attractive features of the British exhibit at the Chicago Exhibition will be a re-production in soli oak of the ba' quoting-hall at Hatlield, by Messrs. Hampton and Sons, Pali Mail. The model ii 40it. long and 2<ift. broad, and is an exact fac simile of the hall, which is the finest example extant of English decorative wood carving in the sixteenth century. New woid-n tracks for cycling are now being constructed both at Herne Hill and in Paris. It is expected that this material will minimise the danger of slipping, but it is not at all ccitain that it wiil bc- so fast as cement. It is also extremely economical, being inf-xpensive from the outset, and calculated to last in first-rate order for at least ten years. The experiment i3 consequently being watched with much interest. Monday was Miss Ellen Terry's birthday, the well-known rtctre^s having been Loi-n at Coventry on a 27i h of February in the 40V In that city, rich in literary and histrionic no less than eccle- siastical lore, shopkeepers on opposite sides of the same street still claim each to be in possession of Aliss Terry's birthplace. One has the place of nativity, the other "the original birthplace," and lately (according to the Globe) another tiadesman in an adjoining thoroughfare has put in a claim also. A cornsponclen writes:—Levers of picturesque London, so little of which is now left to us, and more especially of the nooks and corners of the dusty putlieus of the law," will learn with regret, I think, that Hare Court Temple is doomed. This stilly and sombre old place, in which not a few renowned lawyers and scholars have resided in days "gone for ever and ever by," is to be pulled down this year, and, I understand, that the work of demolition will commence in June. Truth says:—A lady in Hertfordshire, who recently presented her husband with a son, received the following among the heaps of miscel- laneous communications, which are, I am given to understand, inevitable on such occasions. The lady thus favoured knew nothing of Miss or Mrs L. M, Newill." Neither do I. Possibly some of my readers in Birmingham or Edgbaston may be better informed: 7, Priory-road, Edgbaston, Warwickshire, February 6, 1893. Dear Madaiii,-Will you be so kind as to send 2-. towards a very poor children's hospital, as a thank offeiing for your little one ?-Y,)u-s truly, L. M, NEWILL. The late Mr. Hilton Barker (according to the Westminster Gazette) was a man of quiet unassum- ing habits- He lived in a modest style at Streatham, and did not even keep a carnage. The only extravagance he indulged in-if it can be called an extravigance—was the cultivation of flowers for exhibition. His flowers, indeed, secured prizes at the Crystal Palace and elsewhere. As a business man Hilton Barker was assiduous in his attendance at his office in the City. He was almost invariably at his post at seven o'clock in the morning, and there ho remained until six o'clock at night. It was most, unusual for him to be absent from business for a day. Mr. Barker was deeply interested in newspaper enterpust', and in the management of the now defunct Daily Oracle he took an active part. Augustus (who had no one to contradict him) boasted that lie found Rome brick and left it marble a correspondent of the Daily News finds London mud and wishes to leave it glass- He suj,ge."t< that the principal streets should be made into a sort of gigantic Burlington-arcade, so as to save the expense of umbrellas and shoeblacks- It is a pretty notion, and its realisation would invest fl'c.h air and tiic host of heaven with a new intersst for the Londoners. How "frightfully thrilling" (as Mis* Hilda Wangel puts it) would it be for him to feel that ho was bein^ grown under glass in the hot days of July How insinuating a smell of chops and steaks would float along the Strand-arcade of on afternoon in August! But (adds the Pall <■'all Gazette) man is ungrateful and prone to change before long he would be sure to cry for the moon ag.,in. T In Clubland the forthcoming University boat race is occasionally on the tapis, but with no definite result beyond that odds of 7 to 4 or thereabouts would be laid on the Dark Blues were there an open market. A Reuter's telegram from Minneapolis on Monday says:—Johnson, the well-known Ameri- cant skatt-r, has reduced the record for 200 yards' dash by 3sec. to 17 2-5 ?ec. He has also skated two miles in 6tnin. 2sec., lowering the competitive record by 2, sec. IIA Keuter's telegram from Boston on Sunday says:—Charlie Mitchell has had a conference with Mr. Blanchard, the stakeholder, at the conclusion of which it was stated that the money for the pro- ected fight with Jim Corbett had been put up. The Pi-e" Association telegraphs :-Sir Andrew Barclay Walker, Bart., who has been in bad health for a long time past, died on Monday at his resi- dence, Gateacre Grange, near Liverpool. The deceased was created a baronet in 1886. A novel memento of the Thirsk disaster has been received by Rowland Ewart, the driver of the Scotch express. One of his fellow-workmen has made, entirely from the brass of the wrecked engine, a perfect watch with lever movement, and b?aring on its case an illustration of the ill-fated engine. A Dalziel telegram from Sydney says:—News has arrived here of the death 01 King George of Tonga, the oldest monarch in the world, who succumbsd on the 19th inst. to an attack of influenza. Great uncertainty prevails as to his t xact age, but he was upwards of 90, being mentioned in mariners' works on Tonga as a grown youth in 1807- The death occurred at Bournemouth on Sunday morning of Sir Walter George Nugent, Baronet, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. Deceased had been residing at Bournemouth since the early put of December. Sir Walter, who suffered from heart disease, died suddenly. As recently all- Saturday ha was able to be out, The Press Association Chatham correspondent states that the War Department has decided to a once complete the chain of land forts for the defence of the Med way, Chatham Dockyard, a.nd the approaches to London. A fort is also to be constructed, at a cost of abo;.t £ 70.COO, on the Dover road, two miles from Chatham. At London Bankruptcy-court, on Friday J. Daiv Nicholas, a general merchant, t riding as Kelly and Co., Leadenhall-strcet, Lot;don. and Cilcutta, applied for his discharge.—ThcOmciat Receiver reported that the failure took place in November, 1892, the gross liabilities being £ 157 06$, of which X41,032 are unsecured, and the nssets in England X146, and in Cdcutia about £ 1,600.—The discharge, was suspended for three yiars. Mr. Robert Wilson, a well-known journalist, died on Monday afternoon at his residence, Denmark-hill, London, in his 47th year. He was educated at Edinburgh U.r.versiiy, and com- menced his journalistic career on the Edinburgh Daily Review, He subsequently became Parlia- mentary leader-wiiter on the Dx.ly Ttleyraph, nnd afterwards assistant editor of the standard, and writer for the Daily Chronicle. He also wrote the Life and Times of Q le^n Victoria." A music-hull artiste, well known in the profes- sion as Johnnie Vernon, died suddenly at Chatham under somewhat dramatic ciicumstanccs on Thursday. He was engaged with Mr. Marriutt's company in a sketch entitled The Withered Oak," at Barnard's Palace of Varieties. As he did not appear at the rehearsal as usual, his brothe: artistes called at his lodgings, and lie said "Go on I have played my par Calling later, they ound him dead in bed, apparently from apoplexy. The Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and the Privy Council on F, iday issued an order regarding t-lie importation of arms and ammunition into Ireland. It revokes a similar order of February, 1892, and prescribes that no arms or ammunition shall be imported into Ireland unless definitely labelled with a description of the goods and the home and address of the consignee, and unless the particular* have been previously notified to the officer of Customs at the place from which they were sent. Frederick Henderson, a member of the London County Council, was committed for rNal at Clerkenwell on Monday charged with stealing 3s. from Ada Gray. The prosecutrix said she met the accused at the Bell public-house on Saturday even- ing, and he accompanied her to a house of ill-fame. On leaving she accused him of stealing 3s. of herF» and he ran away, but she told a constable, who chased and captured him. The accused declared the story wiisa preposterous concoction, absolutely unfounded. A Vienna telegram through D.ilziel's agencj saya :—A great sensation was caused here by serious theft of jewels from the Church of Redemp- torists on Sund-y night. The booty which was carried away by the thieves included a magnificent silver heait encrusted with dmmonds, which adorned tbtt picturtl of the Blessed Virgin. It was presented to the church by the Archduchess Margaret S'phia. now the wife of the Grand Duke of Wurtemburg, as a thanked ring after her re- covery from a severe illne-s !a,.t year. Thf police have no clue to the thieves. At Westminster Police-court on Monday Joh. Henry Tomlinson, assirt mt examiner at the Patent Office, was committed for trial chatged with im- propt r conduct in the presence of young ladies at the South Kensington Museum. For the dofenct it was stated that there was an utter absence of impropriety. The eldest girl had admitted that, they surprised the defendant by coming quickly from behind some cases, and medical evidenct wa& called to show that the defendant was suffering from inflimmatory irritation, and thRt a false con- struction might consequently be place on 11111 actions. The evolution of modern drawing room enter* tiinment (says the St. James's Gazette) might well form the subject of a mng-iz ne iriicie. Some ten or twelve rear, ago the favourite dissipation in Bayswater circles was a musicul evening." Hirod talent not being nearly so genernlus it is to-.lay, amateur performers were very much in II queet; the result being, as a rule, almost more trying to the individual who cared about music than to the guest who preferred conversation. PI ivate penny readings then had a gr '.it inning-, uurim; which the chartered funny man who interpreted Dick.ns and other humoiists hid avalanches of invititions. The dieaiy diversion known as 11 tliougiit-readir.4," "here. nil the run was confined to Ibe victim ar.d the operators, then came in—to be followed by palmistry," which had its mirth- ful si le for the scoffer; and now nil have given way to the popularity of dancing-girls," which form of nmussment at leaJt pel mil 6 of such conso- lation as is afforded by dialogue. ———CT
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