THE CHILD AND THE GRAMOPHONE RECORDS.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sla,:---Much time has elapsed since the, publication of the letter in is the Child and the Gramophone Records. Though belated, the following facts may shed a little light on the matter. My elder boy was born in the wilds of the Gran Chaco. When two years of age he received a box of thirty-six bricks, on which were depicted in various colours the twentysix alphabetical and the ten number symbols. All sides of the cubes were covered, so that each letter-sign and each number-sign occurred six times, but the symbol 0 appeared on twelve blocks, six times as letter, six times as figure.
The boy was taught to recognize and pick out these O's. This he did in a most surprising manner. The bricks might be placed in any position, so that this particular symbol might be visible or hidden, at the top or bottom, at the back or front, at the right side or the left ; but at the word, " Pick out 0," his little fingers quickly and unerringly moved to the right bricks. On the way home, when two and a-half years old,he was a source of great entertainment to the officers and passengers. We considered the phenomenon to be indicative of latent mathematical power, and gently discouraged its exercise at that tender age, fearing abnormal development and injurious mental effects. I may add that this early promise was later fulfilled, for both as schoolboy and as engineer's apprentice he excelled in mathematical subjects.—I am, Sir, '&c., R. J. Hymn Gran Chaco Mission.
HOLIDAY READING. [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,-1 have been patiently waiting for some more redoubtable Goliath to arise to champion the cause of the poor Philistines,
but, as Modesty—which is one of the many natural virtues of us Philistines—has prevented anyone from putting himself forward, I must take on this heavy responsibility myself, only begging to be allowed to clothe myself in the armour of anonymity.
Now for my challenge : I herewith maintain that the vast majority of those who have contributed to the recent correspondence in the Spectator regarding " Holiday Reading" have compiled lists of books which they feel they ought to wish to take with them on their holidays, and not of those without which their holidays would be ruined. Perhaps an Epictetus or pocket Horace will be packed into the trunk as passports into the country of the Hybrows—I mean Hebrews—but is there no Dickens, Ian Hay, or even a Strand Magazine secreted in the handbag with which to while away the time until that desirable land is reached ?
As becomes a worthy son of Philistia, I will be frank about my own misdeeds. I am going to take the following books with me on my holidays :—Tons Jones and Martin Chuzzlewit. My wife, who, I often fear, has reactionary tendencies, is taking Motley's Dutch Republic (we are going to Belgium, and she wishes to enjoy the local colour) and How to Look at Pictures (as a preparation for Bruges, Antwerp, &c.). My eldest children (aged 111 and 10 years) have not expressed any wishes so far, but I am quite certain that if I suggested a bound volume of The Boy's Own Paper and Little Folks the suggestion would be met with acclamations of approval. My youngest son, aged six, is indifferent in the matter, and only stipulates that the book should be " bloodthirsty " (however, I rather think that Andersen's Fairy Tales will be his portion). My youngest daughter (aged41) has no doubts as to her intellectual requirements. She insists that life without her Chummy Book would have no interest for her.
There, Sir, you have the frank confessions of a Philistine. But, lest this shameless admission may tempt others to cast away their intellectual pabulum and become Bolshevists in the state of Philistia (filling their trunks with the more lurid works of melodramatic fiction), I will end this letter with the information that I have given my newsagent instructions to send me the Spectator every week.—I am, Sir, &c.,
GoLLATn.
Previous page
