1 JUNE 1901, Page 24

Ormond Idylls. By J. F. McKeon. (D. Nutt. is.)—These "

idylls " are of the melancholy cast which befits the " Distiassful Island." There is the usual lament over "emigration." But if the population of a country grows too big for it, what is to be done Y It is idle to ask, "Was there no hole where these, her children, might shelter in that land they were leaving ? no spot to supply their simple wants ? " In 1831 Ireland, with a very small urban population, not more than a tenth of that of England. yet actually had a larger proportion of inhabitants per square mile (243 to 241). The wants, however simple, of a population so congested could not be supplied. But facts probably do not Interest Mr. McKeon and his friends. These little stories are not without pathos, but they lack simp:icity.