Old Maids' Children. By Edith Escombe. (Swan Sonnenschein and Co.
3s. 6d.)—There is, as one might expect, much good sense and right feeling in this volume ; but the critic feels bound to suggest that there is another side to that which the author. sets forth. It is scarcely true that the modern house, while "replete with the latest conveniences," is "lacking in all the old comfort." The old-fashioned nurse, too, left something to be desired. The writer of this notice remembers how his nurse—an admirable creature in many respects—used to punish him by making him say his prayers in the dark. But the reader will be able to correct the somewhat one-sided judgments to be found in this volume, and will certainly learn not a little from it.—Boya and their Management in School, by H. Bompas Smith, MA. (Longmans and Co., 2s. 6d.), is evidently the work of an expert. There is a practical tone about it, a directness of method, an abundance of sense, and an absence of sensibility (though Mr. Smith does not by any means neglect the emotional side of the subject). He begins by some general observations of " Tho Human Boy," who is classified for this purpose by age (8-13, 13-16, 16-19), and then he proceeds to discuss "The Boy in School," how he is to be managed, kept in order, encouraged, and, if need be, punished. Some special cases are dealt with. The whole forms an excellent manual for the young teacher. Not the least useful pages in the book are those which bear the title of "A Shelf of Books."
Previous page
