Cobbett's Advice to Young Men. (Henry Frowde. 2s. 6d. net.) —
This is a book full of good sense, with certain characteristic extravagances that are hardly in keeping with it. There is a bitter attack on Dr. Johnson—Dr. Johnson supplies an excellent test of good feeling—and a quite outrageous condemnation of all actors and playgoers, " mean," "abject," "servile," "slavish" ; but it is needless to characterise Cobbett —Also Cobbett's English Grammar, with a good Introduction by H. L. Stephen (same publisher, 2s. 6d. net). The subject is not so remote from life as not to give Cobbett opportunities for characteristic utterances. He is amusingly severe on official English, Kings' Speeches, &c., compositions which have possibly improved, but are still not perfect. Some of the criticisms are more or less absurd, but he certainly hits many blots. But the same can be done, we imagine, in all literatures.
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