. NEWS OF THE COMPETITIONS

The Editor has offered two prizes of £5 each, the first for a new Tale for Children in not more than six hundred words of

prose or sixty lines of verse, the second for a new Biography for Beginners," after the established model. The reports on the competition will be published in next week's SPECTATOR.

THE Tales for Children have made most attractive reading ; but there is not mueh to be said of them before the final report. Most of the entries would be spoiled by being summarized ; so much of their charm is in the manner of

their- telling. We will leave further discussion till next week, and -say only that the younger children seem to have been best served. -

But the second competition offers almost too.wide inoppor- tunity for quotation. - One man's humour, we know, is another man's poison. Our aim for the present, therefore, shall be to quote as many entries as we can, and to avoid giving any judgment at all Indeed, we are so anxious to renounce our responsibility that we have determined upon a schethe to save us from all objections and protests against the' award. But this shall be made public in its proper time.

Philosophers and priests have been the main subjects of humour ; politicians have not been unregarded, 'but they seem, somehow, not quite so vulnerable as the others. Perhaps we have grown too gentle with our cOnteMpOraries, while the statesmen of other ages no longer interest us very closely. But it seems More likely that high pretensions to abstract ,knoWledge act as a challenge to us now and we feel, good humouredly enough, that the bubble must be pricked. However that may be, the great philosophers are most irreverently treated :— REITA DESCARTES: .

The philosopher Descartes Said, for his part, He based his hopes for Salvation On ratiocination.

Colin. D. B. Erau.s.

H. C. M.

H. C. 31, GEORGE VAN R AA LTE.

• • ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER.

The philosophic. Schopenhauer, A man of penetrating mental power,. Found nothing in life's-phenomena • But " Parerga and Paralipomena." • W. JoILxSON:

We have previously quoted two entries on_ the clergy ; and one we will hold over for next week. For' the rest of Our space we will 'quote without classification. '_ ,„ - • - MARCUS J. ULLPJS ,-,

Tully COntrived to sully In more than one oration Catiline's reputation.

SIR OWN SEAMAN.

Sir Owen Seaman At making verses is the very Demon In this or any other metre--: Only much neater, •

DAVID HUM E.

Said the sceptical David Hume,

• " Causal connection I will not assume."' So why he wrote history Is a mystery.

S UMMER FIELD RALDWI..q. MIDDLETON MURRY, John Middleton MurrY Dissected his soul in a hurry,

And displayed. the resulting cross-sections of himself V]

The Adelphi. . • REMLAP.

Eratrii)is, Euripides :

Made a collection of fleas, - But could not be; indueed to show it, Dooming the hobby derogatory to a poet.