THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF PETER TAYLOR.
The Autobiography of Peter Taylor. (Alexander Gardner, Paisley. 3s.6d.)—Mr. Peter Taylor tells the story of his life with admirable simplicity and candour, and he can do it without diffi- culty, for whatever mistakes he may have made—he does not pretend that he has not made them—he has succeeded. He does not tell us much about his prosperity, but the figures which he modestly quotes as showing the results of his industry in 1899 indicate that he has gone up a good many steps of the ladder. He hopes that the book, begun for his own satisfaction, may be helpful to others. That it may well be, if only it gets into the right hands. We would suggest, if this edition meets with the sale that it deserves, a reissue at some very low price. Certainly it is a story from which workmen may learn much, but it should be no less useful to employers. Mr. Taylor tells both some home truths, which he seasons with good stories. Here is a character- istic offer of marriage :—" Lizzie, ye ken I'm leaving ; would ye answer a question before I go, and that is, hae ye ony objection to mak' my parritch Nana whatever, Sandy,' she replied, ' if ye promise to buy the meal."' Here is Mr. Taylor's comment on the familiar saying, " Your money will go further in a home of your own than ever it did in lodgings " :—" I could always keep track of my money in lodgings, but in my own home I could not follow it with a telescope." But this does not prevent our author from believing that to marry was an act of prudence. And here is a smart saying a propos of the Irish invasion :—" We canna get the use o' oor ain gallows for him."
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