The Children's Book of Edinburgh. By Elizabeth W. Grierson. (A.
and C. Black. Os.)—Messrs. Black are so liberal in their supply of illustrated booke that it is not easy to keep count of them. We have no doubt, however, about the quality of this particular volume and its companion by the same author, Children's Tales from the Scottish Ballads. We are bound to say, however, that Some things in the ballads might have been left out. Children south of Tweed will hardly be as pleased as Miss Grierson seems to expect that William Wallace killed "fifteen English sojers " as they sat at their meal. "Before they could rise from their table and grasp their weapons he had stabbed every one of them to the heart," Has Miss Grierson ever stabbed a man to the heart ? Probably not, or she would know that,it takes some time to make the thrust—presumably the men had some armour on them—and to get back the weapon. Apart from this question of probability, there is too much savagery in some of these ballads to make them suitable material. But Scottish notions on this subject are sometimes a little odd. We remember seeing a quotation from the "Nodes Ambrosianae " made to show that there was real humour in them. It was a description of how two bagmen perished in the snow. But then they were English bagmen. There lay the fun. The Edinburgh book is not open to the same criticism, though here, toe, the children are treated to some strongly flavoured faro. But there is abundance • of interesting matter to which no one can object. And the illustra- tions are attractive.
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