On this page

• Pictures (1)
  • 
• Text (1)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    ' ^*?-^V^ v . -/V; • ' ¦¦ ' • ' ' ' " ¦ ...

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    \ R ' \ _ R R ¦ " ' • *- ^

    . — .. — . ' . ¦ ¦ ' —^ - t , I I p of youth for a life of stirring exploits . Most people , when inspired by the amiable mood from which presents spring , find it a rather more difficult task to select books which are

    really suitable for girls in their teens . For some mysterious reason best known to themselves , authors and publishers as a rule seem rather shy about attempting to gratify the

    literary tastes of the young ladies who are accustomed to walk out , two and two , in demure s procession twice a day under the watchful , and we venture to think quite necessary ,

    supervision of their lynx-eyed guardians . Possibly , the ordinary dearth of really fresh and vigorous literature for girls may be accounted for by the fact that it is more difficult to write a novel

    of motive and character , full of quiet everyday heroism , than to conjure up blood-curdling deeds of impossible valour . Whatever the reason may be , the fact remains that boys and

    young men—who do not in the majority of cases read half so much as their sisters—are pelted with books good , bad , and indifferent , whilst the girls have often to go on short commons , or

    else to f ly in despair to those * standard books which otherwise few of them would ever condescend to notice . This year , however , woman ' s rightsV are so far recognised by the

    publishers that there is actually a fair sprinkling of books for girls which are neither wishy- , washy nor goody-goody . When the movement gets a Jittjle more headway , possibly the lads

    may find out that authors and artists have gone over to the opposite camp , and have elected —as we should certainly do—to keep more attractive company than is furnished by their noble

    selves . There are not many fine-arfc gift-books of the more expensive kind tHis year ; but some of those which have appeared are superb examples of grace of design within and

    without , and of artistic and literary workmanship . The autocrats of the nursery never had better reason to congratulate themselves than this * Qhristmas on the glorious picture-books and

    i fairy tales which cunning hands have fashioned for their entertainments Beautiful was the custom which led our ancestors to throw wide ttyeir doors in hospitality

    at Christmas , so that when nature was frozen and dreary the bright and genial light of kindliness and sympathy within their dwellings might make amends f < 4 jr the cold and cheerless

    aspect of the outside world . But there i » another aspect of Christmas , and one which none of us ought to ignore . Penury , scanty clothing , empty grates , ! the wail of hungry children ,

    and the desolation which broods over so many poverty-stricken households in the land , come home to us all at this season of the year with special force , and mean indeed must be

    the heart and completely out of tune with the keynote to which & he music of the 'Christmas bells is set which can forget the need of those for whom nothing is prepared . The Founder

    of the Christian Religion has Himself not only said , ' The poor ye have always with you , ' but has stooped to throw His shield over the weakest with the words , * Inasmuch as ye did it

    I unto the least of these my brethren , ye did it unto Me . ' Let this season serve then to ntrengthen the bon < Ja which bind us to each other , and as for the rest , ' far from us and from

    ] our friends be that frigid philosophy' which fails to yield any response to the generous impulses of a Festival which proclaims anew glad tidings of peace and good-will .

    Pc00502

    ' ^*?-^V^ V . -/V; • ' ¦¦ ' • ' ' ' " ¦ ...

    ' ^*? - ^ V ^ . - / V ; ' ¦¦ ' ' ' ' " ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦" -- ¦ ¦ " . ., - ¦ ¦ ' ¦¦ ; W f pec . 6 , * Sg 9 " ^ The Publishers' Circular 1539 ¦¦¦ ~~ ¦ II M ^ -fr— II MWlMIMI ¦ ¦¦ HI W ¦¦ I ¦ ~ ' ^ 1

• Citation
  • Publishers’ Circular (1880-1890), Dec. 6, 1889, page 1539, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/pc/issues/tec_06121889/page/5/