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Current Comment rj^saass '^~A"NEW"BitNKINO'VENTUREr •There will be much eriliclsm of British CWuratoia for the new finan- cial policy aiiounced by Hon. John .Hart. Mtnteter of Finance, wlilch in- cludes (be establimJimcnt of a provln- •cial bank. TTiis ts ccrlainly a livo •potitical is«ue amd one upon wlilch the Tegutar pwty lines aro likely to split. A bank nnicr thi* control of a pojiti- â- cal party, a« owr natural resources ibave bee«, would be an unthinkaJ>le iproposal, and a bank less reliable, k^6 ttaWe than tfce ordinary banks would (fail of its ov;u weakness. Mr. Hort gives as reasoBB for the being of bis .provioctel bank the assistance of de- â- pendeEi^ ^1\atc»ver that might mean. fl>pe?uraablr not political favorites, and Uie more plausible and commend- able rca«)« of keeping the money of ithe people ia the province for the de- â- A-elopment ol the country Instead ot feaving ft aent Bast by the banks of Canada 'hnmgh their branoh sy8t?m- and loaned oot at high rates in To- ronto, Montreal and New York. This to iboKia wttt Ui an invKation to the said banks to boycott British Colum- ibia, and wtiat tflie banks can do ill •thai way is not to lie ignr)r€>d. Bank- ing is not n«e of the pubKc utilities â- that flourishpis by competition. How- ( vpr, capitaiisth may oppose the prin- lipal of monopoly in public owner- ship they admire nnd fallow it in the prarlice of banklnp. Tho principle -of absorptioB has gone on until the federal government under the pres- sure of prfl)Uo opinion has had to 'pre- vent the consolidation of Ontario liinka with CJuebec banks and the <.:mse(iucnt transfer of capital from one province to another. Mr. Hart is not doing for Britifch Columbia, iherefore, wliat has not been sanc- tioned in priticiple for Ontario. If it is .good lOr Ontario to have her bank- ing <'3p!lal n>tained in Ontario, the same thing should apply to the I'a- cific province. ^ It may be ursed that firci'msr'..anfps alter cases, and that Ontario with hc?r 2.300,030 is a dlffer- tnt field than British Columbia with her S»e,009. Money, however, is not v.ealtli. and Vbs resources of liritish â- Columbia constitute a potential wealtli which may be available as -a basis for the credit upon which Jianking, like most modern and espec- ially ArnpTiCH'.i business relies, li has always befn held by academic bank- •*ers Uiat the Panadian banking sys- ifem is superior to that of ih? United •State.?, but it is ofjually riie convic- lioii of business men that the United iStatfs system is much the better for local lifvelopment and th? general •success o' business. The local bank 'and its h.Aaker kuows the needs of the 'local business, man, is aware of his •standing aiiri rbility a:id the extent of HTetiit that hin moral value entitles :;i!ni to. Ir U held by ino.st l)u.'<iness men In Canada that his factor of mor- al value in a man's character "cuts eo ice' in obtaining credit from a Cana- dian bank. Tlie ainoant o( credit is not determined by the local branch manager, but by an authority hun- dretle or thousands of miles aw^y, >»*ich is influenced by anything but local considerations. No doubt tho question wl! be raised as to the au- thority British Columbia has to es- tablish a bank, but Mr. Hart may be trusted to have satisfied himself on this head before he made his an- nouncement. He has at least en- tered upon an experiment for which other provinces should be grateful, and no doubt they will rejoice in the vicarious experience the new bank will furnish, to follow it if success- ful and to point to as a horrible ex- ample it the course of events should so order. All ot which Hon. Peter Smith will no doubt duly consider. PROVINCIAL SEGMENTATION There has been another of the per- iodic discussions on the question of erecting another .province on the trail- ing skirts of old Ontario detaching I»atri(rla. Kenorn. Rainy River, Thun- der ray and Algoraa to form ttie nev; jurisdiction. .Mature consideration shewed that there were at least as many difficulties to be mot in flying to evils that we knov.' not of as in re- maining to endure what can't be cured. The settlers In New On- tario have nothing like the same dif- TicuHies to meet with that the set- tlers in Old Ontario liad to face a cen- tury ago. Pioneerin,<; is at no time child's play and thos-e who undertake il must be prepared to endure hard- -ship for .'ake of the rewards to be iiad. There Is every disposition on tho part of the provincial governments to deal fairly with tho new districts and no administration has been more oiiraplained of than another. It is al- leged that all the poney made in the new country should he .spent there. There is seme reason in the assertion that the Government spends more in tliese districts than It obtains from them, but there is much detail and complication about the disputed fig- ures. The exceeding cost in new ter- titory must always be recognized and the future fact that tho men who make their money there and d > most of the coniplainig are not spt-ndlng all their own funds there. U was pro- posed that Port Arthur and Fort Wil- liam be the capital of the new prov- ince, but us they shew no signs of g.^-ting married it is evident they d.> tiOt take the Idea sei'lously of setting up housekeeping. The name sug- gested for the new province is Super- ior.. This seeme to have a touch of snobbery and prigglshness combined about it. "Why not Algonia? The beautiful old Indian names are con- stantly ignored in favor of inappro- priate or liast.ird iianif-'s. How much finer .â- \:-si:iiboia or .-Xssinlboine would have been than Alberta. ELINOR MURRAY'S MAIL Wo want you to writ* to us. Write when you have a question about anythlBg that appears Iti this p;iper, In fact, ^hen you feel in an inquiring mood regarding any sub- ject relating to the home or current events of general interest. We shall not promise <o answer all by our lonesome, but we are jolly well sure that somebody who reads it can and will send a reply by the next mall. Write <to us when you feel that you have a suggestion to offer which would make these pages more help- ful. We are trying our utmost to make this pape.- what you need and want, and in this direction you can help us to help you. It yon think we have made a mis- take about anything, write and tell us so. If you think we have said some- thing worth while write us about that. You do not know how i< will encourage us to persevere in well- doing. We ask every correspondent to en- trust us with name and address, as- suring you that no confidence will be violated and nothing done to reveal your identity, unless of course, you want to write under your own name. Address all letters to Elinor Mur- ray, 34 King William Street, Hamil- ton. The rushing habit is not by any meaus in the matter of doing things. It asserts itself in our brains in talk* ing, in writing. In thinking. How many of uk. A wonder, hare wha". might be call-d a quiet working br.in'.' Moat of us do n()t even know the standard of a brain that thinks and talks and lives quietly; a brain that never pushes and never rushes, or, if by any chance it Is led into pushing or rushing, it is so wholesomely sen- sitive that it drops the push or the rush as a bare hand would drop a red- hot coal. None of us can api)rocia!e the weak- eniii? powe:- of this strained habit of rusii until v.e have, by the use of our own wills, direcled our minds to- ward finding a normal habit of quiet, and yet I (fo not in the least exag- ,!^prate when i say that its weak?ulng effect on the brain and nerves is friffhiful, .\nd ng.iin 1 repeat, the rushed fpel- ing has nothing whatever to do with the work before us. A w(;man can fuel quite as rushed when she has nothin."; whatever to do as when she i:i ( xtremcly busy. "13ut," some one says, '•may 1 not feel p:-es.sed for tiine when 1 have more to d(>« than I can possibly put into the tints before ine?" Oh. yes. yes - you can feel nortnally prJ'Ssed for tinir; anil hpcni.-e of this preseure you can arrange. In your mind what best to leave undone, and so relieve the pressure. If one thioflr seems as Important to do as another you can make up your lulnd that of course you can only do what you bare time for, and the remainder must go. You do not do \.'hat you have time to do so well If you are at the same time worrying about what you have no time for. There need be no abnorm- al sense of rush about It. Just as Nature tends toward health. Nature tends toward rest â€" toward the right kind of rest; and If we have lost the true knack of resting we can just as surely find it as a sunflower can find the sun. It is not something artifioial that we are trying to learn â€" It is something natural an^ alive, something that belongs to us, and our own best instinct will come to our aid in finding it If we will only first turn our attention toward fiifSing our own best instinct. Public Health Talks (By Dr. J. J.Middleton) Children Should Have Plenty o Sleep, Well Ventilated Rooms and Plenty of Recreation; Parent* Should Make It a Practice to See That Their Children Develop Regularly In Their Health Habits: I the Growing Child Can Make the Best Progress in H»me and J School If Proper Care is Given. How are we to account for the fact that nervous breakdowns have ceaseil to be exceptional in both sexes? Al- most as frequently men are the vic- tims of morbidness and melancholy as women, and when seized upon by the field whom quaint old John Bun- yan called Giant Despair, It Is diffi- cult to get out of his clutches. Into the dungeon's gloom they go, and there, perforce, they remain until health is re.slored. Neurasthenia is treated by specialists in various ways, though all unite in the endeavor to get the vlQltIm out of the individual obsession into the freedom and sun- shine of the larger world. The i>ace of life to-day is so rapid and the demands made upon vlt-jlity are so tremendous that overfatigue and overwork go hand in hand. "You do not wish me to become overtired." said a patient to a physician. "You must avoid being tired,'' was the phy- sician's reply. "You must stop be- fore fatigue so much as touches you." Fe-w women, however, are able to obey thi.s prescription. Housekeeping Is a complicated affair. Joy ajid grief alik? Ml :kp demands on our resources. Weariness of body and weariness of mind march with us because we liavo sometimes too little variety. A de- cided change of scene Is a panacea i f;;r ni:iny ills. If we- may not cross 1 the .Atlantic, we may perhaps make a visit and rest a while in a fann- licuae ivi enty miles away. It we have I lived tM long In one part ot the town. I it may do us good to remove to an- other. Pew of us slepp so much as , we ought to. while wo overlook the ' obvious (act that the quality of sleep ; is as important as the quantity. Chronic indigestion is the accompani- ment and forerunner of nervous break- down. To eat moderately, bathe : daily, drink plenty of pure water, read I entertaining book, exercise worry, and I spend two hour.s in outdoor air would ; transform many a nervous invalid in- ' to a specimenl of buoyant health. (â-  « «â-º B/j, - « * i 2 I \ Magic Carpet rt <f. '< i «â-  t II ' I! __ ♦ * T Uifs to Neir Vtorlds \ ♦ «- ♦ S GALICIA. Uaiicia which before the w.r was 1h? largest province of Austria has •now be<!Oine a part ot the Ukraine, although Poland has expressed her disapproval of tho boundaries drawn Jor her by the Treaty of Versailles «nd lays claim to a I'irge slice of the j)rovinc4> which was hers before the •fifth divislo.T of Poland ceded It to Au.strla In 1815. (Jalida has an •iirea of 59,300 square miles, being 'boimded on the weal by Silesia, on 4he north by Poland, «n the east by tlie Ukraine and on the east by Volhy- <nia and Podolla. In the north lie â- the ileigtatK of <''rac()w, and In tho touth are the Carpathians while much ol the intervening land consists of broad fertile plains. Oalllcia lies main â- ly in the basin of tho two great riv- ers, and Vistula and lOneister. The climate Is Kfvore. the winters being long and the spring cold. The riv- ers are geierally frozen for about three months ai.d a half from mid- U^cember. Gallcia contains over 8,- «0O,O0O inhabitants, of which more than a half aro Polish speaking, tho Tluthenians of the Ukraine forming about 40 per cent, and the (i«'imans I per cent. The two important towns are t'racow and I>eraberg (bvov) and the population of the cities has In- creased SOO per cent, and of the coun- try dlstricta 159 per cent, during the last century. It was in 1S17 liiat the KntatP ot Clallcli was created by .Aus- tria, but tho revolution of Vienna In 1M8 caused Hie Poles to rise and de- mand recognition of their national rights while her defeat at Magenta end Solferino caused her to show more â- leniency to her subject people and iM? first Galician Diet was assemblwl In 1861. Seven years later the ad- I Wtniitratlon begun to pasa into Pol- [i^Mi hattd.>^, universal suffrage was |<!ted and Just before the Great (Kfhir the Diet was enlarged and re- f^jMvanised. Led b? General Pllsudskl. iHclaa P0\et fought with Austria against Russia during the war, but after the Russian revolution the Poles set their faces towards the resurrec- tion of the old Poland. Gnlicia in .^pite of heavy emigration to this con- tinent has the denscKl agricultural p:jpulation in Kurop», rye, oat.s. wheat and barley are largely cultivated and much live stock roared, especially l-.orses. There are some minerals and tremendous possibilities in In- dustrial development. FEW GET RICH BEHIND THE PLOW One goes far wide cf the mark, if lie at.cnipt.s to estimate the gains of the farmer from tli? prtce of farm products in the city markets. Cost of contai;?ers and car-iages. with profits to biiy"is. v.holesaK'rs and retalli'rs. will iff â- ) „py cases be found to eat up the lari^.M- part of the price paid by the city con- sumer even when jirofils are not plainly extortionate. In general, thes.e Intermediate costs have grown. in the last few decades, out of all pro- portion to the increased price re- ceived by the original producer. Theoretically, modern "eifflclency" ought t') have topped, the scale in the other (liriction; but this is not the only case in which facts and the prom- ised results of m-idern 'efficiency" have failed to get together. .•\il in all. however, the lot o," the average farmer is far better than it was a generation a,gn. Still, the ordinary fanner does not and <'an()t expect to accumulate great wealth. No matter what Improve- mi'nts com", nnd the farmer boy who dreams of niilli )ns and wiiiits to real- ize his dream will continue to leive the farm. .•\ few of them will find the millions; a niucii large- number witl lnc;ir an even ni.ire exhausting toll iird care, with less of actual fi- nancial profit in the end, Ihati was open to tlieni on the fields of the old farm. The pleasures and compensations o' life on the farm are real, to one who has the fpirlt lo appreciate them; but the somewhat questionable pleasure of a reasonable chance fo sit OB the benches of the world's raultl- mlllionnlres Is not anioug them. And one might very eaelly construct a plausible argument that Its absence Is one of the genuine «ilvants«es ot ibe tararr's tito MANUFACTURER SPEAKS OF PRESENT CUT-PRICES W. STEWART SAYS: "PURCHASERS' DETERMINATION TO BREAK PRICES BY REFUSING TO BUY WILL HAVE DISASTROUS • RESULTS." So shortsigh.ed and serious Is th« present determination of the public to break prices irainediotely that, it this confines for six months longer. 50 per cent, of the small retailers will be forced out of business, thousands' of unemployed v.iU be walking the streets, nnd wages will be l(,wpred ta such an extent that a great p?r- centage <n" this same public will not able to riuy if it would. This is the considerid opmioii to-day of K. W. Stewart, of .Montre'Jl, vice-president ar.d inanaginK director of the firm oi" Chietf Peahudy Company. maiiutac- tur.-rs Ol me .^rrow brand collars, Mr. Stevwirt has just antiounced a reduction of the wholesale iirice of collars fretn $2, (it) to $2.40 a dozen. to lull) the ret.ailer bear up against the new sale price of 25c instead of the nfic of tile recent past. The ordinary consumer does not sef, ."Mr. Stewart says, how n q lick re- duction will drastically i.triUe liim in the long run. "The present fixed idea in I lie mind of the consumer which has prevailed for the last six months thai prices were coming (l(/wn soon hr.s materially affected ths purch.isinvt power of the iHihllc." The vicious circle hack to tiie con- sumer was traced by Mr. Stewa^^i. if *'. e public' dies not buy, the retail merchants uo not order from tliemni- nfncturers. If the manufacturers do not get the ordcis, they don't oper- ate their plants. 'f the plants are not opi'-ated. the operators are soon out on the streets. So what op?r- ptes on the consumer in tho first placs operaic" on him drastically in the end. It turns round and hits him in tho neck. When th • opera- tors go on tho street other people go on the street, too. When thi.ro is no pay nobody can buy at all." Many Retailerc May Fall. "If these price-cutting conditions prevail for another six months, will' inrrc'nants selling aitd disposing at a loss. I believe that fully 50 per cent, of the small retailers will be forcfd .nut of bvisincss," was his stsrlUng statement, '1 make this from a study (;f the methods by which the prices in soni? lines of poods are being fo'rced down." It will begin with the inunufacturers before the retailers. Some of the former, indeed, have al- ready assigned. The onl.v posaibi!- ity for them to pay their bills Is to force their sales. Thle, however, cannot be kept up Indefinitely," Questiofted particularly about the manufacturers who had shut down, Ml- Stewart stated that, so far, the price. cutting had not materially hit his business. "But In some buslness- ea serious conditions have already resulted. Some of these businesses are particularly those of the shoe Industry and the olothlnir lines. I tktnk also that I sheuM ba Justified in saying that the manufacturers of women's garments have been serious- ly affected." Drop Should be Gradual. The drop in p-ices should have been Sradual and automatic, Mr. Stewart I declared. The attitude of the prea- t»r.t buying public is not natural or I well-informed at th? present moment. I i'«ced by this j)ublic. every retail I merchant is disposing of his stocks at a loss, but, as I have said, it will reflect back on these consumers. If th?y had gone on with tho old, safe basis, and had allowed conditions lo adjust themselves automatically, v.itlumt too drastic prices, of course, everybody would be working now. aud prices would have adjusted them- selves as oi-.ditions permitted, be- c'luse it must be fully realized that every mauufacturei, as well as re- tailer, is soiling goods at as dose '4 l)rice as possible to make Is possible to meet the payment of bare expenses and the price of the goods. Wages. .VI r. Stewa,rt, fears. â- will nocessrrily full considerably as a re- sult of drastic prlce-c\itting. "So far as the matiufacturers are con- cerned, they don't want to redu:» wagee. They want everybody to get a fair wage. Hut to manufacture articles on a profit basis at All, wages must ho lowered, and the prices ot the rnw products must be purchased much below the present pr'ces.'' "It looks to nie." said Mr. Stewart, frankly, when asked liis honest opin- ion of things, "that conditions will be- come more extreme than they are to-day. But I think that if mer- ch uits generally will do away with these cui-iirice sales, especially at a" tim» of the year like this when they ought to bj selling at regular prices, that In the next few n\onths condi- t!(nis may possibly right themselves, linless they do. 1 can't see anything hut disorder ahead." One of the worst results of the un- willingnesa of the public to buy goods now. waiting for prices to fall, Mr. Stew.-irt pointed out, was a paraly^jlng of the extension of trade and the eon- t+equnnc» curtailment of prosperity. "If the pric;>s are cut, and are kept on being cut. and the people do not buy. the merchants will be Infinitely more careful of their credits. They Wont extend their lines, nor ship goods lo such an extent." Three things have forced the mer- chants lo cut prices. In the opinion of Mr. Stewart. These are the low spring trade, the luxury tax, which caused them to lower goods to prices untouched by the tax, and the pres- ent attitude of the oonsumer. Oro^wing children need plenty of god nourishing food. To have this food assimilated properly, the child should be taught regular hours for sating. F.nd Its stomach given a rest btttween meals. Continuous eating of candies, nuts, fruits, otc. Inter- feres with the digestive processes in the young, and yet the average child If not trained, will eat almost any- thing he can get hold of in the way of sweetmeats. When the child is at school there is less likelihood of It getting too much to «at. In fact, through the schol day the tendency is in the other diraction. Sometimes breakfast is rather hastily aaten in the mornings, especially If the child lives in the country aJid hag some distance to go to 8chcx)l. There is not enough time .at the noon rece.s8 to let the child go ijome for dinner, so its lunch Is sent with it, and eaten at the school build- ing. This is not n good plan, for aeveral reasons. In tlie first place there Is seldom a suitable place pro- vided in country schools for the chil- dren to eat their lunches. I have Just read a recommendation from the •Medical Officer of Health of a rural district for hand-basins, soap, towels, etc., for the use of the pupils during the mid-day recess. The M. O. H. states that as nearly every one of the pupils bring thgir lunches -to school, these facilities for washing are badly needed. It is not entirely, however, because there is a lack of facilities for eating that the midday cold lunch Is ebjectlonable. A warm meal freshly cooked is much more nour- iihing and sustaining to a little school boy or girl than a cold Itmch could be. Children need a hot meal at mid-dav, because they assimilate food quicker than grown-ups and must be fed often- er. It is Wo long a time between breakfast and the i.fternoon meal, when the school children pet home. In some schools in the Province hot mid-d.\y feals are prepared for the children, but to make the scheme a decided success the teachers who un- dertake the cooking should have a ctrlificate showing that they have taken a course in dietetics. As- sistance could be given by some of the senior pupil.''. This arrangement is excc-llent, for h no: only provides additional help in r.ttending to the serving or The f-jod. but .al.so teaches j the bigger girls how to cook a 'ad pre- pare i-.iiy kinds of dishes. Thus thev are foinified with actual first-hand experi-euce in the most iui.oorrant fea- , t.ure of housekeeping before they leave i school at all. ' In many rural sections, however, j there are no such mid-day meals pro- I vided by the school staff for the chi!- I dren, and it is to eiiccurage the j school trustees and people in every ru- | ral district to urg;^ the necessity for I this much needed feature in school I life, that this article i.s written. ! .\ot only does a hot meal at school i improve the health and physical con- dition of tiK! children, but a chance is thereby given to teach them to eat properly, not to bolt their food down, but to chew it well and so put no overwork on the stomaoh In trying to prepare the food for digestion. There wljl al.so be an opportunity for the teaclier to demonstrate to the pupils the advantages of cleanllneas in the cooking, preparing and serving of food, and general hygienio sorround- Ings. Food should be shown pro- tected from flies, and why it should be told the most Important food pro- ducts, and why one kind of food Is more valuable than another from a stondpoint of nourishment. Little tects oan be brought home to children much more easily and rpadily than to adultsâ€" for in the young the brain Ls receptive and has not yet developed any of those prejudices ;that oftea are unreasonably formed late in Ufe. At the mid-day sehool meal aUo, a word or two could be told the chil- dren about Tisamlnes, tho.'ie essential but very tmall elements In natural foods that keep people of all ages well. These vltam'nes are found in fresh foods such as fresh milk, fruits, ec. It is easy to see what good results could be expected from such a mid- day meal and little Ulks to Bhe chil- dren at the finish. Thia feature should be as muoh a necessity iu rural sohools Hs the blackboard aid chalk, and no .school. However far back in the country should be without it. Too often the question of what to ea: and hov; to eat is neglected in the home circle. Many a family there is in the countr> where ths mother not only has to attend to tlie children aud the housework, b-at she also cooks fcx;d for the live stock, feeds and tend^ the chickens and many of the other smair^ut ue,>essa.-y jobs that have to be done at a farm. The children must obviouaiy be ne- glected wh.^n s-cich a state of affairs exists and it often exists because tho work has to be done and there is no- body but the-mother to do it. Every f.ither of a family in the country should be urg:'d to provide leisure for his wife to attend to U:a aroper cooking and preparing of meals for th-> children. These meals are often pre- pared hurriedly, and with no thought as to their nutritional value; it is purely a question of expediencey, so much other drudgery has to be done. This condition of things should not be. Every attention should be given to children's feeding up till they are five years oi age, and ready to star: school. iloth-ors .sttould regard the feeding of her children as one of if not the most important tasks ia her daily ^ round of work, and nathing ehse should she allovif to tntfrfere with it. The way a child is fed in the first five years of iifa has a largj hearing on its physi-al condition iu years to ccmc. THE ROUND TABLE "WHERE WE MAKE FRIENDS OF ECOKS." In Kurope 4.a00 specie.s of plants are gathered t^ud used for commercial purposes.^ Of these, 420 have a per- fume tba't Is pleasing, and ent«f largely Into tba manufacture of* Bcents, soapa and other toilet prep^ arattaas. This department is for those who love books. And since those who love books. love to get together to talk about them, I want a Hound Tablo In every town iu Ontario. U may be there is an org.tnization of women who meet once a week in yuiir town for an afternoon's study of literature aud music. It may be tiiore is a girls' guild who«>e members seekii\g culture and advancement would like to spend one evening a month reaaltig and discussing the b-.bt hooks. It may be there is a young ni.'u's club that wishes to start a literary department for education iu reading and dfb.ite. Wherever these people are found, there I want to find a Round Table; and I w.vnt to know about it so that we may use this column to help o-.i the good work Mere 1 shall review the t.ew books and give brief notes ptrtainlng to authors and general literature. If there i.s a qtiestion about what to read, what to give others to read or how to read, 1 want you la askxnie about it. If I d!) not know, at least, I do know of tea publishing houses that are most Klarvellously fitted to help us find what we want. KI..INt)R MURR.\Y. 24 King William street, Hamilton. "Imperfectly Proper" by P. OT)* Pub" llshed by McClelland & Stewart. This Is a c(d!'ection of Peter Dono- van's articles as they api)eared wee'«;- ly in Saturday .Night. .Mr. Honovan lias more than the average supply of fun and good-humor ariid he succeeds admirably in passing that fun on his readers. He has been, known for a long time as a most popu- lar raconteur; and his stories lose nothing in the writing. They are gems of laughter; full of wit, but nev- er known to leave a sting. Thi-re â- are over thirty yarns in the book deal- ing with every subject utider the sun from motor-boating to furnace-tend- ing; and from learning to chauff to playing golf. And they'll stand re- teading on dark days wh^'n a chuckle means a lot! erable IHtle waif left on a doorstep and broughi up in a Foundlings' In- stitute. He was a strange child and grew up to be a litrange man, always lonely and â- .mfrieudly. Hia only hap- piness was to swvm; and to gaze through lighted window.s upon othei- people's happiness. When he was thirty years old he looked throu,»h the windows of a piace ha felt was home, and there he was welcomed by Lady Tintagel as her husband the re-in- carnated iiiv Xigi->1 TintAgel. It wou:c iiot be fair to tell more of the story, exppj.^ialiy as I wouki like opinions from my readers concerning i; and it'i sisnificance. Suffice it to sa.y that it is written in Mrs, Bar- clay's own way with an obligato of "Crossing the liar'' and biibilcal quo- tations. Tell me what you think of it. Ad- dress, .Klinor Murray, 64 King William street, Hamilton. "Returned KTupty." by Florence L. Barclay. 'Published by the Ryerson Press, Toronto. There is uo more popular author than the writer <if Tlie Rosary, and it is dtubtless t;i be €xpect(>d that she follow the fashionable trend of intro- ducing spiritualism into her works Returned Kmpty Is the story of a mis- "The Painple Heights," by Mari^ Conway Oemler. author of 'Slippy McGee". Published by McClelland & Stewart. This is Mrs. Oemler's latest novel, aud it is a rich in iaughier and tears, in thrillin.H; dramatic situations, and i.i f.ll those other eloraents that eudeai' a story to a great public, as was the. author's first astonishing success. "Slippery MoGee." Peter Devereaux Champney.s' widow- ed mother lived in a three-ro-im house in Rivertou, South Carolina, and this boy was the last of the once power- ful ftimily of the Champneys. Sh'i died of too little food and too much work, and the little boy, who had al- ready been pronounced a dunce at schcK)l, became an odd-job youngster In the town and a fisherman on the river. And his beloved mother, d}'- ing, had told him to raise the name ot Champneys lo greatness a-gain. Peter saw the "purple hei.glits'' afar, and he felt that he had discovered rt way to achieve his mother's imbition. Rivertou, South Owolina, promoted him from odd-joba to clork in a hard- ware store and could do no more. Peler did not diiiappoint his mother who had said ahe would know when ho reached the "purple heights." - Bv way of New York and P-jrfi, by way of toil and suffering and the gift that Rivertoa could not see, by â- way of marriage to an unknown gir' who haled him and then to an uu'iuown woman who loved him. Peter achieved the "purple heights." P . I I Ski jumping has been evolved into a jnmp of 25 feet over an open gap !a i summer pastime by an American who has tKinstructed an Incline plat- form, which Is maintained In a elip- the Incline. An extensive aysteni of cross-town moving platforms U likely to be built p«ry condition by a bath or soap and In New York as feeders for VAy: main lard. Zest ts added to the allde ky t'lhr >j lines. >)iti'' ' ^ -' ^