The Press.
London, England, 1853-12-31 00:00:00

833

3. In tins little book the moral, that labour
is the lot and the duty of all, is sought to be
inculcated. Ordinary events of human life are
described us happening to a dog, but it would
have been Letter to have described them as
happening to a mn. Job, the canine hero,
does not think and talk as a dog would if it
had reason and speech. The object the author
has attempted to accomplish is ilittioult.
Swilt succeeded in it ; few others have.
Goldsmith once praised an author who bad
written it fable in which the actors were fish,
" for," said Goldsmith, "he makes his littlo
fishes talk as they would if they could speak."
Dr. Johnson laughed seornfully. "You may
laugh," said but it is not so easy as
von may think. how, if von were to try to make
little fishes talk,
.you would make them talk
like great whales. Mr. Elwes makes his dog
talk like a not very amusing man narrating
various imitlents of his life. The
eight ill number, by Harrison Weir, are pretty
good.

1 .% ea.llectiou of alarming talcs and fables,
profusely illustrated by llichter. The draw-
ings, whether beautiful or burfehque, aro
sketched with a freedom which dentitrK
lilt) 1111040 S hall& spi.eillielk of the text
we give, not beeause it is the best, but lie.
cause. as it is short, we can give the whole of
it ; anti, its poetical justice is indicted on that
notorious rogue the fox, it will not 11111 to bt.)
popular with the little people :
Tim vox ANII 11Altr.
A fox anal a hare were travelling together in the winter•
time. whru uo ilt•ths were to lit' 61111111 ill tilt. livid., um•
any thing viailsle that the soar,rt.llts raalthl rat. "'Phis
is hungry wtsillti.r," said the fox lathe hare ; " wt. must go
whegging."
r., indeed it is." replied the hare, it is hungry every
w6a tie; and, in fowl, I Could Vat 1111 (Mit ears, if I had any
111C111114 tat getting them between in jilllll "
Nit, while tlicy were thus g • lailiag 1111litliolging
they esjaird at a ilistailer a country soatialcit walking along
with a Weskit in her lomat, tool foams this basket the wool
brought 11l the Hess's 14 the foot and Ilie bare at pleasant
.mill of new limo& " eimoce us'"
the fiax ; " ilia coo, Nla‘ti.r lit. slain it sisal leaks
Iselieve to IN' dead ; the girl will set dila. a her ; sisal
Caine and OA you up 1•411* the hake Id* 1 • skin, to wake
ghat vs ; meanwhile I will poottelt up the basket and moats
off with it liar our owls eating."
The hare fiat's% 4.4 l this /1111 lee. While the fox hid himself
1s Lied a snow•drift. l'iesently Wit 141111 I) the girl, and,
wring the hoist. stri•tchist out all Braes, Ali. set ha r Imskyt
down, anal stamarit to tate tip tlii. animal. At the
SKIII4. 1111/1111•Ilt Nat Ili the 1111, MA Cat Ching iii) the
11111 tall'. closely followed by the bare, who suddenly
Ca •to life again. 11511 Ilia. 1141 I'r hi,/ al 101111•Citi5'ti that tow
fox had ins intention of sharing the issoleols of the
basket; but lie 11111511' no 'vomit' until they isms,. to
',mall itastalubliii. Ili' Mill to the 11 ax, '• Width' it 1114
11e a nice tiling to gal some 11.1. to vat with • latalial,
dolt WI. should 11'11lIt like great ? 110 'MI hang your
tail down a little Iselow the water, and then the fish will
lay hold a,f it, bar they luny not •la to rot tit tin*
011.14S011; but make liable, or else the yowl will fiet.zu
over !"
The fox, without suspecting any trick, Ilipposl loin tail in
the water, whirls war upon the point of freering, and kept
it there till the ice winedy had fornacal ; anal Nil his tail
W 115 set. 61.4 Then the liars. °rued the baskui, anal f. 01111•
lwforr the apt.'s If the the 1..1111'04 whirls
were ill it. And as he finished I'llol hllertisMiVll mall ho
Mill to the fox in a mocking tone, " Wait a hit, and it will
thaw ; wait till spring-time, anal it o ill thatw!" Anal
when ha. had a men all the 111.410 he Eno away, leaving
the pour fox in at ragging passion, like a dog chained to
114 alt,
5. A well-written American tale, in which
the father of a family by indulging in drink
ing it. T4l retrieve him fortunes he goes
to l'alifiornia, where, becoming as avaricious
as he was before profuse, lie overworks him-
self and dies in acquiring wealth. Sam, his
son, the good genius of the tale, is with him,
and, after meeting with many surprising ad-
ventures, none of them out of the range of
Cad &within lortablibility, he beetsmes the means
of settling his mother and sisters in decent
comfort in that the first-found land of gold.
The moral of the tale is, be tl'llliPerilte in all
things, even in industry. Alany vlvid glimpses
of humble house life in are revealed
throughout the work.

6,7, N, 9 The hilt is the he!-t, and a favourite
book of schoolboys.

10. A pretty littl► hook, with some good
illustrations, in which the trees are very well
drawn. The instigator of evil is personified
as the lee King. the spirit of good as the
Sweet South Wind. The Wks, of which