New-York tribune., 1912-03-03
QUERY LEARY NONSENSE
New Verses and Drawings and
the Old Ones.

THE COMPLETE NONShNoEa ri p tbe origi.
Edward Lear. Containing AL tI'e VI IT,
nal picturcs and verses. together WIN
new material l;dtcd ny Lady StIdcI.'~
Infrodictiou nv the Earl or troheI'
Syo. pp. Nv. $50 Du6iold d GO.
About year ago an English educator
announced his discovery that some Il"
nor cent Of the children under his charge
had failed to respond to the charm or
the nonsense of Alice In Wonderland
Whcreupon an older generation iorlhr
with fell 10 heartily commseratinC these
moor. deficient Youngsters, and 10 dislike
tbeir teacher for making public s" sad
fact finding sola,e only in the reflection
that statistics especially modern educa-
tional statistics may mean much OF
nothing at All. as ono chooses 10 tHNe
them. No suCh depressing figures have
vet hoeu given out concerning Lear $
Nonsense Book" Should they. too. be
forthcoming. this world would become
sadder one for those Of an older growth
who have carried the memory OF the
book through life as one Of the dearest
~ fbeir childhood. unforGotten. and. IN
dood freoucutIy refreshed in later years.
Rut whatever the sense Of humor of the
generation that will he knocking at the
door a quarter Of a century hence-i't
us hope for the best,-this complete 'di-
tion. with it's unpublished new nonsense
in drawing and verse will he sure of
hearty reception from the children VINO
now have reached maturity.
Lady StraChey, the editor OF the Two
volumes of Lcar's correspondence. the
second Of which was reviewed in these
columns only the other day, has gath
cred this new material from follow lo|-
crs Cf Lear. who were more than ready
to assist her i'm the preparation OF TINS
edition defnitive" Of one Of the Few
classics of its kind. Lord Cromcr. Wh"
writes an introduction which contains
some Of Lcars letters to him with typi-
cal Illustrations. has also contributed
"The Bird Book" four plates Of draw
ings printed I'm Colors. tho "ScrooblouS
Bird" and tho "Runciblc Bird deserving
special mention. The new material IN
black-and-whitc includes a caricaturc or
Z l.G1
Cat and the Fiddle" Reproduced on this
rage) and the Song of SiNpcncc, oih"r
pictures and some verses. one OF which
taken i'm connection with the statement
Of the educator quoted above. may well
suggest that Lear had a gloomily pro-
phetic vision Of the fate Of the modern
child. 1t is too long to be quoted here
/ in full. only the first, third and the last
stanzas being given. Those omitted mar
rate the full designs Of the different
| teachers into whose hands fell
THE YOUTHFUL COVE.
| In Medic Tutorissmus ibis. 80,
Thou shalt walk in the midst OF the
! TU,Drc.
! once on a time a youthful cove
| AS was a ohccrv lad,
| Lived i'm a villa hy tho sea
Tic cove was not 90 ha"
seven folks one female and six male
Sci.ed on dat you,hfu! .,oy".
| Trev said-"ro cdiukate this chap
Ia seven 1t doth hohovc.
| So All thcso ioincd hands and sang
| This chorus by the sca
"Oh, Won his cdiukation's done
| BY N5t cove he'll DC.
Then there is the lament over tho
Spots Of Greece" sung by little girl
whose papa always rhapsodizcs about
| spots in Greece
To both mama and me.
Yet spots of Greece upon my dress
They can't abear 60 see,
Here, then, arc all the limcrIcks and
the nonsense botany and the alphabets
and pictures and rhymes and the laugh
able lyrics and songs and stories, the
nonsense cookery and the new "Quccry
Lcarv Nonsense" which happy title
Lady Strachev found in one of the au-
,bor's letters 10 Lord CarlngfOrd.