The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-22


 petite as well as does the stomach
 of man and frequently the mental craving is more unsuitable than the abdominal. This mental appetite is the imagination and it's chief pabulum Is romance so that our greatest masters of fiction are reality mental chefs cater ing to the caprices of the mental palate or mental gustatory nerve. But this vocation is an honorable one and not to be decried, for the mind must sub ' sist as well as the body and being corpse is preferable to the condition of an idiot
 Regarding the subject in this aspect, a library may be 1ikened to a deicates- sen shop where .prandial danties for the mind may be indulged in and it's hun gerings appeased. Any community which possesses as well equipped li- brary can boast of a well-stocked men, tai delicatessen magazine.
 It is interesting to note the little clever conceits employed by authors to pander to this appetite and the sue cess which crowns their efforts. over a century agone Xavier de Maistre 1. T title ''yoyage autour de ma Chambre" (Journey around my room) whimsical description of the authors meditations and experiences as he contemplated the various objects in hts room of mili- tary barracks where he was temporarily 5. imprisoned for some peccadillo, spins to s himself little romances concerning them and his beloved Madame Hautcastel the faithfulness of his servant Joann- etti, etc.
 This fashion has since found endless imitators the most meritorious Of which is probably the Expedition Noctnrne ss We may pause here TOT one iaoiiens to give expression to the thought of the great indebtedness which literature and romance owe to the prison Bun yons Pilgrims Progress, which in my : opinion ranks next to Holy Writ was born in a cell.
 . But my circle this week shall be con siderably larger than one encompassed by a room and l am going to ask my readers to accompany me In swinging round that circle as sort of Xmas constitutional.
 A circle is "a very simple thing, but at the same time it is a most marvel lous thing. Like time 1t has neither beginning nor end and strangest of all 4 little circle possesses the same at
 
 one. Canning and Frere, two wits, once published in the Jacobin' a satire called "The Loves of the Triangles,' and 1 wish l possessed the ability to write of the Fa ascina,fon of Circle but 1t would not be satire, on the contrary I would fashion it into an epic.
 In the dawn of history there were sun worshippers, and fire worshippers and even among the early Jews we find traces of stone worshippers Indeed the desire to worship something seems to be an inate passion of humanity Arabs have been known to erect an ; altar out of a little pile Of sand upon the desert which they moistened With the milk of their camels and did rever- cnce to Then there were bull wor- shippers in Egypt and there were those who Worshipped the circle. At the lat ter I am not surprised for its powers are marvellous. Even the Druids who have ever been the most mystical of the rncients, built their cairns tumuli and cromlechs in the form of circle
 The circle is the greatest labor sav- ing device that was ever discovered. With it we can locate a country, city or a ships position without single fragment of actual measurement. With it we have determined to certainty the distance of the sun, moon and -nl universe to yield up it's greatest secret the solar parrallax.
 My circle this week is that known as the Arctic Circle and it's contemplation is full of fascination and romance. This is Christmas week and an occasion as- sociated with Santa Claus. Now this santa Claus as we know from his fur cap. fur lined robe and long frosty beard comes from the far away north; he uses reindeer to transport his load Of presents as well as himself, and rein deer belong to the Arctic regions, so Santa Claus must have his home within the Arctic circle. As n child it was al- ways problem to me how this jolly lit- tie fellow could cross the ocean with hisr animals 1 knew their names by heart and could mentally depict them scudding with the fleetness of the wind across the snow and frozen passes.
 Deer knew could swim but surely they did not possess the staying powers to cross the Atlantic; besides 1t would take too long time to Go the swim ming as their master made his annual journey ir one night. do not know why placed Santa's abode or start ling point on the other side of the ocean unless 1t was because he was associated with toys and most of the toys, 1 had been told, were made in Germany which is across the Atlantic. But I placed nm there al all events and ms cross ing the water perplexed me. Then began to ask myself if 1t were possi- ble for this Christmas man to come round with his team all the way upon land. new thought was being given birth in my infantile mind and in childish delight I almost screamed 'Isureka,' l got down my atlas and set to work. l always did love geography which love I presume was simply . t precursor of my fon1ness for travel in my later days. l set tu work.
 found the Arctic Circle and in a tentative manner I located the starting point for Santa's Christmas journey at the North Cape. During my visits to the Cape I have always recalled that hour of childish atlas study.
 To the west of santa lay the Arctic