The Guardian from London, Greater London, England • 3

THE MANCHESTER GUARDIAN. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 26. 191L NEW NOVELS. THE NEW THEATRE IN MANCHESTER, spector was shot dead at Barisal, in Eastern Bengal.

On the day after the DurbaT the P. and steamer Delhi, carrying on board the Princess Royal, the Duke of Fife, and others, was completely wrecked near Tangier. The mason who prepared the symbolic foundation-stone laid by the King died a few days after the ceremony. The site first chosen for the new capital had to be abandoned. And now the Viceroy has been laid low at thu moment of its formal inauguration.

The Times correspondent at Delhi wrote at the time of the Durbar: "Superstitious sections of the Delhi population profess to regard the death of the Maharajah and the wreck near Tangier as unfavourable omens." It was not without malice that the European papers in Calcutta drew attention to the chapter of accidents. We may guess how their significance is magnified by Eastern superstition. Although only one Viceroy of India, the Earl of Mayo, has fallen a victim to an assassin, several others have had their lives attempted. At Ahmedabad in 1910, a few months bc-foro the end of his term, a bomb, which failed to explode, was thrown at Lord Minto by a terrorist, and forty years ago Lord Lytton was in danger from a man of a very different kind. This was a Eurasian apothecary, whose nefarious scheme was discovered by Lord William Beresford, the laU; brother of Lord Charles, who, as military secretary, was invaluable to several Governors General in succession.

Degrees of comparison They were discussing the delights of Christ 1 the level of the pavement has been completed in eleven weeks. The main architectural features of the interior are the proscenium and the boxes, of which there are only two. The house is of two tiers, spanned by an arched ceiling at a height of 70 feet above the stalls. This form has been adopted to allow the gallery to be brought well into the interior. The colour, scheme of the decoration is scarlet, bronze, and stone 'colour.

The stage is said to be second onlv to that at Covent Garden Theatre in scientific construction and mechanical appliances. A story to be laughed over and thoroughly TT A I enjoyed is i he jleclexsion of uimiy auaiav (William Heineniann, fP- 312 Oj d7 Onldie. It is bv far the best and the ci tho suffragist stories we have sicrnss. thcueh. bv the way, the nrmaaanda is by no means th hief object of the book.

Indeed, propaganda mv kind is in its pages always subordinate to fhe authors abundant and vivacious sense of Tnimour. The story tells how Albiac, of a ui- lnKP. voune. rich, bred in Wine nerfected himself in British steeped himself in British aristocratic 1 UlAwm 41,1 rl liprame atnauceu to 'v-on of culture and elegance falls from iie heights and succumbs to the influence To shabby little Chelsea artist woman of nl0; inelegant principles and with a terrible in maintaining tnem. "nv 0f this deleterious and quite delightful who has no sense at all of the lmport- rlrpss or food or social wee TT Albiae.

in less than a year I'L Jwine a flower of a Mayfair garden, vf.nl human heme with a host impossiblo friends, and with opinions and 1 1 1 Mi: 4-. rv nricnn Tni ne is wining nnlv be feebly suggested here; the aftual narrative is a thing of thrilling where fun and seriousness spar with all the time, The stitfest old reactionary must surely relax mnmnntnn- tolerance of the new Minacious race in the company of Flora and mmrdes. all so earnest-minded and all so gay. The Ladv of the Decoration" delighted tiro continents and went into an. incredible number of rditir.ns.

Of course she had to ako another appearance, ana nere sne is Tu l.m- Married (tlodder and. l. -HU tis. lira iiuuuiKu aim well-spaced pages of high cood-miniour. shrewd sense, a rather 1 jniF jiiirf nlenteous emo- tion A joke.

Transatlantic but not too forcien, in evcrv sentence, and always the most admirable ontiraenta. Assuredly marriage has not made the Lady dull. on mav wish her brilliancy eclipsed for a moment so but then thu whole thing doesn't last verv long. If vou don't happen to think "great fun" you may dislike it w-rv much indeed, hut. you will probably 113'iifv vour judgment by owning the Lady -o he' of the order of "good fellows." A girl of American bringing up to be rescued from the perils of a teahouse, some melancholy passages in the life of Jack the husband, "with Japan and China for back-around, provide incident and variety enough.

There are pretty impressions of the Land of fliossoms. and others not too flattering. The vivid snapshots of China during the late Revolution are the best things in the book. A whirl of travel through strange countries then America again, and the boisterous assurance at the end that "Home is best with' Jack." A- M- Bengali Household Tales, collected and translated by the Rev. William McCulloch iHocIder and Stoughton, pp.

xi. 320, provides a verv singular revelation of the Eastern mind. The twenty-eight folk-tales have been chosen from a largo number collected in Li.wer Bengal by Mr. McCulloch, for many icars a missionary of the United Free Church. They were taken down by him from ai accomplished young Brahmin, whose en-jnvment.

we may suppose, was not at all (iiiiiinished by the strongly anti-Brahmin il aracter of many of the stories. Despite the tanctity of his person and status, the Ihnhmin is presented as coarse and cunning and inordinately fond of his dinner; here a huiiv. there a henpecked husband sometimes anied and living in honourable poverty; lroro frequently ignorant, vulgar, and. eelf-wrking as though the Indian people delighted, like the populate of mediaeval Europe, in poking irreverent fun at the priestly class. Tho ethical background is highly curious.

'Hie tales are often cruel honour and prosperity wait upon the ruffian, the swindler, the murderer. Tho Brahmin and the petty rajah dominate this queer society, wherein -uhtlety and rascality gain all the rewards. Hut Mr. McCulloch. 'who is a Sanskrit and Bengali scholar, knows that another selection in in tho inexhaustible stores of Indian folk-utv would give tho Western reader very 'ilffereut notion of the Indian character.

The tioti furnish references t( a large number of interesting parallels in both Indian and Kumpean collections. 8. K. h. About a Rectort (Stephen Swift am! pp.

320, by the author of l.onvrs from a Life." is not very successful as a wivel. it exhibits a lack of proportion, the material is not always sufficiently to the. central theme- It has. nifleod. a plot and a central figure, but what uis- reader attention is not the evolution of tho story nor even the mis-lortuin of the unworldly and incautious lor.

but. the series vivid pictures the tale prcvnif. The storv of the rectorv and its previous n( i-iipanu. the picture of" the old scholar seated in hu dotage in his squalid the t.tl0 in tllP infirma.ry ward nf the workhouso done. Many oi the descriptions i idyllic sort, but he authors mind is if not criticaJ; and we.

are shown the Jind COJ.ruption niay go on country and he stupidity of guardians in administering the Poor Laws The writer has abundancl material of a high quality, a vigorous i'iiid. and an incisive and sometimes tender -u, ior rnose reasons her work, although i iei. is. or great interest x- aSpCClS in a rem0te country c. s.

c. Canon Sheehan books are popular with a number of Roman Catholic readers both Ireland and England, perhaps because they a real sympathy with the humbler iclk and a considerable power over the -motions. Iii Miriam Lccas (Longmans and pp. 470, 6s.) he shows both qualiS, eether with that ingenuity in story-making h0lds up the interest even when much c-aching inclined to swamp it. As litora-i ro Canon Sheehan's novels do iiizh but his Irish country people speak andl he literary vaK might be groatcr MJ Lucas herself is rather stagey, though the i in moil of her generous and youthful spirit tare of the world's wrongness is sympathetically hown.

She solves her problem in the only way which Canon Sheehan thinks a problem can be solved, but before that end reached she passes through hard days and much fighting. It plea5ant to two of the most amiable characters in the story arc a Protestant clergyman and his whereby Canon Sheehan proves that lack of bigotry can quite of ton va ia Lilt U1HII IVflVO wKHn. a 1 strong convictions. But accompanv evervonp ii 5neer grace to two oditors, one of whom sprang from his chair iriDUMuu, mo uuier allowed her to reawaken his religious faith by one brief interview. m.

c. The Port of Dreams, by Miriam Alexander (Andrew Melrose, pp. dol, a Jacobite of events in Ireland and Paris before and after the '45, ought to be more arresting vlian it is. It tnrows no new light on period, nor is it Striking as a romance. It is largely a -vivid homily on with Charles Edward Stuart as leading man.

John Clavering, devoted adherent 'of the Stuarts, to is a a numerous exits, which have been arranged in collaboration with Mr. Henry Price, the City Architect. In designing the front, the architects, Messrs. Richardson and Gill, of London, associated with Mr. Farquharson, have followed the pyramidal type evolved by Cockles rj i TZ It comparafavo poverty with a husband to make tho aturally enough temptation crosses her path, and it is round nTnrinn niAtitaa a ner struggle against the lure offered her by a life of luxurious self-realisation thnt t.ha interest of the story centres.

Eventuallv "the sporting instinct," the inexplicable power that binds men and women to their as more valuable than any success, triumphs, and Mrs. Eller-ehawe is left in a that is more 1 j.1 i 1 i y- Mt- owyn writes well, and when he has Btrongwr hold on character will very hkfj us a novel a much higher order. A. r. b.

Delfina of the Dolphins (A. C. Fifield, pp. 92, Is. 6d.

net), by Mary Argyle Taylor, is not a fairly tale of the sea, as its title suggests, but a story of present-day Rome, evincing a great love for the Roman common people. The old palazao in the Via Delfini suggests the name. There, we learn, the heroine set up a weaving- school, finding the women and children of the! neighbourhood apt learners. From the description of the school we gather that it is actually in existence, but the tale of Delfina, a romantic and pathetic tale of love and art, woven round the story of the enterprise, tends to obscure the fact. A footnote or pre- face should have solved any doubts on this point.

All who are concerned in the revival of fine handicrafts will find something to interest them in Delfina." And in pass- ing we may mention that the Vineyard Press mas-day very earnestly. Dinner's the best said the first small boy. "Tea's all right." remarked the second. Breakfast's nothing," wound up the thii' decisively. A BALLADE OF SEASONABLE DELUSIONS.

Who ever yet on Christinas-day Woke to a world all white with snow- The sort that Christmas cards pourtray, And not a scene of slush and woe Who vcr felt inclined to po And carol at their neighbours' gatcst And most of all I want to know Who ever slew a band of waits! In spite of all that jesters say And all that comic artists show. However ill tliey sing and play We do not treat them, as a foe. Do boots and water-j tigs lay low The creaking tenor and his mates? Do we go forth and rout them No Who ever slew a band of waits? How many men are known to pay The gloves tradition says they owe As penalties for amorous play Beneath the festive mistletoe? Well, just as many don't bestow! The dole that decency dictates. Permit me just one final crow Who ever slew a band of waits 1 ENVOY. Prince, we're a rotten lot, I trow! We mildly bear the worst of fates.

We yield to things without a blow Who ever slew a band of waits? Lucio. The Second Show." an illustrated collection of thn "Lucio" verses which have anneared in the Misoellnnv column, ia now on sale, and mav be procured either throueh the publishers, Messrs. Lattlor and Moaiey atreet, or any oooKseller. rnce is. net.

IABVT.L ROCK-CLIMBERS IN THE LAKE DISTRICT. Cragsmen who assembled at the climbing? centres of the La'Je District to spend Christmas- day on cliffs, gullied, and cthimceys of Scafell, the Great Gable, and the Pillar Rock, found the conditions execrable. A great many of the gullies were full of water, and a higlu wind made some of the climbs on exposed rock faces too arisky to be attempted. The cragsmen. therefore, were content with lees' difficult courses.

According to Reuter's correspondent in Paris a telegram from Lorient states that a fire broke out on Monday morning on board the battleship Provence, which is beinsr, constructed in the dockyard there. It wae soon got under control. FOR A REALLY COOL. FRAGRANT SMOKE, THERE'S NOTHING LIKE MIXTURE THE PREMIER TOBACCO BLEND IN THREE STRENGTHS MILD, MEDIUM, FULL. i L.UNT1N CAN NOW BE OBTAINED FROM ALL TOBACCONISTS AT THE OLD FHICH, 6d.

per ounce. Tboxiox Fosnors. MAHcrAcnnuas, EontBUBOB. with Devilled Bones, The Original and Genuisa WORCESTERSHIRE. MT Sold everywhere, ili per Lac PoutioD UnrWalled ia LONDON.

THE 9 LANGHAM HOTEL Portland Place and Reseat St. W. FAMILY HOTEL of toe HIGHEST ORDER in Faduooable and Healthy Locality. Terms moderate and inclusive. The illustration, from a drawing by Mr.

Hanslip Fletcher, shows the front of theiNew Theatre, in Quay Street, Manchester, which is be opened to-day. It stands on land, once occupied by slum property, forming an island site, and thus giving opportunity for making fails in courage at critical moments inter- mittently through twenty years of apparent ahlnt devotion to Luse" Yet. Hi- failing esoar.es discoverv until th fina.1., of his -allowing a younger and braver man to a take his place at the scaffold. Even this does not deprive him of his bride, Kathleen Desmond, herself almost incredibly brave, dedicated also to the Stuart cause, and of marvellous ingenuity. She appears to be a iiersonification of the spirit of Irish liberty nrif rf Inch hhortv and rebellion, to which, as Caitlin ni Hou lihan, dear Queen of to-day, and of long Cl ago," the book is dedicated.

i.ne writing crisp and fluent, marred occasionally bv thoughtless generalisations, such as "the most cruel of all created things a woman's detesta- tion of another woman (has the author never heard of diabolical cruelty to children r), and also by exaggerations. B. A. 8. Mr.

Martin Swayne's new novel The Spobting Instinct (Hodder and Stoughton, pp. 300, 6s.) is quite a meritorious piece of work. In the earlier chapters we were haunted by the fear that Mr. Swayne was going to fall a victim to his gift for dialogue and that the human interest of the story would be buried under a deluge of "preposterous conversation." However, the author avoids this pitfall, and the more serious development of his plot is excellently handled Xancy Ellershawe, his heroine, is woman of thirty-nine, a woman who has only very recently come to see the effect that personality, beauty, and a fair share of wealth can produce. She has barely fledged her wings and made her first successful essays at exercising her newly discovered gifts when financial calamity breaks up the framework A flash-light photograph of a in building the Banks of England in the provincial cities, of which the bank in King Street is an example.

The style is neo-Greek. The progress of the building was considerably hampered by the coal strike, -which delayed the delivery of material. The portion above is publishing medium of the Peasant Arts SrJv Society. A. London eight new stories, bovtb.

hea Tales (Mills and Boon, pp. 314, Ai ductions dealing with adventure in the South Seas. All are very readable stories, but all are in a method and of a kind no longer very new. Mr. London, like other modern American writers, is best when his subject is entirely heartless, and therefore we do not look to him for character or for atmosphere, but for some grim and ruthless account of things springing from the lowest savageries of civilisation.

The awful tale of Manki and the appalling tale of Yah Jah Jah," both done shrewdly and pointedly, without waste of words and without emphasis, are little masterpieces of their kind, but tales so pitiless are painful reading. We prefer the less well done but amusing tale of "The Terrible Solomons and the suggestion in the not-quite-worked-out story of The xieaDiien M. Tho Civil Service Commissioners announce that an open competitive examination for 75 situations as officer of Customs and Excise will be held in March next. The examination will begin on the 31st of that month, and forms of application for admission to it will prob- ably be Teady about the middle of January, and will then be sent in response to requests by letter addressed to the Secretary, Civil Ser- vjce Commission, Burlington Gardens. London, -yr; their Christmas breakfast at the Wood Street MANCHESTER POOR CHILDREN'S CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST.

BOOKS RECEIVED. We have received the following books, From the Clarendon Ptsm, Oxford THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY. Edited by Sir James A. H. Murray.

Tl-Tombac. Vol. X. 5s. From the Cooperative Wholesale Society: ANNUAL FOB 1913.

From T. C. nnd K. C. Jack: THE BRITISH BIRD BOOK.

Edited by F. B. Kirkham. Illustrated. 10s.

6d. set. From Sampson Low and Co. TALES OF PLUCK AND DUTY. Told by Mrs.

Frewen Lord and others. 3s. 6d. From the National Peace Council THE PEACE YEAB-BOOK. 1913.

Edited by Carl Heath. Is. From the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children: THE CBUELTY MAN. Actual Experiences of an Inspector of the N.S.P.C.C. Told by Himseff.

Is. From George Toulmln and Sons: JOHN AND ELIZABETH. A Romance of Real Life." By Jay Gee. 2s. net.

MUSIC. From Breitkopf and Hartel: OM Heidelberg. English words by 81 Lees Snowies, muele by Frank Lambert. Is. 6d.

net. MARYPORT SHIPYARD TO BE REOPENED. The Mary-port shipyard, which has- been closed for over a year, is to be reopened on January 1, having been taken over by Messrs. Jopson, ami enigineerinig' firm of West Hartlepool. Mr.

John Robley, the chief draughtsman of Messrs. Dobson' and) Son, Walker-on-Tyne, has been appointed manager. Coasting steamers will be built, and employmejit given, to between one and two hundred. At present shipbuilders are extremely difficult to obtain, but it is hoped that old MaTyport workmen will be glad to return to the town. Manchester Guardian Mission yesterday morning.

copyr'ght. MISCELLANY. The PrinM Consort is usually given the credit of naturalising the Christmas tree in England, but it is still a very long way from beinjr among ue the universal institution with which tne Crermans are familiar. Every household, however humble, in North Germany at least, has its Weifinachtabauiii, and the well-to-do give away Christmas trees, with appropriately useful presents, as their fellows in England give away hampers. One of the sights of the season is the masses of trees arriving at the railway stations fro -n the forests of the Hartz or Thuringia, and at street corner in the cities they are on sale.

A genuine North German Christmas, by the by, is a three days' festival, for the 23rd is kept as Holy Eve. What we call Christmas-eve is the day of the tree and the presents and the Christmas dinner, from which, whatever else may happen, the goose is never absent. In the rightly organised German family all the specially distinctive Yuletide junketing is really over before the dawn of Christmas-day itself. But they do Christmas even better in Mexico. Festivities begin nine days before Chriutmas- day and do not end till New Year's day.

The rine days are kept in memory of the nine traditional days which it took Mary and Joseph to make the joarney from Nazareth to Bethlehem. On eaob. successive night a family circle, which may contain a few very intimate friends, hold a posada or inn at the house of one of 5j their number. The name comes, of couree, I from the inn in which no room could be found for the travellers. Thoush the house is the same each evening, a different lady plays the part of hostess each time, invites her own guests, gives an entertainment, and makes according to her means.

On one of tho evenings, though formerly it was not confined to one evening only, a kind of mystery play is done. The whole company form a procession and, singing tho Litany of Loretto, walk from room to room of the house bearing with them tho statues of Mary and Joseph. They knock at the door of each room and sing this couplet in the name of Joseph: Shelter in Heaven's name bestow, My wife no further now can go." And receive the answer from within "No inn. is this; quick leave the spot. Ye may be thieves, I trust you Repelled in this way, they go to the next room, and receive the same repulse.

if there are few rooms in the house the custom is not confined merely to the wealthy a visit is made several times to each. In the end th inn stable is sought, where the statues ar placed. The stable, when possible, has usually been placed on the roof. Servants on ihis occasion are the equals of their employers, and walk with the guests. Seiiora Diaz, the wife of the ex-President, used to hold her posada at the house of a friend, like any other Mexican lady.

The attempt on Lord Hardinge completes the cycle of unfortunate accidents which hv accompanied the transfer of the Indian capital i irom Calcutta to Jjeini, tne central act of the trz is -r i n.uig-juuperar uuioax lasi year. Tne King had not yet set his foot on the soil of India when the great Durbar tent was destroyed by fire. On the eve of the opening of the Durbar, on December 11, the Maharajah of Nepal, whom the King-Emperor was to visit immediately after the Durbar for tiger hunting, suddenly died. On the same day a police in portion of the crowd of poor children having.