According to our monthly custom, we sit down to review the works published during the last month, and sent for our approval. First in order stands a ponderous volume: “Natural Logic, by Professor Poddle:” which purports to be a variety of arguments drawn from observations of nature: these arguments are as ponderous as the book, and, to our weak intellect, perfectly incomprehensible: let us take the first sentence of his chapter on tadpoles, (p. 46.) “Upon this subject we could wish to deduce even more arguments than we are about: first, the reverberatory processes of Nature, as interwoven with the calumniations (what calumniations?) of astronomy persent a picture to the pleasing eye varied as the never-ending kaleidoscope (we never saw one) the probability of paralysation, is, we should say, greater than (than what? do you suppose) than the inferiority of other things as combined in the reciprocity of reaction.” if you can understand this reader you are wiser than we. Next comes, “The Bandy-legged Butterfly, a tale for youth,” we should say for infants less than a month old, witness the following extract
“My darling little Mousey-pousey, said the butterfly, good bye, lovey: ta ta pet: take care no naughty wolfey-pulfey hurts my little chicksey-picksey.”
we suppose you’ve had about enough now.
The next is, “The child’s first question book” by a Lady: we consider the questions as rather foolish, and the answers as particularly so, but of course the author may judge for herself:
“Q. Who was Alexander the Great?”
A. Please, ma’am, I don’t know, but I believe he was king of England.
Q. Who was king of France?
A. Louis the XIth.
Q. Who was king of Rome?
A. Servius Tullius.
Q. Who was king of England?
A. Henry the 3d.
Q. Well then you see it couldn’t have been Alexander, now, what other country is there left?
A. China.
Q. Who was emperor of China.
A. don’t know, Ma’am.
Q. What’ll you do if you’re naughty?
A. Hang.
Q. Very well, then what conclusion do you draw from that?
A. Please ’m, that I won’t do naughty.
Q. No, I meant that Hang was Emperor of China, so Alexander couldn’t have been him; who was he?
A. King of Macedon.”
here eight questions are interposed between the question and answer: what the effect on the unhappy child would be, the reader shall judge.
Editor.