A Book about Boys. By A. R. Hope, anther of
A Book about Dorninies. (Nimmo.)—This is a readable book, with which, indeed, we often disagree, which sometimes even moves to anger, but which we are never tempted to throw aside. Mr. Hope is a kindly, humorous, and shrewd observer, who writes with a thorough appreciation of his subject, and seldom writes anything but good sense. Nor is ho afraid, on occasion, to speak his mind. What will some of his countrymen say to the picture of "the man in a Geneva gown complimenting the Creator, in a long and rambling address, upon the extreme depravity and worthlessness of the noblest of His handiworks ?" Oat of several capital chapters we would single out for special praise that " On the Friendships of Boys," which describes with much pathos and truth that first passion of life. As Mr. Hope writes from his personal experience as a schoolmaster, we accept his facts without hesitation ; but we must
say that we hear with astonishment of a school where boys ask for for-
gotten punishments as being "lass likely to do it again," and whore, a coward objecting to be flogged, a well-behaved lad should offer to suffer the punishment, and actually sutlers it. The author, being himself used to find fault, must forgive us for saying that it is not good English to talk of a furore " being overdone and running to seed," and that when he writes "it was my sorrowful duty to send out the fiat concerning him ut verberandus esset," his Latin is not much better.
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