To the modern spiritualist our churches are, in a sense, seance halls, for facilitating contact' with benign spiritual influences with evidences of equally establishing such contact far more vague and unconvincing than those "of the seance room, Thus spiritualism" becomes the handmaid cof religion and to further {his s880- lation Dr. Bowers dismisses as re-{atively unimportant the more familiar and primitive physical man!= testations of mysterious, paychle forces as compared with direct communications from and materializations fof deceased relatives and friends of those Present In the seance room and which are identified as such without, Te is, alleged, any possibility of either doubt oF chicanery.
Apart. from the thrilling interest which is always associated with narratives "of the supernatural the book should be read by all who hunger for tangible evidences of the survival of personality after death, The author states in his foreword that to. these that the hok addressed' inthe hope that some Scatiered fragments respecting "th" Sclentite aspects. of survival of con-Sclousness may provoke constructive Sir Oliver Lodge sums up his own attitude in respect of the phenomena, dealt with by Dr. Bowers, In his autobiography published after over 40 Years of investigation, entitled "Last Years", in these words Sclénce will ultimately find that This play Is a simple study of be-scene 'a grocer's "shop. 10 haviour smallish town The Donaghreagh which" lovers of an earlier work of Mr. Eevine's will be lad to revisits people are drawn with a light hand but the portraiture 0 lifelike that one ts amazed. the artistry' that can create anal: mosphere ot- such intimacy "wit ith every character in the play. 'The Sclion lakes place in Andrew Boyd's {Erocery shop am old-fashioned.siore founded by his grandfather and' sll flourishing ina modest. way and. the same lines. as prevailed one hundred years age." But Boyd's shop Jo more "than a shop it is also popular rendezvous where:
summer and the dark anys of Since is lovely on, the not come rambling up the street and Know you are welcome in this shop even if you, havn't a penny in your Andrew is assisted in.the hop by his daughter Agnes who 1s beng wooed by the Rev. Ernest Dunwoody, pushing and very up-to-date young Cleric. The serenity of Donaghreagh ig rudely disturbed by the advent of John Haslett, who has studied busi-hess efficiency methods in a College Jot Modern. Commerce, and has the temerity to set up shop os a grocer Immediately opposite Mr. Boyd's store, Nor does Haslett confine his natural tends it to the up-to-date cleric for doughier, whom he sets out to win with dis-arch and determination. His uctlating fortunes in. business and in Tave introduce an attractive. clement of romance which Is too often denied fo usin modern plays, The reac tons of the local inhabitants to the bold invader are highly diverting and the partisans of modern and of antiquated methods of business add to the: humour of " piquant situation, 'Notable among these is an elderly spinster, Mise McClurg, "a'woman with analt of being in ike' Know" about ings that cannot possibly be told to other people.
There are tines when Miss McClure conveys an impression that she 18 the confidence of her Creator-her deadliest.
Theology and Insurance 'The rivalry in business between he old and new methods is paralleled fa the sphere of religion between Mr. Paterson, the old and revered minister, and Mr. Dunwoody, the modern cleric. 'The Jatter is. far' too polite to probe into your religious condition "and complains that Paterson is always "harping on re ligion."" A' propes of the old minis ter We are treated to a delightful story ofa certain local, character.
MGimpsey. who "fikes His "A soon as Tum becomes intoxicattakeo a: theological turn, Wonder about the and after' three al night about anys Tom, don't give a damn about incident "arouses considerable excitement and interest In -Danaghreach, to wit the fire that destroys 'John asiett's shop: discussion naturally' takes place tu Boyd's shop 83 40 me. probable claim that John will make against the Insurance. Com-any: inthe course of this the de-Tightiul" theory is propounded. that anybody that. takeo "money "out Tnurance Companies and the, ike pute it Into elreulation. tr éolng riy country' a power of good. In fact {ts @ public duty to make claims about, if ina {aie wealth tiny have "wil "eet pot
The interest and entertainment axe well" maintained throughout, when the curtain falls upon, "an eminently satisfactory solution of the major problems of the concluded comedy one's only. ling is one of regret that there not more of it. Me more feather 1 wish hima
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.