1953-12-05 — Page 8

81

Santa Claus Specials!

GIVE

Sheaffer's

HOW SNORKEL por

Timed for Christmas giving! A complete selection of Sheaffer's new Snorkel Pens to delight everyone on your list. Alt colors, all models, a wide range of prices. Come in today and the the world's only cleanfilling pen.

CREST DE LUXE

CENTINEL

STATESMAN

CLIPPER

ADMIRAL

Skrip

On sale at all scading stores

Sole Agents:

UNITED PAPER CO., LTD.

TAILOR CHEUNG

The Tailor of Distinction

For People of Distinction

Replenish your wardrobe now for the coming season while a quality selection of woollen materials is available for your discerning choice. Every suit.we tailor is a masterpiece of Oriental handicrafted workmanship. Our name is your guarantee for style, comfort and fitness.

For tourists, orders will be executed in 24 hours.

THEATRE LANE No. 1, BEHIND QUEEN'S THEATRE, QUEEN'S ROAD, C., HONGKONG.. TEL.

33484.

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1953.

Sitting there in the shadows I'm beginning to wonder

DO YOU EVER READ A BOOK?

T

on

by Milton Shulman

side on about ten years-and it will be ning to capacily houses in the West End and her latest novel. down to a few dizasirous,

A Pocket Full of Ryc. shows that murder, not diamonds, can be a girl's best friend.

The case for ther be simunered basic arguments,

AGAINST THE VIEW

HERE is a

gadget which has just come the market. It is a small wooden bookrest with Its own at- tached reading lamp. It is designed for the new outcast of the family-the reader. 1 While the rest of the house- hold is watching televiston, it enables him to huddle in a corner of the same room and read a book...

I presume he is also equipped with earplugs,

to

But this isolation is hard- ly likely to be the Bawer important aml menacing social problem. What is TV doing" to the reading habits of the nation?

A

yet, there has been in edy desire on the part of pub- lishers and booksellers to avoid the full

this Implications of question. Having survived the

twin threats of radio and cinema

they

almost

have acquired touching faith in their own economic immortality,

Authors, however, are not so smug. "After a

a low

yeur's the younger generation will not take the trouble to read," says J. 13. Priestley. "In ten years every- body instead of being half- willed will inve become quarter-witted."

Strangling

Ts dire prognosis receives startling support from a recent survey examining the effects of television in America, Britain, and France.

It showed that in the New York area 49 percent of those who read books admitted having discontinued reading entirely after buying a TV sat. Sixteen percent read less than before.

Research in Britain does not this sad picture change

much.

very

Can it be then that TV is doing what the cinema and the radio could not do strangle

literature?·

Reporters the world over have spontaneously acclaimed it...

ETERNA MATIC

DATO

The first self-winding Calendar watch on a ball-bearing.

Eterna offers you a self-winding watch of two-föld value – not only does it tell you the tire, second by second, but it records the date, day by day. ● This new Eter.. Matic gives final and decisivo proof of the exceptional merit of automatic winding on a ball-bearing. The 5. microscopic steel balls in the Eterno ball-bearing are absolutely unbreakable. ● Better still, instead of wearing our as a "staff” done this bearing (which is no bigger than ́a pin's head) is self-polishing, thus it winding efficiency increases as it works. # Needless to say, this constant automatic winding of the movement has a decisive influence on the accuracy of the watch and; at the same time, enables it to accumulate a power-reserve of 44 hours. This amazing performance has so impressed fending New York reporters that they have spontaneously declared that the Eterna-Matic eliminates" all previous winding systems.

The Eterna Matle systert of winding on # ball- bearing is so highly perfected that it has enabled Elérna lo construct the world's médical waterproof self-winding watch -- the Indies”, Brerns Mailc.

Sola Adants!

ED. A. KELLER & CO.LTD.:

LOOK FOR THIS ETERNA SYMBOL

18

ETERNA

THAT TV IS HARMING BOOKS:- TV keeps people in the home where most reading is done,

During dull programmes viewers have to have Rome thing else to do. They will pick up a book while awaiting for the next parlour game or last week's repeat.

AGATHA

1

always be

+

iwith

Well, there arc the argu- ments. Choose your side. know mine. There is on awe- some ring of logic about the C. 8. FORESTER, consequences of TV on the Capt Hornblower at the tiller, young And I therefore Join Forester can the hands-up-in-horrer brigade, of sailing comfortably

On my side 1. have, too, ons of the grenicst educational authorities in the country, Dr Erle James, High Master of Manchester Grammar School.

* discourage parents of my boys from buying TV sts." :

IN

WORLD OF HALF LIGHT... MY FIVE FOR SURVIVAL

ONALSTIR - There's Ankle them

FORESTER - DS

MILTON SHULMAN

1801

GRAHAM Terman

GREENE-

CECIL, WODEHAMI GMITI-Hitary Ese thi

A.

CRCHIN - HI needs feruity

TV stimulates an increst in 4

new subjects and encourages learn more about viewers to them by going back to the printed word

FOR THE

Where Would You Live

IF YOU COULD DO AS YOU' LIKED?

How blessed to be who leads ņɛ w

country life,

Unvexed with anxious cares,

and vold of strifet Who, studying peace,

and shunning civlt rage, Enjoyed his youth, and now

enjoys his age.

John

T all sounds idyllic, but those vernos were written by Dryden in the middle of the seventeenth century.

It is still possible to enjoy one's youth in the country, but becoming increasingly s difcult

enjoy every year to one'a age there.

No anxious cares? The tax- gatherer and the rate-collector

will provide them.

Peace?

with aeroplanes

Dr

screaming and roaring overhead sure at any

of the day any hour night

motorcury not with ugh hooting round the corner of The

remotest lane, not with super fluous

dogs in every hamlet, baying the moon.

through the best-seller. listy. Although Hornblower and the Atropos published two weeks ago-is be low his usually exciting stan- OVCT dard, it has already cold 50,000 copies.

Hill.

At the age of 10, ono of Britain's most eminent authors has given up his home in the country to live in a city.

⚫ is the townsman thon, wrong-headed, when he dreams of a cottage in the country for his retirement? Arò the changing conditions of modern life spoiling the countryside?

• Horo the Man Who Changed his Mind gives a controversial answer.

By SIR COMPTON MACKENZIE

to

le

tty soon spend two hours

Many years ago Beverley Nichols and had a radio dis-

That is less true today, be

• CECIL WOODHAM-SMTTI; cussion about the relative - Her impressive blography of vantages of town and country cause contract bridge hug od-

the finci blow Úlfe.

cham- ministered Florence Nightingale

Beverley Nichols ..showed

ploned the town! espoused covercation and without con- what a hungry public there is

versation Dr Johnson would for well-toki

the cause of the country, and authentic

It was the first unscripted lave languished. hlatory. She has done it agurr

The nearest personality the BBC had at- dircussion wih The Reason Why, which tempted, and listeners

Dr Johnson were

we have today is might have been sub-titled "The under the impression that civil Gilbert Harding, who could in- Lid Off the Light Brigade."...

war had broken out at Savoy deca may with his predecessor,

"Sir, if

they should cease to talk

● GRAHAM GREENE-Prob- When the confusion subsided, of me I must starve." zbly the most forminted writer

With Gilbert Harding of the day, he has only his Beverley Nichols was so much

of would. royaliles to

impressed by the weakness keep him warm Although he made his

his case for the town the very of robust and orotund talk as literary reputation by neatly mixing sex soon afterwards he retired in with any talker, I know. But

to the

is himself and Gilbert Harding country

tu exception and religion, he can now sell

Garden in London today. For conversa- "Down The anything. The

Steam wrote

tion comparable with that of roller, about a steamroller that Path."

former days one must go to foiled a Black Hand gang of

Edinburgh. Dublin or top- mugglers, is among the

or Paris. it Is Jack of conve

.conversa=' selling children's books.

which is my own net kaly to get him into any enjoy the country, and I wish real reason trouble with the Church,

him mary

mare happy years country, and which made the Although with his Illies and that pestilent choice of a city in which A. J. CRONIN.

the end of my earthly Beyond This Place is one of the weed Winter Hellotrope (Pa spend

well-sites Fragans), which he was time of imperative importance. worst books written by a

is still Hesponsible for introducing Cottfolished zu her, it selling

VETY well. When you

of unaware

its FOR me,

conversation must have produced

Like books

The devotion of Hatter's Castle and The Citadel existence. Nevertheless, I wager be on tap,

-to Nichols country-dwellers

their you cun count on the gratitude reaches my age he will be "local" la evidence of that, and loyalty of the book-buying

come a city dweller like. my- public for a very long time.

self.

Little

A cartoon

My Decision It is TTE is still young enough to tion, I fancy, we deserting the

Kardens until then Shop-gazing

that when

Beverley

You may have one only to thought that a

to

Now, jan occasional visit to a

good

tustic Jan (if one can ovald When I reached the decision being bored by darts, a pastime to leave the Hebrides because which has been. destructive I was feeling more remote from of

conversation in inna contemporary life than a writer as contract bridge has been of conversalion in clubs) YOU may have noticed, too, that past 00 ought to feel, I still good

a trouse in the may be a

but. It is not survive in those days of TV but country,

town.

essential Was them

indefinitely age. -well. Between

0.5

to my

protracted. Then there is the question of tuthors zvantge happiness, and it was only as these five lop

I drew

near to 70 that I be- doctors. The least morbid of came aware how much the men may feel a certain make pleasures of a country life assurance in the fact of being au- depend upon youth, how much within easy reach of any doctor the pleasures of urban life op- he wants. Today, the country peal to age.

practitioner is grossly over

within easy reach of an entert that can be-

Pr

that

must

2 Books mentioned on TV are said two nights ago during-of

brought to the attention of all places

TV discussion, wise have heard of them. millions who would never other "My boys are pretty Intelligent, something like 55 years,

and their way of getting in- Will commercial TV formation is by reading. TV is things any better for a cheap substitute, and takes thors

and publishers? their minds off the real business haps the best comment en of life."

comes from a cartoon I re

At 70 a man must make up worked, and anybody But it is not only new readers Yorker-magazine.-

member seeing in the New his mind whether, in the years feel compunction at calling him left-to-him-he-is-going-to-out unnecessarily-and-in-tho of books who are threatened.

a serious illness the strive to indulge his body or case of New authors face an even more It showed ♫ beaming and his mind.

strain on medical attention and calamitous ogre in the com- nouncer holding up a pucket of

The exceptional old man can resources considerable in petition of TV:

cereal called, I think, WoW. ride to hounds

country. The caption underneath it ran straight, and hold his own with

at 80, shoot the count

Personally I am not addicted to shop-gazing.

but my ob that TV has something like this: "This pro-Colonel Bogey on the links,

gramme has been brought to Most of my elderly friends, servallon shows that for many forced his firm to rely on fewer you by the courtesy of the new however, are continually being elderly prople shop-gazing The analogy of the cinema and titles with larger sales. "Best- breakfast food WOW

spelt reminded that they cannot evidently the radio is quite false. The sellers or nothing" is a trend W cinema only took up two or with ominous repercussions for three evenings a weck-in the young writers.

1

VIEW THAT TV IS HARMING

BOOKS:

Book reading ntals time.

me

An important American pub-

told And TV is the most insidious lisber time-killer yet devised by man.

worst

cases TV takes up every

look at TV.

evening. The radio is an aural One of the largest book-sellers medium not a visunt one. While in London admitted that part- reading a bock you can have from established authors he was the radio on but you cannot not telling many books. "TV is threatening the up-and-coming writer," scht Mr A. S. Freze, The proper randing of books chairman of Heinemann's. “It is cannot be done in snatches, becoming increasingly dimult between programmes, Those to put a new author over." Intervals are more likely to be Allod with knitting, domestic chores, newspapers, and foot ball pools.

TV could help books by mentioning them, but has as yet shown a reluctant Inclination lta do sa. This is bemuse talk- ing about books has little place limited the trend

Ein a visual medium. It cân at

best have audience appeal,

only

with

But even the list of authori guerante publishers" likely to

probis will shrink.as TV con- tinues its omnipotent grinding- down process.

They are safe

OR the moment, however, there are certain names that

thu is towards programmes for the can rest secure in

suro have the largest numbers. This is likely knowledge that they to get worse

metinerised commercial publie thoroughly

on their side. A glance down TV.

the books expected to top Reading, like most forms of Christmas sales for 1953 will recreation, is a habit which show you who they are. is best developed when young,

AGATHA CHRISTIE. TV discourages reading amongst ● the young

Therefore the full Although there has been a con- effects of TV on books will not siderable slump in the sale of bo felt until gncretion crime Detion, the Queen of soddied on TV is old enough to Crime sits securely, on her She has two plays run- buy books. That should be in throne.

M

JOHNNY HAZARD

JUST FÖR RENT FRIEND// CAN'T STOP TO HAGOLEE ABOUT!

THE PROGO.....KEEP THE CHANGE!

o... W

can still read."

is

15

a most agreeable if you perform

the physical feats of pastime, and for this there is no need to point out the ad- once upon a time,

vintage

age of living in the city.

country walk can longer be a pleasure for the

The

no

Golf or Wisdom AM fortunate in that, having old. They are debarred from youth across

I so for the long walls of

SUPER KITTENS

A

PINCH of penicillin in

a kitlen's diet boosts

women

it growth in the way that li speeds tho growth of pigs and poultry,

scientists: two claim.

After a fortnight kittens receiving penicillin WED -seven ounces heavier on average than those which did

not get the drug. They alse seemed to be healthier and livelier, say: Cecilia

and Dickinson Patricia Scott, who made the feeding tests at Lon- don's Royal Free Hospital.

WARNING: The pentell- - In must be of a special type called "procaine penicillin" and should be given only on 1 vet's advice,

THE FIRST PLACE, WE STOP 19 : THE VILLAGE. POLICE STATION? „THEY MUST HAVE A RECORD OF - LAMORT'S CAPTURE; KIFTEEN

YEARS AGO).

~Chapman Pincher

nearly 50 years and hardly any country, and the macadamised exercise at all for the last 20, country roads of today are I am not for ever regretting unpleasant, Even the birds and my inability to do what

the butterflies have deserted used to bo ablo to do. And them. Moreover, the leisurely that applies to every kind of stroll has become impossible

from tiddly-winks to since the motor car..

sport, football.

Nevertheless,, although I am

My Passion depressed by the THE gardener, of course, is en- aight of elderly friends Ex-

tilled to scoff at the notion hausted by a strenuous round of living in a city, and I shall and exacerbated by admit at once that the good the behaviour of their partners gardener who does not know

of golf

garden

A

put together.

at contrar: bridge, I accept my what rheumatism is, would be dislike

of playing games as foollah to exchange the joys of evidence of my own eccentri-

for all the pleasures city. I claim, therefore, no of garden to the only thing

life in merit avolding

what, for the

make an and the old, that

that can

old middle-aged

feckless waste look forward a soems to mo a of time. In any case,

men

determined, are

words

person to the

it old passing of another won R In the

Gardening to passion since carliest boyhood,

10

จะ

of Bernard Shaw, get golf instead of wisdom, and if my eyes had not made it city life will possibly aggravate impossible to distinguish their desire.

daffodil from a dandelion with- When a

man_is tired of cut gong down on my krises I London he is tired of life; for should never have decided to there is in London alt that life make my homo ina elty,'. 'No can afford, Dr Johnson observed theatres or concert halls could to Boswell.

compete with flowers.

By Frank Robbins

WARE IN THE CELLAR OF THE POLICE STATION

* I'VE STRUCK THE MONEY BOXI

JUST ANOTHEK FEW MINUTES AND

GIGI'M OUT OF HERE?

this situation

San Miguel