The Parents' Review

A Monthly Magazine of Home-Training and Culture

The "P.R." Letter Bag

[The Editor is not responsible for the opinions of Correspondents.]

Dear Editor,--The 24th of May has for many years been the festival that heralded the coming of summer, that we felt we could not give it up after the death of our beloved Queen. It has, therefore, been set apart by the Government as a holiday, and is called Victoria Day. This year the holiday season lasted from Friday morning until Monday night, so we decided to spend it at a farm in the depths of the country in the northern part of Ontario. We explored the neighbouring woods and were delighted with the flowers; the names of some of them may interest your readers. We found great numbers of the beautiful pink and white Trilium (Erythrocarpum); beds of lovely wild Phlox, of a pretty lilac colour; large patches of May apple flowers, under their great leaves, which the children call "umbrellas"; violets, white, Viola canadensis, a particularly noticeable variety, with rather long stalks; yellow, Viola pubescens; a blue in every shade, Viola obliqua, but unfortunately without any scent. Some parts of the woods were quite bright with the greater celandine (Chelidonium majus), a very showy handsome plant; the beautiful columbines (Aquilegia canadensis) were just coming out and there were some large Indian turnips (Arisaema triphyllum). On the fallen trees which had lain in the swamp for years most lovely ferns were to be found, beautiful maiden hair, a fern very like but not exactly the same as the beech fern. I have not been able to identify it exactly. Numbers of marsh ferns, and lovely specimens of the male and lady ferns; also the Bracken and Osmunda regalis. In some places were bits of the brightest scarlet, which we found were a sort of fungus, and with the green mosses and lichens looked very ornamental, though the pretty white flowers were gone. The meadow rue, Thalictrum dioicum, is almost like a fern, so delicate is its foliage. White flowers attracted our attention, and we found they were the flowers of the Pepper root, and further on, pretty daisy looking flowers that we called "Robin's Plantain," Erigeron bellidifolius. Another time I might make a list of some of the flowers which grow in Canada and in England, and some which only grow in Canada, as far as I know.
I am, truly yours,
C. L. GWN.

Craig Larroch,
Dundas, Ontario.

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Dear Editor,--May I, as a member of the Library Committee of the P.N.E.U., deputed by the rest, say to friends and readers, through the medium of the Parent's Review, how great a book it would be if those who possess and have themselves finished with a book included in the Mothers' Educational Course would be so kind and charitable as to present it to the P.N.E.U. Library, addressed
The Library Committee,
P.N.E.U. Office,
26, Victoria Street, S.W.,
in order that it may be lent out to other students in the Mother's Educational Course, who are, perhaps, not able otherwise to obtain this or that particular volume. At present, the Library does not contain nearly all the works in the current Mother's Educational Course, while, on the other hand, we are frequently asked for them. Nor are our funds sufficient to buy them all, standard works though they are.
Specially we should be glad of the following books, should any kind friend be willing to present one or more of them to the Library for the general good:

FIRST YEAR.
Bible Lessons. Abbott.
Gospel of S. Luke: A Commentary for Schools. E. H. Plumptre.
Starland. Sir R. Ball.

SECOND YEAR.
Historic Faith. Westcott.
Parables. Trench.
Lessons in Elementary Physiology. Huxley.
Flowers, Fruits and Leaves. Sir J. Lubbock.

THIRD YEAR.
Gospel of the Resurrection. Westcott.
Gospel of St. John. Westcott.
Light from the East. Rev. C. J. Ball.
Study of Animal Life. Professor J. A. Thomson.
Geology Intermediate Text-book. C. Lapworth.
Story of the Heavens. Sir R. Ball.

Trusting that this matter will meet with favourable responses,
I remain, sincerely yours,
FLORENCE MARY PARSONS.
Chartres, France,
May 17th, 1902.

Typed by happi, Feb. 2021; Proofread by LNL, Apr. 2021