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Magazines Exchanged

First of all, we must mention "The University,"the magazine of the National Union of Students. The Easter and Summer numbers have reached us, containing a neat little note inscribed "With the Secretary's Compliments."

On the cover is the N.U.S. Owl, with whom we made our acquaintance during the visit of the Empire Debating Tour, and inside each number is exactly thirty-two pages of very readable gossip. "The Factors of Success" by Frank Gray, is a little piece of disillusionment for the "young idealist fresh from the successes and applause of University."Dr. Harold Balme on "The National Student Movement of China" is informative and frank. A Cambridge humourist entertains us with a discourse on "The Lecture, the Lecturer and the Lecturee." We have cause to agree that "Lectures in English Literature are invariably delivered by Scotsmen or other distinguished foreigners." A delightfully humorous sketch reminiscent of Wembley and "The Evolution of Edna" abound in literary merit.

The Summer number is largely taken up with "Reports"—one on "The N.U.S. Talking Tour," several pages on "The Cambridge Congress," and three on "A Visit to Poland" by some lucky fellow as the guest of the Polish N.U.S.. The Editorial might almost have been culled from the "Spike" and brought up-to-date. It is headed "The Ideal of a University"

"The Kiwi" for May and August (A.U.C.), and the June issue of "The Canterbury College Review" have come our way, and they deserve a word before we pass on to mention of "Hermes" from Sydney University.

We gather that "Kiwi" has suffered a resurrection, or a revival, or a something, and that the "Present Management" has radically improved upon the handiwork of its predecessors. It must have been necessary. An air of cheapness seems to pervade its pages. We are not sure whether it is the get-up of the magazine, which too closely resembles a Rugby Programme, with all poetry set in Italics in the "Ladies' Mirror" style, or the excess of cheap humour whose leading properties are exclamation marks and inverted commas (of which last there are far too many in this review). However, we congratulate our friend Kiwi on attaining this, his twenty-first year of existence and shall look for something definitely better next year. Two poets and a comic artist do not make a University magazine. "The Canterbury College Review" has not managed to achieve a classic title, but one peep into its charmingly printed pages dispels any fears the name may have aroused. Canterbury possesses several literary people; the verse is excellent, although it is all the same kind—Punch style with faint touches of Chesterton—and the only two prose efforts are good.

"Hermes," with a representation of that gentleman on its jolly grey cover, is Sydney's magazine, published in Lent and Trinity. It is a production to be proud of, from cover to cover; the "Oxford Outlook" has been compared with the "London Mercury" and survived the ordeal—one could safely compare page 35 "Hermes" with any but the few best of Australasian magazines. In the Trinity number, two long poems on theological subjects vie with each other; but for the rest there are sketches, playlets, fantasies and reviews, all of which we enjoyed immensely. To mention them separately would be too long a job for this page.

The following School Magazines are acknowledged with thanks:—"The Waitakian," "The Otago Boys' High School Magazine." "The Christchurch Boys' High School Magazine," "The Taranakian," "The Ashburtonian," "The Nelsonian."

—P.R.