THINGS TO COME

New Zealand Listener, Volume 5, Issue 125, 14 November 1941, Page 3

THINGS TO COME

A Run Through The Programmes

AVING given readings on freedom, on the Anglican temper, and on devotion and controversy, from 17th Century writers, Professor W. A. Sewell proposes to give excerpts on "Nature and Poetry’ from 1YA on November 21, and the writers of the period from whom he will quote are to be Marvell, Vaughan, and Milton. Our own recollections of the poetry of that age are somewhat misty though we think we are right in saying that the nature in 17th Century poetry was more natural than that in 18th Century verse. Milton, of course, wrote about the Garden of Eden, and if anyone can go further back to nature than ' that we’d like to hear from him. But we become irreverent. Professor Sewell will treat his subject with the dignity it deserves. Few And Far Between There are several thousand varieties of the common moth. There are perhaps almost as many varieties of the other common household visitant, the GUEST, some beautiful and some merely destructive. There’s the guest who always spills the bath-salts, the guest who will get up at five am. (rare), the guest who laughs at his own jokes, and the guest who never knows when to go. At 1l‘am. on Tuesday, . November 18, Mrs, Mary Scott is go-

ing to introduce us to an extremely Tare species-the "Perfect Guest," in her 3YA session, Between Ourselves, Accent on Food It is not anticipated that we shall be shearing or harvesting during the coming season, but on behalf of those who will be so occupied we extend another vote

of thanks to the A.C.E., who propose to speak from 1YA and 3YA next Thursday (November 20), and from 2YA the following afternoon on "Feeding Shearers and Harvesters." This accent on food will be much appreciated by those toilers but, if one may make a suggestion to such an omniscient body at the A.C.E., let it be a good AngloSaxon accent. Homards au Sauce Tartarin and petits-fours au beurre arsénique may titivate the jaded palates of the city dwellers, but for those who are to dine in the shadow of the high tops or hot from the wheatfield, simplicity should be the keynote. At the same time, the opposite extreme must also be avoided. One cannot imagine any sheep station cook tuning in to the NBS simply to get confirmation of the recipe for Mouton a Ila Mackenzie Country. " Magic Hours " When you listen in to the NBS pro-

duction of Howard Peacey’s play "Magic Hours" from 3YA on Sunday evening, November 16, don’t expect to be wafted into realms of fairy-tale or to walk the magic mazes in love’s garden of dreams. There’s certainly a subtle touch of magic which Makes an unobtrusive entry early in the drama with references to dual personalities, harrowing dreams, mysticism, and a whisky-thirsty ghost that haunts a tubber plantation at Kuala Seladang. This spot of magic becomes "black" toward’ the end of the play, when the villain of the piece is induced to shoot himself and so exonerate the hero, After that it seems as though they "lived happily .ever after." The Inscrutable East When, on perusing our illuminated and vellum-bound copy of the advance programmes, we came to 4YA, Wednesday, November 19, and read "A.C.E. Talk: ‘East and Keep Cool,’" we murmured (being true Hearts of Oak), "Ay,

ay, Sir, East and Cool it is." And then we woke up and read the item again, Sure enough "East and Keep Cool" it was, but what it meant we were as far from knowing as we remain at the moment. Normally the A.C.E. are lucid. When they aren’t, one can be tolerably sure that they are being purposely obscure in order to put something across the unsuspecting husbands of the nation-spring-cleaning, as like as not. But even we cannot find in the current title any clue,which would suggest such nefarious domestic activity. The association may be turning its attention to international politics, but if it is it seems to be a bit out of touch with reality. On the other hand it may just be a misprint, probably is, A Messy Business One feels that Mrs. F. L. W. Wood is really being a trifle reckless. Admittedly she has in previous talks proved helpful to harried parents by suggesting some nice quiet games and occupations to amuse small children who must remain indoors. But now, as though the little darlings haven't already got their heads packed full of

ideas for mischief, Mrs. Wood is actually going to tell them from 2YA at 11 am, on Monday, November 17, just what a lovely time they can have about the house "With Paste and Paint." Obviously Russell Clark, who is a father himself, fears the worst. Multum in Parvo The episode of There’ll Always Be An England to be heard from 2ZB on Saturday, November 22, is "The Story of Our Time." What is intriguing is how the authoress of this feature has managed to compress the story of our time into fifteen minutes, including commercial announcements, theme music and certain other extraneous details. How will she do justice in the time to\the rise of totalitarianism and the introduction of eight cylinders into motor car engines, to the Socialist experiment. in Russia, and the corroding effect on our civilisation of double-feature movie programmes, to two world-shaking wars and the failure of Beau Vite to win the Melbourne Cup? Move over, Mr, Wells and Mr. Van Loon, and make room for somebody from the CBS, Looking Back Rows of mischievous school-girls, spilled ink, impositions, the frenzy: of examinations and the "end of term"

concert, are some of the memories any school-marm might be expected to recall with some dismay, wondering how on earth she ever survived. However, Miss Cecil Hull, in her coming series of talks prefers to be helpful rather than morbidly retrospective and will suggest some happy ways of filling the idle hours when one has retired from the school-teaching fray. The opening talk in»this series, .A School-Marm Looks Back will be heard from 2YA at 11 a.m. on November 15, and further talks will be broadcast at the same time each Saturday. On the Subject of Pigs This pig-production business is becoming serious! One hears that a Taranaki farmer has made a thorough overhaul of his pig-housing system and reorganised it on air-raid shelter lines. Deciding that dug-outs would provide ideal accommodation for his porkers,

he had excavations made along a suitable bank and fitted them up in a most scientific manner and in proper air-raid shelter style. We apologise for neglecting to draw listeners’ attention to the talk "Housing and Accommodation of Pigs" from 2YA on November 11, but we herewith advise that there will two further broadcasts next week under the auspices of the Pig Production Council, from 1YA and 3YA, both on November 20, at 7.15 p.m.