Tonight we’ll read another Australian fairy tale called “The Fairy City” written by Hume Cook and published in 1925. This story can stand independently on its own, or as a follow up to "The Magic Well" episode that we aired last week.
James Newton Haxton Hume Cook, the author, was an Australian politician who served in Parliament for almost a decade. Beyond his political career, he wrote collections of fairy tales that blended imaginative storytelling with touches of local color, reflecting the desire of early twentieth-century Australians to see their own landscapes and culture represented in children’s stories.
“The Fairy City” is particularly curious in that it draws on imagery of architecture and civil engineering—disciplines often thought of as practical and technical—yet here given a whimsical treatment. Civil engineering, as a field, is one of humanity’s oldest pursuits, shaping daily life through bridges, roads, canals, and other public works. By weaving these concepts into a fairy tale, Cook turned topics usually reserved for city planners and engineers into something children could delight in, imagining a fantastical metropolis where fairies themselves might dwell.
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Geographic Map Drawing
Tonight, we’ll read from “Lessons in Chalk Modeling, the New Method of Map Drawing” written by Ida Cassa Heffron and published in 1900.
At the turn of the twentieth century, education was undergoing rapid changes. Teachers sought creative ways to engage students in subjects that were often taught by rote memorization. Geography, in particular, was considered a cornerstone of a well-rounded education, yet it was sometimes reduced to reciting capitals and drawing borders. Heffron’s work introduced a tactile and visual method known as “chalk modeling,” in which teachers could draw raised relief maps directly on the blackboard to show mountains, rivers, and valleys in a more dynamic way.
Chalk modeling made classrooms more interactive, helping students imagine landscapes and physical features in three dimensions rather than flat diagrams. It reflected the broader educational trend toward “learning by doing,” a movement championed by reformers such as John Dewey. This method not only made lessons more engaging but also encouraged observation and critical thinking—skills at the heart of geography itself.
By situating geography in this more hands-on practice, Heffron’s book connected everyday teaching to a field that bridges human culture and natural science. Her ideas gave teachers a practical toolkit to make the world vivid on the classroom chalkboard, turning simple white lines into whole continents of imagination.
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Persuasion pt. 22
Tonight, we shall read the next part to Persuasion, the last novel fully completed by Jane Austen, and published in 1817. The story concerns Anne Elliot, an Englishwoman whose family moves in order to lower their expenses, by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife.
Austen began writing Persuasion in 1815, during a period of declining health, yet the novel’s style shows a maturity and restraint distinct from her earlier works. Many readers have noted its quieter, more autumnal tone—reflecting themes of second chances, endurance, and the slow rekindling of love. It was published posthumously along with Northanger Abbey, and stands today as one of her most poignant achievements.
In the last episode, Anne is thrilled to sense Captain Wentworth’s rekindled interest in her at the concert. Mr. Elliot’s vying interest in her apparently leaves Wentworth to storm out early in vexation, and leaves Anne in astonishment.
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The Magic Well
Tonight we’ll read an Australian fairy tale called “The Magic Well” written by Hume Cook and published in 1925.
Hume Cook was a politician as well as a writer, serving as a member of Australia’s Parliament at the turn of the twentieth century. Beyond politics, he had a lifelong fondness for storytelling, and eventually wrote down the tales he had invented for his three children. The result was a book called Australian Fairy Tales, where gum trees, billabongs, and local wildlife mingled with elves and sprites, firmly grounding old-world fantasy in an Australian setting.
What makes these stories unusual is their attempt to create a distinctly Australian branch of fairy lore. At the time, children’s stories were still overwhelmingly European in flavor—full of castles, cobblestones, and northern forests. By weaving in native landscapes and animals, Cook gave his children stories where fairies might hide behind eucalyptus trees instead of oaks, or guard hidden wells in the bush rather than mossy glades.
In “The Magic Well,” we’ll hear one such tale, where an enchanted spring becomes the heart of a story about discovery and wonder.
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Corn, Oats, and Victory
Tonight, we’ll read about cooking alternatives to wheat, from the 1918 pamphlet “Foods That Will Win the War”.
Although the United States did not have food rationing in World War I as it did in World War II, it did rely heavily on propaganda campaigns at the time to persuade people to curb their food consumption.
Pamphlets like this one were part of a vast public education effort. Recipes were tailored to use corn, oats, rye, rice, and even potato flour in place of wheat, encouraging families to support soldiers overseas through their kitchen tables. These simple substitutions reflected a broader spirit of sacrifice and civic duty, where everyday meals became part of the national war effort.
Herbert Hoover, who led the Food Administration before later becoming President, became known as “the Great Humanitarian” for organizing food relief. His “wheatless” and “meatless” campaigns not only shifted American eating habits, but also demonstrated how propaganda and practical instruction could merge to shape daily life during wartime.
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