spect is an enthusiastic member of this preposterous company. Some parts of the book seem to be meant for realism and some parts for exaggeration, but the line that divides the two elements is not distinctly indicated. Miss Adelaide Bryce, the heroine, is not an impossible though she is a thoroughly contemptible character, and there is nothing in the book which does not encourage the belief that the world is hollow, and that sawdust lurks under the most polished exteriors. Nevertheless there is here and there considerable cleverness of delineation, and it is evident that if Mr. DeKay would only revise his views of life and his notions as to what things are worth reporting he might write something worth reading.

THE two volumes of "Poems of Places "1 which will have most value for many of our readers, those relating to New England-have been issued, and it is good to note how many places in Yankeeland have been the subject or the inspiration of verse. No less than one hun

others are full of the love of human kind. "Flower of May?" is a pretty piece of fancy, and "Maud's Answer" is one of the sweetest love songs that we have read for many a day. Nadeschda, a Poem in Nine Cantos, by the famous Finnish poet, Johan Ludwig Runeberg, has been translated from the Swedish by Marie A. Brown. The translator is also the publisher. (Boston: Post Office Box 900.) It is a romantic tale of the time of the Empress Katharine, and celebrates the fortunes of a serf-girl of Finland, for whom two princely brothers contended, and who, having been espoused by one of them and then torn from him by the jealousy of the other and the pride of their mother, was at length restored to her husband and introduced with him to court through the favor of Katharine. The translation, in various unrhymed meters, possesses a degree of spirit, and gives some hint of and prosaic, and does not, probably, fairly repthe genius of Runeberg; but it is often clumsy resent the patriotic Finnish poet to English readers. . . . The Voice of a Shell by O. C. Auringer

and a just local pride should assure the sale of a good edition of these neat volumes. Some of the poems that have no local color are located by Mr. Longfellow; and we learn, with interest, that "The Old Clock on the Stairs" was at Pittsfield, and a "Gleam of Sunshine" at Brookline, and "The Village Blacksmith" at Cambridge, and Mr. Bryant's "Green River" at Great Barrington instead of Williamstown, and Miss Larcom's "Hannah Binding Shoes " Beverly; and Mr. Longfellow's "My Lost Youth" at Portland, and Mr. Woodworth's "The Old Oaken Bucket" at Scituate, and "The Fire of Driftwood" at Devereux Farm, Marblehead.

at

THE title poem of Mrs. Zadel Barnes Gustafson's collection (Meg: a Pastoral and other Poems. Roberts Brothers.) is a simple love-story told in artless and well-tuned verse. The writer has a strong love of natural beauty, and a deep and genuine human sentiment, and her gifts of poetic expression are not mean. There is, how ever, an occasional rough line that shows haste or carelessness and that mars the effect of her work. The frequent changes of form in the same poem are not always pleasing; sometimes with no note of warning the verse skips from trochees to anapests and back again. These faults of structure can be easily corrected; and Mrs. Gustafson has so much natural aptitude for this kind of work that she ought to give much more care to the perfection of her art. Some of these verses as "Little Martin Craghan," "The Factory Boy," and "The Nemesis of Luxury" are passionate pleas for the working classes; and many of the

1 Poems of Places. Edited by Henry W. Longfellow. America. New England. Vol. I, II. Boston: Houghton, Osgood & Co.

tains a collection of verses, chief among which is Mr. Auringer is greatly impressed by the sea, "a Panorama" entitled "Tempest and Destiny."

66 'Sursum

with which most of his verses connect themselves in one way or another; and he contrives to let us see that he is so impressed, but he does not succeed in conveying this impression to his readers. He has considerable talent for verse-making, and in his views of life (but not in his powers of expression) he somewhat resembles Lord Byron. It would be well if the Authors' Publishing Company, by which this volume is issued, would admit to its membership one or two competent proof-readers. . . . Another collection of devotional poems entitled The Blessed Life, (Roberts Brothers) has been collected by the editor of "Quiet Hours" aud Corda." These poems are mostly old favorites, selected from the hymn books,-Watts, the Wesleys, Doddridge and Montgomery furnishing the larger number of them. The little book will be a convenient manual of devotion for the sick room. Another compilation, of the same character, is Heavenly Dawn, by Margaret H. Morris. (Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger.) A few original pieces, are, however, combined with the selections in this volume. These original contributions are not in any way remarkable, and the selections are not all of high quality, though there is here and there a poem from an "unknown" writer that is worth preserving within covers. The frequent schoolgirlish resort to italics is a blemish upon the typograpical appearance of the book.

DR. CHARLES S. ROBINSON's "Songs of the Sanctuary" has undoubtedly been the most pop

ular Hymnal ever published in this country. Having nobody else to excel the Doctor has now undertaken fo excel himself, in the publication of a new hymn and tune book.1 In some respects this collection is better than its predecessor. Though it contains more than a thousand hymns and the type is fair and large, it is so neatly and compactly printed that it is much smaller than "Songs of the Sanctuary" and therefore not only less cumbrous, but a good deal cheaper. It is also more popular than the other book, having more of the easy and familiar melodies. Quite a number of the "Gospel Hymns," so called, are included,-some of the cheapest and least durable of them we are sorry to say. The two on pages 156 and 157 might both have been omitted without loss, and one of them ought to have been, since one is a simple repetition of the other-a palpable case of plagiarism. Mr. Sankey's "Ninety and Nine" was also an extremely thin piece of music at first and it has been worn to shreds; we ean hardly imagine that anybody could ever wish to sing it again. But most of the selections from this class of hymns and tunes are judiciously made, and this feature of the book will add to its popularity. The hymns generally are well chosen and judiciously arranged, and the tunes are singable. The congregation that has the "Songs of the Sanctuary" will not wish this book, since a large share of its hymns and tunes are found in that larger work; but any congregation that does not possess that, and that is meditating a change would do well to examine this neat, cheap, handsome and sensible Hymnal.

NOT an elegant, but a readable and serviceable book is The Avon Edition, of the Works of Shakespeare (Claxton, Remsen and Haffelfinger). The type is fair and large, and the pictures, though rather coarsely engraved, help to illustrate the text. The readings of Messrs. W. G. Clark and W. A. Wright have been followed, and the sketch of Shakespeare's life, contributed by the late Professor John S. Hart, is a very good one. The plots of all the plays are well outlined

and there is a glossarial index, an alphabetical index of the characters in the plays and an index of familiar passages. Altogether The Avon Shakespeare, while somewhat cumbrous, will be a handy volume for amateur Shakespeareans.

HERE are two books; one is named Just How and the other might well be. The first, by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney, is "A Key to the Cook Books" (Houghton, Osgood & Co.). It gives in the plainest language the most minute directions in the

1A Selection of Spiritual Songs, with Music, for the Church and the Choir. By Charles S. Robinson. New York: Scribner & Co.

culinary art, supplying all the information which the ordinary recipes are careful to omit, and making it easy for any young woman of ordinary common sense to learn with patience and practice the fine art of cookery. . . . . The other book is A Hand Book of Nursing (J. B. Lippincott & Co.) It has been prepared for family and general use and is published under the direction of the Connecticut Training School for Nurses at the State Hospital in New Haven. Nothing could be more explicit or judicious than this manual; it gives the most careful and elaborate directions concerning the conduct of the nurse and the methods to be used in the care of the sick; explaining how to arrange and ventilate the room, how to prepare disinfectants and deodorizers, how to prepare and serve the patient's food, how to change his clothes and the bed clothing, how to use various appliances, and to make certain applications to 'the person, and pretty nearly everything else that a competent nurse needs to know. The book contains also many valuable suggestions concerning the care of sick children and the management of some special medical cases, with a valuable chapter on "Emergencies." The last part of it is devoted to the subject of "Monthly Nursing," in which the counsels are minute and extremely serviceable. It would be well, however, if the two portions of the volume could be bound separately, inasmuch as the first part of it could be wisely placed in the hands of many to whom the second part would not be useful. Few professional nurses are so well-instructed that they could not learn many important lessons from this excellent manual, and the wisest among us will consider it no less indispensable in every well-ordered household than the Bible or the Dictionary.

DOCTOR HOLBROOK has given us a sensible treatise on an important subject. However it may be about brains, many people in these days The causes of nervous exhaustion, and the best have nerves, and find it difficult to manage them. methods of preventing as well as curing nervous

difficulties are well set forth in this little book.

An interesting and somewhat instructive portion

of the volume is the last half of it, which contains twenty-eight original letters from persons more or less famous, giving some information concerning their "physical and intellectual habits." The experiences of these individuals often flatly contradict one another, and one would have a sorry time in trying to follow all their maxims; but it may be that by some sort of mental alligation their discrepancies can be compounded into a harmonious result.

1 Hygiene of the Brain and Nerves, and the Cure of Nervousness. By M. L. Holbrook, M. D. New York: M. L. Holbrook & Co.

This work attempts to reduce the teachings of Spiritualism to some consistent form, and investigate in a kindly spirit their relations to both science and religion. The work is not controversial in the ordinary acceptation of the term, but an earnest and discriminating effort at investigation. Its object is to discriminate between the uses and abuses of true Spiritualism, to investigate the relation of the material system to the spirit-world, and to establish some hypothesis or theory which will consistently account for all known facts.

The New York Herald says it is "likely to cause some commotion in orthodox circles in spite of the author's explicit declaration that he speaks only for himself.

THE TRIP TO ENGLAND.

By WILLIAM WINTER. An unique and dainty volume. 12mo. Price 75 cents.

A delightful experience of ten weeks in England and France. A memorial of lovely scenes and happy moments. Dedicated to Whitelaw Reid, of the New York Tribune.

The Danbury News Man Abroad.

England from a Back Window.

By JAMES M. BAILEY, author of "Life in Danbury," "They All Do It," etc. 12mo, cloth, $1.50.

FOURTH EDITION NOW READY. We make the following brief extracts from the hundreds of reviews of this most popular book to show

WHAT THE PRESS SAY OF IT.

A series of sketches of English life, as it appears to an American of quaint and somewhat original temper,

BY HENRY BALLANTINE, A. M., with an introduction by President Seelve, of Amherst College. Crown, 8vo., cloth, fully illustrated. $2.50.

So little is known of Persia to-day, though once the pride of the world, that great value will be attached to this volume, giving a clear, vivid, and entertaining account of the wonderful march of a thousand miles, made by the author's little caravan through the interior of Persia to St. Petersburg. The Journey was made during the summer of 1875, and is thus mentioned by the New York Evening Post:

"A remarkable journey on horseback made by himself last summer, with his wife and child, through the interior of Persia, a distance of about a thousand miles. He took this out-of-the-way' course to go from Bombay to St. Petersburg, and thence home to New York. He left the Persian Gulf at Bushire, and proceeded by the way of Shiraz and the ruins of Persepolis, to Ispahan. Thence he went to Teheran, and finally came to the Caspian Sea at a place called Resht. It required no small amount of courage to undertake such a trip, through such a dangerous region, in a private and unofficial capacity, with a lady in charge, and with no attendance or assistance, except such as the country afforded. Mr. Ballantine accomplished the task with success, though not without some perilous adventures.

Art and Artists in Connecticut.

By H. W. FRENCH. Full gilt, 8vo, $3.75. This elegant volume comprises sketches of nearly

two hundred artists, whom Connecticut claims either by birth or adoption. The work is beautifully illustrated with full-page and letterpress designs, comprising portraits of Artists, Engravings of their work, and in many cases original designs, specially prepared for this book.

The following is extracted from a long review which appeared in the Religious Herald:

It was no easy task to collect the materials for such a work, but Mr. French had the advantages of persistency and enthusiasm, and intimate acquaintance with many of the living artists whose biographies he has given us, and much valuable historical information has been preserved in these papers, which will render them permanently valuable.”

as national, and finding much to approve in the orderly and peaceful enforcement or rather observance of law by English men, even on occasions of what may seem to be opportunities of licensed disorder.-London Saturday Review.

He is a keen observer. Few travelers have ever seen all the "telling" and "taking" sights, and fewer still have witnessed the side-splitting scenes that enliven this book. He remarks: "It does not pay to exaggerate when you are constantly traveling, and liable at any time to a fatal accident." So doubtless these graphcially described incidents and accidents, and good times generally, are true to his experience.-Chicago Advance.

The book gives an insight into English ways and habits that makes it at once instructive and entertaining, and leaves a longing desire in the heart of the reader, to go and see that part of the Old World.Burlington Hawkeye.

No one can read this book through without learning something worth knowing, unless he knows everything about Great Britain beforehand, and in that case or any other, he will certainly laugh often and heartily, his outburst astonishing his companions unless they are aware what he is reading.-Religious Herald.

It contains plenty of fun, but the fun is judiciously woven into the narrative in such a way as to amuse without wearying the reader. as most funny books are apt to do.-New Haven Register.

The whole book, which will be read with interest by Englishmen and Americans alike, is one of the best of its kind that we have seen for some time. The little shafts of satire with which it abounds were

evidently written with a pen dipped in honey instead of the customary gall.-San Francisco News Letter.

We have said that there is not a dull page in the book, it is even rarer to find a book that is bright without being bitter, but the kindly temper of Mr. Bailey adds greatly to the pleasure of his readers, as it does to the truth of his pictures, and in every way his work is a valuable addition to the literature of travel.-St. Louis Post.

Mr. Bailey looks at English, Scotch, and Irish life with the eyes of an intelligent, unpredjudiced American, and while he is not unpatriotic enough to decry his native land, he is quick to recognize the commendable characteristics of other countries. The volume is that difficult thing to find-a good book to read aloud.-Newark, N. J. Press.