The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-18 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

In the Silver Age : Essays, that is, Dispersed :Me-
ditations. By Holme Lee, author of "Maude
Talbot," &c. Two vole. Smith and Elder.

Novel readers have been indebted to Holme Lee
for many pleasant stories, cleverly told, but the
happiest effort of this charming authoress is the
very delightful collection of essays and meditations
on men and things now issued in two elegant
volumes, entitled " The Silver Age." Often, says
the authoress in her preface, while writing fictitious
tales, she has felt an inward prompting to do some.
thing better ; and here, in the " Silver Age," this
" better" echievement is before us. It contains (adds
►he introductory comment) the experiences of a
working woman's life, and let us add, also, the ex-
periences of a thoughtful mind and tenderly sensi-
tive nature. By the way of example, let us quote
the following very observant remark—
" Did we profit genuinely by the experience of other per-
sons, or even by our own, thought I, we should very early
in life give up rejoicing or disquieting our hearts about
what is unsure. But, as it is universal, no doubt that it is
best that, like children, we should be driven to our imper-
fectly-conned lesson again and again; that we should have
our smiles and our tears continually diverted by sudden
shocks of surprise, and that still, like children, we should
have courage left to make for ever new starts to repair
false starts; while our capacity for hoping and fearing stays
by us to the last throb of the pulse. Half our life is lived
in the vain expectation or dread of what never comes to
pass. Young, we lay cut long before us a pleasant story
sunny-bright and flowery-gay with love, sympathy, and
tenderness, which is to be our life-story ; later, we toil and
vaguely trouble in prospect of a dreary volume of labour
and care which we believe ourselves doomed to travel
through ; and when we least dream it God writes an inexor-
ablefinis on the glowing page, and in a moment takes away
the volume that wo thought too hard, and gives us quite
another task and leaves us to it. By this time we might
have learnt that all our planning and all our shying are less
than nothing to Him who disposes—but have we ? I can-
not remember that I ever yet met man or woman so old,
dull, or world-weary that he or she had not some ray of
forlorn hope still held in front that the faint breath of life
kept stirring; and beyond its doubtful attainment a
scheme."

One of the most charming chapters in the work is
filled with tender reminiscences of the writer's
mother, of whom the following touching little
glimpse is given—

" By greit sorrows the heart is protected against small
ones, by the waterfall against the rain.' It must have been
in this wise with my mother. She was not a woman of
many words or of any complaints. What came was by
God's perra'ssion, what went was by God's will. Ido not
think she ever philosophised over the hardships of her life
save in this simple Christian fashion; and though to the
narrow world outside her home she might seem not to have
so many causes of thankfulness, yet she was always thank-
ful. It is only ourselves that know what we have been
spared. Happiness, she taught us, was not the main pur-
suit of life, but duty ; and her example wont even beyond
her precept. To do her best and trust God for the result
was her visible effort no less than it was her constant coun-
sel and consolation; and to the very last God redeemed
the promises made to those who put their confidence in
Him by maintaining in her a quiet heart,"

The revelation of the treasured hoards of the poor
mother—little reminiscences of her children's lives,
their early endeavours at letter writing, &c.—is
very naturally and tenderly described. Fall of
feeling and fall of wisdom, too, are the thoughtful
recollections and fanciful imaginings of HOlin3 Lee,
..a thu •. Sllyrr rrUl glvu plBl3cire w mzuul
readers.

Holiday Papers. By Harry Jones, 31,A, One Vol.

Pp. 431. Hardwicke.

It was holiday work for the author to pen these
very delightful essays, and it is asauredly holiday
work to the reader to peruse them. They are con-
spicuous especially for the sound common sense by
which every opinion is dictated, and by the quiet
fund of humour by which every chapter is enlivened.
As an example of both qualifications combined let
us select at hazard the following happy descrip-
tion :

POKING THE TIRE.

Nothing can be more irritating than the feeble, incom-
plete way in which people poke their fires. I cannot bear
to look at them: But I don't know which is worse, the
indecisive "potter," or the ignorant, inartistic " smash "
which batters down the pregnant covering of caked coal into
black contusion, lotting the precious materials of a blaze
escape unignited up the chimney.

To stir a fire perfectly, requires the touch of a sculptor,
the eye of an architect, and the wrist of a dentist. I never
saw it done thoroughly well above a dozen titres in my
life ; and although there are approximations more or less
distant, within the reach of ordinary men, do not suppose
that the process is a simple one, capable of being performed
in a single operation.

There is the tap, when the fire has eaten int) the heart
of a big upper boulder-coal, and its opening ohinks require
but a slight shock to part, and let the imprisoned flame
spring forth. There is the lift, when the poker acts as a
lever to the crust, and lots the rich loosened frag tnents drop
into the red-hot cavern. There is the stir universal, when
the mass has been left too long, and requires a thorough
mixing. There is the ventilating poke, when the roof of
the fabric has fallen heavily in, and the struggling flame
has hardly power enough to overcome the incumbent mass,
In th;s case the poker must be moved slowly, and left for a
minute between the bars after the movement has been made.
In contrast to all this is the procedure of a woman;
who is thus defined by an Irish archbishop : "woman, a
creature who does not reason, and who pokes the fire from
the top."
Here again is a capital sketch of

THE DECISIVE NURSE.

"The decisive nurse is never peremptory, never loud,
She is distinct, it is truc—thore is nothing more aggravat.
ing to a sick person than a whisper, but she is not loud.
Though quiet, however, she never walks tip-toe; she never
makes gestures ; all is open and above-board. She knows
no diplomacy or finesse, and of course her shoes never creak.
Her touch is steady and encouraging. She does not potter,
She never blows her nose in a subdued, provokingly impd-
fect, and considerate sort of way, but honestly, and in a
natural tone. She never looks at you sideways. You
never catch her watching. She never slams the door, of
course, but she never shuts it slowly, as if she were crack-
ing a nut in the hinge. She never talks behind it. She
never peeps. She pokes the fire skilfully, with firm judi-
cious penetration. She caresses one kind of patient with
genuine sympathy; she talks to another as if he were well.
She is never in a hurry. She is worth her weight in gold,
and has a healthy prejudice against physic, which, how-
ever, she knows at the right time how to conceal."

Among the other essays are some very discrimi-
native remarks of different temperaments, the
hesitating temper, &c., and altogether these holiday
papers present us with a charming variety of wise
and whimsical comments an matters of general
interest and importance.

TEE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND POSTAGE
QUESTION.—The Lords Commissioners of her Ma-
jesty's Treasury have decided not to carry into effect at
present the alterations in the rates of postage on letters
addressed to the Australian colonies and to New Zealand,
by packet and by private ship, which were ordered to take
place on the Ist instant ; and a Treasury warrant has been
issued reimposing the old rates of postage of 6d the cz
letter, via Southampton; 101 the oz. letter, via Mar-
seilles ;6d the cz. letter by private ship. These rates
must be paid in advance as heretofore.—By command of the
Postmaster-General.—General Post-office, 16th July, 1564.

GAME PROSPECTS.--WO are happy to say that
all our reports coincide in the pleasing conclusion that the
breeding season for all kinds of game has been the best we
have had for the last four years. About the Cumnocks,
Auchinlcck, Fenwick, Kilbirnie, West Kilbride, &c., all
our reports concur that this will bo the best season since
1859. The coveys run from four to ten, and will average
about seven, all well on the wing already and finely grown,
and, if the present fine weather continues, will keep a re-
spectable distance from the sportsman on the 12th. In
Wigtownshire our reports place the grouse in as favourable
a light as in the north-east of Ayrshire.Ayr Advertiser.
The Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first wife,
is to have a statue in Paris, on the square before the Alma
,Uridge,