The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-09 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

he Beautiful in Nature and Art. By Mrs. Ellis.
One vol., pp. 313. Hurst and Blackett.
With pleasure her numerous admirers will wel-
come a new book by the popular authoress of the
" Women of England." A very charming volume
is this new work by Mrs. Ellis. "We have school-
books innumerable ;" but, observes the authoress very
judiciously, " we are not so rich in books calculated
for helping those who help themselves." Such is
the benevolent aim of the work before us, to assist
the young students of art, the admirers of the
beautiful, in those studies and subjects of
thought which shall enable them rightly to
appreciate and realise that oft-quoted truth,
" A thing of Beauty is a joy for ever."
" The truthfulness of Art," " The Love of Beauty,"
" The Love of Ornament," "Early Dawn of Art,"
and various chapters of a kindred nature are
followed by others descriptive of " Learning to
Draw," " Imitation," " Light and Shadow,"
" Form," "Colour," " C haracteristics of Trees," &C.
The conclusion of the work, which will interest
many fair readers, relates to " Lady's Work" and
" Lady's Handiwork." As an evidence of the
practical influence and sound common sense of Mrs'
Ellis's suggestions, let us quote her very forcible re-
marks, when speaking of the distribution of time,
about the value of the present moment.
" The great point is be always able to
give a direct answer to the question—What
am I dcing now? By habitually asking
ourselves this question, we find that time—that
precious time, which so many persons are complain-
ing that they cannot find in sufficient quantity, 10
doubled on our hands. It is the absolute now which
makes all the difference—which creates time enough
for everything." Full of similar truthfulness and
equally practical consolation is the thought which
we End at almost the last page of the volume—the
result of much experience and of very accurate ob-
servation—" It is no slight privilege to be able *to
say to hopeful, or even fearful youth, that it is not
great genius which fills this happy life--that it is
not rank, nor wealth, nor what are called prosperous
circumstances—that it is the dedication of the
whole nature, whatever that nature may be, to
the
purpose for which it is beat fitted—the employinc°.t
of every faculty, such as it is, upon that which it
can do and which is worth doing, and, as the supreme
object of human effort, the consecration of all to the
service of Him who has given us all." Unlike many
teachers, Mrs. Ellis has practised what she preaches.
..ier life hag bcen devoted to the worthy fulfilment
of the work for which her powers were best adapted,
namely, the wise instruction and kindly encourag;
ment of her fair sisters, the " Wives and Daughters'
of England. As another felicitous effort in. the
same good cause, this little work, just published,
deserves a welcome and very cordial .comtne°-
dation.

Little Useful Books.
Notes on Epidemics for the Use of the Public. BY
F. E. Anstie, M.D. (Jackson, Walford, au`l
Hodder.) This very useful little work, which
appeared iu a briefer form in the British Quarterly'
is deserving of practical and general consideration
before the warm weather sets in. Prevention
8.
better than cure, and assuredly far more practicable,
Another manual of health on the same wise loin-
ciple—the prevention of evil—is also before us.
Routledge's Useful Library—lnfant Nursing, %le
Mrs. Pedley. These very useful instructions on !het
management of young children appeared in
columns of the Queen, under the well-known initlB
of U. N. A. They are well-deserving attentio racer
The Modern Gymnast, by Charles SPe tos...
(Warne), gives one hundred and twenty jutio
tions of the sanitary art. ,gee
Plain Rules for the Stable, by Prof. Gah„7,t
(Warne), gives useful information in the brielv"

possible form. gill
How to Cook Potatoes, by Georgiana
(Routledge.) Georgiana Hill has already i";
strutted us in the art of cooking eggs and eokii3D
apples—she now, to the astonishment of all readel
Irish no less than English, informs us how to Of°
and dress potatoes in one hundred different walls
The Companion Letter-Writer. (Warne.) A.
plete guide to correspondence on all subjects re'o,
ing to Friendship, Love, and Business, with ntlatoit
rous commercial forms. In this invaluable pod
the lover may learn how to address his mistress, 11/.0,
the lady is favoured with copies of the rel3:l,
favourable and unfavourable, to select from• to
little boy" is instructed how to thank " a gentle4niai
who saved him from drowing !" In fact, in ic'otte
incident and emotion possible to human lilt-er"
has only to turn to the "Companion Letter !
for instruction how to speak, and think, and feel'
Poultry as a Meat Supply, by the anth°;,iots
" The Poultry Kalendar" (Nimmo), contains
to hen-wives how to rear and manage poultry
nomically and profitably.
The Handy Book of the Law of Trustees, 11 gat
Denny Urlin, of the Inner Temple (Wilson's ifi
Hand Books), is brief and to the purpose. by E.
The Law Relating to the Cattle Plague, drove
W. Cox, Esq. (Law Times-office), is likelY °Page-
highly useful to those concerned in the inau tbig
ment or transference of cattle. " The law
to the cattle plague," says the learned o°lllPit of
"is so scattered, so confused, and so
construction," that he has wisely deemed a °°roito
lection of it in a convenient form likely 0:
useful to the public as well as the profession. fled
Memory, by William Stokes (Uoulston
Wright), has reached its seventh edition.
Handbook to Government Situations. (ov--
ogle
ial
By how many aspirants for the sweets of
The
patronage will this book be welcomed.
art° °
amination papers and extracts from the
rietii to
the commissioners which it contains arc 11
P` 4itiiro
render it useful to those preparing for conl
examinations. Si
• °forte'
A Little Book About Learning the Plan
and "a
Emanuel Aguilar (Groombridge and Sooo*--- '
very excellent little work contains rule!
zart,
marks by such authorities as Bach, 31° gichael
others, taking for its text the saying `9l.
Angelo, " Trifles make perfection." cosies
The The Story of the Telegraph in India.
rarniA b
C. Adley, C.E. (Spon), stronglY
he telegr3l)
tary interference for the protectioru n of t
in India. nito°
?rho
Some Effects of the Climate of ItalY • no Fon'
King Chambers, M.D. (Churchill), e 0.0.17,
and re-
lectures delivered in St. Mary's il°sPl ntia
cry haPPi ioo
fluence of the Italian climate is v °poi ot.
fortht
ported in the Lancet, in which the renc" set
in
express
and pot
hebydoo
unbelewecall
capacity
yfieodf tifohysician,4
hie
iitta,
Dr. Chambers, being obliged to relinquel,s,_ fora
.ttilie
from ill health, derived so much Wo_llls grati
sidence in Italy that he gladly evince' „ roped,'
in the recommendation of the fnuil
others.