The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-04-15
LITERARY NOTICES.

LIFE AND LETTERS OF JOSEPH Story, Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
and Dane Professor of Law at Harvard University
Edited by his son, William w. Story. Boston :
Little Brown For sale by Taylor Maury,
Pennsylvania avenue, Washington, d. c.
We should say that this is too large and ele-
giant work for anything like general circu-
iatfon. Comparatively few have the means to
purchase or the leisure to read such book !;
but Mr.. Justice Story's friends and admirers
are among that few This biography fully
confirms and justifes the high reputation
which Judge Story enjoyed when living not
alone for his rare intellectual endowments and
scholarly attanments, but for elegance, refine
ment, and loneliness Of character. A fine por-
trait from crayon drawing by the accom-
plished biographer, which adorns the first vol
ume, would of itself abundantly attest all this
which appeared in the New York Egening
Post, bore quite too hard upon Mr. W. Story
for the enthusiastic euoges pronounced by
him upon his distinguished relative. 1t was at
the worst fault leaning very decidedly to vir-
tues sde--an amiable weakness, doing honor
to the heart of the son, if not to the taste of
the biographer
ESSAYS FROM THE LONDON TIMES A Collection of
Personal and Historical Sketches New York: d.
Appleton 4 Co. For sale by r. Farnham, W ash
ington, ID. c.
noble article on Lord Nelson and Lady
Hamilton heads these admirable sketches
This is d paper of remarkable merit for
strength and purity of style, and for its alb.
sorbng interest. Next. to this we prefer the
sketches of Howard, Southey, Keats, and Chan
trey, to the apparently more labored articles on
Louis Philippe and his family, and the Drama
of the French Revolution.
THE YELLOwPLUsH PAPERS. BY VIM. M. Thacke-
ray. New York: Appleton Co. For sale as
above.
In the writings of Thackeray we find that
rarest of combinations, mellow humor with
sharp satire. His wit is of spicy and stimu-
lating, and at the same time wholesome char
acter. He makes you laugh at the follies of
the world, of your fellows, of yourself but
heartily, not sardonically-he gives you clear,
pitilesSy clear and honest views of life; but
they are not on the whole discouraging to a
spirit truly earnest brave and above all, chart
table. He is to US ever as fresh as sparkling,
and not in reality wanting in the noblest aims
as writer and tenderness of feeling as a
man-though high pathos and poetry are
never deliberately wrought out with him, seem
rather to escape him involqntarily than to be
consciously and strongly expressed. His hu.
mainly is genuinely kindly and loyal but it
has an honest outside roughness, which repels
and deceives the sensitive and sentimental
We should recommend his capital satire as a
tonic after the nervous prostration produced by
some of the high-wrought romances of the day.
MADELEINE. Tale of Auvergnc founded on fact.
BY Julia Kayanagh, author of Nathalie &c.
New York Appleton Co. For sale as above
We hardly dare trust ourself to speak as we
feel OF this book, or rather of the one lofty an
gelic character it presents; for the book itself
IS but clear, colorless medium through which
we behold that simple, guileIess tender, noble,
heroic, transcendent creation, not of the au-
thoress, but of the great and hountcous God.
We never remember to have read work when
we thought so little of the writer as apart and
distinct from the book itself She here no
where comes between the reader and her high
hearted heroine, but performs the part of
faithful chronicler with most reverent mod
esty She seems conscentiously to have re-
framed from decking with the brillance of
style and wealth of words q character which
no Language could adorn, which the simplest
truth could alone worthily present. She places
herseh behind her noble picture of womanly
ioVehness, OF saint-like faith, and martyr-lke
devotion She is but like a hidden water.lily
stem, holding above the waters Of the world
this fragrant chalice Of beautiful soul. white
with hottest purity and glistening with the
dews of heaven.
Madeleine Guerin is a simple peasant girl
OF Auvcrgnc, who, deserted by her betrothed.
IN place of becoming broken-hearted. or hard
hearted ILLS the void in her affections left by
Tue ios' love, by holy human charities for the
poor ana the unhappy, the frendless, the aged
ana the sick For one great object, the cree.
won o' hospital for the needy and the inlirm
m ner native village, she patiently wears on,
the best years of her youth, and cheerfully
offers up her life.
But our friends must for themselves read thi.
touching tale, which in its simplicity and pa.
'nos recalls the stories Of Scripture, and in con,
tlnuous interest rivals the romances of our time
c. G.