The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1859-12-31
southern LfteFature

s"ufhern Literature
Inc New York Journal of Commerce declares tho,
the south has actually furnished q larger sbar. os
interesting and important books than the North We
know that this may seem strange to the croaka,s
VINO are ever harping upon the literary barreune.s
al the South, but it is nevertheless true that som.
not only of the most able but of the most remunera
tive books published in the United States have been
and are by Southern authors. That paper says:
During the past year there has been no biocranbv
On ei.ner sde OF the water which surpasses in abi
lty dignity and in classic STYLE the interesting
and Times OF James Madison" by Hon. william r
Rves, OF Virginia Neither in England nor in Trance
from number of volumes field sports in Europe.
d andia anu AFRICA do we find more racy, graphic
aad interesting book than the Carolina Sports'
oy Hon VIM. Elliott of South Carolina
IN the domain OF fiction are informed that
1race Irueman, or Love and Principle written
py MRS. Ford of Kentucky more than 60 600 copies
have been sold in few months and that The Hid
den Path" and ''Moss Side by Marion Harland of
Richmond, Va have had an aggregate sale of "a
900 copies; "Beulah," by Augusta j. Evans of No
Dile, mas passed through fifteen editions in three
months and the demand is by no means exhausted
austans Grey, written by Hon. Jere. Clemens of
Alabama, has had also immense sale. Then theRa
Is that veteran in the literary world, VIM Gilmore
Smms, who has not only written some of our most
popular works of fiction, but has lately enriched
his native State with his valuable History of South
Carolina.
In works of Theology. intellectually Philosophx, dc;
DC, the South is not behind Dr. Fuilers ..Sermons'
are the characteristic and eloquent Christian pro-
ductlons of the former pastor of Beaufort, S. c..
who discussed with DR.. Wayland the question of
slavery. Dr. Fulers sphere of usefulness has been
greatly enlarged by his removal to Baltimore, and
these sermons the fruits of his labors there.
Prof Hoge, now of this city but formerly of Rich
mond, has furnished Blind Bartimeus" the Chris
tian Paradoxes, is by DR.. Crawford of Mercer Uni
Co,a H.
mer President of Mercer University; Pictures from
an Ancient Artlst" )" by Prof II. H. Tucker of Gsor
gia-and many kindred volumes.
In books for children the Oakland Stories" by
George B. Taylor, of Richmond, Va, is not only
having most extensive sale in the Southern and
Middle States, but from the extreme North the
ders show what is the appreciation of the book
there. We indeed struck with the criticism of
the most widely circulated Boston paper, which,
though devoted to Republicanism had the frankness
to assert that the Oakland Stories were far
superior to a similar series of popular Northern
writer.
We might multiply examples. but we will state
that enquiring at only two of the New York pub
fishers, find that within few months they have
Issued the one fifteen different publications and the
other seventeen, all written by Southern authors re-
presenting louisiana Alabama, South Carolina, Vir-
gnia and Kentucky.
All our leading publishers have goodly list, show
ing that talk in certain quarters that the
South has literature is not only unfounded. bat
that the South actually furnishes large proportion
of reading for the North
The DECLINE OF THE QUAKERs.-We have lately
noticed in the London literary journals the
ment of three different books relative to the Society
of Friends and its decline. We mentioned two of
these books among our late literary items. We now
observe third entitled The Society of Friends
an Inquiry into the Causes of its Weakness
Church. By Joseph John Fox" Among the causes
mentioned by the author is its Jealous pursuit of
wealth. lit is said that the majority of the bank
Ipp of met have descended from the
members of the Society of Friends" This. we
should think is hardly just cause for the decline
of this respectable body of Christians. 1t is an evi-
dence rather of the great economy and frugal habits
of Friends, who, by not indulging in the gaieties
andieXtraragances of the world have been enabled,
through many generations, to accumulate wealth II
is said that there are now in England and Wales
about sixteen thousand Friends or Quakers that
the admissions during the present century have
averaged fortyeight year, yet the total steadily
dminishes, the yearly secession reaching probably,
average of sixty, women falling of more rapidly
than men, Mr.. Fox accounts for this diminuuon,
first on account of the peculiar language of tbs
Society second, by its absaining from proselytism
third by its mystc doctrine and singular ministry,
together with its defective discipline and its rgors
with respect to marriage and lastly by its ecce1-
tricity of costume which. he says, was never
contemplated by the founders of the society. We
apprehend from the name of the writer OF this
which belongs to old Quaker families In England,
that he is among the seceders alluded to.-frort-
| dence Journal.
The wear 1859 has been noted in England for
| hotter weather in July than has been recorded
since I77I the average of the month having been
695 degrees. than 81 degrees above the usual
mean. The maximum in the shade was 50 degrees,
and in London, in the sun, l4o degrees The pres
ent year has also had colder weather In octoser
than had been previously noted during upwarh o.
forty years, having fallen low 22.4 degrees
The greatest cold previously registered since lsl
was 2f-G degrees. October, 1859, has also showl
the greatest degree of heat (77-5 degrees) re
corded during that month. There also q con
siderable fall Of snow in the north of England,
and in Scotland and ireland, ard Ice nan
inch thick in Edinburgh. The gaies Oh WIN
have also been very violent, amounting 70 hurf
canes and even tornadoes at sea. and the uAnAse
to vessels and the loss of life have oeen
| ingly great
.y,xKrE GIRL of PLrcK.-The Bangor Wing say.
.h.+ br tbe last steamer from California, young
I.dv who went from Bangor some six or eight year.
.go returned, and came to Maine by Fridays tram
at Kendals Mills to visit friends In Somerse
county, When the great defaulting banker, AKIG.
ran away from San Francisco, he had in his posses
sion about $1,000 of this lady's money. He went
South America as it is well known When the lad
got ready to come home, she proceeded first 70 'ns
South American port where NEIGs landed, buf toa.'
he was residing three hundred miles up the co-d c.ed
Nothing daunted. she started off with ae.ey money
pluck found her man, recovered S4oo
and proceeded on her voyage hoIne- ho--.., r.EsDd.
oucksaDds have been discoTerss edo or BY.
The Railroad building there arbs the carr ~. lis
auisasana msfhss % ssy ssss the Line Of
covery is not without 0;a1srpooI and L0na' first buils
railway sss the ,s.sy
,he eontracsors e track upon which 'ns eth With
~ however they we.s 's. ou found
logged pf,'h ~ the spot, and after ame a,a d.pth
ceased to sI. ~ something less than mile he Pm,
il IS sau Island is SO spOngy in its nature
N -. - sjnks few inches daily, soihe
ne ,:.,.ant ,a, have been raised several leeI
~ Inv Collector of Customs at the pon o.
~ 50, Of the late Senator LINN dieo on ~
9Th inst