The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-11-10

Il
per6cial manner, probably from the authors in
tention, expressed in the preface, Of holding
himself aloof from all philosophical" inqui-
ries. The reign of King John, which was re-
markable one, inasmuch as the only charter
that we find mentioned in French history was
extorted by the mobiles from this King, is COM
pressed into few pages, and the greater part of
those pages is occupied with detailed account
of the events in which Mr.. Whites countrymen
undoubtedly gained much glory, but which do not
in our eyes represent wholly the history and con-
dition of France in those days. Instead of an
account of the triangular struggle which was
going on between the King, nobility and COM
mon people, during the fourteenth, fifteenth,
and sixteenth centuries we find one of Mon
taigne's anecdotes and several of the witticsms
and gallant speeches of Henry, "the man of
Bearn," and there is but passing notice of the
internal condition of the Kingdom in the reign
of Philip the Fair, although innovations most
important in their effects upon the common
people were introduced by that crafty monarch,
who, by elevating the lower classes, used them
as an engine of destruction against the over
grown power of the nobility, which policy was
pursued most effectually by Louis XI, some two
hundred years after.
But we have no further space to notice the
many defects of this work. We fear Mr. White,
in his attempt at popular rendering of the his
tory of France, has failed, like many others,
who have thought to find the records of a ma
ton in its camps and on its battle fields, thus
neglecting to search for those secret springs of
human action which lie behind the intrigues of
courts and the noise and tumult of war, govern
ing the minds and passions of men, and COM
polling them to good or evil.
The Adventures of Mr.. Verdant Green. BY Cuthbert
Bede, b. A. With nearly Three Hundred Humorous
Illustrations by the Author New York Rudd Garlic
ton. For sale by Franck Taylor, Washington.
Mr.. Verdant Green, after being tied to the
maternal apron-string for the first nineteen
years of his life, is suddenly thrown into the
world of Oxford. He takes his place as fresh
man, and while in that unfortunate position I'M
dergoes variety of hoaxes and practical jokes,
after the approved fashion of all collegians
Then, as an undergraduate, he retaliates on
passed Finally, Mr.. Verdant Green goes to
see his inGmOratd, who lives in the north Of Eng
land. After several adventures and hair breadth
escapes, he manages 10 muster up sufficient
courage to "pop the question" He is kindly
referred to his Patty's" parents, whose con-
sent elevates him to the seventh heaven. He
then marries, and, we suppose, settles down into
a quiet and conservative country gentleman.
The author has told his story humorously, and
his funny sketches add to the attractveness of
the volume.
Beulah BY Augusta j Evans. New York: Derby Il
Jackson, 1l9 Nassau street 1859.
Some of our Southern friends inform us that
"Beulah " heralds the advent of new era in
Southern literature. Whether there are few
more of the same sort left, we do not know,
but, considering Southern incapacity to believe
that one swallow does not make summer, we
are not surprised that they think so. We can
imagine what startling effect must have been
produced in the land of the orange and vine,
when this comet whzzed suddenly across their
sky-hOw the tranquil worshippers of the dolce
tar nieRte, Tapped in dreamless siestas or en-
velOped in the perfumed clouds of their vesper
CIGARS must have been brought up standing"
by concrete girl, stabbing them thick and
fast with such questions as "Was the cycle
eternal then Was it true that, since the origin
al Genesis, nothing had been gained, and moth
ing lost? Was earth, indeed, monstrous
Kronos? Shall the /, the me, the soul, lose its
former IDENTIFY Am 1 minute constituent
of the all-difused, all-pervading Spirit, breath
Of the Infinite Essence, one day to be Invested
of my individuality? Is God an awful, gigantic,
immutable, isolated Personality? What bcne-
fit is steam or telegraph to the Wondering mum
mics Of the Catacombs Did ideas arise or
develop themselves independently of expe-
rience?" We fancy little private consterna-
ton to Turk behind the unstinted, out-spoken,
praise of the chivalry.
This is indeed very different book from
most of those that float up from below Mason
and Dixon's line. 1t is the story of a young
girl, making her way from an Orphan Asylum,
not only through the world, which is a compar-
atvely easy matter, but through sms, and olo-
gies, and ivities, and osophies, which, we appre-
bend, formed originally no part Of the Divine
Economy but were introduced after Eve ate
the apple, as kind of metaphysical fg-leaf
wherewithal to cover the souls nakedness
Beulah, the heroine, is none of your anguish
ing, dependent, plant damsels, sweet in a soft
simplicity, irresistible in ignorance. She is
strong minded woman Of the most unmtigated
type; as much out of place in the " sunny
South" we should fancy, as Lord Timothy Dex-
ters warming-pans in the West Indies-to be
turned, we sincerely hope, to as good a use |
She would admirably answer to Edmund Spark
ler's idea of "girl with no nonsense about
her" but, on the contrary, formidable amount
of sense She is literary Aunt Ophelia, who !
ought to have been born under the shadow of
Boston State House, but who appears to have
got mislaid and instructed, and was sub
sequently missent and forwarded through the
Mobile office. If the South intends to produce |
many more such girls, the modern Athens "
may as well say, with Crockett's coon," don't
shoot, I'll come down."
Listen, for example, to conversation be-
tween the girl and enc of her lovers
"fI see you are not as much of pyrrhonist |
in art as in philosophy, said Mr.. Lindsay, |
watching her countenance as she bent over her
drawing.
"'Who told you, sir, that was one in any
department. She looked up suddenly, with
flashing eyes.
"'There is no need to be told; can readily
perceive it.
"'Your penetration is at fault then. Of all
OIL he CHI Of 20 he ct II