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

The songs OF triumph rose"
Leaves from an Actors Notebook with "Reminiscences
and Chit-Chat of the Green-Room and the Stage, in
England and America. BY George vandenhoh.
Decpit
Frons prima multos, mems int Hight
Quod Interfere condidit cura angulO. PheRdus
The iinsel glitter and the specious mien
Delude the most; few pry behind the scene.
New York ID. Appleton & Co. 3iG and s4s Broadway
London: 10 Little Britain. 1850.
An easy, pleasant, chatty, gossipy, egotistic,
good-natured, good-for-nothing book, to while
away an idle hour with ~ Mr.. George Van
denhoff seems to be extremely well satisfied
with himself, and must be a very happy man,
Notwithstanding the Legitimate drama " ap-
pears to be dying out.
The Right Word in the Right Place: A Pocket Die
tionary and Reference Book embracing extensive
collections Of Synonyms Technical Terms, Abbrevia-
lions, and Foieign Phrases; Chapters Wiring for
the Press, Punctuation, and Proof-Reading ari other
interesting and valuable information BY the author
" How TO Write" How 10 Talk" &c. New York :
Fowler & Wells, Publishers, No. 3O8 Broadway. Bos-
ton: No 142 Washington Philadelphia No.
922 Chestnut street 1860
The right word in the right place Then
has the millennial day indeed dawned for dis
tressed poets, fastidious essayists, and bashful
orators. No more putting about in distress for
ryhme or an epithet. A very great diminu-
ton of challenges and rejected addresses" of
heart-burnings, and jealousies, and fatal mis-
understandings" o, Messrs. Fowler & Wells |
o, great unknown author of GO How to Write"
How to Read" &C., the world owes you a
debt which it can never repay, but virtue is its
own exceeding great reward"
If the world, however, has disposition to be
"even with the world" it can begin by buying
this little book, (price so cents,) and it will
find the explanations Of technical terms, and of
foreign words and phrases, very useful and con-
venicnt, and well worth fifty cents, if they are
worth anything.
Harry Lee or Hope for the Poor Wi Ell ght Illustra-
lions. New York: Harper Brothers, Publishers,
Franklin square. 1859 q
A quiet, pleasant, simply-told story, without
pretension, but not without merit. The hero is
one of those nondescript New York boys,
whose name is Legion, who sleep anywhere,
eat anything, and sell newspapers or do errands
for living. He is brought into the news-boy's
lodging-h house, is subsequently taken to Ohio by
Mr. Tracy of the Childrens Aid Society," and,
when last seen, is in happy possession of
"a ule farm well-illed,
A lii lie house welflled,
little wife we'll wilIedn
Without any attempts at originality, the story
has both originality and piquancy-and is with
al natural, goOdnatured, and cheerful in tone
In fact, we fear the picture may be painted
little too brightly. The preface tells us that it
has already incited several of its auditors lit
was originally written for the news-boys at the
lodging house, and was read to them evenings)
to seek homes in the country. There is moth
ing in it very unusual or extravaganza yet it is
hardly probable that many of the news-boys
would fall into so many good hands.
We cannot express too emphatically our
opinion that such institutions as the two referred
to in this book are among those practical be-
nevolences which reflect honor on our age and
country, and which cannot but win the blessing
of Him who came to seek and to save that
which was lost.
History of France. BY the Rev James White. svo. Pr
SCI New York D. Appleton 4 Co. For sale by Tay
Ior & Msury, Washington
The author thus prefaces his work: This
book makes an attempt to furnish readable
account of the country with which we are in
closest neighborhood, and yet of whose history
the generality of know less than that of al
most any other Kingdom. 1t aims at something
higher than mere epitome, for it POUNDS itself
on great deal Of various reading, and gives
results more than abstracts. At the same time,
it devotes sufficient space to any occurrences
which seem to have a general bearing on the
progress or character of the nation. But it does
not profess to be very minute in its record of
trihing or uninhuential occurrences, nor philo-
sophie in searching out the causes of obscure
events"
Whether Mr. White has fulfilled his promise
is for the reader to Judge; but we think his book,
from beginning to end, is open to severe criti-
cism. Generally speaking, it is perious under
taking to write an octave volume of six hundred
pages and the author of work like this, which
pretends to touch upon only the more promi-
nent points in French history, can never be
justified in spinning out to such length events
which might more properly be contained in
modest duodecimo. One can easily find in any
of our pictorial school histories of France all
the important Occurrences of which this
book Processes to treat. Then, too, the author
not only allows trivial and unimportant matters
to find place in his work, but must needs dis
card much weighty and valuable information,
which perhaps he classes under the head of
"triAing or uninhuential occurrences
The history of France from the conquest of
Gaul by the Romans to the accession of Hugh
Capet, period of ten centuries, he serves up
in almost as many pages-thus neglecting an
epocha thought by many French writers to exer-
else more marked influence upon the future
welfare of the Kingdom than any of the So
called turning points in its history. The inter
mingling of those nations from whose blood the
modern French are sprung, the first appearance
of feudalism, with its strongly marked features,
the gradual rise and domination of ecclesiasti-
cal power, and that subject which is of interest
to us in the history of every nation, the en-
croaehments Of kingly power and the struggles