Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-09-23

SATURDAY EVENING SEPTEMBER %, 1865.
No END OF BooKs.-If we live only a
little while longer, the man or woman
who has not printed n book will be re-
garded by us as the rarest of birds. Du-
ring the war, most readers were contented
with the newspapers, hut With returning
peace the appetite for persual has strength
ened, and the publishers are again growing
brisk and enterprising. During the last
winter, we thought only OF battles and
sieges; but In the long evenings which are
at hand, we, the most reading people OF
the world, can again thoroughly enjoy the
old diversion, to call II by no more digni-
fed name. With a wild wsr-cry yet in
our ears, we can study the Emperor's Life
of Cesar, and perhaps pursue the volume
of poems which his parvenue wife has in
press. More wonderful and appetizing
than all, the renowned Abd.el-Kader has
turned author and written novel. DR..
johnson said that when nobleman put out
q book, It should be tenderly considered;
how much greater would have been his
forbearance In criticizing books put out by
Emperors, Expresses and African Chief
tains!
The great leading libraries in this city
announce that the summer embargo has
been taken off, and that books can again
be borrowed by subscribers. Although
Il must be admitted that large proportion
ofthese will be works of fiction, yet the
compensation lie, first, that novel reading
is better than no reading at all; and, In the
second place that modern novels are won
derful stimulators ofthought, and manage
10 have something to say upon all the great
questions which are now agitating society.
The reader who should contrive TO extract
from "Tom Jones" any light upon the
problems of "woman's MISSION" or OF
universal suffrage, or of socialism, would
probably have an equal success in coaxinR
sunbeams from cucumbers. Poor Fielding
was content to amuse, and to give q little
moral instruction at the same time, If he
could. But our storytellers, from the
Victor Hugo down to the Trollopes, the
Kingsleys, the Gaskills and the Reades,
have not only q story to tell, but moral
to enforce and an abuse to attack; while
Mr.. Dickens, In his way is a veritable Don
Quixotte, and keeps his eyes always open
and his lance always in rest for some
giant Of error or iniquity. Mr.. Thackeray
alone, deep and earnest as were his purposes,
managed TO preserve the old, delightful,
ceaseless garru'o Lsness of true narration,
and although he had the neatest, and most
indispui 1ble of morals packed away In his
airing 1t as phenomenon. His books
are like Gulliver's Travels, andialthough
they contsin terrible truth, you need not dis.
commode yourself by searching for 1t unless
you please.
But, though the demand for popular flc.
ton is great, we suspect that it has been
considerably over-estimsted. Historical
reading has to great extent taken It's
place. Whatever else may be said of the
delightful volumes of Lord Macaulay, II
cannot be denied that they have created @
taste for the study of history. The books
OF Bancroft, Motley, Hlldreth, Prescott
of Grote, Buckle, Fronde, Carlyle, all sci
well, and as mere stock are affections tely
regarded by the warlest Of bibliopoles
Biography Is equa'V In demand. The
world, which sometimes tires of hearing
its living heroes, or hearing ofthem, never
wearies of reading about them after they are
under the marble. But the great predomi-
mating taste is for books of travel. The
peregrinators have put out the pipes of the
poets. Men are as fierce as lions or tigers
70 know all about these gentle beasts. II
is q melancholy consideration, that soou
there will not be a human or inhumau
being, of whom we shall not know whether
he goes naked or wears wool, cooks hii
meat or swallows 1t rfw, has one wife. o.
wives one hundred, believes in God OF
adores the devil, builds for himself house
or sleeps under the sky, naturally lies Of
naturally tells the truth, is town-dweller
or vagabond, shepherd or warrior.
We wish the thousand circles to whict
we trust the7JIJHHe is not an unwelcomt
visitor, joy of the long winter evenings
which are coming, aud of the fair oppor-
tunities for moral Instruction and enter
tairment which they will afford A CO n
munity OF bookish tastes is one ofthe strong
est OF family ties, and it Is one OF Tit
surest preservers of rational friendship
The mind harassed, weary, it may b,
pininR for the presence of those who hav,
forever departed, finds kindly consolation
or at least noble diversion, in books. A
lady once told Sir Walter Scott how hi.
romance had been to her, in seasons Of
suffering, sickness and disappointment, a
balm and refuge. The great man was
deeply moved by her grateful acknowledge
ments, moved even to testimony Of manly
tears. May those who need a similar So
lace, after these years of war, not look for
1t in vain.-N York Tribune.