The Portland daily press., 1867-06-20
ISeceat Publications.

ID. Appleton and Co., New York have is
sued another of the admired series of histori-
cal novels by Louisa Muhlbach. This astonish-
insly prolific author, after having apparently
exhausted the resources of Austrian and Prus-
sian chronicles, has passed over to England,
and in the present volume, which is entitled
"Henry Eighth and his Court" introduces us
to the familiar daily life of the royal English
Bluebeard, whom Mr.. James Anthony Froude
has of late years invited us to consider as a
much malgned individual, a mild-mannered
man, on the whole, and quite a model in the
various relations of husband, friend and mon
arch. The story concerns itself chiefly with
the fortunes of Catherine Parr, tina sixth wife
of Henry, who had the good luck to survive
him. 1t reveals the same accuracy i'll all its
historical details, and the same skill in depict
ing the manners of a past age, which have
characterized the authors foImer novels, aud
shows that she has explored the archives OF
the house of Tudor with the same industry as
those of Hapsburg and Brandenburg (Balley
s. Noyes have the book tor sale.)
G. w. Careton and Co., New York, have
published The Clergyman's Wife," and 9th
er Sketches" pleasant collection of pen por-
traits and paintings, by Mrs. Anna Cora
Ritchie late Mowatt. The subjects of these
sketches are numerous and varied, and they
all touched with the delicate, tender, wo-
manly hand which Mrs. Mowatt's writings al
ways reveal. 1t is a book which may DO taken
up any time, and will always be found plea
SAINT. (Balley s. Noyes)
From Cartoons we have also '.Noouue. A
Question for Continent" Ly Mr. hinton
Rowan Helper, OF North Carolina who will be
remembered as the author of ''The Impending
Crisis" a book which made a great commotion
in the years betore the war. MIR. helper in
his preface says: "Were 1 to state here frankly
and catego. ically that the primary Object Of
this work to write the negro out OF America
md that the secondary object is TO write HIM
(and manifold Millions OF other black and BIZ
colored caitifs, little better than himsell) out
of existence, Gods simple truth wound be
told" Notwithstanding This distinct state
ment we confess to not feeling perfectly sure
that we know what the author would be at. We
are unaDlc to determine whether he is really
IN earnest, or whether his book is not y stupen-
dous piece OF irony from beginning 10 end
Ostensibly the leading idea OF his look is that
the country should be speedily rid OF all sorts
of blood not Caucasian and from its tirst pag,
to its last he never changes his tone. 1t is
only from the very exaggeration OF his ideas
that we are led to suspect his seriousness
Surely there must be a grin OF derisicn lurk-
ing behind the mask of gravity with which In
MS concluding paragraph he calls upon all his
readers to join hum i'll such vigorous and con-
slant cooperation shall, at the earliest prac-
,,la ,f,,,
complexion in exclusive and permanent pos
session OF the whole earth! We observe, how
ever, that some of our contemporaries accept
he book in good faith, and are gravely express
ing their regrets at the authors advocacy Of
these ideas. 1t it is written for the purpose of
making sensation it viii be vely likely to
succeed. A friend at our elbow expresses a
malicious pleasure in thinking that it will "aw-
fully puzzle the democrats" BAILEY s.
Noyes.)
u. Appleton and Co., publish christianity
and its Conflicts, Ancient and Modern" by Il.
E. Marcy, A. NJ, a writer with whom we are not
familiar, but who has here accumulated for us
great deal of interesting information. lie
aims to display Christianity as it was esiab-
hshed by Jesus and carried on by the Apos-
ties, and to exhibit general outline of the va
rious conflicting elements which have been ar
rayed against the system up to this time. His
hope is to assist in checking the tendency to
skepticism and irrelision now SO widely prey
aient (Bailey & Noyes.)
Culture Demanded by Modern Life" pub
lished by the Applet ,ns, il thick volume of
some five hundred pages, containing collee-
ton of essays and addresses by various emf
nent men, ON subjects relating to popular
education and urging arguments in iayor OF
the claims of the people to scientific culture
Among the names of the writers those of
Professors Tyndall, Henfrey, Liebig, Faraday
and Huxley; Doctors Barnard and Wheweili
Mr.. Herbert Spencer, Mr.. John Stuart Mill,
Sir John Herschel, Sir Charles Lyell, Profess
sors De Morgan and Ouren, and many others.
The introduction is by Professor L. L. You
mans, and is a fine essay on Mental Discipline
in Education" This writer is no belieyer in
the common theory yofstrengthening of the mental
powers by vicarious discipline He says:
"We find that extent of mental attainment
depends, not alone upon intellectual effort but
upon the order of relations among objects of
thought. OF course, mental capacity is the
first factor III acquisition, but that being given,
the scale of possible attainment depenus abso-
mtely upon the order of the course OF study
EducaIlon naannot make capacity, but 1t con-
| trols the conditions by wbiah the least or the
| most can be made OF IL Ii the methods of
| study be such that the mild encounters broad
breaks in its course, and is abruptly shifted in
| to new lines of effort, so that past conceptions
are not carried on to progressive unfolding,
| mental growth is ,hecked and power lost.
s. Not only does the principe of vi
| carious discipline involve enormous mental
waste but the system OF studies employed to
secure it grossly violates the great law of ac-
misition which should become the basis of
education. That system is neither an out
growth of the proper education OF childhood,
nor does it flow on into the intellectual lito of
manhood; it is a foreign body of thought uA-
congenial and unatfhated, thrust into the aca-
demic period, and destroying the unity and cor
tinuity OF the mental career.
The folio wing extract may give general
idea of the scope and purpose of the book:
The elassicists are fond of presenting the is
sue as between liberal culture and money
ing and trumphanty contrast the refined
and generous feelings which cluster around
| the former, with the vulgar and sordid motives
which characterize the latter. But the real Is
| sue is far different from this The mind of our
age is confronted with a host Oh uIeehV ques-
tons such as the perils OF nlisS"eeinhent, .he
limits of legislation, the manaSeien. IL VI o,in-
inals of the insane, the congenltany ueievtNe,
| ~ ,in nauner class; the operation OF chari-
Gnu w" tha ~bilosopby of philanthropy, the rela-
tins nf sex and a,e, International ethlcs the
| rraadom of trade, tue rlSnbs VI ihuueiy, pioP-
r,U in ideas, public hygiene. primary educa-
tion religious liberty, the rights OF Invention
| noIitcal representation, ana many others,
p'h;cI ;nosculate and nterfuse into the great
total of practical inquiry which challenges the
intellect of our times; and it is this which tho
classical scholar evades, when he shrinks from
the present and retires lnto the past. anu WEI, a
| he NAV, for the mastery OF the languages anu
iteratnres OF Greece and Rome, and culture
in nnprogressve studies furnish neither Si% suit
able IDEAS or mental habits for i; tins tsa kind OF
work Science. grounding isse In IN 'ne a@rr urnrr
ne ate knowledge, and inspired with the hope o,
a better future, to which i sees all things tend
mo enters the great field as properly its own,
and will train its yotaries to that breadth q
view" that robus boldness OF treatment, and
that natient and dispassionate temper which
the imminent questions of the times SO deeis-
slv demand (For sale by Bliley " Noyes.l