The Portland daily press., 1867-11-18
Recent Publications.

theleSS, ho--or She--has " writt,,, a. -. 1T
is very much above the average Of tho ,,o,oI,
which are constantly pouring from the nras.
The author is evidently Southerner, and the
scene of tho story is laid In Kentucky. Any
one familiar with the aspects OF social life In a
largish Southern town. ten or twelve years a. o,
before the bitter political animosities which
eliminated in civil war had begun to manifest
themselves in social Intercourse, will find that
life very vividly and accurately delineated In
this book. The author has got together
group of ordinary young people, such as one
really meets in life, has indiyiduslized them all
sharply and told the story of their little loves,
jealousies and misunderstanding with a really
uncommon degree of vivacity, spirit and inter-
est. U Unfortunately she-we incline to think 1t
Is woman-has thought to add to the interest
by the introduction of a mystery not needed
Tor the working out of the general plot, and so
bar blemish, but this is a minor fault. On
the whole if she has not written really supe-
rior novel che has had a much narrower es-
cape of it than any southern author we have
for long time been called upon to welcome
not even excepting the more ambitious Miss
Evans. Her easy, natural, graceful style is an
immense relief after the stilted, grandiloquent
intensity of the author of "St. Elmo" (Bailey
and Noyes)
T. Nelson & Sons, New York, publish The
Giant Cities of Bdshan, an account of various
holy places in Syria, prepared by an English
clergyman, Rev J. 8. Porter, author of several
books of oriental travel The object Of the
book is to render the reader familiar with the
topography and scenery of Bible lands, as the
best means of illustrating the history and Ian
guage of the Bible itself. The parallels, mt
aphors, and imagery Of the sacred writer's were
so largely borrowed from the objects which
met their eyes that much Of their force and
beauty is lost by a want OF familiarity with
those objects. Mr. Porter's book will be found
interesting and useful for the purposef for which
it is designed. 1t is very handsomely printed
and bound, and illustrated with designs prin-
ted in colors. (Short and Loring.)
Lee and Sheppard, of Boston, issued last
week two more books for the little people.
These are Aleris, the Runaesos, by Mrs. Rosa
| Abbott Parker; and Climbing the Rope, by
May Mannering, pleasant story illustrat.
ing the declaration that /" God helps those who
TRIP to help themselves" These books are pret-
1
-pearance. (Shors g Loring)
d. Appleton s. Company, New York, pub
lish in small duodeoimo the Origin, Rise and
Progress Of Aormonisns, by Pomeroy Tucker,
| of Palmyra, New York. 1t contains, besides
biographies of the founders of Mormonism,
and the history OF its church, great maLy
hitherto unpublished facts of interest which
the author has obtained from private CORES.
pondence, personal Communications and other
| sources. Mr.. Thurlow Weed, who resided at
| Rochester near the scene of Smiths early de-
| lusive practices, and knew the chief and his
| followers, writes to the author expressing his
satisfaction shat one with personal knowledge
of the origin of this great deiusion,-who saw
| it as did when it was no bigger than a mans
hand and who has the courage and capacity
to tell the truth, should have undertaken the
task" Such work, he adds, Is wanted,
and no one but writer personally acquainted
with the false prophet and his surroundings
| could have written it." (Bailey and Noyes.)
FREE RELIaIoN."-This pamphlet, publish
| by Adams s. Co., Boston, contains the remarks
of o. B. rockingham, Henry Blanchard, Lu-
| cretia Mott. Robert Dale Owen, John Weiss,
| Oliver johnson, Francis L. Abbott, d. A.
Wasson, T. W. Higginson and r. w. Emerson,
at meeting held in Boston, May 30 'to con-
| slider the conditions wants and prospects of
| free religion in America" The following are
| the articles Of association:
1 This Association shall be called the Free
| Religious Association.-its object being to pro-
mote the interests of pure religion, to encour-
| age the scientific study of theology, and to in
f1s,o
all persons interested in these objects are coz
| daily invited to its membership.
ii Membership in this Association shall
| leave each individual responsible for his own
| opinions alone, and affect in no degree his re-
lation to other Associations. Any person de-
string to cooperate with the Association shall
be considered q member, with full right to
| speak in its meetings; but an annual contribu-
| tion of one dollar shall be necessary to give a
| title to vote provided, also, that those thus
| entitled, may at any time confer the privilege
| of voting upon the whole assembly, ON ques-
tions not pertaining to the management Of
| business.
III. The Officers of the Association shall be
President, three Vice Presidents, Secretary
and Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, and six
Directors, who together shall constitute an
Executive Committee, entrusted with all the
business and interests of the Association In the
interim of its meetings. These officers shall be
chosen by ballot, at the Annual Meeting Of the
Association, and shall bold their Offices tor one
year, or until others be chosen In their place;
and they shall have power to I'LL any vaoan-
cies that may occur in their number between
the annual meetings. r-.
Nv. The Annual Meeting of the Association
shall be held in the city of Boston, ON Thurs
day, of what Is known as as"Apniversary Week. {"
at such place and with suoh sessions as the
Executive Committee may appoint; of which
at least one mouths previous notice shall be
publicly given. Other meetings and Conven-
tions may be called by the Committee, accord
ing to their Judgment, at such times and places
as may seem to them desirable. .'i,r7 -
v. These articles may be amended at any
Annual Meeting of the Association by major
ity vote of the members present, provided pub
lie notice of the amendment has been given
with the call for the meeting 49[1 ff
O.. B. rockingham, of New York, was chos-
en- President of the Association
KANsAs AND THE COUNTRY BEYOND" is
the title Of pamphlet issued by Lippincott
and Co., written by Josiah Copley last summer
for the Pittsburg Gazette, telling all about the
Union Pacific Railway and the country though
which it runs. Mr.. Copley was q member of
the party, largely congressional which by in
vitation of the President of the Union Pacific
Railway Company, made an excursion over
the road in June to Fort Harker in Kanlas.
An excellent map illustrates the letter press.
TIL WESTMINSTER REVIEW for October ire
print of the Leonard Scott Publishing COY is
received. In its opening article, entitled
'Polygamy and Monogamy in Turkey" the
works of various recent travellers who have
claimed to represent Oriental domestic life as
they saw it, are handled in a very severe man
ner, and much curious information Is given on
this interesting subject. NJ. Nicolas essay on
"The Apostles Greed. and Mr.. Lloyd's "Swe-
den and its Game Birds" are carefully review
ed. The second series of N. Louis Blanc's
Letters on England" is made the basis OF
very discriminating article ON the genius and
writings of the brilliant French journalist,
historian and statesman. A portion of this
article, referring to the position of M. Louis
Blanc in relation to the late war in this coun-
try, and some passages indicating the singular
changes of public sentimentin England during
and since the war, we copy below:
OF all the political topics with which these
letters deal, American affairs furnish the most
accurate and searching test of the warmth,
the earnestness, and the completeness o the
writer's liberal faith. The sophisms by which
ceeded in binding, perhaps, the majority of
pretended, and no inoonsiderable number of
true liberals, to the real designs of the seces-
sionist rebellion, were powerless to obscure
the keen vision, OF to warp the calm good sense
Of M. Louis Blame. His instincts were too i'm
passioned, his principles too leavened with
emotion, to allow him, upon any pretensa
the cause which was stained by the guilr and
infamy of Slavery, Throuchout tha war