The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-22
LITERATURE.
REVIEW OF NEW BOOKS.

a.
not leave the world some satisfactory account
of himself. his family his religion, and his OPT
Mons on matters and things generally, for then
bis commentators would have been saved a
vast amount of uneasiness and Intellectual
labor II has been satisfactorily proved that ne
was a Catholic, a Protestant, n Free-thinker,
an Arisotlean, a Platonic hermetic and many
other kinds of phosopher,a doctor, lawyer,
a superintendent of an insane asylum, aud we
know not what besides, much in the same way
that Archbishop Whateley proved conclusiVely
that no such person as Napoleon ever
existed; and, indeed, this has been at
tempted IN the case of Shakespeare, with
about the same amount of success-vith
the difference, however, that the Archbishop
only designed to perpetrate a jest while the
aunihilators of Shakespeare were dead in
earnest.
Flgures, it is said, will prove anything, aud so
will books; and man who cannot develop any
theory that may happen to strike his fancy from
given vOlume-to his oWn satisfaction atLeast
must be mere tyro at the business. OF late
years shakespeare's sonnets have come into
favor, and commentators, having apparently
exhausted themselves on his plays, have turned
their attention TO these poems. Some have
attempted TO rearrange them in their proper
order, and to discover to whom they were va
riously addressed; while others have vexed
their brains to find out mysterious meanings
that will accord with their own extravagant
fancies. The editor Of this volume has his
theory as we'll as the rest; and why should he
not? He, however, is willing to take the sonnets
in the order in which they stand, and to
explain them in manner that would doubtless
be in the highest degree edifying to Shakespearo
himself, II he could only peruse his lucubrations.
Mr.. Budd, however, we doubt not, has derived
much amusement from his task; aud as nobody
is likely TO be Injured or any damage TO the fair
fame of Shakespeare to accrue, why should we
find fault? While we are on the subject, how
ever, we may as well state that we have a theory
of our own with regard to these sonnets which,
if not ingenious, we hatter oursef has the merit
of being at least in accordance with the prnci-
pies of plain common sense. Our idea is that
the sonnets were addressed some TO men, some
to women, and many to nobody; for it is piece
of absurdlty which requires no demonstration
to suppose that poets love verses must
necessarily have particular object. Any other
theory than this would make it bad
for married ver5ifers--like Mr.. Tennyson, for
inttance-unle,s they are blessed with wives
who differ from the majority OF women. The
them together without regard to order or cou-
sistency, and as it is impossible now to success
fully rearrange them, all we can do is to take
them as they are, and enjoy them as containing
some of the sweetest utterances of the great
master. We always have admired the sonLets
greatly, and without worrying over them; bat
if any publisher will pay Us handsomely we will
engage 10 prove any desired theory, the elabo-
nj in iua IN he in
TO the amount of pecuniary emolument offered
Dir. Budd's essay, therefore, we do not consider
to have any great value, but we commend the
volume as one of the handsomest editions Of the
sonIets that we have seen. 1t is printed on
thick, heavy paper, with wide margins and edges
uncut, so that purchasers can have it bound in
any style that they may fancy.
TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL, by John Fiske, NJ. A,
LII. B. Published by LeypOldt Holt
philadelphia Agents ClaXton, Remsen &
Hafelfnger,
This book consists of two essays, entitled 'IG
Does Pay to Smoke" and the Coming Man viii
Drink Wine," and it is intended as an answer to
the very readable articles by Mr.. Parton, origi
nally published in the Atlantic Monthly, and
taking the anti-tobacco and anti-alcoholic view
of the case. Mr.. Fiske accuses Mr.. Parton o
having made statements with regard TO the
Injurious effects of alcohol and tobacco which
are not sustained by facts, and he then proceeds
to demonstrate with much ability that both
alcohol and tobacco are useful and necessary,
and that it is only when abused that they are
injurious. Mr.. Fiske deals Nj. Parton some hard
blows, and he makes sad havoc with some OF
his apparently strongest arguments. The essays
are lively aud interesting, and they are worth
of the attention of those who wish to under
stand both sides of the subject.
From J. P. Lppnco!t Co. we have re
ceived "Greater Britain: Record Of Travel in
English-speaking Countries during 1862 by
Charles Wentworth Dilxe few weeks ago
we gave long extract from an appreciatiy6
review OF this work by the London Aheagu2i1
and we reeret that the crowded state of OuI
columns prevents US from noticing it more al
length at the present time Mr.. Duke in the
years named followed England around the world
and everywhere he found himself in English
speaking or English-goveIned lands. He re
marked that climate, soil, manner of life, auC
mixture with other peoples had modified th'
BLOOD, bat he saw, too that in essentials the
race was always one. Mr.. Dixie has endeavoreC
to give u conception of the grandeur OF the Eng
lish race, already grdlmg the earth, and whcl
he thinks is destined eventually to overspreut
IT. The book is exceedingly interesting and i
has been issued in handsome style 10y III
American publishers.
-"Louis Michaud; or, the Little French Pro
testant," published by Henry Hoyt, Boston, i
a weltwritten religious story for children