New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS

.,,xs pg,NKRR, ar The Flrcr States n nrt NJ DODGE
~ Lon Ion; Sampop Low, son, q Aais'V1' :.
This pretty little volume, OF t@ncEul "ihuihs
and clear type IS an English reprint o. uo.su','-
American book by OF our best writers oil STORES o
the young folks II the sixth IN Lows copy
f American authors being admitted to that hohor III 'ou
many not in all respects congcual, we should imagine
,i,b {" Katrina Views Afoot," q" The Minister'S woo,
ing" The Guardian Angel" aud Haunted hearts.
The series aside from the intrinsic merits OF the uookS y
recommended by the excellence Of the paper and press
work beauty of Appearance, cheapness aud when Is ny
mo means matter Of least importance, the virtue OF
eeiuc honestly paid for. by the London Publishers.
Hans Brinkor as its name implies, Is story Of life IN
Holland A company OF boys start on on SKatip6 "a
pcdton from Brock TO Amsterdam, Harlem, ICY uell
and the Hague. The incidents of their excursion iNe
The most attractive part of the volume. Beirg on ouc
~ course they see whatever is worth seeing ana AK
hoy fashion as they go along about She strange places
and people they visiting ThOusn she has never oon
I'm Holland Mrs Dodge has read the books ana UlAeo
with travelled friends til she hiss made herSeh q'c ~
uar with the history and typography inc customs a"
nects dress buildings Institutions and legends OF the
ingnlar country and so avishes miscellaneous infor
nation much as writer's do who have geahed ther
knowledge from books and not from obserVauoh' Dut
with much move Of naturalness and grace IMAM suoh
,rrtcrs usualy possess. The chapters are bit Too
learned ana rfetched possibly but the learning is so
,nter.aining and is pleasantly conveyed that no
charge OF pedantry can be brought against the story
teller The boys interesting little fellows, bright
hearted quclwitted, well-instructed, and wellbred
and they are wonderful skaters with their wits as well
as legs 1t did occur to several times in reading that
they were preternaturally old boys Zen Dobbs the
English lad knows about his ancestors and the in
tertwning Of family vines than Is common with urehns
of his years schoolboys do not "a general thing DIS
euss seriously and negenty the claims OF the several
inventors Of the printingpress Ben's morazng when
he came being down and perhaps killed by an
ioe-ship would il us, have come with better
grace from an older mouth, and been more in keeping
even then with different kind Of danger and the sound
Of church bells is apt submit TO suggest to the boysh
mind other thoughts than the unity Of the Christian
world in spite of the differences among the secs But
Aoyhood an elastic term and elastic period Ihere
are boys and-boys Young heads are often wiser thah
old heads remember Mrs. Dodge has apparently made
life studies for lads and may have had fine samples
TO copy.
All through the book the ring Of skates on the Ice
Is in our ear, giving keen breezy tone to the
scenes Pretty girls introduced skimming over the
ice like birds. Grave men and matrony women glide
comfortably about in frs The poor and the rich minge
on the CLASSY floor suggesting many lesson OF charity
and good will they dance or travel on The climax OF
the story grand skating race on the Eye an arm
Of the Zuder Zee prize being pair Of silver skates
to the boy and another to the girl who dstanced all the
competitors the course, twice.
Alongside of the story of the boys and the skating
another story OF Harry the heros father who poor man.
had fallen fourteen years before the tale begins and
struck HIS head in a way that produced apparent
idiocy His condition, the sorrow and misery incident
to it, the finding of surgeon the operation the relief Of
the brain pressure, the recovery the happiness Of
his family the kind physician rewarded for hiSgood
deed through piece of information that his patient
sessed before the accident and able to disclose
coming to himself the recovery Of a lost treasure and
lost supply TO the little history undercurrentof
serious humanity, and, being narrated with simplicity
feeling mngle the sober elements of experience with
the festive air that pervades the whole
Books for the young of many knds-fancfu, senti
mental, imaginative, matter Of fact Few writer's sue
coed well in either kind, fewest succeed in the latter
for to make prosac life interesting to young people is far
more difficult than TO tell them pretty stories make
them cry. Yet Mrs. Dodge ventures to do this difficult
thing Her is conspicuous, and it is ue to her
in the selection of times and situations, er fidelity
in gathering entertaining Incidents and her hearty right
mindedness which mparts TO all her wTitin fine moral
charm.