The Portland daily press., 1870-12-23

among the holiday juveniles that have
been published this year, we know of none
that Will take higher rank than the Puss- Cat
Me1 Stories, by E. A. Knatchbulk. .Huces.
sen, M. p, published by Harper and Broth.
ers. The story which gives the book its title.
founded On the old rhyme n4.. .. .
"Puss-cat New juNped over = coal; ...
In her best petticoat burnt great bole;
Puss-cat New shan't have any milk
Till her best pettcoat's mended with silk"
is only the first of twenty one short tales
mostly of fairies, ogres, etc. ~ Unlike most
fairy tales these stories have spice of humor
that is quite unusual. There are eight Illus
trations. Loring, Short and Harmon have it.
Beecher bids fair to be one of the most vo-
luminous writers living, though he does only
moderate amount of writing with his own
hand The series of his sermons being fin
ished, their editor, Lyman Abbott, has pub
lished Morning and Eoening Exercises, Sc
lected from the great preachers published and
unpublished writings. The purpose of the
collection is well stated in the editors brief
preface. He says: -''
Henry Ward Beecher's congregation is not
confined TO that which assemblies within the
walls of plymouth Church. Alike in the par
lors of the wealthy and the cultured, and in
the log cabins of the poor and the self-exiled,
his words are welcOmed-a comfort to those
in trouble, a sOlace toxthose ia sickness, a
strength to those in the midst of the battle,
To this great congregation, counted by tens
OF thousands, who have profted by his teach
ing, though they have rarely or never listen
ed to his voice, this volume is dedicated by
the editor. Published by Harper & Broth
ers, and for sale by Loring, Short and Har.
mon.
1t is exasperating to have the natural en-
joyment Of such book as Aspendale serious
ly impaired by mistake in binding that puts
the duplicate of fifteen pages in the place of
fifteen others that seem likely to be the most
entertaining in the volume. One does not
need to see the name of Harriet w. Preston.
on the title page to feel sure that it is a wo-
mans production. There pervades it that
lndescribable flavor indicating its origin which
is found in all but one in thousand books
written by swomen, George Sand, George
Eliot, Mrs. Stowe,-these are three that have
escaped it, but they are almost alone in this
SSAeuAys LUG @uIuoI VI [1SpSuQQle mas prO-
duced a book of very uneven merit. She
seems to Is to succeed best in that which she
least values. No one can fail to observe a
quite remarkable sensitiveness to the aspects
ofnature. Few can describe how the brooks
sound in April, how the fields and woods as
sumo their pathetic brown in the late fall,
how the days soften and brighten in the early
spring, so impressively and with SO much gen.
uine poetic feeling as our author. But there
are great many who can discuss literature,
music, social philosophy, the woman question,
metaphysics and theology to much more pur-
pose, Unfortunately The arthor's plan con-
templates chiefly the last, and the first only
incidentally. Except an uncommonly vigo-
rous attack upon the spirit of caste evinced in
some OF the later writings OF DR.. Holmes,
(whose heart is right, wherever his head may
lead him) there is little that is ediiying in
this part of the book. But there are plenty
OF evidences OF uncommon literary power in
an embryo state, and if it were directed to
the recital OF events, like the episode of poor
Paul, who is dragged into the book by vio-
lence, but who makes an appallingly natural
figure there, something remarkable might
come of it. Published by Roberts Brothers,
Boston, and for sale by Bailey and Noyes.