The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-11-14

IL, ISi
-.---~---
For the REGISTER.
Historical Novels.
BYI. F.. II.
Were the world pcopled with philoso-
piers, there would be less scope for his
torical novels, and little or no demand
for any others. Those who can be made
to read nothing better, ought to be induced
TO read any kind Of decent novels. But
in training ones own mind, or that of an
other, the problem is to keep to as high
grade of reading as possible. The
pernicious we must avoid consccnsciously;
the "hash" literature is fit only for waste
paper. 1t is pity that large part of
ones reading should be unbound, to be
scattered to the winds as soon as finished.
A small library of books half-read. once
read and twice-read, with few thorough
ly mastered, makes n man Of the owner.
But you soon tire OF one whose reading
has served only for amusement.
will illustrate by three works lying
before me. They are historical novels,
and they happen to be all by women, by
authors who made book-writing profes.
sion, and all published by d Appleton
Il Co.
QUEEN IIoRTENsE by al. Muhlbach
is the only one Of Mrs. klara Mundt's
very numerous works | have handled in
English. She had accumulated quite a
pile before we heard Of them. Queen
Hortense was the mother Of u certain
Louis Napoleon Of whom the world has
heard more than once it expected to-
Had her son been shot when he landed al
Bouogne (ike the crow who tried to fly
away with sheep we should have heard
less of the virtues Of his mother OF
truth the daughter of the widow Beauhar
nais pronounced Bwarnay) would have
been just the heroine for tale, had she
lived to share her sons greatness after
she had shared her mothers poverty and
he hers The book is, to great degree
dialogue, and probably better than i
some Photographic jenkins had followed
her with notebook and pencil 1t cover.
an important period of the worlds history
perhaps the most interesting to US. L
has for its back ground the massing o
armies ard the thunder-clouds Of hun
dred battles.
l forgot to state that the authors nam,
before marriage was Miller or Muelle
for the two dots mean an 2. The wor,
means Miller and is pronounced Mile,
by those who can speak English only
ne is the French n.
THE DAYS OF BRUCE were from l27.
to 1929. War was as yet without gun
powder, and the English had a plenty O
it at hand without the trouble Of goin
to the Continent or even ireland for i,
Grace Aguilar has made an extraordinar,
excursion into Scotland; she is mucl
more familiar with Spain and Portuga
For by race and faith was Jewes,
never Christian. While her Home Mf,,
ence and Mother Recumpense have in
structed thousand, and profted as we'll
her "Vale IF Cedars," "lIomo Scenes,
and women of Israel have been write
from a Hebrew Stand point and "Wc
mans Friendship" is charming tale c
domestic life in Gentle circles. But tn
days Of Bruce" is surprise to me. |
= may be less accurate reproduction {
4 those old times than it seems, but if sh
has taken her materials at second han
i she has made wonderful use Of them. Th
b whole set of nine volumes is bound in
: unique and beautiful style.
a | have taken from one of my handle,
f shelves the first volume Of Chambers G.,
clopedia Of literature a work which tn
- rich may do without but which no poo
d student can afford to want, unless he
very poor. Small as is the fraction
y English literature it gives rs, it is mor
e than | can hope soon to read in ccursC
!, On page 36 | find the un-heuutiiu phi
of King James | of Scotlanl, followed b
n some lines he wrote when II prisoner
:, Windsor Then and there was "Tt
Gagged Lion" of Miss Charlotte \
Yonge. The scene opens in 142l al
the action runs through an eyenttul portC
of our history. | say our history for OIL
fathers were actors in those scenes an
: it is only geographically that the Englis
are nearer to them than the American
They demand therefore more study of |
t. understand them equally well. Sue
volumes should be encouraged, then al
in every house where they are four
should be good maps of England al
Scotland To read book like this wi
stupid Indifference to geography is
al sinful waste.
Miss Yonge is high.church Episcop
lian, parishoner and a great admirer
the poet keble, to whom she has devot
:. volume Of "Musings on the Christi
Year" She still lives,not young mai
en-, in Hampshire, the county north
the Isle of Wright. The Appleto
10 have .blished beautiful series of h
works including Beechcroft, Daisy Chai
IIeartsease aud the Two Guardian
Every one of these has definite aim Al
each its lesson but none of them are h
torical.
o. A box - inches by l6 inches squa
aud II inches deep will contain bi