The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-03-27

Kate Field has published a new edition of
ner Pen Photographs of Dickens's Readings.
one mas done kindly service in preserving
'or posterlty this best possible descriptive me-
inoriai oil Dickens the actor Dickens the au-
'noi we nave always with us, and coming gen.
eia'iohs will nave their full share in the rich
heritage. But for this little volume the actor
would be wholly lost to all excep. the favored
few who we're so fortunate as 10 hear him.
While Dickens was yet alive this work was
highly esteemed as unique in the design and
as faithful portrayal of the great masters
genius in field where his eminence was only
second to his rank as a novelist. But since
his death the interest in such work, the exc
cution of which now seems almost providen.
tial, is of course redoubled (James r. Osgood
& Co., Boston. For sale by Hall l.. Davis)
Cruel as the Craze, novel just issued by
L. B. Peterson 6 Brothers, Philadelphia, is
pronounced "sxciting and sensational" and
one OF the best books the well known author
ever wrote. Price S1.75 in cloth or 81 so IN
paper covers. For sale By Bailey and Noyes.
Reginald Archer is new novel from the
pen of Annie NJ. Crane Seemuller, author of
Emily Chester" and other works of fiction.
We have no Hesitation in commencing this
look as captivating from the professional nov
ell readers standpont,and at the same time as
irreproachable in its moral tone. 1t markes
the beginning Of the reaction in favor CT the
good old style OF giving the villains all the
hard words and evil destines and the good
people all the sugar plums. Reginald Archer
is good book, but not that kind of good that
is synonymous with stupidity. And the way
1t is printed is comforting to weak eyes-or-
gans that should receive more Consideration
from publishers than they do, for they cer-
tainly have it in their power to make worth
the publishers while. James r. Osgood G. Co.
For sale by Hall L. Davis.)
Miss Elizabeth Stuart Phelps is entitled to
receive fiom every just. generous and chival-
rous soul the full benefit of the deprecatory
motto from Bacon with which she appeals to
the public from the title page of her new
book, The Silent Partner "Read not to con-
tradlct and confute, nor to believe and take
for granted, nor 10 find talk and discourse,
to considerate treatment because she appeals
to the world in spirit of wcmanly sympa-
thy and tenderness in behalf of those who
especially need but rarely find an upfeed advo-
cate-the "hands" or operatives in the manu-
featuring establishments ofNewEngland. Some
ungentle critics are disposed to treat her with
undeserved censure Tor speaking of things of
which she cannot know, for drawing her in
formation from so arid source as the report
of the Massachusetts Bureau OF Statistics
of Labor" and for describing notorious evils
while she points out no remedy. But for our
part we think Miss Phelps has done good
deed in generously availing herself once more
of the immense audience which her first book
gave her to speak brave, earnest, Christian
words in behalf of suffering and crime-cursed
humanity. If she got her facts from statisti-
cal works, so much the better, for they are
probably to be relied upon and her personal
observations could not have been extensive
enough to enable her to make any very wide
generalizations She has breathed the breath
Of life into these lifeless facts, and made
them in their new and vivid form the prop
erty of millions instead OF hundreds. She
did to them what Shakespeare did to the tales
he found in Holinshed or Boccaccio. She evil
IDENTIFY does know something about the SUBJ
| ject she discusses-the subject of the wretch
edness caused by the unequal distribution of
this worlds goods. To handle it intelligent
| ly one needs only single part of fact to
hundred parts of sympathy. The last, Miss
Phelps, being a woman, naturally has. And
as for proposing no remedy the author of
The Gates Ajar has very respectable prece.
dents for that. Garibaldi suggests none for
Popery in his Rule Of the Monk; Victor
Hugo none for injustice to criminals and
other unfortunates in Les Miserabtes Dick
ems none TOR long ChaDcery suits in Bleak
House, for debtors prisons in Little Dorrit,
for parish warehouses 10 Olirer Twist, for
Yorkshire schools in Nicholas Nickleby. To
find fault in detail with her sinsuIarly inie-
licitous SMILES and her general deficiency as
a mere literary artist is like critcising the
costume of Sister of Mercy who is minis
tering to the wounded on battlefield. But
we are sure that Miss Phelps neither needs
| nor desires immunity from criticism or CEN
sure on account of the subject matter of her
work. This brave, good woman is the last
person in the world TO lake shelter behind a
hospital flag. And there are not wanting very
fine things in her book tried by any standard
of excellence. 1t is not often that literature
gives us anything more pathetic or dramatic
than Sip Gath communicating to her sister,
the deaf, dumb, ignorant, vicious Catty, the
fact that the latter is growing blind. AT
times there is sprightllness and pquancy in
the tone of observation that is not unworthy
OF the author and her great reputation. We
prefer it to that schoolgirls day dream, tn
Gates Ajer,-a day-dream that folks took a
fancy to regard as a revelation. james r,
Osgood Co.. Boston. For sale by Hall L.
i Davis