The Portland daily press., 1873-08-16
THE PRESS
SATURDAY MORNING,AUGUsT 1e, ISIS
Recent Publications
Outlines of Men, Women and Things Ry
Mrs. Mary Clemmer Ames.

Among the women who, according to their
various natures and circumstances, more or
less wisely and well, have advocated the free
dom and development of woman - Mrs.
Mary Clemmer Ames is deservedly eminent.
Among women who clamor like Menads,
who scorn the gracious privileges which are
their own, and grasp with uncertain hands
the ''rghts'' that are to render them poor
imitation of man; among women made bitter
by many and undoubted wrongs, who would
teach their sisters the terrible lesson of uni
versal distrust; among women filled with
vague aspirations for an indefinable liberty,
while their nearest duties are left unfllfilled--
among all these, Mrs Ames stands steadfast
as a star.
Her sweet, persuasive wisdom, her sympa-
thy with every fellow creature, her clear, pure
and tender thought, and the rich treasures
that the years have brought her of life and
love and tears and joy-all are given freely to
the cause for which she works-the cause Of
a world where man is king and woman is
queen.
The style of Mrs. Ames is poetic; some
times touchingly pathetic, sometimes bright
and epigrammatic; always refined, and ap-
propriate to its subject, whether grave or
gay. The present volume, which is collec-
ton of essays on various topics, presents
very favorably the authors admirable traits.
In the first four of these chapters, peculiarly
enjoyable is her appreciation OF scenery, not
only in its visible phases, but its more subtle
,yxf fta Of
we may say so Her eye is quick to note
and her pen ready to portray the ever chang
ing moods of land and sea, the aerial lights
and shadows, while she rests joyfully among
the grasses. watching the busy insects, each
of which enlists her liking and sympathy for
himself and his affairs. The lakeland Of
Northern Vermont, the scene of one of the
sketches to which we refer, is for Mrs. Ames,
touched with tender memories of her friend
Alice Cary who, in the last summer of her
life, was brought there; and of whom Mrs,
Ames writes sadly:
Hers. from the beginning, was the fatal mis-
take of so many brain-workers-that all time
given to refreshment and rest is so much taken
from the results of labor; forgetting, or not re-
alizing, that the finer the instrument, the moro
| fatal the effects of undue strain, the more inn
perative the necessity of avoiding the over
wear and the perpetual jar of discordant con-
ditions, forgetting, also, that the rarest flower
| ing of the brain has its root in silence and
| beauty, and rest.
| Her description of Indian Summer in vir-
through mist, such as hangs over the land
4 in those days. A mist of tears for the brave
young lives that she watched and tended not
| many years ago, when "man Knocked the
peace of God with the impotence Of war''-a
mist whose gray folds are yet struck with
| golden light.
| knowledge of character, generous judg-
ment and sympathetic insight characterize
| Mrs. Ames's sketches of the men and women
whom she has selected as her subjects.
s'Physical Basis of Statesmanship'' is an ex
ceedingly able and powerful essay, represent
ing the importance of the physical forces by
which the mental and moral ones are sus-
tanned.
The latter portion of the volume is chiefly
devoted to the consideration of the question
of woman's rights and wrongs. Animated
and feminine feeling and sound, practical
sense, these essays cannot fail of the best re-
suits. Mrs. Ames emphasizes the dignity of
woman's work, the need that it be perfectly
done, all its requirements fulfilled, before any
claim for different sphere be urged. She
plainly and wisely says:
sit is perfectly natural, if man sees that
the woman he knows best has reached no
high standard of excellence in the arts pc
culiarly her own, that he should doubt the
capacity of all women to fill the higher CALI
ings which, even now, open but contested
sphere to their ambition and effort"
On another page we find this suggestive
sentence: sit is not the want of native pow
er, nor the want of opportunity, nor the en-
vious prejudice of men, which debars women
from the places of independence which they
covet, so much as it is their own lack OF ac-
curate knowledge, OF faculties disciplined to
special uses"
Her chapter on Kitchens" loving,
faithful description of grandmother's kitch-
en-, is filled-as by the perfume of old-fash-
ioned flowers of quaint, homely names
with the sense of tender, surrounding care
and the memories and associations that can
never wholly leave one who has known what
| il is to have real 'ihOme."
The warm heart and vigorous hand of Mrs.
Ames have inspired aud written this earnest
and beautiful work. To the book-reviewer,
falls the pleasant task of reading it, pointing
out a few of its many merits, aud commend
ing it most cordially and entirely to the pub
lic-as book, high and sincere in its aims,
able in its execution and charming in its style.
Published by Hurd & Houghton, Boston.
For sale by Loring, Short & Harmon.
Foods. BY Edward Smith, m. D., r. II. q
This is the third volume of the Information
al Scientific Series, and ably sustains the rep
utation gained by the preceding volumes.
The author, physician and writer Of emil
rence has devoted especial attention to the
question of foods, and has succeeded in max
ing a book which, while it is easily compre-
hensible by the unscientifc. is substantial
contribution to the knowledge of the subject.
Most people know very little. about their
foods; but all can here find interesting de-
scriptions of what they eat and drink and
breathe A book of this kind has long been
needed, aud we cau heartily recommend this
as reliable and attractive. The writer prom
ises to take up the subject of Diets in another
volume, and we shall await its appearance
| with much interest.
For sale by Bailey & Noyes.
The North American Review.
The last number of our standard American
quarterly is one of more than ordinary At
tractiveness to the average reader, having les,
than the usual number of abstruse essays,
and greater proportion of papers on subjects
of universal interest Most prominent are
thoughtful articles on Modern Medicine, the
Proposed changes in the Telegraphic System,
and Fires and Fire departments.
Among the critical notices is very appre-
c;ative review of Paine's st. Peter, with re-
card to which we cannot help thinking that
the writer is extraordinarily snobbish, eve Il
for Boston man, in entirely ignoring the
very perfect rendering of the oratorio by ouI
Haydn Associations performance which
won enthusiastic praises from the best musi