The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-04
Recent Publications.
II Hap.IHnzard, by Knfe Field.


This little volume is made I'D of sketches
and short papers contributed to EVERY Sat-
urday,' Che New York Tribune and the
american Register of Paris. Always fresh,
irrepressble, vigorous-Miss Field finds SUBJ
jects for her bright pen everywhere. Each
incident of her lecturing tour is faithfully re-
corded, and the pecularities of lecture-com-
mittees, audiences and fellcw-travelers are
made the most of, in her racy style. A pow
erful charm of Miss Fields writing Is the en-
tire abandon with which she gives herself I'D
to the spirit of the occasion. II the room as
signed her at the hotel is uncomfortable, and
she is obliged to pass the night in rocking
chair-the oscilatory, vibrating idiosyncra-
cies oi this truly great and good American in
stitution by no means disturb her philosophy.
II she goes to Barnum's circus TO see the ele-
phant and interview the giraffe, she at once,
with naieete, invests in red and Write candy,
compares it to barber's pole and proceeds 10
write up the scene con dmore, enthusiastical-
ly saying: ''Were asked which i thought
the greater necessity ofcivilization, lectures or
circuses, should lay my right hand on my
lett heart, and exclaim, "Circa r''
She sees European countries and people as
they are. with the ready sympathetic instinct
Of re woman and the clear, rapid compre-
hension of the practi ed journalist.
The chapter ON John Brown il one of deep
interest-it is flower laid reverently on the
grave of the noble old martyr Through the
efforts and influence of Miss Field, subscrip-
ton was raised, sufficient to buy the home
stead of John Brown-to be kept henceforth
a sacred place in the nations heart, in memo
ry of the grand man who once lived there.
The opening sentences of the chapter en-
titled "a Martyr to Free Speech"-referring
to an incident of Republicanism in England.
cause so ably advocated by Sir Charles
Dilke-are so forcibe, brilliant and epipram-
matte, that we cannot refrain from quoting
them:
The first necessity of great cause Is the
possession of a martyr. Though we are as
sured by the copy books of our youth that
truth is rightly and must prevail. there is no
commodity requiring such liberal advertising
to bring it into general circulation. Money
will buy vice. but, since the world began, the
price paid for truth has been blood.''
Her Characterization OF her compatriots is
vivacious and original:
Americans are the cats of humanity. They
have nine lives and always alight on their
feet"
And when baffled in the search for some
salubrious spot where the Thermometer and
barometer are not given to sudden electrici-
ties, she remarks with the bitterness of des-
pair:
There is no such thing as climate. Coun-
tries have good deal of weather, such as It
Is, but climate exists nowhere, except by
flashes, an ifever you leave home in the
fond hope of attaining the unattainable, you
will get what you deserve
We must cease our extracts from Miss
Fields charming volume-we might as well
stop here, as quote the whole book which we
are at present tempted to do. So we leave 1t
hoping that our readers in selecting books
for the summer vacation will include "Hap-
Hazard" in the list.
Published by ]. R. Osgood & Co., Boston.
For sale by Loring Short & Harmon.
Purple and Fine Linen. by Edgar
Fawcett.
We should assuredly not have taken time
and space 10 our columns to notice this nov-
ell, had it not been that it Is type, a little
prononce perhaps, of the most worthless and
harmful sort of modern fiction. II is every
where characterized by utter want of ord-
nary moral perception, by affectation of heart
less and biase cynicism, low tone, vulgarty
ofstyle, and extraordinary proficiency in
slang. The excuse which the author would
probably offer for his work would be that he
represents American society as it is. To a
very limited extent, it may be true-some
FAST circles of social life make strenuous
and snobbish endeavors to initiate the OBJ
ectionable phases Of Partisan existence-as
Mr.. Fawcett in his present novel, emulates
The French romancists, succeeding merely In
the vice, the vulgarity, without
even arriving at the insufficient grace of ele-
5ance, brilliancy and vigor of style with
which the Partisan novelist rarely fails to
wreathe the skeletons that he depicts. We
console ourselves, however, with our belief
hat these so obvious faults of purple and
Fine Linen" win of themselves counteract
my bad influence that the book might other
wise possess-and we close our brief review
with the suggestion that, in future, Mr.. Faw-
,ett avail himself of the wisdom OF a we'll
Known French proverb, and wash his soiled
sFine Linen" at home.
Published by G. w. Carleton & Co., New
FORK. For sale by Loring, Short and Har-
non.