The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-06-05
JUNE MAGAZINES.


=. non, the leaulng arllcie IN me June llarper's
:, is somewhat in season. The islands IL dc.
scrlbes and so beautifully illustrates, how.
ever are on the coast OF ancient Brittany, and
OF course hundred miles away from the
Sclly islands, the scene of the Schiller disas.
ter. Yet, like the Others they are in the same
storm track that sweeps the channel and alike
| the home of the wreckers and those Interested
in t0tsam and ligdn. The islands especially
described are Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and
Sark. These islands, though from 80 to 100
miles away from the British coast, and with.
| in gunshot of that of France, are under Eng
fish dominion, or rather, as they look upon
it, Instead of being tef of England, the
islanders MAINTAIN that England owes her al
legience to them, on the succession Of the
lords of the Norman islands, who reduced
Britain TO subsection TO Norman rule. AS to
their government, they are very nearly indie
pendent of Great Britain. ~. -- @
| In the transaction Of their own affairs they
are practically independent; and stranger
still, Jersey has government and laws Of its
own, while Guernsey, with the dependence
OF Sark and Alderney, is ruled by still anoth-
er code and legislature. The laws still smack
of the rough energy Of the middle ages, and
are sometimes quite arbitrary. But notwith
standing this semi-independence, and that
French is the popular and official language,
the Queen boasts no subjects more loyal than
those Normans of the Isles.
Concord Books gives some very readable
sketches of some OF Concords notabihties, as
| N eor, % coouo1 10 tho rocapt Cantnpn;ol oh
servances there. The sketches include such
writers as Ezra Ripley William Monroe, Ma
thaniel Hawthorne, Emerson, Miss Alcott and
Thoreau, all of whom, with many Others have
at one time or other, lived at Concord.
James Parton contributes another of his
fascinating papers on the history of carca-
ture, the present embracing specimens of the
Hogarthian period. Charles Nordhoff writes
about and illustrates Cape Cod, Nantucket
and Martha's Vineyard; Professor Rau con.
tinues his profound paper on the Stone
Age of Europe, devoting the present paper to
the Troglodytes; and John Bigelow contrib
utes curious paper on the wit and wisdom
of the Haytiens, as deduced from their most
popular proverbs. Many of them are Of
French origin, evidently dating back to the
time when the island was under French domi-
nation; but many more had their origin in
and refer to the period of slavery, and are as
quaint and forcible as they are original.
The two serials, "Garth' and "Miss Angel"
are continued, there are several very readable
short stories, some fine poems, with the Edi
tors "Records, Drawer" &c.
st. Nicholas.
The June number, after charming front
icepiece, illustrating fanclful poem by
Rachel Pomeroy, dashes at once into stories
of adventure, which by this time have become
a fixed fact with the boys who read st. Nicho-
las, and who will at once appreciate the &C.
count of the manner in which a"First Trout"
was caught, and will grow wild to rush into
the woods on reading How to Camp Out"
AS for the girls, they will testify that there is
no lack of enjoyment for them when they
have read the chapters of eight Cousins
"The Story of the Bird Defenders" Christ
inchen's Answer and Among the Lilies"
Mrs Diaz's bad Luck of Bubby Cryaway,"
the story of a "Ragamutlin Party" "Mrs.
Headache" and the beautifully illustrated
poem of "The Little Girl who Wouldn't Say
Please" are all of them very serious in one
sense and very funny in another; while chill
dren of studious turn will find something
exactly to their mind in the Life of a Clothes
Moth" and the description of "The Druids
and their Temples" About these same curl-
GUS Druids we are told, that
The favoritc resort of the Druids was an
island opposite the mouth of the river Loire,
in France, where, once every year, between
sunrise and sunset, they pulled down and re.
built the root of their temples and any priest
who allowed the smallest part of the sacred
materials to fall carelessly, was torn to pieces
by his fellows
The only traces OF the order left to us are
the rude stone buildings at Stonehenge and
Carnac. Retreating before the Romans, the
Druids went to the Isle of Anglesey, in Wales;
and when they saw their conquerors follow
Ing, they made preparations for battle.
Among their preparations-not exactly for
the battle, but for what they expected to fol-
low it-were immense affairs, on which they
intended TO sacrifice the unfortunate Romans
who should be left after the battle. They
were quite sure they would need these affairs,
| for their oraces gave them every reason to
believe in glorious triumph of their arms.
\ But the Romans were again victorious, and
the Druids themselves were the ones that
were sacrificed.
/ Jack-in thePulpit is unusually amusing
and instructive in this number, and among
others gives US this beautiful story, which has
the merit Of being true:
! A few months ago, Jack told you a story
about Jacob Grimm. Now you shall have
something about his brother, sent to me by
your friend, Mr.. Butterworth:
\ Some people who write books never marry.
! It's a pity, because those who write books are
such good folks. Jacob and William Grimm,
VINO wrote the fairy stories, were bachelors
| They always lived together and worked TO-
gether, and wrote in a wonderfully contented
way before either had 4 wife or children At
al. u. Z, - thx,,