New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-09-07
BOSTON LITERARY NOTES.
A BryNpLE OF NEW BOOKS.

ROCKS FOR FRENCH STUDENTS THE RIVER Of
DREAMS AND OTHER PoEMs'--A y" GERMAN VII
xIE COLLINS" AND WRENCH DICKENS
BOOKS IN SERIES.
Iysou A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUSE'l
BosroN, Sept 4.-Messrs. Hurd & Houghton
of the Riverside Press are publish thoroughly
charming book. ] refer to Library Notes. py thc HON
p Russell OF Ohio. As its title indicates IL is sol' VI
mosaic of book. Like the Rev. Mr. Haweiss cf London
Mr. Russell to have read everything ana III hS
rescurces are so thoroughly at his command that they
seem part Of the very texture CT his 1nind WHAT Nv
saws Is often as good the best Of his quotations.
and one can scarcely open TO page anywhere WITHOUT
being tempted 10 read unfortunately. AnccaoH' ep,
gram incident, thought, reflection, rcminiseehce %"
Are as ski!Ifuy French coo bis materials
for dinner and there's hardly chapter which, Win
out any parade Of philosophy does not bear some eia
ton to the deepest questions of the ne Here soou
passage about Z" Common sense:"
Common sense has been defined TO be the average intel
Iect conscience OF the CIVILIZED wotana Pp heen
inteie.nce morality, and Christianity which has Vec
practically embodied in life aud ative power aesro4
so"ess With the progress Of society persccues in one
age what adopts in the next its maryrs Oh , re tbc
nineteenth and good part of the common sense OF all
elder DAY is the common nonsense OF our own
The pages about sclflove are very good
ooh the uncomfortable contrivance OF nature eXciahs
Erasmus who has ordered all things in SO even ho
method that wherever she has Deen less lf1oTe
"Couid ar mankind" says John Norris lay c'im I'LL I"
thai estmafe which they upon themselves, ,ec
would be little or difference between lapsod ana per
feet humanity, and God migh al; nT'i, rannce il good
Blinded they to their true chlracNr nS "a
heies ttercr prepared therefore to welcome the nat
terer from the outside, who only comes ,;
it, what can astonishing than vanity IN middle
aged rr1on NOW H%IH this World he oannct know enough
20 make nim OF his knowledge Good az IL Is pos
sbe for human being he, he cannot be good enong
IN excuse concet his goodness Yet how coinn9n II
is for fugrown ignorance To nave eonceis Va wo
ana for ordinary virtue TO assume the airs Oh satSp'
Mr. Eusse sets before consolation for The Ills OF
life which il is quite worth while to bearin md' namely
that The world is too pusy think much about our nd
ydual mlsfortunes, even our errors III Ii true tha ~
world can Thackeray once said, find out almost
anything that it has mind to Know But there
il this 10 consider that the world doesn't care LII mas
hoard n GREAT amount of scandal in its time and Is
pretty much weary Of that kind Of intelligence Act
yourself as nothing had happened; and, usually the
world will act 20, too.
Mr. Russell caracterizes Colcridge strikngly as
zone of those great homeless souls which fly between
heaven earth his language only partially understood
IN this world IL WHOLLY in another" IL Is curious to be
told how old jokes The best Irish bulls even
were all Greek. Take the Iishman who carried around
brick as a specimen Of the house he had to sell; take
the rhman shut his eyes and looked into the glass
IN see how he would look when he dead; the Irish
man who bought a crow alleging that crows bad been
said to live hundred years and he meant TO Try H
the one wRs met a friend and said to him. Why' SIR
heard you were dead" and when the man answered,
.well. suppose you am not" rejolned On no.
would believe the who told me great deal quicker
than would Won" Well all those Greek, and came,
with scores like them from witty Athens iscce
" know n pcasanter book than this OF MI Russels 10
take up for an idle hour more sure to scnd you
with fresh curiosity and interest," to examine Tor yourse
the best works Of the best authors.
Lee a. Shepard have two valuable TEXTBOOKS iOr SILL
dents DESTROYS Of acquiring ready command of CONVEX
sational French is Getting to Paris by Francis
g. williams author OF English into French etc-the
other is "Causeries dree les EnJdnts," ny Lambert
sauyeur Principal OF the French Section OF the School OF
Living Languages in Boston. The best guide TO the col
loquil French required in travelling, shopping ana
.ocety that have any where ia the former book by
Mr. Williams, En- gsh into French " the present volume
Is an extension OF the idea Half the DOCK Is En-
cish-the natural discussion in an American family OF
their plans and preparations for journey 10 Pais-thc
events and conversations of the voyage-and, finally
their i'll Partisan hotel The other half OF the
book is the translation of the first into good French
faithful study Of this volume Will give any one al
ready trained in French pronunciation sufficient
command Of colloqual French to carry him almost any
where The sole method for the acquisition of sufficient
French vocabulary for speaking. Is. according 10, MI
Williams, perpetual practice in turning EnGish INTO
French Prof Sauvcurs book is dedicated TO mothers
and children, and il designed an aid In teaching
French the little OF the household Inc essohs
are extremely simple and well contrived.
Another book which Lee & Shepard had intended TO
issue is The River of Dreams, and other Poems by H.
E. O.. author of "Thurd and other Poems" o. h. o.
is George l.. OTIS and Mr. Otis is young gentleman
who II mistake not win some day he a poet lie mas
delicate fancy, poetic perception, and genuine love
for his art But has not yet learned TO be his own
critic 10 distinguish between weak lines and strong ones
The conception OF bis poem Is pOetca but Ill Justce 10
this concep option stronger and more practical manu-
should have eld the Tyre Still the book is 50 nuch bet
uTft nNh pn vel
Usher that IL would he easy TO crown 1t with cheap
praise But think well enough Of Mr. Otis 90 believe
this volume like Thurid, to be promise. rather than
performance II has many passages, however OF real
beauty The opening verses fair specimen OF the
quality Of the work:
Amystic land, where every shadow seemed
Reality and every substance shade;
region weird where grctesque phantoins played
Mid hazy clouds that DER the landscape dreamed,
T@ links Ge M Feh NIX ip' c ntsF 9"GT
Where Iarest fruits and brightest h0Werets showed
Yet drawing near to Gull these blossoms fair,
Their petals lost their color and their grace,
Their leaves grew rank and stiff; no single trace
OF what but now had charmed the eye was there
While others. which poor hOmely weeds had seemed,
Lieut. sweetest fragrance u the burdened air,
And, purely lined, in modest beauty Dealned!
rosy vaIor hung DER all around,
Stirred softly, by gehtie breath that swayed
Its cloudy volume, whence were ever hl'ulc
In misty depths; then rose in other guise;
Wild, twisting intcrmngllng shapes when wound
Ger unseen paths, till lost to mortal eyes
Aland IL was where contradiction reigncd:
Where true aud false usurpcd each Others part
Where often both were blended Win such arr
That each cOnccalmcut from the other gained:
A thousand standing by the rivers sidr,
Though toward the self-saDe scene their eyes were
A d.leIent View by each had been deserted.
"The New Don Quixote; the wonderful adventures
OF Tartarn OF Tarascon" by Aphonse Daudet and f'r
woman's Sake the Mysteries Of the Castle" by Hairs