The Portland daily press., 1875-04-24
Magazine Notices.

The April number of BlackaOood's Magazine,
just republisbed by the Leonard Scott Publish
ing Co., al Barclay street, N. Y.,) contains the
conclusion of Alice Lorraine, a novel showing
much descriptive power, and abounding in
quaint and forcible forms of expression, which
compensate for its defects as story. As in
the old nursery tales, 'They all lived in peace
forever after"
The second article Fashions and Tricks of
Speech, complains, that while the education Of
the present day is vastly superior to that of the
past in the thoroughness of the instruction inn
parted, yet that it entirely neglects to show
how to clothe thought in exact and appropriate
words; and as necessary result, conversation
is becoming lost art. A few conversational
phrases and little slang are poor substitute
for deficient vocabulary. Remarks upon the
causes which have put good talk out of fash
ion, and examples of the changes of meaning
and dsuse Of many words, and the introduce
ton of new ones form readable article.
Mr.. Kinglake's 'Inkerman Volume" is re-
ceived with almost unqualified praise. The
writer remarks that he has 'never read frag-
ment of history that has so thoroughly i'm
pressed him with its conscientious fidelity"
and the extracts and details here given we'll
support that opinion.
In Studio, No. IA dialogue between art
lists condemning the present tone Of art criti-.
cism in England and asserting that the old
Greeks and Romans were the only ones who
really valued art
The traveller through the Abode of Snow has
at last reached the Vale of Kashmif u him
could not seem otbft6 the snowy plains he had
i6st trayersed, 1t describes the inhabitants as
forlorn creatures; and the female race is de-
cidedly ugly. There are two Branches Of in-
dustry-raising slk.worms and spinning silk,
and weaving Kashmir shawls. "The shawl
weavers are allowed neither to leave Kashmir
nor to change their employment, so that they
are nearly in the fashion of slaves, and their
average is only about three halfpe day"
Politics before Easter makes a few remarks
| on the elections of DR.. Kenealy and the late
John Mitchell to Parliament, and gives the
leading features of public AFFAIRS the generai
| condition of which, it is affirmed, leaves httie
room either for cavil or censure from the oppo-
sition.
The Nav Atlantic, which by the way is an
| excellent number of an excellent magazine,
onens with Amalf, an exquisite poem of Italy,
| bv Mr.. Longfellow. An installment of Mr..
| James's Roderck Hudson follows, in which
Ro olerick and Christina become more and more
| interested in each other Mr.. Aldrich has
charming little poem, The Pine and the Wal
| mt. of Newcastle and the Kittery shore.
Mr.. Howells gives a sympathetic and appre-
| ciatiye sketch of Alfieri, the Italian poet and
| dramatist. S. j. Barrows discourses enter
| tainlngly of The Northwestern Mule and His
| Driver A Sonnet, to f. A, is from the pen
! of Mr.. LOWELL Somebody asks What is an
| American, and finds himself puzzled to give
| the answer He thinks we are deteriorating
and that our only chance for recovering our
selves is to gain new life by rekindling the fires
of enthusiasm during the centennial year.
| Need we say he is from Pennsylvania.
! Mark Twain continues Old Times on the
Mississippi, Mr.. Whittier gives his centennial
poem at Lexington, and W. NJ. Baker tells a
| story of the war in Merely Mirror. Sarah
| o Jewett has some pretty verses, entitled To-
gether. Mr.. Sauborn's Virginia Campaign OF
John Brown carries the story up TO the out
break, and is lively with the notes OF prepara-
ton for the conflict.