Middletown transcript., 1875-03-27
Current Literature.

ScRIBNER's MONTHLY FOR APRIL
One who seems to know writes as fol
lows about ScRrBNER for April; Miss
Mary A. Hallock. whose designs in
ScRlBNER's MONTHLY, have attracted so
much attention. has charming design,
delicately engraved ky Marsh, on the
Grst page of ScRIBNER's for April. It
illustrates 1.-THE Proud Lady Of Stav-
oren," poem by Elizabeth Akers
Allen. Pref. Wells, who writes about
German Parliaments, was himself
victim Of the famous "Maroh Revelu-
tion," in Berlin. while student in the
University Of that city. This pleasant
paper has historic as well as personal
interest. In the ssame number Ct the
Monthly Col. Waring gives US a chatty
and pleasant s'Farmer's Vacation"
paper; the subject being Hollow
land" I like, especially, his street
and canal sketshes in Amsterdam In
his next paper We are to have the first
detailed account, in English, Of the
tremendous enterprise Of draining
HARLEM Lake. Mr.. Edward King
writes about Baltimore, which he styles
1.-THE Liverpool Of America" Mr..
Riding's article on "Death-Dsaling
Trades" should be read by everybody
especially the lawmakers. Dr. Hol-
lands "Story Of Sevenoaks" gives us
glimpse Of camp-life in the woods,
and shows US Mr.. Belcher as conf
Dental friend, and spectator and Jules
Verne's people keep mvoing in their
mysterious m way. DR.. Hollands Topics
are "Our Newspaper" 1.-The Over
crowded Cities" and by their Fruits !"
The Editorial Departments are unusual
ly full, and the Etchings cover more
ground than ever before
ST. NICHOLAS FOR APRIL has for one
Of its principal features an article by
Mr. Joel Stacy entitled John Spooner's
Great Human Menagerie." The man
ager Of this wonderful shew-with
generosity unusual among men Of his
profession-lets us at once into the
secrets of the exhibition, and describes
each animal 50 minutely that any half
dozen boys with enough ingenuity and
pasteboard can easily form a similar
collection for themselves.
The two serials, 1.-THE Young Sur
veyor" and eight Cousins" though
doubtless equal in popularity, are quite
unlike in character, and there is variety
enough in the April installments. For
the youthful admirers Of "The Young
Surveyor" the present chapters are
likely to make him an object Of real
sympathy His troubles increase, the
way out Of them seems involved in
great difficulties, and the mystery Of the
stolen horse is not yet solved: Miss
Alcott's heroine, on the other hand, is
just new enjoying life amazingly, with
a novel trip to China, conversations
with the Celestials. and boat-race in
which the cargo and seamanship are Of
a curious order.
We find in this number also bit Of
history concerning the famous Bun
ker-Hill Powder" an illustrated narra-
tive Of hard-fought battle with a
grizzly at uncomfortably close quarters !;
a sketch Of Pilots life, with its dan
gers and incidents and, in "The
Great Freshet, a graphic story descrip-
tive Of scenes-both comic and danger
attending the rapid rise Of a
river.
The ALDINE for April presents fea-
lures Of excellence emitting it to some
thing more than the usual attention: a
part Of them, too, in direction which
would six months ago have been some
thing Of surprise to those who had
merely known it as an admirable ex-
ponent Of art. In this issue, taking
time by the forelock in manner some-
what startling. it springs to the front,
in topics and features connected with
the Centennial, quite as much, without
doubt, to its own profit, as to the
pleasure Of its thousands of patriotic
readers. There can not be other than
a most assured sensation, in the His
torical and Centennial Romance Of the
Revolution" which it commences in
this number, under the taking name Of
1.-The Spur Of Monmouth, !" with the ad-
ditional information that it is written
by an " Ex- -Pensien-Agent," and that
the events to be portrayed have been
preserved in the memories Of eye-wit-
nesses up to certain period, and
thence conveyed by one who listened to
their narratives-the whole being, as
the writer phrases it, "from personal
relations and documents never before
made public" But the Centennial ten
dency Of The 44ldine does not end here !:
there is full-page picture Of the Bat
tie Of Lexington" capitally drawn by
John s. Davis, and showing the salient
features Of that memorable conflict, in