Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-01-12
gittrarg alutts.

ZELLs ENcYcLoPEDA parts % to 30 inclusive Of the
and revised edition have been received. The orig
inal work in two large quArto volumes of 1876 and
ll52 pages each three columns to the page in fine but
coal print. During Of 1t for four years,
part Of which time had some of Appleton's new
Cyclopedias, our appreciation Of its value has
been steadily increasing, is so convenient for
We have found a few inaccuracies, the date of Hugh
Millers DEATH 1855 instead of 1856, and some Others
There is an unevennoss in the articles; too
long, others too short but that is unavoidable and is
true of any other Cyclopedia of this. We think in
some Of his illustrations Mr. Zell was not very happy
especially tho personal lkenesscs the Of Miller is
in of his authorized works and Prescott s. the his
toran is unlike that to he found his biography But
these minor defects and impair but little the value
of the volumes. We have compa red few articles with
the corresponding In Appletons great work, and
for most purposes the information compressed in Zes
is almost valuable. In tho biographical sketches,
the estimates of personal character position and
vices in harmony with the minutely detailed and
elaborately drawn portrait found in the works Of
Maclulay, Alison, Milmsn, Froude, Freeman, Hallam
and others For instance, we took special pains to
compare the Cycopeda's article the Duke Of MARI
borough with what is said Of him in Hallams COnsti-
tutional History Of England and ere greatly pleased
with the result, for Hallam has been uniformly
garded, suppose, as painstaking, accurate ana
judiciOus writer. The specialist, any department,
would need the extended and incomparably valuable
Appleton's Cycopedia, but specialists few. Be-
sides, many cannot afford Appleton s. is expensive,
and we hope they will find in Zel's "multum in par
vo" which they purchase and appreciate.
The revision consists, so far have discovered,
chiefly in additional matter at the end of each letter
Thus at the close of &C." we have half a dozen pages
Of Of nfs
that on Germany for instance, giving an account of
that empire 1t Is to-day with the name, size popu
aton, etc. of each of the original states tended
article the Grapevine disease the civil, military,
financial and economical condition of Great Britain
revealed by the last census another Gunyot the
eminent geOgrapher, as well as on Gambetta, the
promising young French statesman, and brief notice
of the late accomplished but dissipatcd pianist Cots
chalk. Tho date Of persons death has been added to
the original article, noticed in tho sketch Of
Guzot, of greatly enhancing tho value OF the
work. Some excellent maps are addod-these four
numbers contain maps Of tho United states and tho
Chinese Empire, and they excellent ones, finely
engraved cOlOred ard very distinct We notice that
under the letter | two articles Of great value,
one on the He'll Gate removal, work recently
crowned with such success and the other the Hoo
Tunnel both illustrated with great accuracy and
cicarness. Our granger Friends will like 1t tn
less that II contains notice of the Patrons Of Hus
bandry. The additions to the frs volume bring 1t up
to 1873 pages.
HARPER's MAGAZINE for the current month has been
before for time aud Is fine NUN ber 1t seems
to that this is the Ost tho monthlies II Ii
always good it has not spurts Of extra goodness fol-
lowed by three or four inferior issues This number
opens with paper Contempt rary Art in England,
with Illustrations, among which Edward Armitago's
"Esther's Banquet" J. q. Hork's "Lun boy, Luf I"
Thomas Taed's "The Mtheress BARN." and Miss Eliz
abeth Thompson's "Mssing" are the finest, and Mis
| Thompson and Holman Hunts portraits please US
most. We learn that Miss Thompson's fame was made
early in hfe-she is only thirtytwo-by the Prince Of
Wales taking fancy to Of hor pictures. 1t is graf
flying 10 he tsd that the English people prefer domos
tic to the waIike fancy ske tches, also tina
there many artists and so many W no patroniE
them among all classes. The abominablo premium
chromos for religious and other papers have done n
little harm to the culture Of art among US Then fol
lows paper on the Good old Times Plymouth, rich
ly illustrated; Brewsers House and Chair; Brndfor
Monument the old Pre- sidents Chair, Of whose hsto
| ry Holmes has given ludcrous account Pere
| grne Whites cradle, Capt Miles Standish house an
kitchen, hownd, gun, table, etc. An other illustrates
article Is the Magdalen Islands, with map and local
ties well represeHtedi followed by brief one, wit
portrait on Felclen David, besides many other art
cleS. capital Sketcn ul femlnscencos OF
and Julian Hawthornes "Garth," and tho "Woma
Ilater," are continued There is a humorous poem
with illustrations, entitled "The old Deacon's Lament.
One Of the poems "In the Garden" Is fair but ther
are four lines which mako 1t grand they are these
"Does the wave recall that 1t f5anod before,
In its foOd.tide throb on the waiting Shore
"But raised her clear Dyes, that lght see
My heaven in their loving trust In me-
Let those who can give such lines to our contempt
raIy literature, write poetry.
SCRIRNERs MONTHLY has just come and Is Of II
most superb issues Of the periodical press have
1t Is more rich and sumptuous in appearance tina
IIarpoTs. It's illustrations unsurpassed In this
any other land as wood cuts we 90 not how the
could be made better. Hannah Hudson opens with
poem which reminds us Of DR.. Hollands style al
thought in Kathrina which Is followed by beautiful
illustrated ono "Norway and the Norsem en-" full
interest with an admirable medallion portrait Of Kin
Oscar, Second Clarence Cook tells Of "Beds and 7
, bos," in his charming and successful manners viii
Mrs IIerTick gives a charming chapter Ferns al
Liverworts which we commend 10 all "Fern Hunter
in Vermont, Charles Barnard has chapter 4
English Workingman's Homo, giving accounts chie
Of tho homes in that part Of London known Shalt'
bury Park" 1t is subject of FIRST Importance TO eve
town city in America, for ono Of the problems OF
metropolitan life is to provide suitable cheap but ~
stantial tonements for workngmen. In no village ha
d that problem better solved with neaer heal
G. ier, hOmelike houses. than those Of the Fa
10 bankses' In this place. We have seon In some of
manufacturing towns of Massach usetts abomnatlC
almost without number called factory tenement
Tho fashionable silhouette finds full scope in "Pa
IIoorn's Tulip" and it is surprising hsw much tn
black outlines be made to utter. OF course
readers will turn to DIR. Hollands story, "Ncho
Minturn," Of the first things, the third chap
opens this months installmeRt OF the poems we tn
Dr. Hollands "To Miss ID, in her Album" and one
II. H., "a Dream" will bo accepted az the most Nc
- worthy. There Is another prose article which
mend to religious people, "What our Churches
u.s." for its facts figures, and above all the thing
suggests.
ST, NICHOLAS, for January, Is magnificent open
with Mnuot, poem, and fulpage illustration,
ital thing for little girls Then comes letter
young Naturalist Russian story with suitable II
trations, Budges Centennial, by the inimitAble aul
Of IIelsn's Babies hne chapter on Stars for Janu
by that unTvalled expert In celestial knowledge, II
ard Proctor with such full and accurate ilustrat
that child Of ordinary intelligence can learn
geography Of the heayeAs" unaidod TroWbrd
story for boys-and what "bad bOy' or goo d one oil
but knows TTOwbrdge-lIis own Master, goes thro
three OF four chapters, all Of which, the fortunate
who have ST. Nicholas, will 20 through with a
Lucy Larcom has a weird poem, King Lonesome,
a nursery song on ", whose musical "ding dong'