The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-03-15
SATURDAY MORNING. MARCH rs.

In thesa neoas Mr. Freedleys remarks on
Trade Unions are worth reading. He greatly
apnrec;ates the worth of advertising, and the
desirability of securing the best medium for it.
He prefers the newspaper to bills or posters,
but fails to enlarge upon this point so much as
popular experience would justify him in doing.
There is perhaps, no way in which dealer can
more thoroughly prejudice housekeepers
against his wares his shop and himself, than
by the intrusive system of handful advertising
Mr.. Freedey's work is to be followed by simi-
lar volumes from other authors, the whole to
form the Business Library Series. Print, pap |
or and binding are suitable and tasteful. |
philadelphia Claxton Remsep, and Haffel |
finger; Portland Bailey & Noyes.)
Messrs Appleton of New York, portland:
Dresser & McLsllan) publish 10 their Handy
Volume Series, sketch by Mr.. Alfred ii.
Guernsey, of Thomas Carlyle, his Life, his
Books, his Theories. MIR. Guernsey supplies
the narrative of principal points of Mr. Car
lyle's history, with some discriminating and
we'll written comments. Fur the rest, the vol
ume is made up of many and characteristic
quotations from Carlyle's writings.
Fairy Tales; their Origin and Meaning, by
John Tbackry Bunce. New York: Appleton
& Co; Portland: Dresser & McLellaD) is
charmingly written group of lectures upon fairy
lore, delivered in the Christmas holidays to
youthful audience. 1t must have been
dainty diversion of Twelfth Night, TO see thu
young eyes brighten at the names of nursery
heroes and heroines and to lecture upon fairies
to tiny folk, But alas, and yet again, alas,
the myth of the Sun and Dawn, like great
giant CONT out and swallows Jack and his
Besnstalk, and demolishes Blue Beard more
effectually than the swords of the avenging
brothers, and brushes Cinderellas glass slipper
(which already some critic has told US was OF
"vail" the fur of heraldry) Alas for the fairy
folks when the Sun myth came to the fore.
poor children small
That could with him grapple;
So at sup he ale them up
As one would eat an apple.
And so farewell to all sweetly told tales, and
what have we left? Why. Day and Night,
Dawn and Twilight, and no stories for telling
in the dusk, or dreaming in night, or acting
over again in the daytime. Comparative
Mythology is one of the most fascinating OF
the departments of Literature; but it is also apt
to delude the student. What Of history, of poe'-
~, of daily life is there that does not repeat
itself frequently? 1t would be much more
strange if different nations had opposite sys-
TENS of legend and myth than that these
should have many points of contact. The
PRESS too can make its myth of the dawn:
How that the nights darkness of old faith in
ghost and goblin was lit by lovely stars Of
fair ord han 40 no
half dark, half bright, who shoots his arrows
dipped in the poison of ink, and destroys the
little stars. And now, in the day, we must
look down into well if we want to see the
stars at all. All the same, whether he save or
STAY the oldtime fairies. Mr.. Bunce's literary
style is artistic and graceful and he under
stands how to write for little hearers and read
ers He possesses the rare art of telling q
wonder-story well.
Miss Alcotts Under the Llacs Boston: Rob-
erts Bros Portland: Lorng, Short & Harmony
has appeared as serial in st. Nicholas, the
peerless friend OF little readers. Miss Alcott's
pecularities of style are less marked in the
present story than in most of her former work
while the essential quality of her writing, the
brightness, freshness, naturalness and honesty
are here in full measure. Boys and girls aliks
will enjoy Uader the Lilacs-the strayed circus
boy with his faithful dog; the delightful play
of Bah and Betty, with dolls and bows and ar
rows; Miss Celia and her pet horse, Lits; and
many another pleasant acquaintance wait in.
PRODUCTION to young readers. A fault 10 tht
story is, however, where Celia and Tborny sus
pect Ben of theft Both the suspicion aud the
acquittal are too lightly made; the first much
too readily, the other too carelessly and with
out enough thought of the suffering caused to
an innocent boy. As Ben says, very acutely
at the circus "they weren't SO kind to me, but
they trusted me, and knew I wouldn't steal 9
cent" But this uncomfortable ripple in tn,
course of the story is soon forgotten in the in
terest and pleasure of the succeeding pages
The Dsturbin Element d.. Appleton
Co.: New York Portland: Dresser & Mcclellan
Is written by Miss Yonge, in her usual unexcii
ing and slightly excited style. There is an Ell
oqueuce of too much strong tea about the story
The usual angel in the house with the inevita
BILE cracked spinal column-without which
would seem that no one according to the au
thoress, is qualified to instruct the young
gathers group of girls about her for cours
of somewhat dismal systematic study. Th
sources son, a German tutor and several othe
young men of mild manners are the disturbin
element, and divert the young ladies' thought
from the serious realities of lessons to the fri,
olities Of domestic cares and housekeeping
Excellent as is the aim, and wel.mannered 8
is the execution of Miss Yonge's works, tn
moral sentlmentality and narrowness of ides
and went Of dramatic sense make her stories
little comic to the lively, positive mind {
Young America,
Books Received.
Historical Poems. By Samuel G. Moore Clot
So pp., 81. Portland: Dresser, Mcclellan & Co.
Modern France. By George M. Towle. Pape
az o. Ne York 4, Rrof haI