The Portland daily press., 1880-08-07
SATURDAY MORNING, AUGUST Z.

while he very greatly appreciates the exquis-
lite and immortal beauty of artistic things
which they have rescued and revived from
dusky forgetfulness. In his comedy called
Heather" he mades this distinction very
clearly and with rare charm of design and
language. This one is by far the best of these
dainty advertisements Apples is a pretty So
cial play Firefies has not sufficient motive
and is too sentimental, though it contains
some picturesque touches. Picking up the
Pieces is an amusing and lively society sketch.
Halfway to Already is halfway between poe
try and comedy, and never quite reaches
either. Mabels Holy Day is scene from the
life of an actress, but strange to say, would not
be effective acted. Indeed, here is the want in
Mr.. Sturgis's little comedies-the best of them
read better than they would play. The finest
quality of his talent is purely literary; it is
distinct, original and poetic; it was effective
in his novels, John-a- Dreams "a finely imag-
ined title, by the way, and good name is a
good thing for man or book and in his Ac-
complished Gentlemen. The comedies of his
that would succeed best when acted are pre-
cisely those little society scenes that have least
of the essence of Mr.. Sturgis's talent and
which he probably-and rightly-would value
far below such an exquisite prose poem as
his Heather.
The Tragedy of the Unexpected and Other
Stories. By Nora Perry Boston: Houghton,
Miffiin Co.; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony is volume of bright, fresh and
graceful stories-such charming prose as Miss
Perrys poetry would lead one to expect from
ner-and eminently suited for summer reading.
Miss Ferry is fortunate in striking a good key
for her stories, she ''tunes us the sttar neither
low nor high;' but devises enough plot and
gives enough movement to make them inter.
estng and sparkling; while she perfectly COM
prehends the limits of such stories and errs
neither by desire for oyer-much intensity or by
trifiing too long with nothings. The Ira gedy
OF the Unexpected IS both ingenious and strik.
ing in design. Mrs. Stanhope's Last ledger
Is charming story; Our Iceman is entertain
ing, improbable. but whoesomely republican
in tone. In the Red Room has some modern
dtdbterte in it-permissible for that the scene
Is laid in an ancestral mansion where ghosts of
former ungodly owners have a mortmain right
OF way. my Mamie o" is pathetic little
idyl of eighty years agone, in times of furbelow
and fan. Miss Perry is to be congratulated
that she 80 easily transfers her bright and sure
touch from her verse to her prose writings.
Picturesque Maine. With Descriptions bv
M. +. Sweetser. portland: Chisholm Broth
ers) This attractive volume deserves com.
mendation for the very elegant manner in
which it is printed and bound, as we'll as for
its heliotype illustrations, and the spirited and
reliable descriptive text 1t is q credit to
Portland bookmaking. The picturesque beau
ty OF Maine-constantly remarked by stran-
gers and beloved by the people of our State
cannot be too strongly set forth The sharp
sudden curves OF the coast, the fine promonto-
ries crowned with pines, and the deep inlets
which resemble the fiords of Norway, he love-
~ harbor OF Portland which travellers liken to
the Bay of Naples the islands that dot the
sea, the long slopes of the Oxford hills Katah-
din standing above the lakes, the great north
ern forests-whatever is desirable in nature
may be found in Maine Mr.. Sweetser's de-
scriptions are full. suitable and agreeable land
the heliotype engravings transfer to the pages
OF this guidebook some notable points of Maine
scenery. The volume is for sale by all Port
land booksellers
Messrs. Chisholm also publish guide to the
White Mountains, which contains full infor-
nation concerning that region, a map of the
mountains and numerous woodcuts The au-
thor, whoever he is, is greatly given to the
over-use of good language, and some of his
reportorial feats are fairly comic in their am
bilious exercises. But in the presence of noun
tains, even Worcesters Unabridged seems
dwarfed, and our authors vocabulary evident
ly tried to "grow up with the country" But his
aerial flights are not harmful, and he frequent
ly descends to facts, on which terra frma he is
knowing, reliable and ready to give much use
ful KNOWLEDGE