New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-12
SOME CHRISTMAS BOOKS.
THE YOING FOLKS BUDGET.

in this Christmas loving land, and he long SINCE
learned that full pack of holiday books helps nm
ont of many perplcXitics over the needs oil ms
young friends. Authors and artists strive eqnalN
10 meet the growing demand for fresh DOCKS LOT
children But the artists seem 10 have the most
success probably because they found Their side oil
the field in neglect and almost virgin soil, wmic
the authors are mostly cleaners of the unknown
minds that reaped the golden harvest for III 'i'o
qualities that appeal most strongly 10 young MINUS
the Oldest children's literature, in large sense r.
mains the best. Ii is hard from the young lo'Ns
pont of view not to envy the children that learned
the old nursery rhymes from their lncthers "lV"'''
the aid Of n hook and that looked mp TO 6rceN
Roman SAXON or Morse grandmother rs the oracle
of wonderland adventure and hcrolsm. In THESE
DAYS prandnotheI's mind is relieved OF us
great Office by the primer and the DOOR INC
stories are illustrated by the artists pencil lhs'ean
Of b. the play OF her changing fancy. Childreh 'ie
stimulated by their own mental processes more
than by the music and pathos OF her voice ana tAe
varied and kindly expression of her couhtchahte'
Bat tho Mother goose melodies, the giant S'orieS
and the other folklore that grew so naturally lc
tain IN the printed page most of their naturai
charm. TIE chidren's magazines are opening up
new field in literature for the young ana c''N'r
writers WHO are abic to impart faucitu color ana
and girls.
=, r.s,,e.t 70 neatness and artistic merit no
,.,,,tl,s rco Of the season surpassos The Noolng
of tbc Watcr-Nitch" HIcmy Holt x Co.. Inc
Illustrations aIe from the fanciful pencil oil NJ
Moyr smith, and text and pictures combine IN
way that proves botl to he the work o. the same
mind Tie artists preyious book the Prince OF
Arsolis" Greek fairy story. was beautlini
niece of work The "Natcr-Nitch is even inner
with regard TO the illustrations. winch conoihe
,ure ant erotcsQucness. .aniful INVENTION ana
humorous caricatulcS. They tell story III theih-
solves that viii delight anyone young or oid' Ih'S
j. fortunate because the text unlike the clear ana
witty stcr, Of the Prince of Argolls is too heavily
veirhtcd with political satire and terms OF double
meaning 10 be wholly understood except by
,,st,r, mind convorsaut with English politics.
The ouaint fairy story Ghch the author evidently
intended should lie on the surface Is appar' III
enough in the - remarkable pictures, hut the tcNt
is continually running INFO deep water Inc story
Is called q Northern odGity. and puIports to he a
Nnrse levend. or som, thing more iancnu. recovered
from Runis manuscript found at Orkney. lac
soiIe of thc first page Of TIE manGscilpt Is gwen
and nothing coud be finer III the way OF the
mock antique than the two portraits OF GIiheiD
laughing at each other. Ihr an lent artist Is sup
,,o.ed 20 have drawn one, and then written, ms
other poItrait and then wrote THIS is GIngab
better done" Il so happens that these portraits are
clever caricatures Of the Earl of B'aconscld, anu
th,t the faricaturc runs through the whole book.
b.inr most pGuant in the illustrations. I'm The
foyt Gringab is described " the eloquent one
who's. words were many. bat not always trne; ana
again the gifts of GTinsab Were eIoqucnce ana
uus,; for he could lie so like rnth that no man nor
woman could tell whether the matter whereof he
smoke WAS Of reality or from the fumes OF his own
imaginatlon. He a cOincr, too, or strange
epjthet, a saver of sudden things In the pursuit
of tic watersitch he proves deceittnl TO the
Prince and sclf-seoking. His companion. Suekard'
would seem TO be intended for Mr.. Gladstone, ex-
cent that the present Prem ier's features are not
caricatured as a rule though they do appear IN
enc o, the craven dogs on the throne of Sccstn
KIM Of the Syrwinkumtots. The other dog has
p.r,cli', head and the King on the throne IS John
Bull himself.
4 romantic story-book OF fine quality is The
Mech lace of Princess Fiormondc' and other stories,
by Mary dc Morgan Macmillan Il Coz. Mr. Walter
francs Illustrations are we'll suited TO the refined
and simple language of the stories, AMI lend AN ar
of reality to witchcraft and Old-fasoned romance
The necklace in the first tale WAS gwen TO the
vain Princess by witch, and had the property OF
making her look beautiful. Also, when shltor
for her hand arrived at court she would "lckediy
ask blm to take the cord from her neck but so soon
rs his fingers clasped it, be turned into pead upon
il so in a short time she hal necklace OF lovers
and her maid Yolande got on the string by acci-
dent Nv and by a Prince arrived who told Fior
monde he knew more beautiful Princess than she.
He showed her a necklace of acornS and haws, and
She thinking if was also charmed and had been
the cause OF the other princesSs beauty was willing
"a exchange Bat when she claspcd her fingers
round her necklace to take 1t OF, she also dlSap-
ncored and the lovers were liberated. There are
five other stories in the book cleverly conceived
and pleasantly told
"Stories of the Sea- told by Sailors" Roberts
BROTHERS,. were written by the Rev. Edward
Everett Hale to prove that the history OF real ad'
ventu1cs told as nearly as possible III the language
of the historical persons that underwent thell'
could be made fascinating for BOYS as the cheap
and vicious adventures dctaIlcd IN the boys hIoIy
papels This is the second volume, the hrst Delhs
{" Stories OF War. told by Soldiers" volume OF
discovery and another of adventure VIII compete
the series as at first conceived. Inc NoiuhcS W.
,eaav nublished Justify Mr. Hale's prophecy with
regard to toe wisdom of the plan aud ITS iascihat
;po results But it is expecting a good deal OF
Young human nature to suppose thal the HaNoi Oh
such choice extracts will impel many children as
the author hopes to become original seekers after
sucb stories among the cumbersome literature oil
history. They Will gladly read all Mr. Hale pre-
mares for them, and will be TIA" better for IT, but
most BOYS catch taste for trashy stories as they
catch the measles and the disease usually runs its
brief course plenty of such books as MIR. Hale
has uade for "a model would lessen the exposure to
the disease In this volume the stories OF Column
bus's frs: voyage the Spanish Armada Alexander
sclkiIk, the buccaneers, Paul Jones ana hlcharu
al
Pitcairn's Island. and others arc admirably told
The sea stories of W. II. G. Kingston have been
brought TO an abrupt end by the death Of the
author and Shore aud Ocean, or the Heir OF XII
finnano "A. G. Armstrong d COD and Roger VIII
IouQhby. or the Times Of Bonbow" James Nisbct
a. CO. London), arc the last of the series 1t is
impossible To regard these books with much favor.