Morning journal and courier., 1880-05-19
RECENT PUBLICATIONS,

MT. H. E. Sawyer, of the State Normal 1 School at New Britain, has had published a lesson book on words and numbers for pri- mary schools. It is intended for children who know how to read simple words and should begin more serious lessons. It begins l writing and arithmetic, continues reading, I and suggests good material for oral lessons. l The value of the book, aside from it's good 1 method, consists in this, that it does not make play of what ought to be, in it's way, | honest work. It deserves the attention of
 those who have the care of the young. ''Hesperus and Other Poems" by Charles De Kay, is first volume of poems, about one-fourth of which, including the title 1 poem, have already appeared in the maga- zines. Intellectually the author is one of
 the best equipped of the younger literary I men, and in it's combination of imagination and sensibility the volume reveals an | extended range. MT. De Kay's verse reflects ! modern spirit, and he displays much originality. Among the Poems of Nature ''Poems of Other Lands, 'tAmatory Poems, :" l ''Poems Out of Town" which make up this l interesting collection, readers of widely different tastes will find not little to 1 admire. Published by Charles Scribner's l Sons, New York city, and for sale here by Judd the bookseller.
 Louisiana" by Frances Hodgson Burnett, | Is now published in book form. It is by no means as powerful a storyas ''Haworth's' or 1 ''That Lass O Lowries," but it brings out a l side of Mrs. Burnett's powers as a novelist 1 that will be new to the great majority of her 1 readers. There is something altogether novel 1 in the peculiar piquancy which she has given to the beginningof this story, and the touches l by which she has brought out the character of her heroine against background very different from the stirring scenery she has | used before. No one needs to be told, how ever, that the scene of the action-whether it is the Southern watering place in full sea- son or the bare Carolina farm house-is
 sketched with all her usual skill and pictur- esqueness; or that the local dialect does not prove a snare. The heroine is North Caro-
 lima country girl brought up without educa- ton or refined society, who finds herself at
 fashionable watering place in company with
 young lady from New York. She scarcely knows how to deport herself in the society of
 the hotel, her self-made garments are awk-
 ward, and she can say but little. The New
 York lady, who takes to her pretty face,
 dresses her in one of her own genteel cos tunes, and there is a change, which is alto gether too sudden from the ignorant country girl to a well-bred and elegant young lady.
 This change is so complete that the New York
 lady's brother, literary gentleman of decided tor ic ha1ia at from good society in the metropolis. He finds out his mistake after awhile, but is then in love with her, and in the end marries her.
 The father of the heroine is the most care fully drawn character in the book, and gives it much of it's strength. Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, and for sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.
 Those who have read ''The Honorable Miss Ferrard, by May Laffan, will welcome
 .'Christy Carew," which is from the same pen. And while they will not find the latter equal in power and interest to the former, Fit is by no means dull or devoid of strength AS one reviewer says of it ''In 1t the author exhibits the higher society of Ireland, as she did the wilder inhabitants in the former book. It abounds in sketches of character that no one not intimate with Ire land could give, and they are fresh and en- tertaining. The reader will get from it's conversations also considerable insight into Irish politics, which is more or less ques- tion of religion the attrition of Protestant and Catholic is one of the motives of the story, and the tragedy of it comes from religious prejudice" There are too many characters, and the action is somewhat too varied and confused Yet the book is well worth reading. Published by Henry Holt < Co.,, New York, and for sale in this city by H. H. Peck.
 The Magazines.
 Appleton's Journal for June has paper by Appleton Morgan, resuming the discussion he began last year on the authorship of the Shakespeare plays. MT. Morgan in this article reviews all the various theories of their authorship, and gives most graphic and striking picture of the Shakespearean period. There is the first half of novelette, by Victor Cherbuliez, entitled Herr Drommers Incon- sistencies, in which the brilliant characteris- tics of that writer appear at their best. There is another selection from Seniors Conversa- tions, giving utterances from Lamartine, Renan and others. There is a very entertain ing paper on Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy; 8 paper on Siberia, by which it appears that a punishment to Siberia is not the terrible thing it has been supposed to be. There is second paper on Health at Home from Dr. Richardson an article on Gottfried Keller, the Swiss novelist one on Dreams, which is full of strange matter; paper on Internal Machines, and the Spanish Theatre. The aaT1fs s1lIIp1 which is full of valuable and very readable .ako al