Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-05-08
Scribner for May.

Scribney's for May comes to US
grateful as a bunch of spring flow.
ers, and clothed In all its wonted
elegance of type and illustration
barring, of course, the monstrosity
on the cover, which is, assuredly,
of the devil, or the natural incubu
Of some artist Of conventional"
procllvities. who. after dining
heavily, has, just as naturally,
gone to sleep over the description
of the Aztec calendar stone CON-
tained in Baneroft's "Native Races
of the Pacific States" Our taste
may not be quite too awfully
aesthetic, you know, but We plume
ourselves on being able to distin-
guish "a hawk from handsaw"-
after rather minute inspection.
The likeness OF Carlyle is tim O..
ly addition to the gallery of men
of letters which this magazine has
given to US, of the friends whom,
perhaps, we may never have looked
upon-many of whom, also, we
shall never ses-but who, never
theless, are very dear to US. AS a
work of art the portrait is excel
lent, in every way; as memento
Of the greatest word master of our
day, as we'll as that of our fathers,
it should hang on tho study walls
of all who prise truly the common
mother tongue ne used so we'll.
The article accompanying the por
trait, by Eperson, Is worthy of
author and subject alike.
OF the wood cuts scattered with
liberal hand throughout the book
for each number Of Scribner's Is
a book-it is necessary only to cay
that in this branch of art America
indisputably leads the world, and
tho artists whose skill find in this
magazine q fitting field are second
to none. Would that we could say as
much for toe ''process'' illustra.
tions, certainly unworthy Of such
q theme and all devoid Of beauty
t'The Wild Sheep of the Sierra"
10 one of those delightful papers
wherein the post-soientist, John
Muir, tells US Of that nature which
he describes so we'll because he is
70 ensmored of it. 1t is marred
only by two instances of the word
making In which Mr.. Muir over
INDUCES. Our "Sierra," the
Sierra, is ill fitted by the name
"California Alps" and there is no
plural to Yosemite, for there is but
one. "Caiiiornia," by the gentle
man with the unpronounceable
name, IL an early Oh ureh legend, told
10 fair hexsmetsr verse-a verse so
difficult In our English tongue, and
of which the "Andromeda" oil
Kingsley is. perhaps, the only very
good example we have. Mr.. Gable
begins another Of his romances OF
Louisiana creole life; "Madame
Dslphinen bids fair to rival In in.
terest 1.-THE Grandissimes," book
very severely handled by critics
"to the manner born" and-may
this not be the t0uchstOne Of III
excellence Mr.. Martin loves the
very ground that DIckens's genius
trod upon, IS still another of the
lovingly replete papers entitled
"In and out of London with Dick
ems" abundantly shows. The
sketch of Artemus Ward, by Mr.
Ssitz, is more complete than any
Of the many we have seen, but viii
prove another disappointment, be-
cause Of its meagreness and abrupt
Guiding, to all lovers Of the genia
showman-and who of US 10 not hi
lover? A native Of Pitcairn.
Isand gives an account of wha
part In the world the descendants
of the famous mutineers Of tht
"Bounty" are playing; some quaint
verses make q fitting ending TO tht
very quantity written article, "Th'
sanitary condition Of New York,
10 the. first of . series OF papers o
national Importance; we commend
1t to all householders as we'll as al
munich pal bodies. "Jenny Lind
is q biography Of that charming
songstress, and true woman, writ
ten by the loving hand Of maste
of the art both love SO we'll and q
we'll interpret. Schuyler's "Pete
the G.ealn is continued Ia thi
uumbsr. Except "Calpurnia," tn
poems In this issue are not worthy
Of mention. The editor's depart
laelt Is replete with tts usual wi
and wisdom.