The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-09

plain and natural in emotion and speech. 1t is
genuine product of the Northland, OF tenn
| perate sun and austere earth. It has the un-
mistakable quality of truth, easy enough to rec
| ognize even where no opportunity exists for
| comparison OF the real scenes and people with
the fictitious. Synnove Solbakken stands clearly
before the readers fancy in all her maiden
charm and picturesque dress; and the quiet
scenes on the saeter, the rustic comedy and
tragedy of the wedding feast at Nordhong and
the grave simplicity of the meeting of the fam
lilies at the Fagerlid church, are scenes which
remain vividly in the memory of the reader.
| Synn0ve Solbakken is perfect romance for
the summer vacation; it carries the cool fresh
ness of Northern pines and the sweet breath of
hill-meadow in its pages.
The Young Nimrods of North America. By
Thomas w. Knox. (New York: Harpers;
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony A large,
fully illustrated volume of hunting adventures
of wild journeys all over the United States in
pursuit of the Maine moose, or the bear of the
far West the story told with the lively detail
and interest of traveller who has been about
the world and seen for himself all that he de-
the boys? Mr. Knox is mindful of the bad ef-
feet which many of the popular adventure sto-
res have upon their young readers; and pa
rents can be sure that his work
is free from everything Objectionable, such as
coarse expressions and lawlessness and disor-
der. Yet again, it is to be hoped that it will
not render the boys careless or cruel toward
harmless animals. To hunt tmid
deer or hare, to shoot defenceless birds
for sport is unworthy of good-hearted
and manly boy; and surely no one has the
right to give needless pain to any innocent
animal. With this much of protest and sug-
geston, we may recommend The Young MINI
rods as full of interest and practical instruc-
tion.
| A Gentleman of Leisure. By Edgar Faw-
cett. Boston; Houghton, Mifflin &, Co.. Port
land: Loring, Short Sc Harmony One of the
| 'international'' school of novels, OF which Mr..
! James may be called the originator. Add to
| this ingenious photographing, with its foreign
| focus, genuine desire to write useful as well
as clever, fction-taking away at the same
time something of Mr.. Jamess elaboration and
subtety OF art-and here is Mr.. Fawcett's
novel 1t is bright, it is readable, it has dis
tinct purpose of proving that man ought to
take lively and effective interest in affairs,
politics, society, and not stand aside with over
critical nonchalance. And one of the merits, not
the least, of the book is the authors evident plea
sure in writing it and writing it well. 1t is not
great novel, its sketches of society are slight and
not especially strong. But the whole tone of the
book is good, it is on the right side of things.
md
| The hero and heroine win the readers liking;
the minor characters are neatly touched; and
| the reader will feel glad and not sorry to have
been so pleasantly entertained for Summer
| afternoon.
The Georgians. Boston, j. R. Osgood &
! Co.; Portland: Loring, Short g. Harmony This
noyel-belonging to the Round-Robin Series.
and anonymous-is is evidently from woman's
pen, not impossibly that OF Sherwood Bonner.
1t is strong, full of fire and eager life, and
ceedingly original in design. There is rather
too prominent element of strenuous psy-
chology; and the reader, accepting the high
tone and purpose of the story, cannot but feel
that the heroines latter grief is somewhat dis
proportionate and even morbid. OF course
such novel creates much discussion, and will
be topic of talk upon piazzas, rocks and san
dy beaches this Summer.
The Tsar's Window. No Name Series. (Bos-
| ton: Roberts Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short
| & Harmony, ostensibly contains information
concerning the Russian capital and its society,
but in fact records the irresistible destinations
OF its very egotistical heroine. To the unprej-
udiced reader, Dorris-whose letters and
journal are the contents Of the volume-is
chiefly remarkable for her ingenuity in seeing
in the Tsar's Window only the reflection of her
own charms, and thus missing the unique and
noteworthy sights which daily life in Russia
must continually present to the tourist. How
ever, this is harmless story, and will pass
away few idle hours pleasantly enough
Literary Art. By John Albee. New York.
G. P. Putnam's Sons; Portland: Loring, Short
& Harmony is in dialogue form, supposed to be
the conversation of poet, painter and philoso-
pher concerning art Their counsel is dark
ened with words, diluted with inadequacy,
and occasionally spiced with coarseness The
volume does not tend to the illumination of
the subject; and is certainly not q favorable
specimen of the Literary Art it proposes to de-
fine,
The Easiest Way in Housekeeping and
Cooking. By Helen Campbell. (New York:
Fords, Howard & Hurlburt; Portland: Hoyt
Fogg g. DonhamD A remarkably complete,
useful and convenient household manual, full
of good hints concerning the comfort, health
and economy of home. Mrs. CampbelPs ex-
perience in building up schools of cookery has
shown her the existing need of more thorough
| and reasonable domestic training for women.
Accordingly, she sets forth the conditions re-
| quired for the home, good air, water and situ-
alton; she gives some elementary and practical
notes upon the chemistry of food; aud having
! thus established the foundation OF housekeep-
ing, proceeds to give various recipes for cook
| ing in such clear and minute fashion that the
inexperienced, even, need find little trouble in
| following her directions. 1t is o cookery book
worthy of place on the shelf with the indis-
pensable Marion Harland's aud Mrs. Whitney's
| manuals.
| Messrs. Porter & Coates OF Philadelphia
publish substantial 'comparative edition. OF
the New Testament, in which the authorized
version of King James and the new revised
version are printed in parallel columns on the
same page, for convenience in comparing the
former and latter translations. Portland:
Hoyt, Fogg & Donham.
Tit for Tat.
Matthew Hale Smith was writing letters to
the Boston Journal over the signature of
"Burlegh." Smith wrote detestable hand,
and Charles o. Rogers, who was then making
the Journal jump with his activity, enterprise
and liberality, was ve.y nearly his match in
this particular. One day a compositor came
down to Mr.. Rogers with some of Burleigh's
copy saying that il he had got to set that
sort of stuff they'd havo to pay him by the
hour, because he couldn't make his salt setting
it by the thousand. Rogers Immediately wrote
Burleigh note telling him that if he couldn't
&l..AL t. l.sAA \ 4