Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-21
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

Connecticut Civil Officer, edited, and fOt
 the most part newly written by William K.
 Townsend, D. c. L.. of this city. In it's in-
 ception the work of New Havener a hun
 dred years ago, since published in successive
 editions in Hartford, in different revisions
 passing through the hands of some of the
 ablest lawyers in the State, 1t has now taken
 a new form and for the most part new sub-
 stance, and with it's new name new lease of
 life. Connecticut law books are few. There
 are not lawyers enough in the State to make
 their production profitable. Judge Reeve,
 anciently of Litchfeld Law school, pub
 lished Reeves Domestic Relations for the
 nation. ''Swift's Digest" by Judge Swift,
 of the same school, was made for this State,
 and in its time constituted law library in
 itself, and the latest edition, now about thirty
 years old, was edited by Prof. Henry Dutton
 of Yale Law school ''Swift's Digest" &.
 E. Baldwin's Digest of thesConnecticut Re-
 ports,'' the reports themselves and the stat
 utes, John l. Beach's ttJoint Stock Act" and
 'eThe Practice Book now constitute the list
 of law books peculiar to this State, to which
 'The New Connecticut Civil Officer" will be
 most welcome addition, especially as
 ''Swift's Digest" is fast becoming obsolete.
 After careful study of the publishers ad-
 vertisement, preface, table of contents and
 index, and perusal of several pages of the
 book, we have reached the following conclu-
 sions Part I. is especially useful to lawyers
 and to all those who to understand the sci
 enee of pleading in civil actions. Part IT. must
 -l11.. h.
 needs to have or know regarding his duties.
 Part III. will become more than ever ipdis-
 pensable for constables and sheriffs. Part
 ". will need to be carefully studied by se- lectmen, owners of prospective highways and
 those interested in the new pauper laws. The
 pages on fees and costs are the most interest
 ing of the whole work to everyone who ex-
 poets ever to sue or be sued. Wills, Exec
 utors and Trustees" should Le mastered by every man who hopes to have property to leave or possesses sufficient character to have trust reposed in him, while Practical
 Forms" as far as they go, sup ply long felt want Practical forms will be used at some time by every person in the community. The difficulty in the larger form books is, that protesting to be adapted for all the States they are generally conformed to the practice in the larger ones, are very diffuse, and one can seldom select or adapt the one needed for his purpose As these are short and in- tended to be used in this State one cannot well go amiss in using them. Of course a large part of the book has reference to prac- tice in suits at law and is therefore mainly valuable to lawyers and office holders. But other large parts of it contain what ought to be known by every citizen, and these parts are clear and intelligible. About two thirds of the book is new, and this will be decided recommendation. The result seems to far surpass what could reasonably be expected from what, a year ago, was only promised as meet with more general favor and larger sale than ever before. Published by Brown & Gross, Hartford, and for sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.
 In the North American Reoieao for April there is notable article by Judge A. W. Tourgee in which the civil service reformers are told that their schemes of reform are in- compatible with American ideas of self gov ernment, and on divers other grounds inad- missible and impracticable. The same num- Der of the Reoieao contains, under the title, 'sThe Thing that Might Be- profoundly study of the laws and condi- tions of human progress, by the Rev. Mark Pattison, rector of Lincoln col IeQ0, OX1Oru. 1u0 tuIo ol uASAo ID strong defense of the Roman Cath olic side of the controversy about religion in the public schools, from the pen of Bishop McOuaid, of Rochester. The great problem of the governmental control of monopohes is discussed with reference to railroad manage ment by the Hon. Ticknor Curtis The same problem, in it's bearing upon telegraph lines, is ably discussed by the Hon. Wm. M. Springer. Mr. John Fiske has an article on the Historic Genesis of Professionalism, and Mr. Anthony Trollope an essay on the poet Longfellow.
 The Atlantic for April has an interesting table of contents. Prominent in interest and value is Prof. John Fiske's paper on Aryan etymology. William M Rosseti concludes his series about the wives of poets in this pa per, writing of Mrs. Burns, Mrs. Words worth, Mrs. Coleridge, Mrs Landon, Lady Byron, Mrs. Shelly, Mrs. Hood and Mrs. Poe Altogether he has named thlrty-six wives of poets and he finds that in most cases they were reasonably happy in their marriages Julius H. Ward discusses sgThe New Sun- day'' from liberal standpoint. chapter is given from Parton's forthcoming fife of Voltaire. and Richard Grant White writes of British Philistines. The stories by MT. James and Miss Philips progress, Major Poore continues his entertaining reminiscent ces of life at Washington in the ante-rebel- lion days, aud there are several book reviews, verses and sketches.
 ,Scrf6ner's for April is a frst-class number. The illustrated articles are Marine Forms as Applicable to Decoration" by James c. Beard Father Hyacinthe," by Rt. Rev. William CrosweI Doane; "A Georgia Plan tation," by David O. Barrow, jr.; Running the Rapids of the Upper Hudson," by Charles H. Farnham; "'The Kings Jester" by Frank B Mayer; s'New York Attic and by William H. Rideing; 'The Calhoun Summer Home," by Ernest Inger- soil: Part VI. of sePeter the Great as Ruler and Reformer," by Eugene Schuyler ssGreek Terra Cottas from Tanagra and Elsewhere" by Edward Strahan; "The Greatest Active Volcano" by Constance F. Gordon Cumming; and 'sWood-Engraving and the Sc7Ibner Prizes." Other articles are Part VI of Notes of a Walker" by John the conclusion of "A Far Bar barian. " by Frances Hodgson Burnett; "A Freak of Fate," by Anna Eichberg; 'Ele, Instruction in the Mechanic Arts, by Edward Atkinson; and "The shoppers Rebellion" by Charles Barnard. There IS poetry by Mary Ainge De We're, Richard Watson Glider, Ralph Stoddard Dewey and William NJ. Briggs. The editorial depart ments are, as usual, very entertaining.
 ..Belles and Ringers, by Hawley Smart, author of 'sBreezie Langton, is aninteresting English story. The characters are cleverly managed and the scenes are of English coun- try life among rather fast set of young men and women. Published by J. B. Lippincott & Co.,, of Philadelphia, and for sale in this city by Judd the bookseller.