New-York tribune., 1881-12-16
MRS RoTTA's POEMS.

earneStncss of the little eegy On the Death oI du
Infant" Then, again. all the volume Is fr'St WIN
healthy literary aroma. The bOok-lover Will here
recognize real lover of books. 1t has often been
printed but we are tempted TO print again the poem
entitled In the Library:
Speak low-tread softly through these halls;
Here genius lives enshrined,-
Here reign, N silent majesty
The monarchs of the mind.
mighty spirit host they come
From every age and cline;
Above the buried wrecks of years,
They breast the tide of Time.
And in their presence-chamber here,
They hold their regal state,
And round them throng noble train,
The gifted and the great.
Oh. child of earth, when round thy path
The storms of life arise,
And when thy brothers pass thee by,
With stern, Unlovlng eyes,
Here shall the Poets chant for thee
Their sweetest, loftiest lays;
And PTo.hets wait To glide thy steps
In wisdom's pleasant ways.
Come, with these God-anointed kings,
Be thou companion here,
And in the mighty realm OF mind,
Thou shalt go forth peer.
The poem on Books" is in a higher vein. and
exhibits the same affection in somewhat lOftIer
mood Many volumes of fugitive poetry are pub
hshed we regret to say, which are equally unwor-
thy of praise or censure, or indeed of any notice
whatsoever But nobody of competent Judgment
can look for a moment into Mrs. BOtta's volume
without discovering that she a woman of refined
taste, of careful literary habits, and OF poetlcal
nature without hnpossi bic aspirations or unrcason-
able ambitions. She has earned her excellent lit
erary reputation, and she deserves 1t.
ETUDEs IN MODERN FRENCH ART. BY EDWARD
STRAHAE. illustrated Richard WorthingtOn.
Mr. Earl Shnn, one of the few American writers
outside of the comic ranks who is known, as far as
he is known at ALL by his de plane has prepared
for the holidays book in which much knowledge
of the gossip of modern art much delieacy of per-
ception and much sympathy of a cynical sort, with
what is most frivolous III the studios Of to-day.
set forth in a labOred, affected and clOying style
which the reader is obliged to take in small dose.
This style Is very well suited therefore, to book
TO which the publisher has given shape that
makes long reading in it difficult If not impossible;
small folio printed cardboard paper, and
bound in a light but snowy binding, which makes
it necessary to handle it with to avoid defacug
it, This binding is spoken of IN the Introductory
note a novelty, but it can only be a novelty 10
those who have never seen anything hike it before
Whoever is familiar with the counters of our large
book importing houses must at once recognize this
style of binding as an old acquaintance. Only 1t
happens that this particular example is merely
cheap substitute for the real thing. What ia the
original is real parchment vellum inlaid with
lnent paper which patterns have been applied in
colOred papers and the whole ornamented with tool
ing in gold. The result is not really handsome; it
is only chcaply snowy, and. unfortunately, III our
day, what is cheaply shOwy is no novelty.
We must mildly object to the statement of the title
page that the illustrations contained in this book
are India proofs" Five of the ten simply steel
plates old friends that have seen service, aud
which are printed on tinted paper to give them
back of the s0ftness of which their labors in
the public behalf have robbed theM The chapter
OF five pages in which, under the heading of Modern
French Sculpture we are given account Of three
soulptOrs two of whom nobOdIes, by the authors
own showing not worth writing about at ALL and the
third, NJ Carrier Bellevue is only very skilful
maker of the better sort Of mantep or drawing
room figures in which the Paris of day is so clever
and so prolific The illustration which this chap
ter contains beside the two printed plates is
q sipplcd steel plate, such accustomed to
associate with The Art Journal of old tunes,
group by NJ. Carrier Belleuzc, in which there is
positively nothing to deserve study. And, as for
the remaining four plates, they are merely repro
ductions by photo gravure, or some one of the
myriad patent processes of the day. of pictures and
rngravings which have had their day and do not de-
serve to be rauscitated. Mr.. Tissot perhaps, will
bear looking at again in hls early Faust and Mar
guerite," but why should we be asked to hook at
Leon-y -Escosura, NJ. dc Mazerolles, or NJ. Lecomte
iu NOuyH The object of illustrations in such a
book as this should be TO make acquainted with
masterpieces. not to fob us off with cheap
reproduction of the works of deservedly forgotten
men. AS for the remaining illustrations in the book
they are nothing but poorly printed process draw
ings of q kind with which we are in these days be-
coming wearisomely familiar. There is much lnfor
nation of the gossppy sort in Mr.. Shinns text, and
a familiarity shown with the lives and dOmgs OF
modern French artists such as Is possessed by
few Americans-thOugh whether II IS allowable TO
dignity such tell tale stuff this by the title OF
Etudes may reasonably be open 10 doubt, Con-
fused by the scintilatng rattle of Mr.. Shinns para
graphs we lose sight Of the nam subject and close
his book with feeling such as often has after
looking at strcet-full of shop windows at Christmas
tme-we have seen everything and remember
nothing.
YoUR MISSION. BY ELLEN NJ. II. GATES. Illustrated
Ly r. 5. Church, W. st. John Harper and j. W.
Alexander. Svo. @. =. Putnams Sons
To those whom fate has led into the commonplace
AWAY from the high heroic" ways of life this
thoughtful poem is addressed. II you cannot gal
lantly weather the storm the great sea, sings the
author, you can help the sailors as they launch
their boats; if you cannot climb the solemn
mountain heights you can chant in the valley
happy measure to the travellers ascending
Though they may forgot the singer
They Will not forget the song.
IL in the fire and smoke of battle there Is no place
for you
When the battlefield is sieHt,
You can 20 with careful tread,
You can bear away the wounded;
You can cover up the dead.
Thus comfortingly runs the little poem, which
has made it's way in song over two hemi-
spheres, bearing everywhere a message of cour-
age and cheer to men and women whose hearts
are low, whose wills are broken under the
tnfth thod dnIl nf axigtaOca q" If all the