Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-16
THE BOOK TABLE.
FEUILLETs NovELs-ELAINE GooDALE's
JOURNAL BOOK FOR BOYS.
Music-our walls-Woman's Handiwork
at Home-A Work for the House
hold-Feediag the Baby.

''Woman's Handiwork in Modern Homes,
by Constance Cary Harrison. Charles Serb
ner's Sons New York; A. l.. Bancroft q 70,
San Francisco. A very attractive book,
beautifully illustrated, brilliant in celors and
rare plates. It is a work we can com
mend, for it is en- aid to those
whose tastes incline 60 the decoration OF
the home. To such it viii prove helpful, sng
gestive, and In every way valuable. Ihere
are few books, by the way. which, do more
credit to publishers than this handsome Foi-
ume The author writes with iree nane, III
unmistakable language and WIN STRIKING
SIMPLICITY. The work is divided into three
,.arts~"Of Fnbroidery." 'Of Brush and
Pjqrnept. and = OF Modern Homes" In the
fra She treats of the rules governing decor
stive art. appropriateness, and color, design,
stiichss-ancient and modern, textiles used,
treneferrinC crewels and silks, frames, APP
niiane. ou5line work, treatment Of finished
embroideries. drawn work-old and new,
opus araneun, or spider work. cut work,
macrame lace, and point and pillow laces. In
part second she treats of all kinds of decora-
tive painting, Of colors, oils, brushes, silk,
linen, China and fan painting, etc. In part
third she takes up the decoration of the
home in hoor wall and shelf wood carving,
screens, portieres, mantels, piano drapery,
door decoration, curtains, Japanese art, en-
broidered draperies, drawing-room chairs,
teacup time decorations of the dinner table,
ETC. There is, of course, much TO be said
about the modern rage for decorative art in
our homes, and unquestionably it is being
carried to the extreme, but the author of the
book in hand treats Of things as she finds
best, and points out the true rules
which should govern in the exercise
of judgment in adjoining the home, while by
a multitude of examples she shows where
tasteful decoration begins and ends In the
section devoted to the work of the needle she
Is exceedingly explicit, and illustrates her
text with very many diagrams.
Journal of a Farmers Daughter" by
Elaine Goedale New York G.. Z. Put
MANS Sons. San Francisco: A. L. Bancroft
& Co. Elaine Goodale will be remembered
as one OF the authors Of Apple Blossoms, .
as one of two sisters whose simple, pure
and touching poetry has won for. them
wide reputation. They became known
as writers when but very little
girls, and we cannot bear to think OF them as
more than that now. We do not feel that
Miss Elaine has added to the laurels already
won, by the production of this journal.
True, it is Just as pure and simple and trust
full and loving as her previous works; but
there is something about it that impresses
one with the idea that this journal was pre-
pared for print. It lacks the freshness of her
poems it lacks the clearness of her poetic
expressions. It is almost marvellous to note
how well these sisters use words how the
choicest come at their bidding; how under
their pens they are marshaled in the most
beauteous order. Elaine seems TO possess this
gift in even greater degree than her sister,
and this "iournal" is brilliant example
of this wonderful fertility of language. But
there is, as we said in the outset, some re-
straint about this journal, and we can ex-
plain it only by pointing out that it seems
too mature, too advanced too profound, to
be the work of one we have loved to think of
as child-alas +! we had forgotten, that the
Goodale sisters, like all others, are growing
older But we have this consolation, that
their juvenile years have given Us promise Of
rich ripeness in age.
"eThe Easiest Way in Housekeeping and
Cooking, by Helen Campbell. New York {;
Ford Howard & Hubert. Sacramento w.
A. & c.. S. Houghton. This is a work every
way desirable. 1t is adapted to domestic
use OF for study in classes. Mrs. Campbell
is thoroughly competent to write on the cook
ing subject, on domestic economy and the
general details Of household work. We like
her straightforward way. her clear explana-
IlO1S, tlbr utoCEus 70 anu pdlieuGc Win lie
tails, her good sense in treating of house
cleaning, house situation, drainage, water
supply, fires, lights, things to work with,
washing, cleaning in general, the care OF the
body, the constituents of healthful food, the
laws of food, and the chemistry of animal
and vegetable food. We ike her talk about
condiments and beverages, and about
meats and the preparation of food
for the table. This is not a
-
ticable, sensible treatise, and added to it are
receipts illustrative of the best in the art Of
cooking. 1t is encyclopaedia in its inforna-
ton, full in its statisties-in short, it is ex-
actly what it purports to be, a teacheI-an1
every housewife in the land should possess it.
We assume to know something about cook
books, and do not hesitate to praise this
work for it is full of merit.
"How We Fed the Baby, is pamphlet
by O.. L. PAGE, NJ. D., is from the press of
Fowler & Wells, New York, and is for sale
by A. l.. Bancroft & Co, San Francisco.
The doctor tells how to feed the baby so as to
make it healthy and happy, and goes 50 far
as TO hold that no baby needs to cry unless If
bun o It's nose or suffers some such injury.
Surrey all parents will rush after the doctors
little book to learn how on earth a child car
be raised up through the usual perils Of baby
hood and never cry. The treatise, it Is
claimed, heralds new departure in the ali
mentation of infants, and gives evidence Of
intelligent study on the part Of the author
The central feature represents the infancy OF
the authors own daughter, whose first
months were happily made free from the
common Inconvenience, not TO say horrors,
popularity supposed to be upavoidably con-
necsed with this period of life. lie makes
plain how infautile diseases may, in great
measure, be avoided, and infant life made as
free and Joyous as that of the most fortunate
among the lower animals.
From Oliver Ditson & Co., Boston, we
have their issue of a new collection Of hymns
and tunes for Sundsy schools, prayer meet
iDgs, praise meetings, and revival meet
ings. It is edited by r. NJ. McIn-
tosh. It is small volume. and is
author is quite widely known, and very favor
ably. His present work creates a very
favorable impression on first sight, by reason
not only of the bright, clean cut appearance
of its pages aud title cover, but by the ap.
parent excellence Ct its contents, which APP
pear to have been especially chosen 70 give 70
Sabbath school teachers and scholars an en-
tirely fresh collection OF hymns and tunes,
either original or selected which will add q
pleasing change to their work and exercises
"The Young NimrOds in North America.
is book for boys, by Thomas w. Knox, the
author of 1.-THE Boy Travellers in the Far
East" It is from the press of Harper &
Bros, New York, is quarto, beautifully and
copiously illustrated, and is for sale by A l..
Bancroft Il Co, San Francisco. Mr.. Knox
knows exactly how to write for boys, and in
that he il possessed Of a knowledge and an
art few have, but many strive for To open
this book at any place in the presence of any
fairly intelligent boy, will be to invite from
him ordinations of pleasure and excite q
desire to possess the volume at once. And
all such should be grati6ed, for it is full OF
wit information of practical value and mat.
ter to awaken inquiry and encourage research.
1.-THE Bewildering Widow, Tale of Man
haitian Beach," by Julia E. Dunn. New
York W. y. Smith & Co.; Sacramento w.
A. and G. S. Houghton. Mrs Damn is we'll
known in Sacramento, and in literary lines
has only been judged here by drama from
her pen. We can hardly speak of the work
before US as indicating that the lady possesses
al. k,f. III H.