Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-22
THE WORLD OF BOOKS.
MUsIC-rRENcH SELF TAUGET-soUTH-
ERN LIFE BooKs-MAGAzINEs.
Buys Books-arctic Kitchen Art
Novels Cheap Library works
Scottish Covenanters.

From Billings, Harbeurne & Co., San
Francisco, we have George T.. Putnan's
| Spns' New York; latest volume. entitled
''Norsk. Lapp and Finn; or, Travel Tracings
from the Far North Ct Europe" by Frank
| Vincent ,Jr. 1t is very appropriately dedi-
Gated to Stanley, the African explorer. The
| book is one OF exceeding interest. Mr.. Vim
cent will be remembered as the author OF
.sThe Land of the White Elephant"
"Thrcugh and Through the Tropics,"
etc. He is an excellent narrator. Very
evident it is that Vincentis powers of
observation are large, and that they have
been finely cultured. He knows not only
| how to see and hear, but how to tell so that
| with his eyes and ears others may see and
| hear, and that il a great art He tells US of
a ses-girt kingdom, concerning which not
enough has been written. We are taken in
delightful, if rapid jaunt, through Denmark,
| Norway, Sweden, Lapland, Finland and
other extreme northern regions and he opens
| to our view their wonders. Referring TO his
travels in the Arctic Zone Mr.. Vincent
makes this predatory comparison:
| In this grent division of the earth, instead of
| large snowy flowers and gigantic parasitic psnts
one finds the dwarf birch, the gray alder shrub, PHI
ant willows, and meads pale with licaen in zones
where heat prevails, ature pours out her bountes
so prousely thst it would seem as though she must
| perforce be Diggard here. About the equator
! found man ardent and ELUSIVE, the emotions re-
spending with the vivacty II chils hood to every
| impression, whether sad or joyous; but north OF
the polar circle his temperament becomes frgid and
passive, and, in old age almost insensible alike
to pain or pleasure. Could Their be antitheses more
striking? In such contrasts and comparisons how
ever, is found the greatest charm Of Borean travel
We may add that Scandinavia and Finland
should be OF special interest to us, since SO
many of their natives emigrate to America,
where, settling in the rural districts of the
great Western States. they materially help
| an agricultural development. They add to
our manufacturing importance also by their
/ skill Since 1920, 100000 men and women
| have emigrsted hither from Denmark, Nor
way, Sweden aud Finland. Their children,
born in the United States, would about
double this estimate, thus raising the Norsk
and Finn element in our population to q total
of 600 600. The States selected as new homes
by these for5igners-who are still coming at
the rate of about 10 600 year-stard thus in
order of patronage: Minnesota, Illinois,
| Wisconsin and Iowa. A small proportion of
the emigrants are musicians. clergymen and
teachers Others are clerks or adroit artisans,
such as carpenters, masops, and so forth.
| The vast majority are steady, frugal, hard
working laborers and farmers. A few arc
merchants and many-of the women especi
ally-are capable and faithful servants, and
| thus constitute phenomena unknown to our
great surrounding cities.
From D. Appleton & Co, New York. We
| have 1.-THE French Language Self-Taught,"
| by Alfred Sardou. We consider this book
| in many respects valuable work. lis
method of teaching is through conversational
exercises. Il is divided into number of
| lessons. embracing the practical application
of all the parts of speech in regular sue
cession, and is. therefore, an improve
ment upon most conversational books.
| It's arrangements are complete, and it
has evidently been compiled with great care.
| But We cannot attribute to It the full iIa-
portance which the author, by his preface,
claims. Admitting the advantages of prac-
| tice over theory with regard to the study of
! living languages, we are not in accord with
! the author in the means TO be employed for
the purpose Of studying French IN this coun-
Try. Purely conversational books can be of
but little value. except in the country where
| the language is spoken. The author in his
theory on practice forgets that to practice
| conversation you must meet daily somebody
TO speak to- On the other hand, to obtain
| full knowledge of language, that i, to
read and understand books q regular method
is necessary, and all the conversational
books in the world could not procure it.
Purely conversational books are valuable &C.
csssories to a regular method FOR studying
| languagez and nothing more The sentences
they contain, with the translation stand
ing opposite, require on the part of
the student memorizing faculty with
out inviting to proper thought exertion.
For this reason and bscsuse the translation
of sentences is. for the most part, free
translation, ond cannot give the student a
correct idea of the literal sense Of the words,
we do not see that much advantage is to be
derived from the work of Sardou in this
conntry except it Is used with the assistance
Of a teacher The author recommends his
work particularly to French teachers and
tourists. In their hands it may be employed
to much advantage.
wild Work " is q book from the press of
D. Appleton s. Co., New York. Il is an
Syo volume, by Mary e. Bryan, AID is the
story of q Red.river tragedy. 1t aims at
presenting, without prejudice or bias, pct
ure Of the state Of society in the Southwest
at the close OF the war of the rebellion, and
to define exactly The position of the " carpet
bsgger,' how he was looked upon and what
enough told, and tbs effort to be impartial is
apparent, but no judicial mind can read the
Gale and fail 20 realize that the author enter
tanned dislike TO the carpet-bagger."
While she ceasures the tufbnlsnt people who
brought dishonor upon their States by their
reckless acts after the war, shs does not fiud
much to the credit OF the Union men who
went into the South with fair intent. How
ever, the story is valuable as giving again
glimpses of the conditions surrounding the
people Of the South during the reconstruc-
ton period. and no rsader viii peruse it who
will not have his thoughts directed henefcialiy
toward the serious problem involved IN the
attempt to unity the people OF al the States.
Charles Scribnel's Sons. New York, have
issued and A. L. Bancroft / Co.. San Fran
cisco, have for sale Tales Out Of School"
by Frank r. Stockton, one of the most success
full and influential writers for children the
present days have developed. This is qnarto
volume, in large type. and beautifully Illus
trated. l. tells the boys and girls of the land
mary strange stories of hunting in the trop
ics, of wild lands, of ancient peoples and
places, of strange races and long voyages in
romantic regions, etc., and has besides assro.
nomicsl sketches, brief stories, and many
charming anecdote. As ompanion to this
volume, from the same firm comes another,
by the same author. entitled I" Round-about
Rambles in Lands Of Fact and Fancy" 1t
is even more varied in character than the
book first noticed Both are new editions.
and either would form a choice and useful
present for child.
"The Bloody Chasm" is charming novel
by j. w. De Forrest. from the press OF
D. Appleton &c Co, New York Isl J
1t is a simple, forcible story of the bitter
hatred Of a South Carolina woman of ell
Northern people, shows clearly how deeply
ingrained was hatred of the Yankees in the
very blood and brain of the aristocratic fami-
lies Of the South. Il shows also how that
rancor is being dissipated, how the best
| thought aud heart of the land is being
brought to better appreciation OF the trne
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