The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-21
Recent Publications.

liant color and varied themes of his verses lend |
themselves readily to illustration. His art is |
generally spontaneous and always effective; |
and his range of subjects and manner is very
wide-more SO than at first the reader asay rec
ognize, 50 skilful are the poets modulatons |
from key to key The elegance of the volume |
commends it to purchasers of holiday gifts, |
who wisely wish for literary jewels in appro- |
pirate setting
Three Great POEMS By William Cullen |
Bryant. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.) |
This fine gift-book, which includes Bryant's |
Thanatopsis, Flood of Years and Among the |
Trees, il another volume which conforms to
the popular preference for value in the con-
tents as well as expense in the illustrations and
binding of books for the holidays. These three |
poems which represent period of more than
half century of Bryant's life, are part Of the
heritage of wisdom which the old poet left be-
hind him. His strong form and Homeric head,
seen as be walked the streets of New York, in
| spired many journalist to do his best in the
profession which the poet honored and it is
well to remember in holiday times the great
men that have made all times more good to live
| in, by their songs and their example. Mr.. Lin
toms illustrations to this volume are of various
| degrees Of merit.
Chimes and Rhymes for Holiday Times Ed
tied by Almira l.. Hayward. Boston: J. r.
Osgood & Co.; Portland: Loring, Short & Har-
mon) A pretty little volume of choice poems,
grouped according to their fitness for the holt
days Of the year. New Year, Christmas, Fourth
of July, Thanksgiving and the other red-letter
days have not lacked singers to celebrate
them. The binding Of the volume is particu-
| larly tasteful and attractive.
| Wit and Wisdom of Don Quixote. Boston:
| Roberts Brothers; Portland Loring, Short & i
Harmony 1t is seldom that grsat work lends |
| itself readily to the process of elegant ex-
trsG51 making. The fine and subtle threads
that connect its paragraphs are apt to be brok-
on too short, and the chosen thoughts lose
much in being severed from their original
place. Don Quixote is however, SO filled with
brief and pointed expressions, with proverbs,
with rich and complete sketches, that vol
ume of selections from its wisdom and wit on
ly stimulates the wish of the reader to increase
his knowledge of Cervantes's hero and his
deeds. The volume is indexed, SO that it is
easy to find, upon great variety of topics, the
sad and noble opinions of Don Quixote or the
shrewd proverbial philosophy of his squire. An
interesting and sensitive biographical sketch
of Cervantes which prefaces the volume, is
written by Emma Thompson, the compiler of
this valuable little work The volume is taste
full and attractive in form and binding.
Sterne. By H. D. Trail. New York: Har-
per & Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony. This volume of the English Men |
of Letters Series is the least valuable of them |
It would be idle to deny Sterne place among
the lights of English literature-but the light |
that was in him was darkness. Coarse, selfish, |
sentimental, tickle and dishonest in life and in |
literature, Laurence Sterne is repulsive fig /
ure for biography; and writer who takes suf- |
fclent interest and pleasure in the subject to
study and depict Sterne's life and writings, is |
not likely to have his own style or ideals i'm |
proved in the process 1t is fair to say that |
Mr.. Trail does not attempt TO apologize for
the traits of Sterne's work and character which |
he wisely refrains from treating at length; but
certain hardness and want of refinement
seem to have inevitably communicated them
selves from subject to biographer.
Socrates. The Apology and Critic of Plato,
and the Phaedo Of Plato. Boston: Roberts
Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony. |
These two small volumes are weighty with
wisdom. They give, in Professor Jowett's
translation, the full account, as found in Pla-
to's writings. of the trial, imprisonment and
death of Socrates. The sketch of Socratess
life is founded upon an essay by Dean Church,
Of fho o1a
mentators.
The Cleverdale Mystery, or The Machine |
and Its Wheels By w. Wilkins, Editor Of
the Whitehall IN. W Times New York:
Fords, Howard & Hubert Portland Loring,
Short & Harmony. A fearless, honest and |
striking story, showing how INSCRIPTIONS poll
ticians drag the machine" like car of Jug
gernaut over broken fortunes and wasted lives
1t is story of great wheels and little wheels,
the men that rule by brilliant dishonesty, that
depend for help upon bribery, ignorance and
rum-sellirg. The writer urges the great need
that good men, with clean and sensitive con-
sciences, should take active part in politics, to
make the government of the nation strong and
honorable. He shows how man who does
not carry the same integrity and honor into
political theory and practise that he would
know to be requisite in his private affairs is in
the way to ruin his public career, and the per-
sonal welfare of himself and those dependent
upon him. 1t is story that should be widely
circulated and read. If Mr. Wilkins's news
paper work is as straightforward and vigorous
as his fiction, the Whitehall Times must be
wholesome reading.
Spelling the Egyptians. A Tale of Shame
By j. Seymour Keay. New York: G.. p |
Putnam's Sons; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony This tremendous arraignment Of |
the de.liigs of England with the Egyptian
government, is not made lightly or without
strong basis of documentary evidence. Mr.
Keay writes Liberal, and while it is, of |
course, Liberal administration that is the i'm
mediate opponent of Egypt, he holds Beacons-
field and Salisbury responsible for the oppres
sion that led to war. 1t is the old story bruta
careessness of the interests of the natives ex-
cessive taxation, dishonest officials withhold
ing the just complaints of the people until pa
tience came to an end and war was declared.
Mr. Keay makes an imprisoned appeal for
justice for the Egyptians, and adds to his elo-
quence the unanswerable argument of FL ures.
underrate British glory-they could not wholly
hide the evidences of taxation and oppression
that stain the national record whenever Eng
land undertakes the care of unenlightened ma
tions.
The Best Reading. Second Series. Edited
by Lynds E. Jones. New York: G. P. Put
mans Sons.) This new volume of Messrs Put
no ri 1ofo |
cludes works published during the five years
from 1862. 1t is most useful and practi-
Cal guide for buyers of books; and is, in every
respect, reliable, convenient and indispensa-
BILE manual.
The Conversion of Children. By Rev. Ed
ward Payson Hammond. New York: Funk
IL Wagnalls; Portland: Loring, Short & Har-
unn.A Ihe hinct and atr,aant chnSar, hrr |