The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-01

| IT'S sunset on Alaska's rocks
! Aleutian isle and Behring's bay;
IT'S sunrise where Atlantic shocks
Inc coast of Maine III rugged play
| And dOmes of forest shed the day.
This is indeed pretty picture, with a re-
/ gal frame to bound it. There is love of
! home in every word and patriotism in every
| line. Again the poet sings:
81 hear the axmens clOck-tick beat,
hear the twang of breakfast horn,
The Yankee Doodle in the street
And Yankee Doodle in the corn;
One day not dead, another born,
Goodnight Is married to G0Ou-mOrnI
All hail. thou Sun magnificent;
All hail, We flag and flame well met
From Orient to Occidentl
These colors o great Light, are wet
With splend0rs of thy golden set
And yesterday is lingering yet.
Strong as thou art, and swift as strong
1t takes thee thirteen hours TO march
Grand Rounds from noon TO noon along
The azure OF the federal arch
How stirs my heart to think this land
Bound in long day-time's yellow zone,
Maine and Alaska hand in hand,
The self.same hour benOids IN one
rising ana setting sum-"
| 1t is too bad to break the illusion and dis
! pei the patriotic pride that these inspiriting
| lines call up. Perhaps no lover Of his coun-
| try would thank anybody for SCATTERING this
| pleasing dream. Yet prosaic truth puts in
aside. 1t does not take the sun
"Thirreen hours to march
Grand rounds from noon 10 noon along
The azure or the federal arch"
| The easternmost point of Maine is 81 de-
grees west from Greenwich while the
treme western point OF Alaska, is 16S
west from Greenwich. The distance
lonGitudinally between these two
points IS about 10l degrees. To
span from the dusk of evening twilight to
the fringe of daybreak would require nearly
$50 degrees, or seventy-nine more than we
have. Instead of thirteen hours being re-
quired for the sun to traverse United States
possessions, it makes the journey in little
more than nine hours. The mistake of
| thinking that the two points under consider
alton were about $50 degrees apart probably
arose from measuring the westernmost point
which would make it 1853 degrees
west from Greenwich. The longitude
OF Maine was reckoned unconsciuusly
the meridian Of Washington which is gen
orally given at the bottom Of the map, which
would give about ten degrees east longitude
making total difference of 179 degrees, or
nearly half the distance round the world.
The poem is too good to be spoiled by such
means, aud those who object to this icono-
elastic incident may ignore tine facts here
presented.
Phelps. Boston: HoughUon, Mifil.n Il Co.
Coates Ajar'' attracted much attention
when it appeared some years ago, from the
belief expressed therein of the existence of
somewhat material heaven, or, more correct
ly, that the occupations and enjoymenjs OF
the disembodied were, though of a spiritual
type, of the same nature as those to which
they were best adapted on earth. In Be
vond the Gates the author dariugly visits
Paradise, spends blissful season there, and
comes back again. The picture drawn of the
abode of the blessed while it may not be en-
tirely satisfactory, is at least entertaining.
Nothing from Miss Phelps's pen can be other
wise. As one PERSONS idea of a region into
which only the boldest imagination will ven
ture to project itself and of which no one
can absolutely know anything, it is as good
as another The writer hopes it ''mav have
passing value to certain of my readers whose
anticipations of what they call the here
after so vague or so dubious as to be
more of pain than pleasure to them
selves"
The subject is one that requires careful
handling, and this it has throughout. If it
seems at times rather an earthly heaven, and
the angels possessed OF attributes too mate
rial the fault lies, perhaps, in the lack of
language to portray more spiritual things
intelligibly, rather than in the manner of
treatment. POSSIBLY, indeed, TINS carrying
into another existence ones old tastes ana
senses, however materialized, is what gives
the book It's charm. 1t will find many read
ers who will derive comfort from its pages.
Snow BERRIES and CLovERNooK CHILDREN By
Alice Cary. A c. Armstrong tS Son, New
York; Bowen, Stewart " Co., indianapolis.
Two volumes, So. so.
The former of these two excellent books
for children is made up of short stories.
while the latter is a continued sketch of the
playmates and acquaintance of the
gifted authoress. ALI are healthful in tone
and interesting. They are of that rare class
of books that children may read without
harm. AS now republished they make a
very suitable ana valuable gift for the Holt
days.
SPEECH AND MANNERS. By Mrs Z. S. Kirkland.
Jansen. McCurg & Co. Chicago; Cathcart
Celand 81 Co., Indianapolis. Price, FL.
Much has been written on this topic, so
vital to good behavior and correct speaking,
but this is here presented in the agreeable
form of a story, and is sure to engage the
attention OF those for whose Improvement it
is intended. The book is worth many times
its cost.
JESUS TIE WORLDS SAVIOR. BY George c.
LOrlmer. s. G. Griggs IL Co, Chcago Bowen,
Stewart " Co., Indianapolis. Price, S1.50.
The authors purpose is to show who the
Savior is, why he came, and what he did. 1t
is not merely an historical biography, but an
attempt to portray the Son of Man as he was,
specializing rs to his characteristics as a man
and his attributes as God.
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