National Republican., 1883-04-07
THE LATEST BOOKS.

Gus writer of the present day has sent out
to tempt an unsuspocting public. The pranks
Of this particular bad boy have furnished sub
jects for series of sketches in Peck's Sum,
which have been generally read and much COM
mented on. Perhaps the unkindest thing said
or that could bo said about them is that Peck
stole them from book published some years
ago by an author now unknown to fame but,
however this may be, 1t is none the less like
Peck. "Tho Bad Boy" is good one" If
one may use very common expression to
make paradox a truth. As the author says
of him in his PREDATORY letter, he is not
myth, though there may be somo stretches of
imagination in the articles. The counterpart
of this boy is located in every city, country
village, and hamlet throughout the land He
is wide awake, full of vinegar, aud is ready
| to crawl under tho canvas of circus or repeat
u hundred verses of the New Testament in
Sunday school, He knows where every melon
| patch in the neighborhood is located and Mt
what hours tho dog is chained up. He will
tie an oyster can to dogs tail to give the
dog exercise, or will fight at the drop of the
hat to protect the smaller boy or school girl.
He gets in his work everywhere there is q
fair prospect of fun, and his heart is easily
touched by an appeal In tho right way,
though his coat tail is oftener touched
with boot than his heart by kind
ness But he shufllos through life until
the time comes for him to make n mark in tho
| world and then he buckles on the harness
and goes to tho front and becomes successful"
So IL appears that the book is an autobi-
ography. Those who know tho genial, rcd
headed editor of the SIN will have guessed
this without the confession, for he is entirely
competent now to play any of the pranks he has
attributed to the young hopeful he calls the
bad boy. Just where George Washington
| Peck was born the writer hereof does not
| know. He was named before he could talk,
so the first part of his name was entirely
appropriate. Early in life he married an
unsuspccting lady, and went to Ripon, Wis,
where sixteen years ago he published little
weekly paper, whose chief attraction was his
humorous articles on the innocent college
boys, characters about town, and sketches of
various kinds. 1t took Peck perhaps two
hours week to do his editorial work the
remainder of his time was consumed in col
lecting from delinquent subscribers. He sub
sequontly worked for "BriclS Pomeroy, and
on various Wisconsin and New York papers,
until about four years ago, when he started the
Sum- and is now on the high road to success.
| His subscription list has increased at faubu-
| lous rate. For a time last winter he pub
| lished the increase each week, but tho figures
or his conscience gave out, and he now con.
tents himself with claiming, generally, about
10000. His books have large sale, and as
in the case of "bad boy, " the people who
knew him years ago, before he published a
funny paper, wrote books, or made after din
ner speeches, are saying told you so."
! A BIOGRAPHY oFWILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT,
with Extracts from His Private Correspondence.
by PARKE GOODWIN Two volumes. New York;
y. Appleton & Co. Washington: William Bal
| lantyne IL Sons.
These two hadsome books have been ex.
pected for some time, and will disappoint no
one. They contain that which best portrays
the character of Bryant selected and pre-
sented by conscientious scholar, whose rela-
ton to tho subject was such as to make him u
raro bognpher. Hcexpresses at the beginning
his desire not to exaggerate apprecating the
circumstances which might incline him to do
so. He has, it will bo conceded by all his
readers, not sinned in this direction, but rather
held back somewhat that which an admir-
ing writer not holding the same relation to the
family would have written. The career ofMr
Bryant covered the most important years Of
his country's lifo thus far, and this bogra-
ply, beginning at his birth, goes over a stretch
of time extending from 1894 to death
in 1s7s. The events describe the poet, politi-
clan, lawyer, and editor, giving many extracts
from letters, and frequent verses in places
where they tell better than any other print
could possibly do the bent Of the poets mind
at various stages of his career. There is no
more curious bit of record in the book than
Bryant's letter to his mother, telling her of
his marriage He writes thus of the event
Early In the evening Of the eleventh day of
the present month June, 1921 was at a neigh
boring house in this village. Several people OF
| both sexes were assembled in one Of the apart
ments, and three or four others with myself were
In another. Al last came in little elderly gentle,
man, pale, thin, with q solemn countenance, plcu-
rite voice, hooked nose, and hollow eyes. II was
not long before We were summoned to attend In an
apartment where he and the rest of the company
were gathered We went in and took our seats
the little elderly gentleman with the hooked nose
| prayed and we oil stood up. When he had
finished most Of us sat down. The gentleman
with the hooked nose then muttered certain cab
| alstical expressions which was too much fright
eued TO remember but / recolect at the conclu.
sion | was given to understand that was married
to young lady OF the name Of Frances Fairchild,
who was standing by my side.
He describes the lady to his mother, and
adds in the way Of philosophy:
Thus the current OF destiny carries us all along
None but a madmNn, would swim against the
stream and none hut fool would exert himself
to swim with it, The best way is to float quietly
with tho tide.
The political part of Bryants life, which
necessarily figures considerably in this work
will not be fougd the feature to linger over
and enjoy.
HYGIENE FOR GIRLS. By lRESRUs p. DAVIS
NJ. ID. New York; d, Appleton & Co, Wash.
ington Balanyne & Sons
DIR. Davis, in his introduction to this work
points out that while the comprehensive
study of the laws of health must necessarily
be left to those who can give II the attention
and labor of lifetime, some of the plain and
: simple laws thereto relating may be under
stood by any person of ordinary intelli
genco at very small expense of time
1t is to such as these. that he addresses his
book, and especially to girls, whose future re-
lations in life must associate them mos
nearly with the physical welfare of others
o,I ID