The Portland daily press., 1884-04-12

"Her Washington Season" is a story put in
the form of correspondence. Many are the
letters from "Miss Dolly Oglethorpe to Miss
Laura De Peyster," and from ''Mrs. Harry
| Fizhugh Oglethorpe to Miss Katrine sny-
| dam.
This method of writing ia ussd to good
| effect In Henry James's "Point Of
| View and Aldrich's Charming "Mar-
| jorie Daw." In the present instance
the plot Is rather forced aud OCCASION
any careless expression occurs, but as a whole
IL ~ an entertaining story, and will be read
with interest by those who frequent the gay
society OF our capital, or who like 70 read about
its devotees. The binding Of the book is very
pre.tyi Ghe coiors are dun orange and black-a
spray OF large field daisies decorates the cover,
sealed letters are tumbling about in various
directions, while black and gold butterflies
| hover over the whole. A butterfly means i'm
mortality, or sometimes signifies the frivolities
| OF the DAY. In this case it must mean the lat
| ter, for Washington season, enacted or tran.
| scribed, cannot last forever
| Houses have been built for us on paper from
| time immemorial and described, according as
| the master.builder were romsucer. meet or ma.
chanic. The blouse that Jack Built" has all
the vagueness of an active imagination; the
"Honse OF Seven Cables stands forth for ms
touched with poetic and historic association;
| of architectural skill, and the little volume he
lore us-Dound In Pompeian red paper, with
black lined dado and frieze-claims to be
my House-An Ideal" Oliver B. Bunce is
/ well known as the author of Bachelor Bluff
| and the present bit of writing ia done with his
| usual grace. 1t contains a number Of excel
| lent suggestions relative to good taste In home
decoranon which the amateur ought to read
ana aDlde oy. Beyond this, it is pretty de-
| scrIpt1on OF the house his fancy paints. or
| rather, does not paint-he objects to paiut-
| but builds "of stone with an inner wall of
brick to ensure dryness," where "the grasses
and the flowers come mp to its walls, and bios
| soming vines Chamber over its sides. peer into
its windows, and hang like benedictions from
the crown of its portal"
| No agriculturist or horticulturist can resist
this title-page, "Tres-planting, or, Why TO
| Plant What to Plant, How to Plant, by Ma
thaniel Il. Egleston, Chief of Forestry Diyi-
sion, Department Of Agriculture, Washingto 7"
| with this pat quotation from ''Scotch Farm
er,-:Ye may be aye stickin' in q tree, jock:
| It VIII be CROWN when ye're sleepin." Nor
Is the title-page exhaustive, for after filling in
| the headings named, thu author finishes his
| little book with useful aOes of the number of
| trees needed to plant an acre of ground and
statistics OF the more important woods of the
United States. This handbook is truly use.
fal one, and we wish the 'sagents" who In the
interior of our New England States bore the
would-be gentleman farmer beyond the limits
OF patience with requests for the purchase Of
| all sorts of trees and shrubs, woud present for
sale at the same time copies OF Eqleston.
Then should the agents orders when filled
prove but apples of the Dead Sea-as has
sometimes occurred-he would at least have
left valuable handbook Of information.
In Flowers and their Pedigrees" Mr.. Grant
Allen has given the world a series of papers of
rare worth and beauty. II one has already a
knowledge of botany, the book will have the
charm belonging to fresh and original pre-
sentation of truths previously familiar: if he
has nosacquaintance whatever with the subject
1t will, almost to a certainty, awaken a lively
| interest IN the wonders of plant structure. A
lady, who IS not scientific. picked up the VOL
ume from our table. became at once absorbed
IN it's perusal, and. after reading chapter or
two, laid it down with tbs exclamation, fWhat
charming bookW And such, we predict
will be the verdict of everyone who is so fortu-
nate as to read it. The Illustrations letter.
press and binding are quite 10 keeping with
the spirit of the work
Mr.. Ballou, whose previous writings have
been largely compilations, publishes this sea-
son volume OF four hundred pages called
due West,' which is an account of his trav-
els-principally in the East. Among the most
valuable Of his sketches are those on India
including beau iful description OF the "Tai
Mahal." His pictures of Japan and Egypt are
also most graphic. While Mr.. Ballou's book
cannot fail to interest all readers, we would
especially recommend it in two directions: one
as book of instruction for lads just out of
school, who will be delighted with its contents:
the other as supplementary course of reading
Tor teachers of Geography. We are confident
class In Geography would listen to these
chapters OF travel with unflagging pleasure
and learn more than from text books alone.
The 'Msdical Directory of Philadelphia"
for 1884 is beautifully gotten up and is appar.
emily very complete. 1t must be an indispensa-
BILE work for physicians in the city of brothery
love.