The Portland daily press., 1889-08-03
CONCERNING BOOKS.
lat is AS 1T SHOULD DE,
BY e. cAyAZZA.

Pi"in ioukuaSc, our otate-alWayS the nome
OF practical, Industrious people who found
1t not to easy too colect:from the soil the liv-
ing which the world owes to every man
our State OF Maine now finds itself every
su amer invaded by a host Of seekers for
pleasure and health. They admire the
| imposing and beautiful coast of this els
| Atlantic Norway; they adorn its islands and
shores with villas, eniven its waters with
pleasure yachts, and bring into its existence,
| not only wealth, but also note of gaiety
which sounds no discord with the solemn
| chorus of its pine-trees and its waves
1t Is well, too, that the inhabitants OF
| Maine should extol and make known the
| advantages OF their State by every art of
legitimate advertising. II a man may not
| praise his own home, who then is to be its
elect magnifier? 1t is too much the custom
TO depreciate ones native land, as it is to
! pass sweeping, ignorant and irresponsible
judgments upon foreign countries. And
man merits well of his city, who can draw
aside from his every day surroundings the
Veil OF familiarity and see them clearly in
the light OF the IDEAL which is most truly the
real. Such praise should be given to the
author of By the Sea. The tweuty-seven
photographers, illustrative of the islands and
shore in the vicinity Of Portland, are taken
from points of view selected with remark
able tact The vignette-whch shows two
boys, picturesque as fisher-lads of Naples.
coming up the sands, proud of their strings
OF hsh-is charming. The young woman of
the frontispiece, beauty with exuberant
Hash OF eyes and teeth. appears to be, how
ever, daughter rather of the Neapoltan
siren Parthenope than of whatever austere
sea-goddess may preside over the cold waves
| OF Casco Bay. the view of Fort Gorges
| would have been more characteristic if 1t
! nad been arranged TO show more angles of
tne walls A scene where an old birch.tree
projects itself with almost dramatic energy.
is accompanied by one of Mr.. j. P. Baxter's
flowing lyrics. The contras led light and
SHADOWS OF Elm Cove, the viglant prom
ontory of White Head, the picture framed
by the arch of the portal of the ottawa
House, the snowladen pines and bushes of
Cousins Island. the clefts of the Dark Caves.
the idyllic meadow and waterfall of Gurnet
Cove. the strange upward shooting of the
spray at Ocean View, the wild foam-6akes
OF the Cape Elizabeth breakers-are among
the notable views included in the volume,
Last, but most representative Of all-since
the ideal surpasses the material--is a likeness
OF the statue of Portland's own poet,
Longfell0w.
Little needs to be said of the literary part
OF by the Sea. 1t contains, besides the poem
by MIR. Baxter, lines by the late Mr.. John
Neal, and prose By Mrs. Stowe, with much
verse by Mr.. White himself It would be
pleasant, II possible, to praise the latter-but.
ike many others who are sensitive to beauty
and appreciative in enjoyment, he is deficient
or undevelOped in power of expression.
He also violates the common laws of rhyme.
rhythm. construction, and even grammar.
But after all, the letter-press OF the volume
is quite secondary to its photographers. 1t
Is picture-book, and an extremely delight
full picture-book of views chosen with the
skill ola discriminating admirer and fear
less explorer OF the coast of Casco BAY.
Upon its picturesque merits it may well rest,
sure OF favor with the inhabitants and the
visitors OF our region. 1t will be found
representative souvenir-and, by the way.
one not difficult to pack among the linens
and laces OF homeward-bound trunks--which
will pleasantly acquaint distant cities with
our own Portland. The Lakeside Press of
Auburn is to be credited with the excellent
| Impressions In photogravure and print:
Messrs Stevens and Jones of Portland are
the publishers.
The Gardens Story. By George ii.
Ellwanger. THE is charming little
volume, In which are interviewer variety of
literary and imaginative associations to-
gether with the chronicle Of garden, from
Its earliest snow drops to its 'vespers from
the last monks-hood spire" Mr.. Ellwanger
is right when he says there are not half
enough books written nowadays about
gardens. The good old Adam In mankind |
the DR.. Jekyll, one may say of our primal |
Iorefather, as opposed to his Mr.. HYDE |
whom theologians so gladly denounce-this |
good old Adam inherits a love of gardening. |
and ought to be INDUCED and encouraged |
therein. The book under present notice |
gives list of hardy flowers and shrubs |
adapted to outdoor cultivation, and presents |
suggestive outlines which will prove very |
helpful to amateurs, Neither does the
author ignore the birds and the insects that |
frequent the garden on various errands of |
frlendliness or petty larceny. 1t is pleasant
to read his tribute to the prosecuted crow:
II we have not the rock, am glad we have his |
larger Plutonian cousin. His dusky shadow and |
husky bass have charm Of their own, and har-
the sombreness Of late autumn. Apart from the
pestlferous English sparrow, the crow supplies
almost our only winter voice. place him with the
PACK hellebore or Christmas-rose-a very good
lining 70 nave until there Is something better to
Sae the ers
sad, The crow is down in the DEVILS book in
round hand am glad to hear Phil Robinson
one OF the virtues; and John Burroughs exclaIm:
II love him; he IS character would nor will |
hngly miss from the landscape
Very curious and charming is Mr.. Ellwan-
gers query in regard to
"Vioets dim, but sweeter than the lids Of Juno's
eyes,"
The precise definition of the epithet speet-
err is in his opinion "a subtle ruse of Shaks-
peare all the more abstruse for its lovely i'm
agery." Here is delicate enigma for
onakspeare scholars to solve! Mr.. Ellwan-
ger writes OF flowers, shrubs and ferns with
genuine sympathy, describing their beauties,
their habits and growth with an enthusiasm
quickly communicated to the reader. In all
changes OF weather and Of season, he faith
fully reckons his garden calendar; and when
the winter comes to imprison the flowers. he
concludes What more remains to say of the
garden now shorn Of Its beauty, except that
each year one learns to love it more" A
pleasanter guide through garden mazes could
not be imagined than this spontaneous and
poetic little work. New York: d. Apple
ton & Coz
A History of Greece. By Evelyn Abbott
NJ. A., LII. D.; Fellow and Tutor of Balliol
College. This work, which treats of the his
tory of Greece from its mythical origins to
the period of the Ionian revolt, is remarka-
BILE for its synthetic knowledge, and for its
apt condensation of wide range Of existing
authorities. 1t is meant, not as manual
Tor beginners, but as comprehensive and
clear view Of Greek history for students
already somewhat acquainted with the Hell
lenic civilization and language. 1t includes
chapters upon the first traditions of the
greeks their migrations, the Trojan War,
the Homeric poems, the conditions of soci-
ety In the various states and colonies, the
jurisprudence of Scion, and of Pisistratus
and Clisthenes, and devotes some space to
comment upon the Greeks in Asia Minor
ell 10