Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-27
THE CRITICS REVIEW.

-Mnjor J. O. Kerbey's Boy Spy, Etc.
"VALUABLE books should, in civilized
country be within the reach of every one
printed in excellent form, for just price, bu
not in any vile, vulgar, or by reason of small
ness of type physically injurious form, at
vile price. For we none of us need many books
and those which we need ought to be clearly
printed on the best paper, and strongly
bound"
That is what Mr.. Ruskin said in his incsivC
and imperative way, in the preface which he
wrote to Sesame and Lilies. And yet, fol
these many years past, whoever wanted
Sesame and Lilies' in shape at all CORE
| spending to the authors ideal, must either buy
whole set of a dozen or Is volumes, or go with.
out At last we have it in fair type, on good
paper and in tasteful binding. There was time
when we looked at the bottom of the
| title page of the handsomest books, expecting
to find them either Boston or 'New York -
But here is an excellent specimen of the art of
the printer and the binder, which is dated from
Chicago. The publishers are Messrs. A. c. Nc
| Clurg Co. Several other books of theirs lie
this week OF The Critics table, all notable for
the good taste of their covers, the pleasant
| faces of their pages, and the thorough excel
lence of their workmanship.
Sesame and Lilies" was written, the author
| tells us Tin words, which, in view of the sad
| news about him which was in the papers a week
ago, have pathetic sound) ''whie my energies
were yet unbroken and my temper unfretted." ;"
There are few more helpful books for anybody
to read, who wants to make the most of life,
than Sesame and Lilies" Much that Ruskin
has written about art will pass away. Much
that he has taught about political economy,
(and about nearly every other subject under
the SUM will be forgotten. Changing condi-
tions will depreciate the value of these books.
They will suffer loss, as piece of ground will
when city takes turn and moves away in
another direction. But it seems as if Sesame
and Lilies" must go on helping to uplift the
ideals of bright young people indefinitely.
III. Watts & Co., 81 OO)
So
Mr.. RUsKIN's failure of mind and body
during the past months contrasts sadly
with the sudden death of Robert Browning
That seems an ideal ending of the life Of a
great man-in the fulness of his mental and
physical strength in the full tide of success, in
the chambers of great palace, in the Italy
which he wrote of and loved so well.
Mr.. Browning was able to take life quietly
and easily. He was able to enjoy himself. He
had that rarest of modern possessions-the pos
session of leisure. His body servant has re-
Gently described how Mr.. Browning spent his
days. He used to get up at every morning
and stayed in his bedroom till 8. He read dur
ing that time generally French and Italian
works. and he invariably ate plate of fruit,
which had been lett in his room over night
Strawberries or grapes by preference. oranges
and other fruit in their season. From till $50
he had bath and at 9 came down to breakfast.
This took about 20 minutes, and he would then
turn his chair TO the fire aud read the morning
papers till 10 o'clock. He had the Times and
Daily Ne1US in the morning and in the evening
he read the Pail Mall and the weekly and fort
nightly reviews. From 10 till he spent the time
in his study writing. After lunch, to which he
sat down at o'clock, he would 90 out to pay
afternoon calls or to the private views, fire.
quently walking across Kensington Garden.
He came back at $50 or to dress for dinner,
which was at 7 o'clock, and he went to bed at
1O30 or II. During the season he dined out a
great deal"
There was life! Good hard work for three
hours and excellent recuperative pleasure the
rest of the time Breakfast at 9, and the morn
ing papers, with his feet on the fender till 10,
and in the evening the reviews, with calls and
stroll across Kensington Garden in the after
noonl Happy man that he wasl
~
IN such an elysium of leisure, of which there
is no glimpse visible upon the horizon, we
would take these two handsome volumes of
ScribDer'S Magazine for 1889 and read them all
the way through. taking our time over every
article and looking carefully at all the pictures
We would begin with Castle Life in the
Middle Ages" and keep on till 1.-THE Age of
Words should remind us how much else there
is which makes demands upon readers time.
A years reading of any one of our great
magazines, done with attention and tested by
examination papers, ought to entitIe one to a
bachelor-of-arts degree. The best that is going
in our modern life gets into these pages. This
year of Scri6neTNs is worth while being proud
of. These two fine books are of permanent
literary and artistic value. Here are stories
short and long, Mr.. Stevenson's Master of
Ballantrae" being among them; here are
thoughtful and suggestive essays; here are the
series of papers on the of electricity and on
the America railway; here are accounts of
travel; here are excellent pictures in rich abun-
dance. The laurel wreath, around the lamp
and the book, makes good and fitting stamp
for the covers of this comely volume
Exs
NOBODY has ever yet constructed book
to which everybody can turn with perfect
assurance of finding out exactly what he wants
to know. 1t would be easier to make volume
which should contain nothing which should not
interest somebody. Every book of reference
interests the compiler, at least.
Fact Fancy and Fable "a, Z. McClurg & Co.;
H. Watts & Co., So SOY does not succeed in ac-
either of these difficult feats, but |
it approaches pleasantly near to success. The |
worst fault we would find with 1t is that it i'm
parts so much entirely local and |
ephemeral information. We are de- |
lighted to be told about Mrs. Partington, |
who piled her mop with vigor when gale drove |
the sea into her house, but had at last to give |
up in despair, to whom Sidney Smith compared |
the Lords who resisted the reform bill. ''She |
was excellent" he said, 'at slop or puddle, |
but should never have meddled with a tenn |
pest" That is good, but when we open at an |
other page and read paragraph after paragraph |
of this; Josephine Bailey, the stage name of |
Mrs. Walter Eytinge, Josephine Baker, the |
stage name of Mrs. John Drew, Jr., Josephine |
the stage name of Mrs. William Tet-
Iey," and SO on by the. yard. we get little |
weary. 1t would have been better to have left |
these out. If anybody cares for them now,
nobody will next year. There are some traces
of carelessness in the putting of the book to-
pether. Under A. NJ. find american |
Cicero" and are referred to the title |
Cicero of America" but when we turn in
some wonder to see whether it will be the Hon.
Daniel Webster or the Hon. Daniel Dougherty
we find nothing at ALL There is no such title
as the "Cicero of America" For which, after
all, we draw a grateful breath. The descrip-
tion of Pittsburg will indicate pretty well what
the book is like. "IroD city, Pittsburg Penn.
Noted for its furnaces. rolling-mills and found
ries, 1t is also called ''the Smoky CITY,"
Bitumenous coal was, before the introduction
Of natural gas as a fuel, largely used causing
1ense canopy of smoke to hover over the place
often obscuring the suns light"
So
pITTsBURG deserved the name of ''the Smoky
City" in the days when Thomas A. Scott
vas superintendent of railways here, and
A ndrew Carnegie was in his office as pri-