Year: 1868

store OF oil for the midnight lamp Tho contents are
naturally OF the most miscellaneous character, including
celebrities of all shades and sizes Julius Cesar to
Commodore Decatur and from Joan OF Arc 10 Mrs. L. H.
sgourney 1t abounds with lively personal anecdotes,
fragmentary bits Of description, which tantaze the
reader thirsty for knowledge with their breyty and IN
completeness and flashes Of quaint humor which cart
loads OF dreary rubbish cannot utterly suppress Who
ever wishes to parake OF feast OF biography and bring
away the scraps should not neglect the perusal Of this
remarkable volume.


Wind and Wkirl,cind, A Norel, by Mr. THoM.
WHITE &c. p Putnam a Son. The Reverend Thorn.
White whose recent sermon in &" Putnam's Magazine
has excited lively breeze produces Wind and
Whirlwind," though with different intent from that
famous homily AS John Wesley contended that all tho
good music should not be monopolzed by the devil but
that share should be pressed into the service Of psalm


singing Mr. T. White believes that sensational novel
NAV minister TO the OF virtue, as well rs to
bid excitement The story before has evidently been
written this principle II Is intended not 20 play on
the passions, but 10 enforce moral The plot with all


its is curously constructed with reference
to this end The school of theology In which Thom White
has been pupil teaches that vice brings Its punish
ment with the certainty Of ate that the shadow Of the
avengng Nemesis always follows the steps Of the evil
doer. and that evenhanded justice will at last commend
the poisoned chalce TO his lips" They that SOW the
wind must reap the " whrlwind" Everything in the
story brought to bear this point with unerrng pre-
cson. The dramatic unity which is so rgidy preserved


ntenses the interest Of its perusa and asens the at
tenon Of the reader the evolution Of the plot. There
byplays counter currents no irrelevant cpl
sodes TO disturb the movement of the narrative but every
character every incident every situation tends toward
the grand focus which at length bazes out In the flaming
fires OF retrbution. The unity OF purpose and action
which is for moment impaired regard as the
striking trait Of the volume, and 1t best illustrates
the mental tenacity and vigor Of the writer. He
pses purpose with but few characters but they
each conceived with singular dstinctness; they al
ways themselves they preserve the identity Of
their nature though often manifested under grotesque and
fantastic condtons and their logical rather psychic
logical conference Of action whatever startling crcum-
stances shows singular earnestness Of purpose the
part OF theauthor though often in whimsical contrast to
the audacous flights of invention by which he finally ar
rives at his goal He makes Of the ordinary mo
tves that brought into play by writer's OF fiction In
general OF love-malng there is none, in the received
sense Of the term exhibtionsof inordnate prefer
natural passions dark, my serons complications Of
crime, except the original sin which tie whole story
pvots and the characters such meet with
every day in the drawn OF ffthAvenue the
country averDs Of NewJersey As regards either style
or construction, Thom. White is not TO DC taken as
model of conventional proprety He is stickler for
the classic gaces Of composition but rather affects the
wild and breezy freshness OF the romantic school He
twnes no artificial wreaths OF geranium and myrtle but
careesy throws down prOfusion OF arbutus and sweet
brier His book is honoraby distinguished from the thin
and acrid gaseous efervesences OF the day by the
naturalness OF feeling which underes s eccenrcity Of
FORM by It's depth and sincerity OF conviction aud It's just
and elevated moral tone.