MONTHLY REVIEW OK LITKRATURB. 1^5 



Sunday. A Poem. 



We have to apologise to this lalenied mechanic for not having noticed liis 

 poems earlier. Tliere is a rough treshness in his pictures, especially the first 

 production, an aptness at seizing the most promine.it t'ealures of his characters, 

 a kind of siuidiiiess, aCobbettisin not easily overthrown ; but Ins later production 

 is more fiiuslud — practice has done much for his versificaiion, i will yet do 

 more. His character of the street-preacher is very graphic; his picture of the 

 rhurch-goiiig citizens severely correct ; his portrait ot the street-keeper admirable. 

 We shall ftel a pleasure in reading more of his poems. 



Reading and Writing, or an Improved Spelling-Book. By Donald 

 Walker. T. Hurst, St. Paul's Church Yard. 



TwENTV-FivE years ago, Joseph Lancaster demonstrated that children might be 

 taught to read and write together; and Dr. Bell, who followed fast in his wake, 

 and then went before, carried the demonstration to every part of tiie kingdom. To 

 show how siow the public is ever to appreciate even demonstrable truth, we may 

 advert to the fact that, even now, but very few private schools imitate the practice 

 of those public ones for teaching the lower classes, who often receive a belter edu- 

 cation than those immediately above them. Mr. Walker's book has a tendency to 

 give the higher classes the advantage which they have mo<t certainly lost by their 

 inaction and inattention to improvement and education. We do not know a 

 belter book either for the teacher or the pupil, and this is saying much lor the 

 work, but no more than is justly its due. 



Sketches of Natural History. By Maky Howixr. ESngham Wilson, 



When we savv the name of tlowitt on the title-page of this book, we thought that 

 if it contained only half as many lies as the History of Priestcraft was stuffed with, 

 it would be a very saleable book. Howil's text is, that ninety-nine hundredths of 

 mankind are fools, and he would be their oracle — and we only wonrler that a 

 mind so sweetly attuned to nature could have been linked to a heart of granite It 

 would be a great malady for Mr. Howit to write for children ; but while his 

 much, very much better half writes as she has done here, she will perform an 

 essential service to the rising generation. The book is beautiful, both in the 

 poetry of nature and of paintng, and we cannot too strongly recommend it. 



Cherville's First Step to French. Effingham Wilson. 



This little work is an applicative of ftlr. De Porquet's system of teaching French 

 with a grammar. De Porquet's system we have always admired, because it is in 

 unison with nature, and because it proceeds upon the principle of practical utility. 

 The parallel between the pronunciation, etymo'ogy, accidence, and idioms of the 

 parts of speech, is on a new plan, and adds to the value of the work. 



The Story without an End. By Sarah Austin. Effingham Wilson. 



Mrs. Austin has performed a most important service to education by her pub- 

 lication on the " Prussian System," a work which is of the utmost importance to 

 this country at the present time. It is delightful at all times to see a great mind 

 descend, and one of the finest moral pictures that this world ever saw, was that 

 of Charles the Twelfth acting the pony to his little child. We can only say of 

 this work, that we should like to be a child again to lead it, and (eel the force of 

 its beautiful teiitimenis. 



M. M.— No. 2. O 



