FOREST AND STREAM. 



333 



train a crew during the winter and coach them in Gymnasi- 

 um; and I think I may venture te say that to most of those 

 men the following seem the best plan that can be followed : 

 There are several fellows, who have been here a year or 

 more and who have pulled during that time, who it is 

 thought would be willing, if asked by the class, to choose 

 a number of men, train them during the winter, and teach 

 them all that can be learned on the rowing weights. When 

 the spring comes, the trainer might take them on the river, 

 going himself as coxswain, and assign to them their posi- 

 tions in the boat as should seem to him best. As soon as 

 the crew are fairly at work, let the members elect one of 

 their number captain, and while he would have full com- 

 mand over the men, the trainer might still go out for the 

 purpose of giving them style. It seems to me to be proved 

 conclusively by the blunders of '75 and of '76 that a class 

 m a body knows nothing about the qualities requisite in a 

 captain of a crew; and it is well known to any one who has 

 ever pulled that it is soon evident to the crew which of 

 their number is best fitted for captain. — Cambridge Magenta. 

 —The Detroit Free Press, of recent date, says:— "Sunday 

 morning, two farmers and their families, who were driving 

 to Maiden to attend church, noticed, when about eight 

 miles below, or east of the town, a ship's yawl on the lake, 

 heading toward the beach, and about half a mile away. 

 They could plainly make out a man in the stern sheets 

 steering the boat with an oar, and, although there were no 

 vessels in sight, the morning was so pleasant and the sea so 

 smooth, that it was supposed that the man had put out from 

 shore to pick up something, and but little attention was 

 paid to the yawl. Passing the same spot on their return 

 the men found the yawl hard on the beach, and the man 

 was lifeless and frozen as hard as a rock. He sat bolt up- 

 right on the seat, the oar out behind, and both hands clas- 

 ping the handle, and it required hard work to wrench it 

 from his death-grip. There was about a foot of water in 

 the boat, but the craft did not show rough usage. The 

 man's legs were almost covered with ice as far up as his 

 knees, and the spray had dashed over his back and shoul- 

 da rs and frozen there. There was no name on the boot, 

 nor anything on the man by which he could be identified.' 



Irt and Br mm. 



GOSSIP OF THE WEEK. 



BY T. B. THORPE. 



THE holiday week has been signalized by some very 

 stormy weather. Friday and Saturday last was at a 

 premium in this respect. Lectures and "small amuse- 

 ments" suffered intolerably, and afforded little else than 

 empty seats to be addressed by the parties interested in 

 their success. The leading theatres, however, were main- 

 tained with generous patronage, their interiors looking 

 more than ever cozy and attractive from contrast with the 

 sleet and slush outside. 



— "A Man of Honor," which is the new feature at Wal- 

 lack's, is capitally acted, and draws full houses. In this 

 play the unrivalled company attached to this theatre find 

 apparently the very best places for the development of their 

 especial talents. The scenery is most perfect, and contin- 

 ally calls forth demonstrative admiration from the audi- 

 ence; in some scenes the imitations of the "real thing" 

 amount to an absolute delusion. The rapid advance in this 

 city within a few years in regard to scenic effect has been 

 very marked and wonderfully successful. In the matter of 

 landscape and architecture there are presented by the ar- 

 tists in their work combinations of colors, scientific draw- 

 ing, knowledge of striking and harmonious contrasts that 

 display an amount of natural ability and severe study we 

 do not meet with in the best efforts from the easel. This 

 is especially true of landscape painting — the forte, as it is 

 understood, of the occupiers of the studios. 



— "Led Astray" continues to be a great favorite at the 

 Union Square. If it falls off in interest at all it will be 

 owing largely to the fact that the universal press has quit 

 scolding and condemning the questionable insinuations of 

 the plot. 



— On Saturday, one of the most disagreeable days we 

 ever knew that was not devoted to the rehearsal of a ter- 

 rible storm, the matinee of "Aida," at the Academy of 

 Music, was attended by one of the largest and best dressed 

 audiences that has appeared before the footlights this sea- 

 son. The opera grows more and more popular on each 

 presentation. 



—Thomas' Symphony Concerts are liberally patronized. 

 The programme, as usual, is addressed almost entirely to 

 highly cultivated musicians, and certainly very little that 

 the general public care to hear. We congratulate the spir- 

 ited leader upon his pertinacity in sticking to his "classics," 

 but for the sake of the million we wish we had musical 

 concerts that would not only give us sweet sounds, but 

 cheer and enliven and interest us without taxing our brain 

 and over- wrought mind. We would mention in this con- 

 nection that Gilmore's promenade concerts have been an- 

 nounced to continue "through the season." They are lib- 

 erally patronized, and by the best people. Surely, there is 

 a strong feeling in our community to hear concords of 

 sweet sounds from brass and stringed instruments. How 

 soon ace we to have a proper building down town for these 

 entertainments ? 



—Are blacksmiths who make a living by forging, or 

 carpenters who do a little counter-fitting, any worse than 

 men who sell iron and steel for a living? 



— Chicago wants to have the ' 'next world's fair" held 

 there. But who knows whether the next world will have 



a fair ? 



—A true Danbury American is too proud to beg and too 

 honest to steal. He gets trusted. 



lew jBttblic&Hotui. 



{Publications sent to this office, treating upon subjects that come within 

 the scope of the paper, will receive special attention. The receipt of all 

 books delivered at our Editorial Rooms will be promptly acknowledged 

 vn, the. next issue. Publishers will confer a favor by promptly advisino 

 "f .°f «>'!/ ointrmon in this resmcf,.' Prices of books inserted when 

 desired.] ■ J 

 « . 



Sounds from Secret Chambers. Poems. By Laura 



0. Redden. Boston : James R. Osgood & Co. 



This is a nice little present for the holidays, in green and gold, and is 

 in the form known as the semi-dramatic. It develops the plot of one of 

 those love affairs that -'never runs smoothly;" it is startling and tumult- 

 uous in all its parts. There is considerable merit in this little unpreten- 

 tious offering, and some fine thoughts are here given. Our fair authoress 

 says; 



"I turn the key, I lift the lid, 

 I lay the casket on the sill, 

 And wistful linger at the door, 

 To know the tenor of your will." 

 We think a generous public will lift the casket and bid the bearer a 

 cordial welcome to all the doubts and fears of a successful or unsuccess- 

 ful future, which time alone will determine. "Sweet Bells Jingled" 

 have some pleasant verses, as: 



"How tenderly you meet the mute appealing 



Of eyes that ever seek to read your own; 

 This clinging trust, this wild excess of feeling, 



But, dearest, I have been so long alone, 

 Henceforth there is no good beyond my grasping, 



No splendor that my earth-life may not take; 

 The passionate heart which to your own you're clasping, 

 Is henceforth sacred for your princely sake, 

 Lone one, beloved." 

 We find a goodly share of this little work devoted to the subject of 

 kissing. We admit there is a poetry in kissing; we have boyish memo- 

 ries within which are garnered some sweet recollections of those days, 

 yet we think some sixteen pages devoted to "kissing" a little too much. 

 However, the poems give us the promise, with careful reproduction and 

 some judicious pruning, to do good in the end. 



Saxe Holmes' Stories. New York : Scribner, Armstrong 

 & Co. Our readers will many of them recognize in this book some of 

 the pleasant stories that pleased them at the time of their first publica- 

 tion in the Scribner Magazine. Like twice told tales they still have a 

 zest and a refreshing for the memory of pleasant hours. The story of 

 "Draxy Miller's Dowry," was an exceedingly quaint story, and if wc 

 mistake not, was extensively read and admired. We are happy to know 

 that tuese stories are placed in a form more worthy still of the regards 

 of the many friends of the "Scribner." These tales are remarkable for 

 clearness and purity of thought, always anticipating our thought, never 

 vitiated, we are happy to say, by either low taste or vulgarism. 



Women in Sacred History. By Harriet Beecher Stowe. 



New York: J. B. Ford & Co. 



The contents of this elegant and rare book are made up of sketches of 

 women mentioned in Sacred History; both historical and legendary 

 sources contribute quite largely to the same. Like all that Mrs. Stowe 

 undertakes to do this work is done well, and adds a new lustre to her al- 

 ready acquired reputation as an authoress of the very first class. We 

 kuow of no one more fitting to write an interesting and elaborate history 

 of women under almost any era, than Mrs. Stowe, particularly of the 

 Jews. She has given us a glimpse, of women under what is ealled the 

 patriarchal ages. Every Bible reader will be delighted to read her vivid 

 sketches of Sarah. Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachael. We almost see 

 them again in all their native eostume and character moving before us. 

 Many will turn to the Sacred Word with a deeper interest than they 

 have ever felt before, as they peruse the history of another class of 

 women under the cognomen of the "National Period." How grandly 

 is the thrilling Eastern story of Queen Esther rehearsed; Miriam's beau- 

 tiful history; Deborah, Ruth, and many others, whose lives are as types 

 of the most interesting characteristics of women of the past ages. The 

 history of that woman, Delilah, with her many blandishments, her arts 

 of captivating the great, strong nature of Sampson, with all its highly 

 wrought detail, veluti in speculum, pass before us. Then the sweet, lov- 

 ing characters of the women of the Christian era. Mary, the Mother of 

 Christ, the daughter of Herodius, the women of Samaria, Martha and 

 her sister Mary, and last the repentant Magdalen, are all of them most 

 graphically depicted. This work will stand as one of the gems of Mrs. 

 Stowe's numerous improving educatory works of the times. The high 

 and elevated train of thought pervading this work makes it invaluable as 

 an aid to Christian family training. This work is illustrated with six- 

 teen chromo-lithographs, after paintings by Raphael, Koehler, Horace, 

 Vemet, and others. A rare present, not only for the holidays, but for 

 all times, is this great book of "Women of Sacred History." 



Recent Music and Musicians, as described in the diaries 

 and correspondence of Ignatz Moscheles. Edited by his wife, as 

 adapted from the original German. By A. D. Coleridge. New York: 

 Henry Holt & Co. 



On the 30th of May, 1794, at Prague, was born Moscheles, even in 

 his early childhood considered a great musical prodigy. His father, a 

 merchant in easy circumstances, was a devoted lover of music and 

 played admirably upon the guitar. His mother was a woman of great 

 kindliness of heart, affectionate and refined; one of those even tempered 

 women who do so much to bless their own homes and make the werld 

 better around them. At the death of his father he was sent to Vienna 

 to continue his musical studies. Here he made great progress and gave 

 his whole heart to the most ardent pursuits of music in all its variety, 

 The first entry in his diary— April, 1814 — speaks with enthusiasm of 

 Beethoven. An acquaintance with this great master results in his being 

 chosen to arrange "Fidelio" for the piano. Of this little incident he 

 thus speaks: "On going to see Beethoven early one morning, the great 

 composer was still lying in bed; he happened to be in remarkably good 

 spirits, jumped up immediately and placed himself, just as he was, at the 

 window looking out upon the Schottenbastei with a view of examining 

 the "Fidelio" numbers I had arranged. Naturally, a crowd of street 

 boys had collected under the window, when he roared out, 'Now what do 

 those confounded boys want?' I laughea and pointed to his own figure. 

 'Yes, yes; you are quite right,' he said, and hastily put on a dressing- 

 gown." Moscheles was eminently social and very genial in his life and 

 intercourse with society. He speaks with rapture of Horace Vemet, and 

 of an evening spent with the great ventriloquist. 1824 we find him 

 nestled as a favorite guest with the Mendelsson family, and ever after 

 these two families entertained for each other the most profound friend- 

 ship. About this time he became acquainted and greatly pleased with 

 Maria Garcia, afterwards Malibran. He says in his journal: "This 

 charming girl, almost a child, acted enchantingly in the "Chauvin de 

 Reims," "Le Coin de Rue," and "L'Orms et la Pacha." In course of 

 his w r ork he speaks of Sontag aB "young, beautiful, fascinating." Asa 

 most entertaining and valuable biography, a diary of a great man, we 

 recommend this work to all our musical friends as one of great intrinsic 

 value . 



Hans Brinker; or The Silver Skates. By Mary Mapes 

 Dodge. Dlustrated by Darley, Nast, and others. New York: Scrib- 

 ner, Armstrong & Co. 



The mere announcement of such an elegantly illustrated work by 

 such artists; the fact that it is Scribner's tasty style, would seem to be 

 all that is necessary to say about this gem of the Christmas morning or 

 New Year's day. We will only add our appreciation of this elegant 

 book, always new, and just what Santa Claus will delight iu presenting 

 to hundreds of the young ladies and gentlemen of all our cities. It is 

 overflowing with rich and quaint stories of early life, told with a sweet 

 simplicity and earnestness that makes them really charming. 



The Cross op Berny ; or Irene's Lovers. A Novel. By 

 Madame Emile de Girardin, M. M. Theophile Gautier, Jules Saudeau, 

 and Mery. Phila. : Porter & Coates. 



Literary partnerships have often been tried, but not always with the 

 success attending the execution of such a work as the "Cross of Berny." 

 This the reader will find a perfectly simple story, told without elaborate 

 nese, yet is in all its parts a perfect whole, a finished work. The original 

 preface to the French edition says: "The 'Cross of Berny' was, it will 

 be remembered, a brilliant tournay, where Madame de Girardin nee Del- 

 phine Gay), Theophile Gautier, Jules Saudeau, and Mery broke lance 

 like valiant Knights of old." They were then considered as the four 

 moet brilliant of our celebrated cotemporary authors. Such a book from 

 such a source may well command the attention of American readers. It 

 is admirably translated.preserving all its peculiarity of structure. We are 

 surprised to take up a work the joint efiort of four writers, and find so 

 complete a unity in the whole. The correspondence is well sustained 

 from the first page to the last. By this plan of arrangement the individ 

 ual or personnel of each writer is separate as a part, and the union com 

 plete and interesting as a whole. 



The Marvellous Country; or Three Years in Arizona 

 and New Mexico, the Apaches' Home. By Samuel W. Cozzens. 8vo. 

 Boston: Shepard & Gill. 



A fruitful and interesting theme for the traveller in the marvellous 

 country spoken of in this work. It is by no means a dull book; it were 

 impossible for sueh a man to roam through such a country as that known 

 under the title of the Great Arizona, especially since its acquisition by 

 this country, and not give us a work of merit. We think, however, that 

 our author could have made a still better work with the materials he had 

 had he dwelt less on incidental topics. The work could well spare "all 

 about Jimmy," and not suffer in our estimation. But the excellent char- 

 acter of the hook will at once be recognized by every lover of tbe travels 

 in Arizona. It was undoubtedly the Cibola, or land of the Montezumas, 

 and is like an enchanted land. This mysterious region long years ago, 

 before it was conquered by the adventurous Spaniard, was known for its 

 exceedingly rich silver mines, many of which, it is still believed, have 

 never yet been found and are at this day rich in untold wealth. Mr. 

 Cozzena' "Arizona" is the best work we have seen upon this wonderful 

 country, and we think it deserving a place in the library of every stu- 

 dent. There is life in the work, and camping out and its incidents, 

 breaking camp, and stories by the way, make the book a valuable guide 

 to travellers in that romantic region. 



Painters, Sculptors, Archiects, Engravers, and their 

 Works. A Handbook. By Clara Erskine Clement. With illustra- 

 tions and monograms. In one volume, crown, 8vo, cloth, $3.25. Cam- 

 bridge: Hurd & Houghton. 



Every person who buys the Grammar of Painting and Engraving should 

 possess its companion volume. It is a well ana copiously interwoven 

 series of facts which every artist will find very useful and very necessary 

 as an aid to his profession. It is like a complete index revum of the art 

 student, and, like the large dictionary for literary men, should lie upon 

 every art student's table. It gives one tbe nistory of the artists who 

 wrought these beautiful pictures; it places their peculiar style; it speaks 

 of the several schools to which they severally belong in a manner alto- 

 gether new to many of our well informed admirers of the works of our 

 old masters. Its numerous illustrations make very easy to understand 

 much of what without them, would be like the unknown tracings of an 

 unknown hand. 



The Birds of North America. By Theodore Jasper, 

 A. M., M. D. Drawn from life, one-quarter size of life. Robert 

 Clarke & Co. : Cincinnati, Ohio. 



We have received from the publishers the four first parts of this large 

 and finely illustrated work upon the birds of North America. Each part 

 will be made more valuable by the addition of three accurately colored 

 plates and one tinted scientific plate, 12x15 inches, together with eight 

 pages of magnificent, clear, open type letter-press, on finely tinted paper. 

 In this work, of which the great value may be judged, there will appear 

 illustrations of over six hundred species of birds, comprising: ah that are 

 known to exist on this continent. To this is added popular descriptions 

 of the well known habits of life on the plain, on the crag, in river, be- 

 side the lakes, and neath the deepening shadows of the dark wood. 

 Everything relating to the bird spoken of is truly told and with all the 

 fidelity of a life study by the author, whose fame as a naturalist and or- 

 nithologist is not surpassed by any living man of the day. This work is 

 the crowning effort of the life of the author, whose entire life has been 

 spent in the study and preparation of this great work. So careful was 

 the author, Dr. Jasper, to give a true picture of the specimeu under his 

 hand, that he was not content with the delineations of an hired artist, 

 but learned the art of engraving in this peculiar style and coloring, so 

 that he might give to his readers and subscribers the handiwork literally 

 of his own pencil, every specimen here presented being drawn by him- 

 self. Differing entirely from most works upon this subject this great 

 work comes to us perfect in all its parts, elaborate and highly finished, 

 as an art, true to life as a great advance in the science of Ornithology; in 

 several respects we regard it superior to Audobon's great work on "Birds 

 of America," published some years ago. This may seem quite a strong 

 expression on our part, yet we believe, upon looking critically at this 

 work of Dr. Jasper's we shall by no means stand alone in our judgment 

 of the great merits of the book. Of one thing we are convinced; so 

 many desirable points of beauty and fidelity can rarely be found in thia 

 country at such a reasonable price. Who will not pay one dollar per 

 part for such a work as the above? 



The Lawrences. A Twenty Years' History. By Char- 

 lotte Turnbull. Boston: American. News Co. 



This is one of those books that one is repaid the reading. Its charec- 

 ters all are drawn from stirring events that transpired during the event- 

 ful period of the Mexican war and the War of the Rebellion. Leaving 

 these far off f elds of Mexico and the Southern battle fields, with all their 

 stirring memories and strifes, our authoress transports her readers to the 

 quiet of one of New England's villages— Brookfield. We open this book 

 amid the din and smoke of the battle-field, the clash of arms and exciting 

 events all of which are graphically and many of them historically Correct. 

 This work is morally a good teacher, and may be read with profit by any 

 one. We prefer to place the book, with these remarks only, in the hands 

 of our readers without further analysis. 



French Home Life. New York: D. Appleton & Co. 

 have just published a series of racy papers, part of wnich has appeared 

 in Blackwood's Magazine. They should have been published in this 

 form before. W T e recommend these stories earnestly to the readers of 

 Appleton's best books as every way valuable. They are the jottings of 

 a close observer, the result of the careful observations of an English 

 tourist in France, whose opportunity for seeing all the sights were very 

 favorable for his observations. Any one who reads the book will feel 

 that he has made good use of his eyes as with his pen. Being written in 

 a reliable manner, the pictures of French life are real and not fictitious. 

 The book will be like a new revelation to many, of facts they knew 

 not of before the reading of thiB work. The work is one that can be 

 read with profit and pleasure, as many topics are fully treated that may 

 be of much use to a future sojourner in France. 



— Hon. Alex. Keith, President of the Legislative Council 

 of Nova Scotia and Grand Master of Masons of that 

 province, died on Sunday, aged 78. 



—The winter trots under the auspices of the Trenton 

 Club, Ontario, Canada, come off at that place on the 8th 

 and 9th of January, when an attractive little programme 

 will be hung up. 



