NIGH THE GATES 
headed, and to awake at the crisis to find 
the pillow bottom side up and my back 
resting on the sharp lower edge of the box. 
During my stay in the country I learned 
many of its customs, mastering the use of 
chopsticks, aud accustoming my palate to 
raw fresh iish; but the attempt to balance 
my head on a two-inch pillow I gave up in 
despair, after trying in vain to secure the 
box by tying it to my neck and head.” 
ed out his senses that for mauy years after the 
past was nearly all lost to him. How memory 
came hack, and what intervened between losing 
and finding himself, is told in a manner which 
will fascinate youth Cut readers. 
Thr f'orUrth Cotuere**, (New York: G. E. 
Ferine.)—These two handsome royal octavo vol¬ 
umes by "Wm. H. Barnes and Gun. E.Fkiunk, 
the pen of the one laboring conjointly with tho 
graver of the other.—present t he Fortieth Con¬ 
gress biographically and pictorial!y. There are 
five hundred and eighty pages of letter press, 
and one hundred and twenty-three large \ igftette 
portraits on steel. The life-sketches are in ex¬ 
cellent taste.—accurately compiled, terse, yet 
complete and appreciative. The portraits are 
unusually well executed, and, so far as we can 
judge, very life-like. As a whole tho work is of 
national value and interest, aud merits a wide 
circulation. It is one or the best, subscription 
works that have boou issued. 
Planting the n-'ildeme**, (Boston: Lee Sc 
Shepard.)—Stories of frontier life are especially 
interesting to boys, and this by James D. Mc¬ 
Cabe, Jr., illustrative of early experiences in 
the Ohio Valley, and forming Volume n. of 
“The Frontier Series," will not prove an excep¬ 
tion. It narrates many stirring incidents. 
ttcrarn 
SINCE I know that I must die. 
Since 1 know that, life Is wuning, 
Let no tear afflict my eye, 
Nor n snddoned thought be staining 
Sweet, expectancies of home 
In the happy land to como— 
Dust of earth no more detaining. 
Yes, my feet are tending there, 
Where tho loved ami long departed 
Will renew their gentle care, 
W lien they left me heavy hearted; 
And tho circle will lie found 
In tho novor ending round, 
Full as when on earth we started. 
Will ye think of mo when dead 
As ye thought of mo when living? 
Put no marble at my head. 
But a simple stone, receiving 
Only what l stood contest 
In my niituro at. its best— 
All my meaner llfo lorgtvlug. 
Oh, I might havo done so much 
That is now without a token ; 
Oh, I might have learned to touch 
Tender chords that now are brokon; 
Anri a winsome smile or word 
In its Otnoss might, have stirred 
Hopes that now cannot bo spoken. 
I)o not blnmo mo that my life 
In Us passage grow so dreary; 
Days there were, above the strifo. 
When the springtide made it cheery; 
And my weakness, not my sin. 
Made It seem so dark within ; 
Let me rest., for I am weary. 
Hardly two brief score of years 
Have been given to my story, 
But they have been wrought with tears, 
Like a min dark and hoary ; 
Only now remains the faith, 
And the triumph over death. 
Of the Saviour’s lovu and glory. 
When my sight is growing dim, 
And the mortal bond repining. 
Softly sing an olden hymn 
For tlie life that is declining, 
And my spirit will respond 
To the echoes from beyond. 
Where the gates of dawn are shining. 
1 lico. E. Sniscncu- 
BAPTISM IN RUSSIA, 
BOOKS AND BOOKISH PEOPLE, 
Immediately after the birth of an infant 
in Russia a priest repairs to the mother's 
bedside, prays for her speedy convalescence 
and blesses the child. A week later, if the 
weather be severe, the baptismal ceremony 
is celebrated in the house of the parents, 
as represented in our engraving. If, how¬ 
ever, it be warm enough, the child is carried 
to the chureh, and the sacrament and ru- 
hrioa are administered as follows: 
The godfather places himself to the right 
of (he godmother, who bears the infant in 
her arms. The priest approaches, opens the 
covering, and turns the child toward the 
east. He then blows in its face, makes tho 
sign of the cross upon its forehead, its mouth 
and its breast, and pronounces in a loud 
A CARAVAN IN SYRIA, 
After riding about seven miles from 
Damascus, says a letter writer in the East, 
wo came into a beautiful valley where a 
caravan was being marshalled. The road 
from this point was beset with Bedouin 
Arabs, whose, law is the sword, and whose 
right is might. Consequently, stragglers 
hurried up, and fell into the ranks; bales 
and packages on mules and camels were re¬ 
arranged and carefully adjusted; muskets 
away, aud, as u result, wo have probably the 
most, correct estimate of Henry tho Eighth 
which has been set forth. 
The more we read Frocde the hotter we like 
him. Ho is clear, careful, conscientious. Ho 
uses words with such rare skill that many of his 
paragraphs are pictures. They stand out before 
us sharply defined, and rivet our attention. His¬ 
tory lives anew under his pen. Chaki.es S?ciub- 
nbr & Co. are doing the puhlie a real service by 
reproducing his work in this country in a form 
at once so oheap and so excellent as this Popular 
Edition. Eight more volumes will complete it. 
The Holt/ Grail. —Tennyson’s poem bcurlng 
this title, loner looked for, will be eagerly read. 
It is issued by two publishing houses,—F ields, 
OSGOOD, & CO. hri aging ft out in cloth, uniform 
with “Idylls of ihe King," and in paper covers 
m itch cheaper, and Harper & Brothers giving 
it place in a complete edition of the poet’s 
works,octavo form,an<1 handsomely illustrated, 
making the cheapest volume sent forth by 
American publishers iu years. 
The t it le nifty puzzle some readers, at the out¬ 
set. It is legendary, and refers to the cup which 
our Saviour is supposed to have drunk from ut 
“the lust sad supper wiih Jllsown." The best 
authorities speak of this os not a cup but a deep 
bowl or basin, and antiquaries would persuade 
us that the Identical dish is even yel, preserved 
In Genoa. How King Arthur's Knights of the 
Houml Table went in eeach of this sacred vessel 
Tennyson tells us at length. Tho volume issued 
by the Boston house contains also “The Passing 
of Arthur," an early production, but, included 
in the general plan of “The Holy Grail." and 
several miscellaneous poems. Much of the book 
is worthy of the Poet, Laureate; not n little is 
NORA FLEET’S SPIRIT 
Concluded front page 114, lust No. 
CHAPTER IX. 
W n ism Nora came hack to transfer Mercy 
and tho carpel-suck to her cab, she was dis¬ 
mayed to find them missing. 
“ Where is tlio young lady I left here a 
moment since?’’ she. demanded of the red- 
whiskered man, who was standing in a pro¬ 
found attitude, with his arms under his coat¬ 
tails, more asleep than awake. 
“ Voting lady ? No, 1 think there isn’t 
m.y here,” ho replied, starting very like the 
guilty ogre, and staring around the room. 
His glance canto unrewarded hack to Nora. 
“ Not many women on the go to-niglit, fur a 
wonder.” 
“ But 1 loft, one here,” exclaimed Nora, 
persistently, as if bound on disgorging the 
ogre, “a slender, light-haired girl, with a 
hood on. lias anybody left the room since 
yon came in ? ” 
The red - whiskered man roused himself 
and winked very hard. 
Well, now that he remembered, there 
might have been a little girl with a carpet- 
sack, who went out. lie was not certain. 
Ilis waking and dreaming had so com¬ 
mingled that it was us hard to distinguish 
where one left off and the other begun as it 
was to reach the same decision respecting 
his straggling hair and beard. 
Nora sped out in sickening apprehension. 
She ran from one part of the depot to an¬ 
other, leaping recklessly across the rails and 
straining her wild eyes for a glimpse of a 
blue hood. But that blue liood swathing 
the waxen face of her sister blessed tire vision 
of Nora Ft .rut never more. 
An insane, conviction that Mercy had 
found the cab she had engaged and was 
waiting for her, next seized her. Bln- hur¬ 
ried to the stand, and was banged inside by 
an impatient charioteer before she could 
retreat, ller hope and her consciousness 
were quenched at once. Nora fell dow n on 
the soiled cushions of the whirling vehicle in 
a fainting lit. 
How shall I bring you to the plane on 
which Nora Fleet’s life thereafter pro¬ 
gressed. It was a long extended gridiron, of 
which tlie months were so many bars; 
stretched along them the self• immolated 
martyr out-roasted St, Lawrence, 
For many days she. sought and inquired 
frantically after her sister, though inexperi¬ 
ence kept her from inquiring wisely or ef¬ 
fectually. Site sometimes resolved to go 
back to the home site had fled and drag Joe 
Barclay to help her on the search. 
Nora had no bread to cat now but earned 
bread. She hired lodgings and began to 
seek employment and to learn what that 
romantic phrase “ fighting Iho world ” 
means. She had struck her bold stroke. She 
made steady endeavors, and she became as 
independent as she could possibly wish to 
be. Often she dreamed on her miserable 
mallrass that Mercy w as mangled beyond 
recognition under the trains; or was in the 
claws of human hawks that she had heard 
infested such places for unprotected birds; 
The Park*) Promenade » and Garden* of 
Pari*) by W„ Robinson, F. L. S., (New York : 
Pnribnc’ W>i:, , r ,i ,v fo..) j<j a cLabanately 
illustrated and interesting work for landscape 
gardeners, arboriculturists anil florists. Tho 
suggestions and descriptions, aside from the 
practical information contained in the work, 
are of great value and interest. It ought, to go 
Into every horticultural library in t.lio country. 
The Bay Parmer* of Him inland, (Boston : 
Lee & Shepard.) -There are few better serios for 
the young than the “Elm island Stories,” by 
Rev. Er.tJAlt Kei, noon. This is the fourth vol¬ 
ume, and Is riot less interesting than its pr ede¬ 
cessors. It shows admirably what a boy’s ambi¬ 
tion and earnestness muy accomplish at manual 
labor, united to a ready mind and a willing huml. 
Old Uor*e Gray and the Parl»h of Grunt- 
hit-ton. (Now York: Hurd& Houghton.)—There 
are some excellent points in this clever little 
satire by Edward Hopper, which parish folk 
inclined to turn away their faithful ministering 
servant, in his old ago will doubtless appreciate. 
The production is not of tire highest order of 
even sat irical pootry, but it serves its purpose. 
Captain Charley. (Boston : Honry Hoyt.) It 
is pretty safe to recommend any of Mr. Hoyt’s 
publications lor the young, without reading 
thorn, yet wo always peruse them carefully, and 
with Interest. Tit's is a charmingly told little 
story by Mrs. E. K. ly>vn, and carries all through 
its pages u beautiful lassou. 
Ho w to JlmtiKf tin MU v-fnim? (New 
York: Dick & Fitzgerald,) is the name or a lit¬ 
tle hand-book embracing a complete collection 
of home recreations, including round games, 
comic diversions, parlor magic, etc., illustrated. 
It is an interest ing amusemont book. 
SWEDISH NIGHT AND DAY. 
A NIGHT IN A JAPANESE HOTEL 
The peculiarities of clay and night in 
Sweeten strike the traveler very forcibly, 
alter being accustomed to I lie temperate 
zones. In June the sun goes down in Stock¬ 
holm a little before ten o’clock. There is a 
great illumination all night, as the sun 
passes round the earth toward tlie north 
pole, and tlie refraction of its rays is such 
that you can see to read at midnight with¬ 
out any artificial light. 
There is a mountain at the head of Bothie 
Avherc, on the 21st of June, tlie sun does not 
appear to go down til nil. The steamboat 
goes up front Stockholm lor tlie purpose of 
conveying those who are curious to witness 
the phenomenon. It occurs only one night. 
Tlie sun reaches the horizon, you can see 
the whole face of it, and in five minutes 
more it begins to rise. 
At tlie North Cape, latitude seventy-two 
degrees, the sun does not go down for several 
weeks. In June it would be about twenty- 
five degrees above tho horizon at midnight. 
In tlie winter llte sun disappears and is not 
seen for weeks; then it cornea and remains 
for ten or fifteen minutes, after which it de¬ 
scends, and finally does not set at all, but 
makes almost a circle round the heavens. 
The Swedes are very industrious, and labor 
is reckoned by the hour, twelve hours being 
reckoned a day’s work. Birds and animals 
take their accustomed rest at the usual hour, 
whether the sun goes down or not. 
Prof. PumPELLY, in his admirable hook 
of travels round tlie world, gives the follow¬ 
ing very correct sketch ot the manner of 
sleeping in Japan: 
“ As I was about to pass niy first, night in 
a Japanese house, 1 watched anxiously the 
preparations for sleeping. They were sim¬ 
ple enough : a mattress in Ihe form of a very 
thick quilt, about, seven feet long by four 
wide, was spread on the floor; and over it 
was laid tin ample robe, very long, and 
heavily padded, and provided with large 
sleeves. Having put on the night dress, tlie 
sleeper covers himself with another quilt 
and sleeps, i. c. if lie lias some years’ prac¬ 
tice In the use of his bed. 
” But tlie most remarkable feature about a 
Japanese bed is the pillow. This is a 
wooden box about four inches high, eight 
incites long and two inches wide at tlie top- 
it has a cushion of folded papers on the 
upper side to rest Lhe neck upon, for the 
elaborate maimer of dressing tho lmir does 
not. permit tlie Japanese; especially the 
women, to rest, the head upon a pillow, 
livery morning the uppermost paper is taken 
off the cushion, exposing a clean surface 
without the expense of washing a pillow. 
“ 1 passed the greater part of tlie night in 
learning how to poise my itead in this novel 
manner; and when I finally closed my eyes 
it was to dream that 1 was being slowly !>e- 
PERIODICAL LITERATURE 
NEW PUBLICATIONS 
The .Udine Pres*,— Tlie typographic art is 
shown in its perfection in this journal, pub¬ 
lished by Slaton, Bownb Sc Co, New York. 
It is a mont hly, anil has attained to its third vol¬ 
ume. Each issue seems an improvement on its 
predecessors, where improvement is hardly pos¬ 
sible, and all are beautiful. With twelve pages, 
of goodly newspaper size, it contains much ex¬ 
cellent literary matter every mouth, and is illus¬ 
trated with the fi nest sped metis of engraving. 
The February immter, especially fine m matter 
and manner, deserves heuitiest commendation. 
Our ffehoolday iVsiior. — Volume Thirteen 
of this most excellent magazine for youth, be¬ 
ing the complete issues for 18tW, comes to hand 
neatly bound in cloth. There are three hun¬ 
dred and thirty-two pages, brlmfull of delightful 
reading matter and handsome pictures, and no 
more pleasing present can be put into a child’s 
hands. The publishers, Dauohaday & Becker, 
Philadelphia, shOilil be blessed of all children. 
HarperHa rat, — Marvelnilsly well printed 
always, the issue o’: t his admirable weekly for 
February 10 surpasses even our previous notions 
of perfection. All ‘he illustrations, mul there 
are a round score of ‘hem. are excellent beyond 
praise, typographical^ speaking, and some of 
them are veritable guns of the engraver’s art. 
In its sphere the Bazaris unoqualcd. 
The. el uteri can Odd Pellotc. — Number :i of 
this official organ of tie Odd Fellows’order is 
full of good things. 'Pic magazine begins its 
career very auspiciously, and will doubtless re¬ 
ceive, as it merits, a fait share of the public’s 
patronage. 
The Hirer of the H'esl. (Hartford: R. W. 
Bliss & Co.)—Intended chiefly as a biography of 
Joseph Meek, an old Indian fighter and Rooky 
Mountain man, this dignified volume is, happily, 
(for such biographies aloue considered arc of 
small worth,) something more. It is, inciden¬ 
tally, a history of tile great Oregon country, and 
the Columbia is “tho River of the West." As a 
biography It is not without interest, but has an 
unpleasant savor of conrseness possibly insepar¬ 
able from such a subject; as an incidental his¬ 
tory of a far-away region of our country it has 
considerable positive value. It is well written, 
Mrs. Frances Fuller Victor being tlie author; 
aud is published by subscription only. 
Old Testament Shadow* of JVew Testament 
Truth*. (New York: Harper & Brothers.)—Rev. 
Lyman Abbott writes plainly, forcibly, attrac¬ 
tively. These Biblical essays are in his best 
style, aud illustrate some of tlie most beautiful 
incidents in Old Testament history. There are 
fourteen or them, each in itself a practical ser¬ 
mon, touching some vita! truth. They are de¬ 
serving of wide perusal. Tho volume is one of 
the handsomest which the Harpers have issued 
this many a day, being elegantly printed and 
bound, and containing eleven full-page illustra¬ 
tion-. from designs by DO re, Delarocue, and 
others. 
Two Lire* in One. (New York: Hurd & 
Houghton.)—Little Robert Trulyn ran away 
from home when seven years old,—if we may 
believe Vnaux Moustache, who here tells us all 
about it,—and falliug into an old mine so knock- 
s 
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