THOUGHTS AT EVENING, 
may liave been times when we were uncom¬ 
fortable and wearied—when wc were vastly 
troubled by beggars and annoyed by over¬ 
charging inn-keepers—but these trifles were 
like moles seen for a moment in the sun¬ 
light, then vanished away. Hilliard, 
whoso valuable book on Italy wo have read 
since our return to America, says most truly, 
“ It is only the hours of sunshine, that are 
marked upon the dial of memory.” Thus 
shall we ever cherish the delights we have 
naders. AVc made an ent ire voyage through 
the streets of Venice, passing under the 
“Bridge of Sighs,” which for a moment shut 
out the moonlight completely ; then we 
glided by the palace of the Foscavi, and did 
not wonder the sad J.\coro was willing to 
endure even torture that be might look upon 
it, again. We lingered for awhile beneath 
the marble-eased arch of the Rialto, and saw 
tbc bouse of Shyi.ock and the homo of 
Othello. Tlius slowly gliding we passed 
BY LORETTA E. KNAPP, 
There are perfumes o’er the lea: 
Thorp is frwrnuLco haunting me, 
Like some motn’ry of tho past, 
That has faint and fainter grown 
That has fur and farther gone. 
Growing sweeter till the last. 
MOONLIGHT IN VENICE 
NEW PUBLICATIONS 
Cheat iral Hi* tor ft of l hr Six Hay* of Crea¬ 
tion, by JOHN Phin, c. E. (New York; Ameri¬ 
can News Co.)—With the common opinion of 
many good men, that when scientific men at¬ 
tempt. to unveil the process of creation it is sae- 
vilege, this author has no sympathy; and yet ho 
writes, we know, with the most profound rever¬ 
ence for Gon’s Word anil Works. He, howet er, 
does not deem the attempt to draw from natu¬ 
ral laws an account of tlio process of creation, 
ns in any sense an attempt to sot mere physical 
laws above Divine agency. For “granting that 
Jehovah is tWCreator and upholder of the 
universe; that He has ordained all those physi¬ 
cal laws which govern the movements and rela¬ 
tions of matter and force, have we any reason 
to suppose that Ho ordained ono set of laws to 
bear sway during t-liu period of creation, nndan- 
otber to regulate the world Id ler all the various 
movements and processes had been set in ac¬ 
tion?” The idea of such a thing is, to Prof. 
Phin, highly repugnant, lie regards it more in 
accordance with all that we know of the Divine 
character, that the laws which were ordained in 
the first creation, and which He pronounced 
Can those golden hours eonio hack 
O’er their bright mid shining track? 
Shall we know those days again? 
No! hut other days shall rise, 
Bringing Joy, a aweet surprise! 
Who shall mourn for past ones then? 
It was past ten o’clock. Still we lingered 
on the balcony, thinking, in truth, “ it was 
wronging such a night to sleep!” At length 
When the sun sets In tlio west, 
Leaving us the night of rest, 
Shall we think Twill ne’er return ? 
Oil, the mom is sure to rise. 
And with radiance till tlm titles; 
And the anti will constant burn. 
go when sorrow's night shall fall 
O’er our hearts, like midnight's pad, 
Let us hope for morning then,— 
Cense our Cries of vain regret. 
Grieve not, though we can't forget; 
Lot thu gladsome sunlight In. 
A MONSTROSITY 
BY MAY WHITNEY, 
LETTER NO. I. 
UP in a gurrel 
All among the mocking stars. 
And mimicked by the moon, that's where 1 
am at present, Lillian ! Of course you’ll not 
believe me if I write a “ plain unvarnished 
tale,” so I will begin tny letter story-wise 
and recount tlio dubious ways by which wo 
reached our present high estate. 
When l married Clyde \Vellmont lie 
had not blossomed into an artist, was scarce¬ 
ly budded; and I have cause to regret that 
I did not “ nip” him with a stinging frost and 
kill at once every supposed germ of genius 
ill him before we came to this. Ignoramus 
that I was, T cherished tlio plant, protected 
it from every blast, and beamed down sum¬ 
mery smiles upon it till it opened every petal 
and gave me as a reward the fragrance of— 
ugh! onions, old tobacco, bad cooking, stove 
gas,—all the combined odors of a tilth-rate 
tenement house, collected in the attic and 
gone mad with their own hideousness! 
Whatever you do Lillian, never marry an 
artist! Unito your destiny with a shoe¬ 
maker, a blacksmith, or a green grocer, but 
let the “fraternity ” alone, 1 beseech you, if 
you valuo home comfort and assurance of 
continuous daily bread! 
As 1 was saying, Clyde bad not yet de¬ 
clared himself a devotee of “ high art,” but 
was partner in One of the best publishing 
houses in the city, prosperous and full of en¬ 
terprise, and our future looked very dazzling. 
There seemed unusual fitness in our union 
—I could be of great assistance to him in his 
perplexing literary business, and ho could 
publish my books and place them at once 
before the public, with the prestige of bis 
name and house attached, which would pre¬ 
clude the possibility of their falling “ stale 
and unprofitable” into obscurity. 1 confess 
that this had some weight with me in my 
decision of marriage, and for that very reason 
I have borne our loss with greater patience 
and fortitude. 
The first months of our married life wc 
traveled in England, France, and Italy ; and 
in Florence we met Bokca, the great artist 
from Rome, Uapfaelle of the nineteenth 
century. It was there among the rapt 
Madonnas and smiling Sebastians and sor¬ 
rowful Magdalens, in the presence of Sal¬ 
vator, Sl'AGNOLETTl 
Marlon HerltUi/ f Story for flirt «. (Bos¬ 
ton : Loving.) A story of School girls and of 
fcuarding-scliool UfO, without, plot, sensational¬ 
ism, murder or death, and yot a live, jolly story, 
iroui beginning to end. Marion Berkley, the 
heroine, is neither “perfectly beautiful," nor 
“ perfectly good.’’ She is a whole-souled, noblo- 
hcuvteil, willy, sarcastic girl, with faults enough 
to keep her human, and virtues enough to make 
her beloved most heartily »• V those who know 
tier. fc>ohf)Ol girls, nod even older ones, will find 
themselves and their schoolmates reproduced 
in this cleverly written story, and can hilt heart¬ 
ily enjoy the dash, and vim, and Americanism 
of the conversations. Marion gets through 
school victoriously at the Inst, and finally mar¬ 
ries an accomplished surgeon. Tim story is all 
story, being free from stupid theologies and 
eunt.Imr sermons on morality. Two or three of 
“ Uncle Sam ” in a condition ready to shuffle off 
his mortal coll. Dr. Delano sits beside him 
with one hand on pulse and watch In the other. 
Dr. SCHKNCK stands with gold-headed cuno un¬ 
der ids chiu, looking serious and solicitous, and 
asks, “ Ilow is Uncle Bum's income pulse?” Dr. 
Delano replies, “ Very low. WC have bled him 
pretty freely, but must keep bleeding him to the 
last drop." 
son ft mu Sanctorum. (New York: Sheldon 
& Co.) Hero wo have what the writer, Theo¬ 
dore Trr/roN, calls “ Proof sheets from an Edi¬ 
tor’s Table.’ 1 They arc miscellaneous papers 
and editorials from the Independent,. They are 
evidently gathered together and published for 
t he sake of the money that is in them; for it 
cannot be said that they contain very much that 
is pertinent to to-day. The personal sketches 
will always possess Interest, according to the 
degree ol' regard the reader may have for the 
respective subjects thereof. Tilton writes in a 
Jivo manner, generally, and hence what ho 
writes is readable. A man or woman can .select 
many leas profitable and interesting books for 
summer reading. 
Hire Hon tire tt and Seven Mechanical Move¬ 
ment*, By Henry T. Brown, (New York: 
Brown, Coombs & Co.) These movements pur¬ 
port to embrace all those which are most impor¬ 
tant in Dynamics, Hydraulics, Hydrostatics, 
Pneumatics, Steam Engines, Mill and other gear¬ 
ing, presses, Horology, and miscellaneous ma¬ 
chinery, and to include many never before pub¬ 
lished, several of which have only recently come 
into use. The volume is very fully illustrated 
and in our opinion will prove of great interest 
and valuo to till classes of industrial men who 
have to do with material forces. For all men 
must find in it something of practical utility in 
every-day life. We can cordially commend it. 
fit t Uelle I'leurette I’ottio , by VIENNA J. 
Demurest. (New York: C. S. Dltson & Co,)— 
This is (he most beautiful specimen of sheet 
music we have ever seen. The paper is 
unusually heavy and fine; the print is much 
more perfect than type music generally is, 
and the title page is a marvel of beauty. The 
piece is exceedingly easy and pleasing; almost 
every one can play it, and every one wilt like it 
for a parlor piece, it being light and graceful, 
rather than ingenious or artistic. 
Smithy* ntettonary of the Hi hie. (New 
Vorlc: Hurd and Houghton.)—Part XXVIII is 
before us. It is ail admirable work of its kind, 
and a vast deal of labor has been expended in its 
preparation. 
BY A. JOHNSTON, FROM THE EXHIBITION OF THE BRITISH INSTITUTION 
RUTH, 
all the landmarks of historic and poetic experienced there, ami the remembrance of 
interest. the dear friends who have gladdened # our 
“Tomorrow we part with Italy,” we sojourn in beautiful Italy, 
murmured, as we looked for the last time 
upon the radiant and moonlighted city, and 
deep regret welled up from the fountains of 
our hearts. We love the beautiful country. 
It contains so much to enrapture the fancy 
and delight the mind. Alt! such happy 
days we have spent in its grand old cities, by 
the classic shores of its memory-haunted 
Mediterranean, and along its picturesque 
lakes. Due must be insensible of the glories 
of the past, and of the present, not to love 
Italy ! Ah the home of the greatest states¬ 
men, the noblest poets and heroes of an¬ 
tiquity, it is invested with a soul-thrilling 
interest. As the land where 
we called Anton to, our jaunty gondolier, i 
and told him to bring out the gondola from 
its haven where it lay beneath the shadows 
of the Ducal palace. In a few moments it 
glided to Ihc steps; thoblack cabin had been 
removed so there was no covering between 
us and the sky. We were soon fronting 
along the broad laguna, leaning back against 
the soft cushions, and luxuriating in the 
matchless beauty of the scene. 
Three wonderful pictures have l beheld in 
Italy, which avIII hang forever on tbe “ walls 
of memory.” One was the nomination of 
>St. Pater's; another, the Niagara-like catar¬ 
act of fire pouring from the crater of Vesu¬ 
vius; and the third, Moonlight in Venice. 
There is a glory about tbe moonlight them 
never attending it elsewhere—the smooth 
sheets of water receive its beams as though 
inverse mirrors. 
TRAVEL IN INDIA 
, GramciNO and a 
Constellation of lesser stars, that Clyde’s 
artist-wings began visibly to sprout, and a 
few words of praise and encouragement from 
Bokca sufficed to draw him from his busi¬ 
ness and chain him in the galleries with 
other art-students. 
Tbc following two years were spent in 
Paris in constant study of masters, old and 
new, and they were pleasant years to me. 
There is a subtle fascination about art that 
only an artist can feel; a sublime elevation 
above all trivial earthly things, a glimmer of 
infinite beauty in sea and sky and soul which 
shuts out the prospect of dirty rooms, vile 
surroundings and vexations manifold which 
inevitably follow the pursuit. I was suf¬ 
ficiently an artist by virtue of being a poet 
to enter perfectly into Clyde's bewitched 
condition of mind ; and when 1 could be of 
no assistance to him, 1 wandered on tbe 
charming Boulevards studying life and draw¬ 
ing pen-pictures for my friends at home. I 
had 1 letter have: stayed in our dingy room in 
the Latin quarter and demolished every 
brush and “punched ” every canvass, and 
ruined every fairy castle of my enthusiastic 
boy! 
We came home at last and Clyde put his 
pictures on exhibition at the Academy; but 
something was wrong somewhere, either 
with Clyde's artistic ability, or the intclli- 
Bibhoi’ KrNGSLEY, writing from Bareilly, 
India, under date of January 20th, thus 
speaks of modes of travel in that, country: 
“ I Lave learned many ways of traveling, 
since I left home, unknown to me before. 1 
have journeyed hundreds of miles swinging 
on a pole, attached to a kind of long box, and 
carried by four Mohammedan coolies, or 
Khars, as they are called in this country. 
The Hindoos generally go with their heads 
tied up so as to look like an old-fashioned 
straw bee-1 live. Their legs to their bodies 
arc entirely bare. I have also rode on ele¬ 
phants and camels, and after oxen, and on 
the backs of black Hindoos over rivers, and 
been carried in a chair, and have been on 
the backs of horses that were hardly fit food 
for crows.” 
the early 
Christians planted firmly tho Holy Cross, 
emblem of our Saviour’s love, it is truly 
sacred. Earth, sky and air possess here a 
beauty unknown in other climes. Every 
city has some treasure of painting, sculpture 
or science. Each river, vale and mountain 
has its poetic or historic legend. In the 
forms of its poorest inhabitants we often see 
the loveliness and manly grace Which gave 
to Piiidiar and to Praxiteles the models 
of the peerless statues of the Venus db 
Medici and the Apollo Belvedere. A 
mournful feeling of compassion for her 
present wrongs must endear Italy to the 
American heart, since from the skeleton 
form of her once glorious republic we have 
seized the outline of the noble fabric of our 
own free and independent Government. 
In all our wanderings through tins lovely 
land, we have never encountered one dis¬ 
agreeable incident, or met with look or word 
of rudeness or unkindness. The people 
have everywhere been cordial and thought¬ 
ful of our happiness and pleasure. There 
they were inverse mirrors, and thence re¬ 
flecting litem upwards, fill the atmosphere 
with a light of such dazzling brightness we 
constantly exclaimed, “ tbis cannot be 
night I” It seemed the mingling of the soil 
tints of tbe early morning and the radiance 
of the twilight. The air was warm and de¬ 
licious, imparting ft gentle languor to the 
senses, and lulling all troublous thoughts and 
cares to perfect oblivion. It was like a beau¬ 
tiful dream, where we seemed borne up by 
invisible wings and wafted from joy to joy. 
Along the piazza of Han Marco were mul¬ 
titudes of lamps, their rays piercing the still 
waters as though they were arrows of light. 
Every object was softened and rounded by 
the moonbeams, and its shadows singularly 
distinct in the water below it. Thus there 
appeared two cities—one above, another be¬ 
low the Grand Canal—each with its winged 
lion. From the open window of a palace 
came sounds of merry dancing music, while 
beneath another was a gondola with sere- 
POMPEIIAN RELICS. 
Tn one of tbc houses of Pompeii, M. Cas¬ 
tellan! has just found seven hundred medals, 
mostly silver, of the Consular and Imperial 
periods, and a large collection of gold jew¬ 
elry, including a magnificent gold chain, 
nearly three yards in length, formed of 
golden tresses. It is secured by a clasp 
formed by two buckles Or wheels, and is or¬ 
namented with two rings, from which there 
is suspended an amulet In the shape of a 
half moon. The learned antiquary speaks 
of another discovery, of a different kind, 
made by him during the same excavation, 
namely, a t well-defined impression of the 
body ot a native of Pompeii, surprised in 
tho act ot flying from the doomed city. 
