Periodicals Books

The LORGNETTE, the cleverest book of its kind (we were about to write, since the days of Addison, but to avoid possible disagreement say)—since IRVING and PAULDING gave us Salmagundi, is still coming before us at agreeable intervals, and will soon be issued in a brace of volumes illustrated by DARLEY. The Author keeps his promises, given in the following paragraphs some time ago: "It would be... more...

CHRISTOPHER NORTH. Plutarch, when about to enter upon the crowded lives of Alexander and Caesar, declares his purpose and sets forth the true nature and province of biography in these words:—"It must be borne in mind that my design is not to write histories, but lives. And the most glorious exploits do not always furnish us with the clearest discoveries of virtue or vice in men. Sometimes a... more...

BYZANTINE-ROMANESQUE WINDOWS IN SOUTHERN ITALY. The collection of photographs from which the plates in this and the February number were selected was only recently made under the direction of Signor Boni, an official of the Italian government, charged with the care and restoration of historic monuments. The province of Apulia has been so little invaded by the march of modern improvement, and its... more...

THE REMEDY—BUT WHO IS TO FURNISH IT? President Harrison's Inaugural gives in a brief sentence the remedy for the great Southern difficulty, viz. EDUCATION. "If, in any of the States, the public security is thought to be threatened by ignorance among the electors, the obvious remedy is education." The Southern situation has been vigorously discussed in the last few months on the platform,... more...

OUR ARTISTS IN ITALY. HIRAM POWERS. Antique Art, beside affording a standard by which the modern may be measured, has the remarkable property-giving it a higher value—of testing the genuineness of the Art-impulse. Even to genius, that is, to the artist, a true Art-life is difficult of attainment. In the midst of illumination, there is the mystery: the subjective mystery, out of which issue the... more...

The Chief Librarian to the Chairman of the Joint Library Committee. Sir,— I have the honour to submit the following report for the year 1924-25:— Recess Library Committee. The Recess Library Committee, the constitution of which was altered by resolution passed by both Chambers of the Legislature at the close of last session, held three meetings during the recess, under the chairmanship of the Hon.... more...

THE MUD LARKS. When I was young, my parents sent me to a boarding school, not in any hopes of getting me educated, but because they wanted a quiet home. At that boarding school I met one Frederick Delane Milroy, a chubby flame-coloured brat who had no claims to genius, excepting as a littérateur. The occasion that established his reputation with the pen was a Natural History essay. We were given five... more...

ARCHITECTURAL ILLUSTRATIONS. THE TEMPLE CHURCH. The Temple Church, London, was erected in the twelfth century; but among antiquarians considerable difference of opinion at various times prevailed as to who were the original builders of these round churches, which form the most striking and beautiful specimens of the architectural skill of our Anglo-Norman ancestors. In England there are four examples... more...

TRAVELLING IN ENGLAND. I suppose that the history of travelling in this country, from the Creation to the present time, may be divided into four periods—those of no coaches, slow coaches, fast coaches, railways. Whether balloons, or rockets, or some new mode which as yet has no name, because it has no existence, may come next, I cannot tell, and it is hardly worth while to think about it; for, no... more...

A huge agave, or century plant, is now blooming at Auburn, N.Y. A few days ago the great plant became tinged with a delicate yellowish-white color, as its 4,000 buds began to develop into the full-blown flowers, whose penetrating fragrance, not unlike that of the pond lily, now attracts swarms of bees and other insects. The plant was purchased in 1837 by the owner, and was then twelve years old. For... more...