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^^^~— -^^ . —^^^ ¦ •^ ¦ ¦ ^ 9qn THE LEAD...
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A BATCH OF BOOKS. Cross Purposes. By Cat...
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CHRISTMAS LITERATURE AND PICTURES. Puncl...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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A Romance Of Unreal Life. Zaidec. A Roma...
Cheshire t 6 London . More wonderful still , four grown-up * nen start m «** v **!^ vf rtis child , and Cannot find her . Some public conveyance , we are feftto Sp ^ sc ( though the fact is not stated ) , must have carried her from ^ e shiJe ^ S Bedford-Jlace ; and yet no trace of her can these four men , all ttkSff ^ itfereot routes , discover . Only one confidant of her secret destma-Sm & chosen , and that one the most unlikely m the World to keep the secret—the weak , silly wife of the curate of the parish . The threat of suicide , on the part of the youthful eloper , is supposed to influence poor silly Mr * . Green in her determined silence , though she does venture ( alter an interval ) , emboldened by the joy of her husband on the birth of their first child , to confess to him when it is too late . The young lady is traced to Bedford-place ; but all clue to her after that is lost , though she leaves very simple-hearted people to go away with very simple-hearted people . To explain the cause of this complication of elopement , misery , and mystery
would spoil the interest of the hook to young lady readers—for gentlemen readers we fear it may not suit . We cannot imagine a cigar in the mouth and •« Zaidee" in the hand ; but we can fancy young ladies working IiKndseer ' s Bolton Abbey in Berlin wool , being much interested m the beautiful young ladies of the Grange and their pretty room—in the stately brother Philip , and the clever brother Percy , who turns out a poet and a writer of startling novels , and has the usual quantity of clustering curls . The fairy godmother , as the mamma of these delightful young people is called , may also have her attractions , to say nothing of a sentimental staghound , with the wonderful name of " Sermonicus . " It seems hard , after the time that must have been consumed in writing these volumes , not to give them higher praise ' ; but the ladies' mania for novel-writing is spreading so widely , because there have been a few successful female writers of fiction , that it
seems almost a duty to repress the efforts of those who can only copy from what others have done before them . A tale that has appeared in Blackwood ' s Magazine , when it comes out in three volumes , may be supposed to have more than usual attractions ; and doubtless there are good things to be found in " Zaidee , " chiefly connected with descrip tions of the interiors of rooms and of home scenery—though these last are burdened with endless repetitions about flying clouds and gusty winds . The two most wearisome Characters in the book are a crack-brained , rich old gentleman , named " Mr . Cumberland , " and a Welsh nurse , " Jane Williams . " The personages most true to nature are the Bedford-p lace family— especially the matron at
its head , and her newly-married daughter . The father of this family offers an awful picture of local manners ; for he sits in his drawing-room m the evening actually in his dressing-gown ! The great attractions of the heroine consist in her stately beauty and her queen-like form—indeed , there are two young ladies answering to this magnificent description , one bearing a great resemblance to the other . They have neither of them powerfully attracted us , because we have a long-standing prejudice against heroines with swelling throats , curling lips , stately figures , and gracefully-sweeping movements . We hope the next time the authoress writes she may condense her materials , and study the probabilities . A happier end she can scarcely make to any future book ; for everybody in " Zaidee" is fitted to the right mate , and we leave them al rich and happy .
^^^~— -^^ . —^^^ ¦ •^ ¦ ¦ ^ 9qn The Lead...
^^^~— - ^^ . —^^^ ¦ •^ ¦ ¦ ^ 9 qn THE LEADEB , [ No . 300 , Saturday ,
A Batch Of Books. Cross Purposes. By Cat...
A BATCH OF BOOKS . Cross Purposes . By Catherine Sinclair . In Three Volumes . ( Bentley , London . )—The authoress of the dreary and foolish novel called Cross Purposes was brought to that condition , it appears , in consequence of having incautiously " asked herself one day -whether , before sitting down finally in the arm-chair of retirement , and before her pen had grown grey in the service of fiction , she might not attempt to weave a story , " in which no fewer than four gigantic evils should be " warningly portrayed . " With the queerest confusion of general and particular terms , Mrs . Sinclair begins by describing the four evils in question as " four kinds of slavery "—that is to
say , *• first , the slavery of overdone education ; secondly , the slavery of overworked needlewomen j thirdly , the slavery of intemperance ; and , fourthly , the slavery—worse than all united—of Romanism . " These several states and conditions of bondage are treated in a turgid and tearful style—something between Fanny Fern and the Reverend Mr . Spurgeon—and in the form of a story , not intensely probable or exciting . A factitious interest is feebly snatched , towards the close of the tale , from recent events in the Crimea ; and "Fall of Sebastopol ! " is printed , in large capitals , Across one page . Some passages in this novel would have been more « flfective liad they been written in the orthography of Mr . Jennies . For instance , the following : —
Sir Riohard stood for a moment aghast ! Where , in all that prodigious house , a perfect labyrinth of rooms , uhould he find Theresa ? Yet difficulties were always with him a spur to aotion , and very seldom defeated him ; but the gong * t wU » moment sounded its loudest and most peremptory note f or luncheon , and it gives a summons that very few are inclined to dispute . " Somehow , said Anne to Captain Clifford , aa she descended the broad staircase of Torohester Abbey , " a gong alwayfl gives one the idea of a particularly excellent repast . A bell collects vulgar , hungry people to roast mutton and apple-pie ; but one always oonneata the idea of a man cook and turtle with a gong . " Now , let us read instead : —¦ Sriohard stood fa * a momink ogaet 1 Wave , in hall that purdijus owe , a puffiok of Rheums
labbrynkth . .... The gong at this horful momink gave hout the ( wvrad for Lunohun . .... "Summotv , " sea Hann to the Cnpfcing , as he tatoxrarted her down the brord etareis of this wenmble liabby , " a Gong give one the bideer of a pertioklerly hexalink Rapunk . A hel summinses low and hilbread popel to leggs of rautting and seoh kind of corse phood , but won halwoss connex the flavior of potash Allah bisk , nml soopraim de pully ho tmffs , with tho sownd of » Gong . " la It not mote natural than the correctly-spelt version of the incident ? XAfeqjTAlderman Kelly . By the llcv . R . C . Fell . ( Groomhriclgo , London . ) —The biographer of Alderman Kelly foresees the astonishment likely to be caused by the publication of that worthy citizen ' s inemoira . " In an age , " says Mr . Fell , " like the present , teeming with the lives of men eminent for tto services they have rendered their country , or distinguished for their literary and scientific acquirements , it mny , at first sight , occasion surprise
we feel almost ashamed of having for a moment entertained a question which Mr . Fell is so tolerant as to call "not unreasonable . " Not unreasonable ! Can there be reason or right in questioning " histories like these "—histories that elevate youthful feelings , prompt us to habits of industry , and exhibit the utmost attainments of human power , divinely aided ? Alderman Kelly was an instance , not very uncommon , of successful , because steady and straightforward ( and unobstructed ) , endeavour , directed simply to " getting on . " He was the son of a small , a very small farmer—one who had been a shepherd , and had managed to save two hundred pounds—and he had some little—some very little—schooling before he came to London , and took a subordinate situation in a brewery . From this place , on the failure of the
that an individual who was not strikingly remarkable for any of these qualifications should be selected as the subject of a biographical memoir ; and the question may not unreasonably be asked—Why seek to perpetuate , by jh record of this kind , the memoirs of one who , however responsible the official situations he may have held , or exemplary and faithful his manner of discharging their duties , was rather to be admired for his private than his public virtues—for the Christian benevolence of his heart than the brilliant exercises of his mind ? " To inquirers who would be likely to put the question in thia convenient way for answering , no answer could be more satisfactory than Mr . Fell ' s . Let us hear . " It is replied , that histories of this kind have a tendency to elevate the feelings of the young ; to serve as a stimulus to industry and perseverance ; and , above all , to indicate what man , directed and assisted by the grace of God , can accomplish even in this world . " Really
firm , he went to a bookseller ' s in Paternoster-row , and stuck to business . Finally he became master in the house where he began as servant—as servant , that is to say , in the sense implying quite menial offices . We repeat all this to his honour ; and , that Mr . Fell may not charge us with suppressing facts of importance to Alderman Kelly ' s fame , we will add that he was Lord Mayor in 1836-7 ; and had a letter from the Duke of Wellington about his Grace ' s statue . A facsimile engraving of this letter enriches the volume ; so does another facsimile of Alderman Kelly ' s own autograph ; so , likewise , does a portrait of Alderman Kelly , which is the only dramatic thing about the biography , and wakes us up , any time in the course of perusing the book , by the startling contrast which it presents to our preconceived idea of an alderman .
Adventures of the Caliph Haroun Alraschid . Recounted by the Author of " Mary Powell . " ( Hall , Virtue , and Co ., London . )—This writer possesses , in extraordinary force , the minor dramatic essentials of story-writing . Her thoughts , as well as her phraseology , are always made to reflect the minutest characteristics of her subject . Having assumed the position of a local histor ian , she acts out the part in a manner than which nothing can be more precise , easy , and natural . Her latest effort was a bold one ; but the end has fairly crowned the work , which will remain among the most enduring works of her skilful hand . She has collected and carefully strung together all those " scattered pearls , " the adventures of the Caliph Haroun Alraschid . She has given sequence to those adventures , newly arranging and re-forming much of the old materials , and introducing original chapters , which are *
distinguished , in the table of contents , by an asterisk . She has , finally , sustained the local colour of her narrative with as complete an effect as in her tales of the Tudor age , and of other periods in English history .
Christmas Literature And Pictures. Puncl...
CHRISTMAS LITERATURE AND PICTURES . Puncli ' s Almanack for 1856 . Illustrated by John Leech and John Tenniel . Punch Office . Foremost among the Christmas pictorial offerings , whether for beauty , cheerfulness , or cheapness , stands " Punch ' s Almanack . " We look for it with as confident an anticipation of pleasure as the boy to his Christmas pudding , the young gentleman or young lady to the Christmas party , the " hangeron" to his Christmas-box , and all to their Christmas pantomime . And perhaps the certainty and habitual continuance of the enjoyment makes usas in more important matters—forget to be thankful to the provider ; yet we ,
for one ( if the plural pronoun can be mentioned in connection with one ) , cannot turn over the pages of this present Almanack without experiencing . a renewal of that feeling of gratitude—we can use no milder term—with which we regard the productions of that greatest of comic artists , John Leech . Mr . Leech , as it seems to us , has struck out a new style in comic art , and shown what a really kind , genial , reverential , and lovable , as well a * amusing , thing it may be . No nature will be depraved by the fancies of Mr . Leech . Nay , we might even learn lessons of charity from his broad and honest view of life ; while his power of representing feminine and childish beauty is capable of moving our sense of religion deeper than many austere discourses .
This may seem a very serious mood in which to regard a set of mirthful pictures ; but the best kind of mirth has its meditative side , which is indeed the test of the excellency of the mirth . And so we exhort all our readers ( if the exhortation be not already fulfilled ) to get their three-pennyworth of wit , wisdom , and humour , as soon as may be . The general nature of the designs may not be very new—may even remind us of past efforts ; but who quarrels with the returning buds of Spring because lie has seen them before ? And allow us more particularly to commend the final illustration , combining mirth , beauty , and a certain gentle pathos , and exhibiting a comp lete p icture of life from the crowing infant , upwards through round-fneed boyhood nnd girlhood , handsome young manhood and womanhood , to tho jovial grandpapa , dancing Sir Roger de Coverley . Tin ; Cltrialmas Tree , and other Tales . Adapted from tho Gorman by Franco ? Kemble . J . "VV " . Farkor and Son .
In a Preface of six lines and a hnlf we nro informed that these talcs were not translated for publication , but that , having given delight to some juvenile friends , they arc now put forth for the amusement and edification of juvenility in general . Tina egotistical modesty is so often tho forerunner of a worthless book , that it diminslics confidence before we have rend « 1 >» C > but , in the present instance , the work is not without some features of recommendation . We must object , it is true , to a sfinctimonious tone running through it , which is in no respect necessary to true religious feeling ; ft n < l
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 22, 1855, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_22121855/page/18/
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