a' alone ought to give her a kind
of pre-emptive right to the love and gratitude of our young
folks. It requires genius to conceive a purely imaginary work
which must of necessity deal with the supernatural, without
running into a mere riot of fantastic absurdity; but genius Miss
Ingelow has, and the story of Jack is as careless and joyous,
but as delicate, as a picture of childhood.
"The young people should be grateful to Jean Ingelow and those
other noble writers, who, in our day, have taken upon themselves
the task of supplying them with literature, if for no other
reason, that these writers have saved them from the ineffable
didacticism which, till within the last few years, was
considered the only food fit for the youthful
mind."--_Eclectic._
_Sold everywhere. Mailed, postpaid, by the Publishers._
ROBERTS BROTHERS, BOSTON.
* * * * *
_Messrs. Roberts Brothers' Publications._
CASTLE BLAIR:
A STORY OF YOUTHFUL DAYS.
BY FLORA L. SHAW.
16mo. Cloth. Price $1.00
"There is quite a lovely little book just come out about
children,--'Castle Blair!' ... The book is good, and lovely, and
true, having the best description of a noble child in it
(Winnie) that I ever read; and nearly the best description of
the next best thing,--a noble dog," says John Ruskin, the
distinguished art critic.
"'Castle Blair,' a story of youthful days, by Flora L. Shaw, is
an Irish story. A charming young girl--half French, half
English--comes from France, at the age of eighteen, to live with
her bachelor uncle at Castle Blair, which is in possession of
five children of an absent brother of this uncle. The children
are in a somewhat wild and undisciplined condition, but they are
as interesting children as can be imagined, and some of them
winning to an extraordinary degree. They are natural children,
in manner and in talk; but the book differs from some American
books about children, in that it is pervaded by an air of
refinement and good-breeding. The story is altogether
delightful, quite worthy, from an American point of view, of all
Mr. Ruskin says of it; and if circulation were determined by
merit, it would speedily outstrip a good many now popular
children's books which have a vein of commonness, if not of
vulgarity."--_Hartford Courant._
"It
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