CURRENT LITERATURE.
Sunday Magazine and Little Snowflakes. (Daldy, Isbister, and Co.) —The Sunday Magazine and its Christmas Number, Little Snow- flakes, emanate from the Evangelical party in the Church, if we may
judge by their tone and language; but there is nothing dogmatic, and no offensively party spirit, in the numbers before as. Whatever -may be said of the narrowness or want of taste of this branch of our national Church, it is certainly true that, though they are too fond of pressing their views, out of season as well as in season, and may sometimes seem impertinent in their inquiries after the health of individual souls, they do try to teach and preach what they believe to be their Lord's doctrines, rather than their own ; and to hold up for love and obedience the Head of the Church, rather than the Church itself. In these magazines, it is the love of God and Christ, and the helpfulness of prayer, that are preached from end to end; and how religion can be, and ought to be, interwoven with every movement and detail of daily life. The Sunday Magazine is, we think, somewhat too grave and serious for the sole Sunday reading of young people ; for except the two tales—which are religious in spirit, but not religious in subject—nearly all the papers are either distinctly religious teaching, though by no means all dry, or they concern ecclesiastical history, the history of sects, or travels for missionary purposes. Still, they are various in subject, and suitable to many different tastes. The paper by the Rev. J. G. Wood, on " The Winter Instincts of Birds and Beasts," would interest almost everybody. " Little Snowflakes," being meant for the Christ- mas holidays, is, of course, much lighter in tone, and Hesba Stretton and Emilie Learchfleld have contributed two pretty and pathetic stories. The illustrations in both numbCrs are particularly good and attractive, and deserve a better paper than the Sunday Magazine affords them. There are, we think, too many &ea and shipwreck stories ; Mrs. Garnett's "One Stormy Christmas," in particular, carries no sense of reality with it. Her " Corbiestanes" is far better, but only real sailors can write these storm-at-sea tales with any power. Amongst the poetry, there are some beautiful lines by Sarah Doudney and Mary Bowles, to which we would call attention. Altogether, these magazines are valuable ones, but those who hold Sabbatarian views should see to it to make their Sunday literature as attractive to young people as possible. The list of writers should include more laymen ; no less than six out of the eleven prose papers in the number of the Sunday Magazine for this month, are by clergymen. Mr. Waugh and Mr. Arnold-Foster, who are not described as " Rev." and have no " D.D." after their names, seem to us more likely to attract " the children " by their lively illustrations of the religions nature of love, courage, &c., than their reverend brethren by their, perhaps, greater theological and ecclesias- tical learning.
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