Tales Illustrative of the Beatitudes. By Harriet Power. (Hatchard and
Co.) Lift's-Paths. (Saunders, Otley, and Co.) Cushions and Cor- ners. By Mrs. R. J. Greene. (Smith, Elder, and Co.)—These three volumes are all very good specimens of that mass of literature which daily issues from the press for the benefit of young England. It is quite useless to keep on protesting against the system of always hiding the powder of morality under the jam of fiction for boys and girls. We suppose grown-up people cannot condescend merely to amuse children. But we at all events object to theology in addition to morality ; therefore we prefer Mrs. Greene's story, even though she does make her selfish little girl reform entirely during an attack of measles. The author of Life's Paths is High Church, and Miss Power of course is Low. The ambition of Philip, the little cripple, in the former is to carve seat-heads for the church, and of the Earl's daughter in the latter to give up dancing. The moral of the one is that people should have a full sense of the privileges and blessings the Church into which they have been baptized offers to her children, wherever the simple rates contained in the Prayer Book are carried out ; while the latter calls on young persons to come out of the -world. These narrow views seem especially unsuited to children. The Messrs. Hatchard's volume is particularly well got up.
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