Our Library Cable.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 7, Issue 364, 5 April 1866, Page 2

Our Library Cable.

GOOD WORDS.— January and February. With the January part of this -valuable periodical commences the new volume for 1866, and in it the first chapter of a new serial tale from the pen of Mrs Oliphant, the well-known authoress of several valuable and deservedly popular works. Our limits will barely admit of our indicating the contents of the two parts received by the last mail. That for January has in addition to the above, “ My Dervish Life,” by Arsmnius Yambery,” an account of the adventures of the writer, disguised as a pilgrim, during a journey from Tehara to Sari, giving us an insight into some of the customs of the Orientals. There is also an interesting paper by H. Rodgers, entitled “The Story of John Huss,” the Great Bohemian Reformer and Martyr of the early part of the 15th century. The “ Children’s Carols," a simple tale of a village poet instructing the little children to sing the good news of the season in simple and affecting words adapted to the various states of their auditors—first to a rich hardhearted old man, who drives them away with curses; next to the poor inmates of a cottage, where they are welcomed on account of their glad tidings; then to the ale-house, bearing the news to its votaries; and, lastly, to a bouse of a dying Christian girl, who, “ victor in Death’s mortal strfe,” lingered but a little, and then “peace on earth” melted with her into the peace of Heaven. This is followed by a very strange paper, "The Dreadful Four Minutes,” by William Gilbert. The writer had, it seems, his mind deeply impressed by reading Victor Hugo’s “ Last Hour of a Condemned,’* aud determined to di*»

CovW» if possible, the mental stale of a criminal ■while being, executed, and believing the most ready means of doing bo would b,e by assisting at jan execution, gets introduced to the. hangman, andfor a bribe of five ppunds arranges the matter in Respect of an execution shortly to come off at Lewes, in Sussex. So, disguised as a rough, be eets put by rail on the morning previous to the execution. While travelling, his mind dwells upon the subject, arid he becomes anxious to appreciate the amount and quality of the thoughts that could pass through the mind of a criminal from the time that the bolt is withdrawn until life was extinct; and remembering that there was a tunnel at hand through which he would have to travel, and which would take some time to get through, he decided on testing the. question by reproducing to himself so much of the events of a recent journey, as he could during that time. All arranged, and watch in hand, at precisely, a quarter-past three he enters the tunnel, and in imagination sets out on the journey referred to, following out all the incidents of that Journey as occurred in regular order, even to the very Words spoken in lengthy conversations, the whole occupying about.eight columns of printed matter, and suddenly breaking off in the midst of a sentence as the train emerges into daylight—just two minutes and a half—the result being such a disgust at the idea Of being present at the execution that he decided upon breaking faith with Mr Calcraft, and leaving him to find another assistant as best be could. We have said it is a strange paper; it is so in more than one sense, but particularly in the attempt to measure thought by time. We have no doubt alt he describes passed through his mind while in the tunnel, and eery much more which he could not put in print if he would ; that it passed as he has given it we doubt. There would be with the recollection of each circumstance a train of thought connected which would break the chain. After all, it does not seem to throw any light upon the question, unless we suppose that a person suddenly plunged into the darkness of a railway tunnel is in a similar state to that of a criminal upon whom the fatal bolt has been drawn that launches him into eternity. The lesson we would teach W. Gilbert may be given in few words—“lt does not take TIME TO THINK.” Under the title of “Distinguished Settlers from Abroad:” wo have a very interesting zoological paper, describing recent additions to the treasures of Regent's Park, including beavers, new specimens of the bear and wolf tribe, with sundry birds and fishes, new and strange to the untravelled inhabitant of Britain, and which well repays perusal; then a phisiological paper on the “Health of body and mind,” which is continued into the part for Feburary ; another on the “ Enforced pauses of life,” or the soothing 'effects of rest, and especially that rest that is as it were forced upon us at times by circumstances when, of our own wills, we should not take it. There is a vein of serious drollery running through this paper which makes it very entertaining. “ A Visit to the Capital of Montenegro” is interesting, as describing a region but little known to the general reader; and a theological paper upon the “ Religious Life in Palestine when Christ appeared, and how he dealt with it,” concludes the January part. Of poetry and illustrations, there is the usual proportion and of the usual good quality; and we may say the same of the part for February, in which the tale “ Madona Mary” begins to show a fair outline of ‘its plot, and promises so far to be more successful than its predecessor, “Hereward,” was. The remaining papers of this part are also full of interest; but our space will not permit of our noticing them in detail.