Page:The Galaxy, Volume 6.djvu/461

1868.] studies of these delightful poems. We have not troubled ourselves with the plan or the machinery of "The Earthly Paradise," which are of the most artless sort—mere unconcealed contrivances by which a dozen tales are strung together, and which yet give the work a unity of purpose and of tone. The story of The Wanderers, who set sail in quest of that Utopia for which their hearts yearn, even like ours, who know that there is no Utopia, but which men five hundred years ago, seem to have thought might exist in some far country this side of the bourne from which no traveller returns, and who finally rest worn and weather-beaten among some kindly folk beyond the great grey waters, and who tell, and are told, these old world tales, is at times a little prolix, but is surcharged with that poetic charm which Morris diffuses through all his writing.

There is a great comfort and good example in the English of these poems, which is notably pure and strong, with a simple, idiomatic strength. It is at times slightly old-fashioned, but not more so than is becoming, and its archaisms do not seem in the least affected. We regret that such a master of the language should have given the sanction of his authority to the phrase "being made." And it is also to be regretted that he uses the word perfect as an epithet frequently thus: "perfect arms," "perfect body," "perfect mouth." This trick he and other poets of the day have caught from Tennyson. Now there is no more poetry or descriptive power in the word perfect, or in fact as much, as in round or square, or triangular. It is the most prosaic and barren of words, and is fit only for an auctioneer's catalogue. But the blemishes on these poems, even of this speck-like sort, are very few, and must needs be searched for to be found. We have only to read, and enjoy, and be thankful.

R. G. W.

is well known as the greatest book market in the world. With about ninety thousand inhabitants, it has more than two hundred publishers and book-sellers. Book merchants of almost the whole world have their agencies here, and books in almost every language may be had. The book-merchants have their own exchange—the "Buchhändler-Börse"—a large, handsome building—where they meet weekly, sometimes daily, to take counsel with regard to the advancement of their trade, and where the principal book-merchants of Europe meet annually to adjust their accounts. The sales of books amount to from eight to ten millions of dollars annually. Weekly, monthly, semi-annual and annual literary advertisers and catalogues are published and distributed, containing the titles of all the books, pamphlets, periodicals, etc., published in Europe during these respective periods. It is therefore comparatively easy to find out what works have been published in the various departments of learning during any given period.

The statistics of the literary productions of Germany during the years 1866 and 1867, as registered in Leipzic, show a remarkable intellectual activity. The whole number of books, pamphlets, etc.—not the number of copies printed of each work, but the number of so many different works—printed during the year 1866, amount to 8,699, and in 1867, to 9,855. These works are divided into twenty-four departments, of which theology, philosophy, medicine, law, philology, history, the natural sciences, geography, mathematics, pcedagogics, etc., occupy the most prominent positions. The statistics show that philosophy has lost ground, so far as the number of philosophical productions are concerned. In 1852 their number amounted to 100; in 1859, only to 55; in 1866, to 71; in 1867, to 85. In theology the figures show a steady increase during the last sixteen years. The annual number of productions in this department during that period varied from 1,300 to 1,400, with the exception of the year 1866—the year of the war—when the number sank down to 1,250, but in 1867, it rose again to 1,400. In law and politics the annual number of productions during the last forty years varied from between 629 and 1,000. In medicine the number varies annually from 400 to 500; in the natural sciences and chemistry, from 500 to 600; in pædagogics, from 700 to 900; in classical and Oriental languages, from 400 500; in modern languages, from 200 to 300;