CHICAGO.

We have received from the music publishing house of Messrs. Root & Cady an advance copy of The Song Messenger of the Northwest, which is an unusually fine number. It contains a complete list of new music and articles of peculiar interest to the musical world. We are also in receipt of a package of music from the same house, which contains some of the finest pieces we have seen this season, comic and sentimental. We give below a list, and regret that var space is so limited we cannot indorse the particular beauties of each separate sheet:

"Old Friends." Song and Chorus. Music by J. P. Webster.

"Golden Leaves of Autumn." Song and Chorus. By Frank Howard. This has a beautiful lithograph title, and is a sweet and tender song, set to a beautiful melody. Key of G.

"Tis the Heart makes the Home." Trio. By P. P. Bliss. This is an exquisite production, and should be sung at every fireside in the land. Key

of D.

"Velocipede Song," by Frank Howard, and the "Velocipede Waltz," by the same composer, are highly suggestive, with their illustrated title pages, of the popular mania.

"Velocipede Polka." By H. E. Kimball. Like the above pieces, this has a beautifully illustrated title.

"Guests of the Heart." Song. By J. R. Murray, the popular composer. Sacred Lyrics. For social and public worship. Edited by Wm. Ludden. Single copies 80 cents; $8.00 per dozen. These lyrics are especially adapted for devotional singing. The most beautiful songs in sacred poetry are set to the rhythm of sweet, soulstirring music.

School Lyrics, a book of the same size and style, is adapted to the use of schools and family singing. The assortment of hymns is excellent, but we

think it would be improved by the addition of a few pieces written and sung in a sprightlier vein than any of the lyrics in the book. We can commend the editor, however, for his conscientious selections.

The Musical Independent, published by Lyon & Healy, Clark and Washington streets, has made its appearance for February. We commend the article upon "Music in Schools" to everybody, but to teachers especially. The title page of the paper is extremely handsome, and the poet's corner contains a gem from Robert Browning. There is a sparkling, piquant piece of music, "Katy's Letter," and a sentimental song, "One Little Cot among the Hills," and several highly interesting articles concerning musical celebrities.

"Sing to Me, Brother," issued by Lyon & Healy, is one of James Butterfield's pleasant melodies.

"Barbe Bleu" is a ten-page pot-pourri, and is an easy, brilliant arrangement, by Mr. Baumbach.

ELSEWHERE.

Madame Parepa-Rosa is ill at Balti

more.

Adelaide Phillips is making a Western tour, and sung last week in Chicago.

Patti will soon be worth her weight in gold. She got $13,000 for singing a few nights in Berlin.

Minnie Hauck is engaged in the Italian opera at Paris.

Blind Tom, the wonderful negro, who is not only blind but idiotic, is singing to Western people. Chicago accepted him as a prodigy.

Madame Anna Bishop is softening the hearts of the Australians with "Come Home, Father."

The Music Hall at Boston has received a half-dozen portraits of Beethoven's friends.

BOOKS.

THE CONSCRIPT. By MM. ErckmannChatrian. New York: Scribner and Company. Chicago: Cobb, Pritchard & Co., 81 and 83 Lake street.

This work, more a simple narrative than a novel of elaborate plot, is a wellperformed translation from the twentieth Paris edition, and appears free from those Gallicisms and obscurities which render so intelligible the Italian proverb of "Translator-traitor." It is a story of the campaign of 1813, seen from the stand-point, not of an emperor, a fieldmarshal or a newspaper correspondent, but from that of one of the pawns on Napoleon's military chess-board—a poor mechanic of Alsace. He who has been accustomed to regard only the dramatic side of war-who forgets, in looking at the sun of Austerlitz, how many cottage fires have been absorbed by those brilliant rays-will find much food for thought in this detailed account of the discomforts and sufferings of the march, the siege and the attack, as borne by a single victim of those successive conscriptions which left France drained and exhausted. The life in these quiet rural districts and provincial cities is pleasantly sketched; and the characters, though not of peculiar force or originality, are natural, and possess sufficient characteristic features to have a certain agreeable quaintness about them. As a vivid picture of the unromantic and revolting side of war, the book will have considerable value, and will have interest for those who prefer what is

suggestive and illustrative of charac to what is sensational and exciting.

SIR COPP: a Poem for the Times.
Thomas Clarke.

THE TWO ANGELS; or, Love-led. I

the author of "Sir Copp." Chicago Clarke & Bowron. Each for sale b the author.

The first of these poems has bee already some time before the publi and is familiar to most readers throug the commendatory notices of the West ern press. It begins with the dissection of one of the class characterized during the late war as Copperheads. In this process the author takes occasion to depict in strong language the nature of such men and his estimate of the magnitude of their crime against the Union. He then sketches the uprising of the people in the recent struggle for national integrity, the cause of the war and its most memorable battle-fields-paying tribute to Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, as also to those humbler heroes whose part in the great work was not less noble and laments the death of Lincoln, under the name of Abel Misraim. He protests against the injustice of the world towards great souls such as Milton, Keats, Burns, and discusses Tennyson, whom he regards as overrated. He concludes with a dissertion, embody ing some sound ideas, as to a republican form of government and the duty of its citizens with regard to it, and ends by committing the obnoxious Copperhead to those regions which the po

prefer to call Hades. The most pirited passage in the book is the aposphe to Germania, beginning,

"Land of the Danube and the Rhine."

In the poem "Love-led," the author ys claim in his preface to the title f a benefactor of his race, as "one tho presents new ideas in such a shape is will render them practically useful o mankind." After speaking of the reation of Eden and the limitations der which our first parents dwelt here, he represents the inhabitants of be various planets as descending, moved curiosity, to view the primeval garlen and its occupants. A young angel, Aphel, set to guard the orb Sirius, alls in love with Eve and is driven from he garden by her. Returning to his post, he meets Lucifer, and a long argument ensues, in which the latter reproaches the celestial youth with the groveling nature of his ambition. UnAlle, however, to convince his listener,

forces him to accompany him to the hrone of Jehovah. Once there, the uthor seizes the opportunity to give a description of heaven, the worship f the angels, and their occupations. Those who in their ideas of that divine

ode have hitherto been confined to speculation or desire, will find here any novel suggestions upon the subjeet. The pause of the great archagel and his protege upon a hill overoking the city gives the author a chance o indulge in a vein of meditation upon ublic and private matters as managed ere below. He then returns to heaven, escribes the evening meal of the anels, the contest of Lucifer and Michael, -a sort of tournament, in which the Former vanquishes the great conqueror =f the Dragon—and, finally, the punshment of the young offender beforementioned, which consists in being sent nto exile for a million years or so. In he succeeding cantos Lucifer re-appears Arophel, and relating his own fall From holiness, together with that of our

first parents, as the result of his arts, urges him to unite in defiance of the Almighty. To this Arophel returns an indignant refusal, when Lucifer, hurling his last defiance toward heaven, is overwhelmed by the divine thunderbolts, and, transformed into hideous shape, is forced to

"Wander without chart or shore,

Till time on earth shall be no more."

The author ends with the aspiration that

"The trials which we suffer here

Shall be the stepping-stones whereby
We mount yon bright, celestial sphere,
To homes eternal in the sky."

LUKE DARRELL, THE CHICAGO NEWS

ΒΟΥ.

MABEL ROSS, THE SEWING GIRL. THE BROKEN PITCHER. Chicago: Tomlinson Brothers.

ones.

Each of these books was written by a Chicago lady and published by Messrs. Tomlinson Bros. in a neat and attractive style. The writer possesses the unusual ability of writing in such a manner as to be highly instructive to the young reader and yet entertaining to the older Her conversational powers are fine, and she carries the reader from one scene to another almost imperceptibly, and with each change teaching an appropriate moral lesson. She links the different parts of her book together by the narration of the events which go to make up the life of some fictitious person or persons, and enchains the attention of her readers to the end. Her style is not particularly marked, but is free, easy, graceful and agreeable.

"Luke Darrell" is a faithful representation of the life of a newsboy in a Western city. She takes her orphan hero from the country at the early age of nine years, brings him to Chicago, introduces him to the "ring" he is "pushed" through and becomes a part thereof. The amusing dialect, tricks and incidents peculiar to his calling are faithfully noticed; he runs a successful

career, and after an experience of nine years, finds himself back on the old farm again, with flattering prospects of becoming, at some future day, one of the "self-made" men of the age. The book has a high moral tone, and should be read by the youth throughout the West. "Mabel Ross" is a story of the struggles, privations and temptations of a sewing-girl's life in a large city, or, as the localities sufficiently make known, in the city of Chicago. It details the adventures of a trio of young girls, sisters, thrown upon their own efforts for support, with the poor preparation of a childhood spent in a luxurious home under the sheltering care of parents. The book does not throw a flattering light upon the characters of the proprietors of large establishments where sewing-women are employed, nor upon the management of some of our benevolent institutions. The young heroines fight successfully through their trials, and, by a turn of fortune not wholly unexpected to the reader, become heiresses and escape from the thraldom of the needle. The book would perhaps have contained more encouragement to the class to which it specially relates, if it had solved the problem of their existence in a less exceptional way.

"The Broken Pitcher," by the same author, is of the order of books best known as Sunday-school stories. The course of the narrative follows the steps of two children afflicted with a drunken father, who nevertheless make persistent and successful efforts to live a moral life, and are rewarded by the acquisition of friends and the reform of the degraded parent.

The three books, though without a marked style, are written in clear and agreeable English.

[The above books, except "The Conscript," were handed in by their authors with a request that we review them. Hence their appearance at this late date.]

PERIODICALS.

We here give, each month, a brief notice of periodicals received, which we can honestly ra mend to our readers. We have no room for others. Literary, Educational, Medical, Scieatt Religious, Musical, Artistic and Political journ of real merit will be always welcomed and recei due attention.

PHRENOLOGICAL JOURNAL.-Devoted to Ethnol Phrenology, Physiology, Physiognomy, Psych gy, Education, and all progressive measts Illustrated; $3.00. S. R. Wells, 389 Broad New York.

PACKARD'S MONTHLY.-The Young Men's Ma zine. Lively, Wide-awake, Talented; $1.00. 8. Packard, 937 Broadway, N. Y.

THE MOTHER AT HOME, and Household Magazin edited by Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher. A n mother's journal; $1.50. Address "The Moth at Home," 57 Williams street, N. Y.

HALL'S JOURNAL OF HEALTH.-A medical month of well-known ability, everywhere; $1.50. J. Redfield, 140 Fulton street, N. Y.

AMERICAN BUILDER, and Journal of Art.-Devote to Architecture, Mechanics, Science, Civil Eng neering, and Art; $3.00. Lakey & Adams, 11 Madison street, Chicago.

THE CHICAGO MEDICAL TIMES.-Devoted to th Interests of Eclectic Medicine and Surgery; $2.0 John Gunn, 163 S. Clark street, Chicago. WORDS FOR JESUS.-A Religious Monthly Mag zine; $1.00; to the Poor, free. Lamont Brother Rockford, Ill.

THE HERALD OF THE COMING KINGDOM, and Chris tian Instructor. A semi-monthly periodical $2.00. Wilson, St. Clair & Co., 117 Madison street Chicago.

THE SPIRITUAL ROSTRUM.-A monthly magazin devoted to the Harmonial Philosophy; $2.00. Hull & Jamieson, Drawer 5966, Chicago.

THE GRISWOLD COLLEGIAN.-Devoted to the inter ests of Griswold College, and a liberal Christian education; $1.00. "Griswold Collegian," Davenport, Iowa.

UNIVERSITY CHRONICLE.-A sprightly periodical published at the University of Michigan; $2.50 "University Chronicle," Ann Arbor, Mich.

THE ART JOURNAL.-An American Review of the Fine Arts, and among the best on the continent. Monthly, at the Opera House Art Gallery, Chicago. $2.00 J. F. Aitken & Co.

IOWA SCHOOL JOURNAL.-Official organ of the State Teachers Association and of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction; $1.25. Mills & Co., Des Moines, Iowa.

HERALD OF PEACE.-A semi-monthly, devoted to the cause of peace and general religions improve ment; $1.50. Herald Co., 131 S. Clark st., Chicago.

THE INDEX.-A monthly journal-the official organ of the M. E. Church of Wisconsin; $1.00. Rev. I. L. Hauser, Milwaukee, Wis.

THE MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR.-A monthly journal of Medicine and the Collateral Sciences; $2.50. C. S. Halsey, 147 Clark street, Chicago.

THE INDIANA STUDENT.-A semi-monthly, published under the auspices of the Senior and Junior Classes of the Indiana State University; $200. "Indiana Student," Bloomington, Ind.

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,

ANN ARBOR, Jan. 13, 1869.}

MESSRS, REED & TUTTLE-Dear Sirs: have received the first number of THE WESTERN MONTHLY, and also your favor of the 8th inst. I would gladly write an article for the February number, but I am engaged in extra work just now, still I will endeavor to prepare one for the March number.

To ensure the largest success to the MONTHLY it should, from the beginning, assume an easily defined and positive character. It must not be a receptacle of the fugitive productions of Western men and women, thrown together miscellaneously. Such a periodical as you propose to publish needs soul more than body. Every article in it should be instinet with a common life. The Atlanthe Monthly has such a character, and is not only an honor to American scholarship, but is actually infusing its liberal and scholarly temper into the community. It has an appropriate name. One can smell the ocean breezes, almost the peculiar northeast winds of New England, in its pages. Now the great West, 30-called, the broad Mississippi valley and surrounding country, must Kooner or later develop a homogeneity of character. There are certain problems that can be understood, and of course discussed, here better than any. where else. How would the Atlantic States like to depend upon England for their literature ? Almost as inconsistent is it for us to be dependent on the East. Almost invariably an Eastern writer betrays as great a want of appreciation of Western matters as an Englishman. We do not want gross flattery, as is often the case, nor total neglect, which from ignorance is more frequent.

I think it would be well for your Editor to forecast, to some extent, what kind of a number he will have, every month. Let him apply to certain wri ters of known ability, to furnish articles on certain specified topics of peculiar interest. Do not shrink from the profoundest problems of politics and philosophy, provided you treat them with

true Western breadth and fearlessness. Abjure temporary partisanship, but let this not prevent a manly independent investigation of any subject. Leading Western thinkers have some ideas on Currency, Protection, Civil Service Bills, Educational enterprises, and other such subjects, which should be presented in able, condensed papers. Of course the proportion of poetry, fiction and light reading will not be wanting.

But perhaps I am extending my letter so as to weary you. My only apology is a conviction that Western authors need for their own good and the good of their country, organization. Complete centralization in this country is impossible and undesirable, but the most unreasonable of all forms is a center on one side! Western writers are an unorganized herd. Eastern writers know and sustain each other. I hope you will develop an able body of writers, who will not only awaken a mutual interest by their common relation to the WESTERN MONTHLY, but meet each other as many of the best authors in other countries do. A country of "magnificent distances has some advantages, but not a few disadvantages. Chicago is rapidly becoming a publishing as well as a commercial center

-let it also exercise the functions of a brain as well as of a heart. I hope you will have not only pecuniary but every other success.

Yours truly,

E. O. HAVEN. P. S.-Shall try to have a paper for your March number. E. O. H.

STATE OF ILLINOIS, DEP'T OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE, SPRINGFIELD, Jan. 8, 1869.

MESSRS. REED & TUTTLE, Publishers "WESTERN MONTHLY," No. 115 Madison street, Chicago, Ills.-Gentlemen: Your favor of the 6th inst. is before me. My Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature of the State is now going through the press, and is not yet wholly written. My time during the present month will be crowded with official labors to such an extent as to