Editor's Table [pp. 95]

THE LADIES' REPOSITORY
LITERARY NOTICES.
THE METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW, for January, 1849,
carries a new aspect altogether, and breathes a new spirit.
The contributions are generally very able, both in matter and
manner; and the editorial department, which, in its present
form, adds a new feature to the work, is a very valuable compilation of useful facts on interesting topics. We regret only
that the orthography is not American, but English; for, while
England is rapidly adopting Dr. Webster as its standard, and
as rapidly discarding Walker and his predecessors, it does seem
inexpedient for us Americans to neglect our own rising orthography for a much worse one now waning. The punctuation,
too, we think, is a little faulty; but these are trifling things
compared with the superior excellences of our great quarterly.
We feel now proud of it; and are not afraid to see it laid down
in close comparison with the ablest periodicals of this country.
As we intend to give a full analysis of the number, and of
each number successively, under another head, we forbear, for
the present, further eulogy.
LIFE OF CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH, as contained in her Personal Recollections, with Explanatory Notes, and a.Memoir, by L.
H. J. To,na..ew York: M. IF. Dodd. 1848.-Mrs. Tonna,
or, as she is universally known, Charlotte Elizabeth, attained
a vast celebrity, in a very few years, by her numerous and excellent productions. Her style is peculiarly idiomatic, and
hence exactly suited to the masses; her matter is always
practical, containing something to be done by the reader; and
the spirit she breathes, in all her works, is the spirit of a sensible, discreet, honest, benevolent, pure-minded Christian. Her
books have been extensively read in this country; and she has
gained the admiration, we believe, of all her readers. She is
the Hannah More of the nineteenth century. The work now
before us is a captivating and instructive narrative, chiefly by
herself, of the most striking passages in her life and experience.
It is a small duodecimo of three hundred and sixty pages, tastefully bound, and sold by Geo. L. Weed, Cincinnati.
CATALOGUE AND CIRCULAR OF GUNDRY'S CINCINNATI MERCANTILE COLLEGE. 1848.-This institution we have visited
repeatedly, and have gladly witnessed its rapid progress onward and upwvard. It is now, we believe, the very best institution of its class in the Union. Mr. Gundry, the President, is
a scholar and a gentleman, a member of the bar, a splendid
penman, and a superior lecturer and teacher. The best of
order is maintained at the College; and the pupils, who, as we
see by the Catalogue, are now from eight different states,
speak of their advancement in the most flattering terms. We
have not space enough for what we should be glad to add; but
we know not whether we could say more, even in a long description of this first and best of commercial colleges, than
that it is the one, above all others, which we should patronize
ourself, had we a pupil for it.
PLATO AND HIS PHILOSOPHY: an Jddress delivered before
the Platonean Society of the Indiana Aisbury University, by
Samuel W. Parker. 1848.-This performance is characterized
more by its rhetoric than by its logic; and yet its style, and the
citation of facts, are not always accurate. On the first page,
for example, where a writer is presumed to compose with great
care, the author says," The great poet of Rome, in her Augus.
tan age, says,' Felix qui causas rerum congnoscere.' The passage referred to is probably the following: " Felix qui potuit
serum coagnosecre causas," which we quote from memory, not
having the school classic by us. There are worse defects of
style than this, however, in Mr. Parker's address; but the chief
blemish is the attempt at a parallel between Plato and our
Savior, which constitutes the substance of his production. All
such comparisons, whether for or against the character of Jesus,
are frigid, out of taste, repulsive, belonging to the school of
the old Illuminati of Paris. The Address evinces much reading rather than close thinking; but, with these faults, it has the
virtue of inspiring high admiration for the character of Plato.
Wye feel bound to add, after having pointed out the defects
of this address, that it could not have been written by any ordinary man; but it was probably composed in the hurry of business and of worldly care.
EDITOR'S TABLE.
OUR readers will greet with pleasure the return of several of
our old correspondents, and the accession of many new ones.
Bishop Morris has given us an article of great value, which,
we think, will be particularly acceptable to all thoughtful young
ladies. Mrs. Gardiner's "Faith" is like all her poems-beautiful. E. M. B. furnishes a fine parody of Hamlet's celebrated
self-talk. Mrs. Harlan is welcome again, after her long silence,
to our pages. Mrs. Bigelow fully sustains her high reputation
as a poetess. Mrs. Howe's "Familiar Letters" will obtain
for her a wide popularity. Rev. M. P. Gaddis continues his
"Moonlight Visit," in which, however, there is no moonshine,
but thoughts for the soul to think of and the man to practice.
But, in looking over the list again, we see we have unintentionally omitted the name of Professor Larrabee, another old
contributor, whose long silence has been much inquired about
by our agents and correspondents. We suppose he has been
too busy with his new duties as President pro tempore of the
Indiana Asbury University to admit of his paying much attention to his favorite pursuit of writing. In reference to his enjoyment of his new post we know nothing, but, for the information of our readers, will quote what the western correspondent of the Christian Advocate and Journal says of him in
that relation:
"Indiana Asbury University-This institution is now without a president. Professor Larrabee, known everywhere as an
accurate scholar, a good speaker, and a splendid writer, is acting as President pro tem. He is said to give universal satisfaction in his new position. It would be singular if he did not;
for there is, perhaps, no man in the Church who has more experience in this work. The seminaries at Cazenovia, New
York, and Readfield, Me., of which he was successively principal, saw their most prosperous days in his hands, and they
were, either of them, as difficult to manage at that time as any
college we now have. Professor Larrabee has been the educator of many of our most able men, some of whom are now professors, presidents of colleges, editors, doctors of divinity, &c.
Indeed, many of the leading men now at the helm of the
Church were educated by him. With all these, he is yet the
most popular teacher in our schools. It would be strange, then,
if he could not manage a college well. I see that the Indiana
American puts him down first among the candidates for the
Presidency of the institution. We hope he will be elected;
for, taking all things into the account, all think his superior it
would be difficult to find."
One of our ablest correspondents, however, a minister of
high standing in central New York, where the Professor has
been known for nearly twenty years, wishes us to say to him,
(and we now say it,) that "his many friends in New York will
never forgive him unless he writes more-that, if he cannot
act as President of the college without laying down his pen,
he must lay down the college-as his talent as a writer is
worth more to the great public, than twenty presidencies of
such an institution as he now governs." This is all we know
of the silence of our much-inquired-about contributor, but may
soon learn more; for we are this moment informed, that a
recent visitor to the University has sent a "lengthy and laudatory" account of proceedings there to the Western Christian
Advocate, which, of course, will gladly publish it: so our readers may look for it, and, when it comes, settle the whole ques.
tion for themselves.
Among our new contributors the name of Rev. D. D. Whedon,
D. D., President of Michigan University, will hold a conspicuous place.
Otway Curry, Esq., a gentleman of high literary position,
once the popular editor of a western literary magazine, and
who has written for us on former occasions, becomes now a
regular correspondent. Our readers may expect much from
him without the risk of disappointment.
The "Letter to the Editor" is from our French correspondent, a lady of genius, the wife of a professor in a French university, who undertakes to write for us a series of communications from that interesting country. We have, also, two communications from our Chinese correspondents, one of which,
on the "Gardens of the Flowery Empire?" is truly rich.
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