.128 F5 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 000D2TD1377 o '^ ^ rf n, * ft r *' o vv CL •• ;* ^ * ^ v«* AX & \/ f I* 4>^ %, JWJh AV* «S ^ * -OX O i.^Clir^J 1 _/} r»v h P *?*_ ( " Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from The Library of Congress http://www.archive.org/details/flowersoflifeOObidd The Flowers of Life BY Anthony J. Drexel Biddle Author of "An Allegory and Three Essays. Mm, ~^^ PHILADELPHIA DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER Walnut Street 1897 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1897, by ANTHONY J. DREXEL BIDDLE, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. % Transfer D.L. Public Library , WITHDRAWN ®o one m\)05c influence, like some rabiant star, Srings ^eatien's Ijoln beauty from afar: iflg life, tun all— mu ttHfe— to euer be iHt) gnioe throughout t\)c long eternitii. General of tlje writings in tl]is collection are reunblisljcb from ucriobicals anb rcuiscb from a brochure cntitlcb lM 3ln QUlcgorj} anb ®t}rec (Essajis." SUBJECTS. PAGE The Flowers of Life, 9 A Forest Idyl, 13 Truth, Love and True Love, 17 On the Death of the Only Child, 21 A Corporeal Argument, 25 The Mountain Climber, 29 Eternity Means Advancement, 35 Kemarks, 43 The Book, 49 The Newspaper, 53 The Mind, 61 Motive, 67 Opinion, 73 The Life of an Ephemeron, 77 Zfyt Sfbteers of feife IT seems that there must be slothfulness among plants as among people. For of two plants of the same kind growing side by side, does not often one use its productive powers and cover its branches with floral beauty while the other remains flowerless ? We see two men : the one living for the pleas- ure and the betterment of his fellow-beings, and the other, like the flowerless plant, absorbing all the benefit he can derive in life, being too slothful to give forth or to develop in turn any beauty or good of himself. We value a plant according to the delicacy and number of flowers it produces. And what joy flowers give ! We remember them long after they are withered and dead. This lesson then seems to be taught by the THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. flowering plants which give beauty to the earth and fragrance to the air : To develop the good which we gather and to make it blossom into noble deeds. And there is so much good to be gathered that if all men reproduced but a half of that they absorbed, it seems that this world would then become the flowering garden of Paradise. *5=>; ® Somt 3&gf THE forest rustled : And sun-silvered leaves Flashed merry sparkles Through the shading trees. The brooklet gurgled O'er its pebbly bed, Reflecting the sparkles Anon, overhead. Clouds above thickened In gathering storm, And hiding the sun Made the wood forlorn. Then bright lightning flashed Most vividly bright, And relit the dark With great streaks of light. THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. But the lightning wild, With its cold j fierce rays, Set the wood groaning And its trees ablaze. The brook sighed : " Return Sunshine, soft and warm !" Gentle light sheds good, Not lightning of storm. Zrutfy, £ct?e anb grue £ot>e T RUTH lasts eternally ; and God is love : So love and truth are blessings from above. If true love bind true lovers, God's image Exists in them, in their earth's pilgrimage. ©n fge ©eaffl of $e £ht% C^ifb THE summer's night was dark and still. My wife and I sat in our little hovel. Our eyes were dry from long continued weeping, for the child, the only child was dead and gone ! We thought and wondered of the great un- known : was it life or death beyond the grave ? We wondered. It had seemed with the birth of our child that our spirits joined for eternity. But now, in infancy, the child had been taken from us. What could be God's meaning: ? We were poor, poverty stricken. But haj)py in each other, our happiness had been crowned complete when we felt our souls united in our own, our new-born babe. Ah, how my Love did long to die ! And naught but misery ahead in life I saw. " My wife, my own !" I cried, " together let us yearn to see again our child. Together, with such 23 THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. strength of yearning, hope and faith that we shall see him." How thus I spoke I do not know. But as I spoke my wife and I arose. Out into the night we stepped, and met a glorious vision. It was an angel, tall and fair and radiant, with sky-blue eyes and hair and wings of gold. Upon our knees we fell. The angel spoke : " Your child has died to ye that ye may better live. His infant soul is of your spirits blended. Thus in him now ye have a heavenly place. But this remember well, small is his life. And if ye grow estranged his soul will die. So keep to- gether in the desperate struggle, being always brave and of perfect comfort to each other. Life in your world is but your brief apprenticeship ere soaring unto greater things. Employ well your talents, for through your earthly workings solely do ye make yourselves of sufficient impor- tance to exist eternally. Life beyond the grave means progression. And if together ye'd pro- gress, united ye must be." Lightning flashed from heaven, the spirit vanished, and again we were in darkness. But in the darkness we had seen the light. And through our sorrow we had seen eternity. @t Corporeaf (^r^umenf THE flesh and blood held argument. Is not this passing strange, That joint parts of the same body Should each other derange ? Quoth blood, " I course the body through, You, flesh, remain stock-still." " The stanchest is the truest," said The flesh. "You do me ill." Then up spake bones in lofty scorn : " Why argue or dissemble ? 'Tis I support you both," said bones ; And flesh and blood did tremble. Ah, weak is flesh, and weak is blood, And even bones decay ! 'Tis the unseen, silent spirit That ever wins for aye. t$t (Jttounfain CfhnBer A MAN set out to climb a mighty mountain in a day. He must race against time. He must concentrate his energy to a single end, and, once embarked upon his upward way, the greater efforts he put forth, the faster he would ascend. Stopping by the wayside, ever and anon, for refreshment and to indulge the pleasures of rest or of idle loitering, would deter his j^rogress. Like he who would achieve eminence in the limited period, his lifetime, the mountain climber should not tarry save for the necessary refresh- ment of rest, else, ere he knew it, darkness would have closed about him : like the laggard in life's climb whom death o'ertakes. Hence onward and upward the traveller climbed. Sometimes he fain would stop to while the time or to find interest by the way- THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. side. For he thought to himself, at such periods, "Why should I reach the top to-day?" and again, " Of what benefit is it to me if I gain the summit at all?" Here, in reply, a spirit voice advised : " Thou hast considered ; thou hast chosen ; thou hast set out to accomplish. Now neither turn back nor loiter. For, if thou doest either, it were better thou hadst not started to ascend." Thus advised, the traveller hastened onward. For he felt that though he might fail to reach the summit ere darkness came, nevertheless a steady and unwavering tread would leave a distinct footprint in the pathway of example. And thus, by dint of faith and perseverance, the traveller at last did reach the summit of the mountain, ere his sun had set. And here he needs should rest and look about him, for he now had well earned his rest and, having a better view than in the lowlands whence he came, he could put his power of sight to good ad- vantage. 32 THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER. But alas, how few who thus gain the summits of their mountains do stop. They are now weary, but the fever of climbing is upon them. The traveller saw a peak still higher than that upon which he was, and extending up into the heavens. Although his day was far spent, he again hurried upward. In life's brief day is it meant that we should accomplish all things ? Ere the traveller attained this greater height, the night had fallen. (Bferntfg (JUeans (Qbtonctmtnt LOOK up into infinite space and be assured of the eternity of your soul. New stars are discovered constantly. Eternity means advancement. To fill infinite space will take eternity. We are God's servants. What does Christ's parable of the talents teach ? To labor ; not to idle. Why should we live eternally else to accomplish ? Would a spirit exist without an object? It is often queried, " What is the use of suc- ceeding ? Of what avail is getting ahead ? There is nothing new to be accomplished : does not history repeat itself?" Half of our people exist in a state of stagna- tion as much as possible. Many of the poor bemoan their fates, but do nothing of themselves 37 THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. to better their condition. Many rich retire from business to live on their incomes, and to dawdle their time. The rich are rich that they may help their needy fellow-men to rise by proper uses of their talents and wealth. They are intended as the stepping-stones for the less fortunate across the river of trial to the shore of success. Rich and j^oor alike who are idle cannot realize that true enjoyment is the reward of the indus- trious only. Days of inactivity are the unhappy and dis- contented ones. We cannot successfully steal rest ; we must earn it. And we must be honestly and healthfully weary to enjoy it. The temporal system must be based on the eternal. To live properly here we must have occupation. In heaven it is surely intended that we have work to do ! But perfection is not to be looked for in this world. Can its attainment ever be expected in the next? Are not the countless, most distant interests of heaven and earth so closely related ETERNITY 3IEANS ADVANCEMENT. that to reach the verge of perfection in any one study is to cross the border into another, un- learned ? "nothing new under the sun"? The master labors ; must not his servants labor? If there has ever been something new to be done — and always will be — can the saying that " there is nothing new under the sun" hold good? If so, then surely, we can compile a catalogue of the world's doings and sayings during a certain given period which will be applicable as a refer- ence for all time. Calumny and treachery, disease and death have existed and will exist, but there are ever new forms in their perpetration and occurring. Choose one of these calamities at random, for illustration : disease. Why does a doctor, attend- ing two persons of the same sex, like tempera- ment, same age, and suffering from equally acute attacks of disease known by a single name, cure one patient and lose the other? Is it not because certain complications have THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. arisen to change the unfortunate patient's disease into a new disease, unknown heretofore to the doctor ? Can you find two pansies alike ? New metals and new chemicals are being dis- covered and made constantly by combinations (heretofore unexperimented) of metals and chemicals already known. And here — IMAGINATION IS THE CREATIVE POWER. While imagination exists there will ever be new creations. God imagines, and we are his creations. IMAGINATION, THE MEANS TO COMPREHENSION ; OR, IMAGINATION AS APPLIED TO THE OBJECT OF ONE'S INTEREST. A man has a hobby. He believes in it. He pins his faith to it. He finds more interest incor- porated in the subject of his liking than in all else in which he is not interested. Then his imagination forms the magnifier through which he further pursues his study of ETERNITY MEANS ADVANCEMENT. this, his favorite object. And he quickly dis- covers that outside subjects are connected with his. own so closely that, by a thorough mastery of his own subject, he learns a deal of others, nolens volens. The history of the world may be traced in the life of an insect. " Increase aud multiply," is the Almighty's command. Can even an insect find in death extinction of life, since there is unlimited space to be filled by new worlds to contain life ? No. At least no, if eternity means advance- ment ; for then no life can be lost. (RematliB THE end of this world will come when enough good souls have been furnished God's king- dom to meet His purpose concerning them. We may write our lives illegible to man but not to God. 'Twere punishment less distressing to be in hell, forgotten to heaven, than in God's waste- basket of poorly-written lives. If we lived life here a thousand years, we could not master temj)oral problems. Hence, how are our minds in their present state of being fitted to cope with questions of eternity ? THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. Endurance is the proof of greatness. God lives eternally. And God watches over the life of an ant. He who best attends to the little things of life is foremost in the largest. The only reliable implements for succeeding are wits well sharpened on the grindstone of w T ork. The ignorant may conquer, but only the wise can maintain mastery. The stumbler upon success is more likely to fall than he who sees success before he reaches it. For successes in this world are the summits of the mountains of ambition, and prove dizzy- ing heights for all but the very surefooted. It is the hard things of life which soften the right nature while they strengthen the character. 46 REMARKS. An overdose of praise poisons rather than nourishes the successful. An author must work with as fine care as a cutter of precious stones, if he would have his output possess the sparkle of a true literary gem. Elegant paper and a tasty binding are as necessary to the serving of a good book as a clean and pretty dish is to the serving of a deli- cate sweetmeat. The land of dreams is the borderland of reality. Thought bounces at corners through the mind like the revolving ball on the billiard-table. Negligence is the root of every evil. Comparison with no other body of water can belittle the ocean's vastness ; but the near-sighted often think the shallow pool profound. THE FLO WEBS OF LIFE. He who for counsel depends upon others, stumbles blindly through life. Not a man's friends, but his conscience should be for him his judge and dictator. To lead a life of worth (and to be a leader of men), one must be an indepen- dent thinker. In the earnestness of youth there's little faltering. Be wary of him who is hard to offend. Opposites are fitted for each other. In the one is what the other lacks. tk QBoofi HOW literature influences the lives of men ! The reading of a great book furnishes the mind. The eating of nutritious food fur- nishes the body. But the mind is retentive, whereas the benefit of food can be only ephemeral. Many men fashion their lives according to the teachings gathered from a single book. Self- made men, the most successful, serve as a constant illustration for this statement. It is rarely that a self-made man does not attribute his success to an early inspiration from some book. True, many self-made men are unlettered. But then it requires little schooling ere one of wit can understand the writings of the great. Wisest sayings are couched in simplest language. Great books make great men. Good literature is the rock whereon are the buildings of truth, wisdom, morality and heroism. So long as the rock holds firm, humanity's storms of doubt will not destroy its (the rock's) buildings. 51 £$e (Qtmpapzx THE world could feel, the world could taste — but the world could not think, for it could not see, it could not hear, it could not speak. In the daily press the voice of the world has been found, and also the sight of the world and the hearing. Resultant is a power of universal thought in common : the gift of gifts to the human race. A universal civilization is made possible. The great newspaper is imbued with an individuality more powerful than any one person can possess. It is an authority upon many sub- jects, whereas a great man is rarely an authority on more than a single subject. And even on this he cannot offstand the newspaper. It will win his knowledge, or he must seek its columns for the large audience he would obtain. As for institutions, no other institution is so far-reaching, so penetrating, so influential. The THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. great "daily" is at once an authority of the community in which it is published, a mouth- piece of the wise, and a chronicler of the world's history. The reporters of a city are its discoverers. In bringing crime to light, detectives find it hard to compete with the news-gatherers ; and in recog- nizing merit in worthy citizens of a community, the papers are invariably foremost. A progressive, modern city is coming to be known by its leading papers, rather than by its prominent people. It is the press of a city that gives to it its individuality. The power of a progressive nation is now reflected in its press. The more influential countries are those of the greater newspapers. The press of a progressive nation may be likened to the stem of a tree, the people to the roots, and the government to the branches which the roots would have upheld. The stem is the means of conveying that nourishment from the roots to the branches which causes them (the branches) to grow ever stronger and more spread- ing. The doing away with the press of the progressive nation would affect that nation as the severing of its stem would affect the grow- ing tree. Reasons might be summed : — 56 THE NEWSPAPER. The stimulant of advancement is competition. The requirements of a competitive people, though unlimited, are met in their press, the scope of which is unlimited. Mr. Harry Furniss, the distinguished English artist and caricaturist, said recently, on returning from the United States to his native land, " The key-note of America is competition ; for instance, when I had arranged to join the New York Herald, I received a cablegram from another journal, ' We double the offer.' They did not in the least know what my terms were ; but it was competition, and they were ready to fight." The press is the only medium in which the ever- increasing demands of the public are satisfied. It is at once, then, the people's most popular and most powerful institution. They find in it all that is encouraging. It upholds them and their standards, and in doing this it upholds their government. And it keeps them and their gov- ernment thoroughly informed as to each other. The government addresses its people through the newspaper column, and thus it makes known its demands and necessities. In turn, it looks to the press for information of its people. The newspaper is read by every class and condition, from the lowest to the highest. Hence THE FLO WEBS OF LIFE. a needy case in any walk of life, when brought to notice through publication, finds sympathizers and helpers. The great newspaper has its columns ever open to the free use of the suffer- ing and oppressed. The journalist may arouse public indignation or enthusiasm as required, and the newspaper readers are an all-powerful society in common, ever ready to right wrong or to commend. Thus, in the truly great newspaper, neither the mighty nor the lowly are spared their deserts, be they blame or praise. So that neither evil nor good can escape publicity. Books are a luxury that cannot always be enjoyed, but the modest price of a newspaper places it within reach of even the very poor. The newspaper critics have made a garden in the barren plain of necessity. They cultivate the finer plants of art, science, music and literature, and remove the weeds of ignorance detrimental to their growth. In the prominent newspaper is found the best of literature. Leading authors, appreciating a wide circulation, now like their works to appear in the press prior to publication in book form. As the promoter of business and enterprise the newspaper stands alone. As an advertising THE NE WSPA PER. medium it is unrivalled. The smallest schemes have developed into the largest through proper newspaper noticings and mentionings. And the successes of many great business establishments are reached chiefly through the judiciousness of their newspaper advertising. The gatherer of thought, the journalist, should be well adapted for political life : he has oppor- tunity to study disinterestedly the wants of his people before taking high political position. Journalism teaches loftier principles than ward- heeling. There are to-day some thirty-three newspaper men in our House of Representatives, and the British House of Commons contains about twenty-eight prominent journalists. Mr. Furniss says, "America recognized that daily illustrated papers were to be part of the national life of the future, and it got the machin- ery ready. The daily paper rules in America, and it will rule in England." tk (Wtnb THE mind is the soul's machine. It is the mind through which the soul expresses itself and improves or deteriorates itself; the soul is the motive power, the mind the motor, and the body, the servant and physical supplier ©f the mind. Knowledge is that which is gathered from the mind's working process, thought : it goes to build ep the soul (knowledge, be it understood, here signifying the result of experienced living). The mind gathers or photographs knowledge- pictures on its sensitive film, and presents these pictures to the soul ; so the soul receives impres- sions and fashions itself accordingly. As all things physical may be likened to one another, and as both mind and body are alike in that they are servants of the soul let us compare them. THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. There are different kinds of minds and there are different kinds of bodies, but all are machines. Of course there are, and must be, many different kinds of machines in this go-ahead world ; but the question arises, which are the most desirable and most successful ? Choose, for instance, between the machines of the professor and of the practical man, of the student and of the originator. The question is sometimes asked, " Has the mind a limit ?" The answer to this must be simple, for all things physical have a limit, and the mind is physical. Here we might observe, " there then must be such a thing as ' too much learning.' ' And may it not be even thus ? Indeed it is thus : at least to the practical, advancing, originating mind. For in such a mind, where learning is of great assistance, too much learning, like water thrown on a fire, or like oil flooding a machine, stops the progress. The mind of an originator, an author, an in- ventor, or of any progressive man might be com- THE MIND. pared to a slate. When it has been filled it must be emptied ere it can have other contents. And, in the case of the mind, its contents, while fresh, should be put forth into a new idea, a new book, a new invention or a new composition. It (this creative mind) is then ready to contain other knowledge which must never be so crowded as to prevent or restrict the working of thought, that process whereby old knowledge is revolved into new. Here, again, the creative mind might be likened to a churn into which is poured a fluid for the producing of a solid. If the churn is filled to overflowing it will not work properly. Once more, by way of example, we may liken the mind to the body. When it (the mind) is overstacked with knowledge it seems to become like the over-muscled body of the strong man : lumbering, awkward and unfit for quick ac- tion. Contrast the all-round athlete with the so-called " strong man." Take for example the boxer and the weight-lifter ; the boxer is not overburdened with heavy, cumbersome muscles, though he is strong and agile. The weight-lifter is possessed of abnormal development which necessitates slow and re- THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. strained movements of the limbs, as over-devel- oped muscles tend to bind the human body like tight cords — thus rendering agility, litheness of limb and suppleness out of the question. Each of these men has good and bad points in his make-up ; but pit the two against one another and which would win in an encounter ? The boxer, nearly always. A law-school graduate often does not know as much as his professor when he leaves college, though he may soon distance him in life's race. His mind is not so full that he has no room left in it for original thought and energy. Verily, while book-learning is desirable, the school of experience is a most excellent teacher. (Jttoftee THERE are two ways, at least, in which every idea may be expressed. Probably to no form of expression does this saying apply so forcibly as to the explaining of motive. Three-fourths of literature and two-thirds of conversation con- tain theory or motive. All that is written or spoken must be prompted by theory, motive or contemplation, else it is utterly useless and worth- less to the reader or auditor. Without the power of reason, little save vege- table life could exist. The power of reason is the self-preserving characteristic in everything possessing animal life. In its primary form, among the lower orders of animals, it is known as instinct ; and in its high form, among human- kind, as intellect. Animals evince their posses- THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. sion of instinct by action, while human beings may show their powers of intellect by words (as well as by behavior) . All verbal or written expression must contain reason or motive to be of value. An author is prompted by motive when he takes up his pen ; — every book written should set forth some elevating, instructive theory. There are two styles of literature, viz. : moral and immoral ; but the writers of the moral eclipse the writers of the immoral literature. There are at least two ways in which the same idea may be expressed ; and thus it is with the writers of moral literature. Some make their motives clear by narrative, wherein they lead their readers to obtain the best points of view unex- pectedly, " by winding paths." Others address their readers directly, in discussions of the motive theories themselves. The former is the more general and popular style of literature, but it is a question whether the latter is not the more instructive and more practical. Again, the practical argument has much more MOTIVE. weight with the average person than the religious. The way to reach the masses is through practical reasoning ; when the writer has his readers thoroughly interested in his subject and has established a bond of sympathy between him- self and them, then, and not till then, may he successfully introduce religious sentiment into his treatise. Motive is the motor, and in another sense the key, to action. Opinion OPINION is the result of thought, and by opinion breadth and depth of mind are made known. All minds run in grooves ; narrow minds run in narrow grooves, and broad minds run in broad grooves. A versatile mind is a broad mind : a mind which is sympathetic and which can adjust itself to the understanding of any other mind with which it may have to deal. Be it understood, however, that it is not a changeable mind here meant, as such is again another type. No, a broad mind is more what might well be termed a graceful mind, which strongly holds to its own good opinions, unless it finds better. In which latter case, even though it make the discovery, as it does not infrequently, in an inferior mind — the latter being a specialist on some subject into which the broader mind has THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. not had time to look — it may accept opinions of the inferior, and show its broadness in so doing. A stubborn mind is a narrow mind, in that it will not listen to other opinions, but is always roused to anger when in debate or argument. Righteous wrath is excellent. Narrow-minded wrath (the expression of envious hatred) is not only foolish but harmful, and full of evil, breed- ing wickedness ; it should be crushed out and gotten rid of, for it spreads like contagious disease among neighboring narrow minds, and, if allowed to spread, creates a false state of affairs ; this then can only be stopped with an outburst of indigna- tion by all broad minds and true consciences united. And here again opinion decides the turn, for the broad and deep minds send forth a flood of opinion that sweeps away the bravado and bitter opinion of the shallow minds. " By their works ye shall know them," is Christ's teaching. Is not a man's opinion the key-note to his mind ? £$e feife of an 9).»,. TTTTTir " Frogs in literature are associated in most minds with fairyland. No one is surprised at any adventures froggy may meet with, after the fate that befell ' The frog that would a-wooing go,' so many years ago. One of the best successors of that ancient idyl that I have seen for years is 'The Froggy Fairy Book,' written by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle and illustrated by John R. Skeen. It tells of how little Elsie met a funny froggy, who came to her in evening dress, with a lantern in his hand and a violin under his arm. After that there is a frog orchestra, a frog prince, fairies of all kinds and plenty of fun. It is a real old-fashioned tale, told with the sympathy of one who loves children and knows how to write for them. The illustrations are excellent. The type and paper are good and the volume is handsomely bound."— New York Commercial Advertiser. " The Christmas books of Mr. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, the American writer and publisher, are becoming increasingly popular." — London Literary World. "Mr. Drexel Biddle, of Philadelphia, has published a new edition of 'The Froggy Fairy Book,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. The binding and the illustrations, which are by Mr. John R. Skeen, might almost suffice to account for the remarkable popularity of the little volume. On the other hand, however, it must be admitted that without either of these adjuncts the mere text would have been quite deserving of the favor to which three editions in less than six months abundantly testify. Tak- ing it altogether, the book is the very thing to delight children."— Glas- goiv Herald. The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, Great Britian, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 95 DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. "... Remarkably clever, and the long-haired young lady who has wandered into Frogland is charmingly contrasted with frogs, who figure as portly elderly gentlemen, or are got up like respectable family but- lers." — The London Times. " This little fairy-story gives an apt illustration of the difference be- tween the American and the English child. . . ." — The Spectator, London. " Elsie Lee is as American as ' Alice in Wonderland ' is English. It is a pretty and healthy story, which is certain to delight all good chil- dren." — The Scotsman, Edinburgh, "... Parents at their wits' end for a new sensation to keep the little folks quiet, even for a time, will welcome the second edition of ' The Froggy Fairy Book,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, which has just come from America. It is unnecessary to explain the ' plot ' of this most entertaining fairy tale. Suffice it to say that it contains all the elements of wonder required to gain for it the approbation of the children, while the excellent pictures are in themselves an exhaustless source of in- terest." — The Dundee Advertiser. " It will hold the young mind."— Cork (Ireland) Examiner. " It is full of childish interest." — TJie Canadian Bookseller. " A funny book for children, which has obtained a great vogue." — Pall Mall Gazette. "The story, which is cleverly conceived, "tells of the adventures of Elsie Lee, a typical little American girl of tender years, among the frogs that inhabit a certain little brook near Elsie's home. . . . Superbly bound. ... A leading feature of the work is the illustrations, drawn by the well-known artist, John R. Skeen, of the Philadelphia Times." — The Neiv York World. " Fairy-book literature receives an accession in A. J. Drexel Biddle's ' Froggy Fairy Book.' "—Boston Globe. "... Every parent will be happy to see the pretty book in the hands of every child." — Chicago Times- Herald. " The story has hit the popular fancy." — Brooklyn Standard Union. "The publisher has given us a handsome piece of bookmaking in this unique work. . . . Wide-awake children will give it a hearty welcome at any season of the year. The author has followed out a queer conception, and has done it in such a pleasing manner as to assure his place among the successful writers of fairy literature."— Good! House- keeping. The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 96 DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. "'The Froggy Fairy Book' will be received with transports by the juvenile world of readers." — The North American. " One of the successes of the season."— The Philadelphia Times. " Sure to amuse the children." — San Francisco Call. "... Worthy of special mention as illustrative of the imaginative faculty of the writer, controlled by consideration for the capacity of those he writes for. The language of the narrative is from ' the well of pure English undefiled,' and almost all the words used are monosyllabic, and so adapted to the understanding of the child who reads or only listens ; and all who do will surely call for the second ' Froggy Fairy Book,' which is promised from his pen."— The Brooklyn Citizen. " ' The Froggy Fairy Book,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, though of the holiday order, is a book for all seasons. It will never come amiss in any child's library. It is ingenuous, quaint, full of strange conceits and always interesting. . . . Children of all ages will find delight in its pages." — 'the Budget. " The author of this work is Mr. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, a young American journalist, who has already made his mark in literature. A simple, old-fashioned fairytale.it treats, as its title indicates, of some ad- ventures in Frog-land. Elsie Leeis a typical little American child. . . . As may be imagined, she has plenty of fun, and all this is interestingly described for the benefit of young readers. . . . The book is in every way calculated to please the little folk for whom it is intended, and by whom a much better present could scarcely be desired."— The Western Daily Mercury, Plymouth, England. JSrThe above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 97 DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. JUST PUBLISHED. The Flowers of Life, BY A. J. D. B. Containing, in handy form, some of his latest writing's, so chosen as to make a gift-book appro- priate for presentation occasions. Copies of this volume are handsomely bound in blue and gold, in white and gold, and in yellow and gold, and are printed on extra heavy paper. Cloth, gilt top, 12mo., pp. 88. Price, 90 cents. THE Second Froggy Fairy Book, BY A. J. D. B. With many full-page illustrations by Anne Pen- nock. Containing an account of the further adven- tures of Elsie Lee in Frog- and Fairy-land. Cloth, gilt top, 12mo., pp. 96. Price, 75 cents. " The heroine is a little girl named Elsie, and it is with her adventures amongst frogs, fairies and gnomes that the book is concerned." — Dun- dee Advertiser. The above works are for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 98 DREXEL B1DDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. Shantytown Sketches, A Collection of Short Tales in Irish, Negro and German Dialects, BY A. J. D. B. Paper, 12mo., pp. 72. Price, 35 cents. The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. SOON TO APPEAR. BY THE SAME AUTHOR. Word for Word AND Letter for Letter, A NOVEL. A New, Enlarged and thoroughly Revised Edition of THE MADEIRA ISLANDS, Containing nearly fifty full-page illustrations and numerous maps, together with additional chapters on the History, the Vine, the Wine, and the Flora. 99 w as .\a3*£*'„ "^ *c*rf* *c. - .;*r, v . « 9 is ^^ W, : 4/^ <', ■" A^ «• ^ - * . o j - , ■ ~ ■ ■■■■■ : \^ Si % "" *° ^ "°» o0 / °^ & *^° A 5 A^ <* ^"^ i& ^ *^*f«* .A <* t