. Parker's own letters and journals. He was
born in Massachusetts in 1810, and died in Italy before he had completed
his fiftieth year. He was brought up on his father's farm, taught school
while in his teens to provide money for further progress, prepared
himself for the university, taught a higher school during his college
course, studied the classics, acquired German, French, and Spanish,
became a divinity student in Cambridge, added Danish, Swedish, Arabic
and Syriac, Anglo-Saxon and Modern Greek, was ordained a Unitarian
minister in 1837, and settled at West Roxbury. His labors were great: he
preached, lectured, translated, edited, and wrote. His health sank under
his arduous mental toil. He went abroad to regain it, and died in
Florence in 1860. Whatever we may think of his creed, as a preacher he
was able and earnest. He was a man of varied gifts, of wide and detailed
culture. He was opposed to slavery, and stood in bold antagonism to the
Fugitive Slave Law. He was blamed, perhaps maligned, during his
lifetime, but posterity will acknowledge him as a man of large brain and
generous heart. His letters are exceedingly interesting, touching upon
almost every subject now under discussion.

'Would you be good, and fill each human duty?
One art's enough for that--the finest art--
See but the good in every human heart.'

WAS HE SUCCESSFUL? A Novel. By RICHARD B.
KIMBALL, Author of 'St. Leger,' 'Undercurrents,' 'Romance of
Student Life,' etc. New York; Carleton, publisher, 413 Broadway.
Leipsic: Tauchnitz. 1864.

The readers of THE CONTINENTAL have been favored with the first
perusal of this monitory novel. It is an accurate delineation of men and
manners found too frequently in our midst, and the moral should be
deeply graven on every heart. We feel the more at liberty to recommend
this work, as it was commenced in our columns before the present corps
of editors had entered upon their labors, and we cordially wish every
species of success to Mr. Kimball.

MUSICAL SKETCHES. By ELIZA POLKO. Translated from
the sixth German edition, by FANNY FULLER. Philadelphia:
Frederick Leypoldt. New York: F. W. Christern.

We think this book will become a favorite with our people. It contains
sketches, legends, and traditions of many of the great musicians. Bach,
Gluck, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Pergolesi, Schubert, Scarlatti, Weber,
Paganini, Gretry, Catalani, Malibran, Handel, Anderle, Haydn,