The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-10-26
November Magazines.


Harpers.
The November number beautifully closes
the weigh volume Of this standard maya
zine. 1t begins with an article entitled "A
Free Kindergarlcn,n describing such an IN.
stituuon in New York Cuy with exquisite
pictures of real children involved in the en-
jchantmcnrS OF Frocbcis system. BY way OF
contrast, the next article, also illustrated, is
devoted to Wild Babies" from Alaska to the
Cuff Then comes THE Fire Ward Il
Iouaintlv illustrated old German ballad hap
pily rendered by Mrs. Conant The 9th OF
the series of"Old Flemish Masters" is devoted
to David Tenicrs the younger, and is ILLUSTRATED
both by portrait Of the painter and cuts OF
some of his pictures. Another very attractive
ly illustrated article is description OF the sea
Islands, off our southcrd coast full OF inter
esting legend and romance associated with
this UNIQUE congeries of islands; and equally
attractive and somewhat akin in character Is
the illustrated paper of John Muir on the Sc
quota Forests of California. Most readers,
however, will find their chief delight in the
present number in Edwin =, Whipples "Recol.
lectons of Rufus p. Choate," written IN sym.
pathetic vein and judclous in its collection of
anecdotes, from which We clip a few at ran.
dom:
One of the charms of Mr. ChOate's CONVEX.
salon was his habit OF cXaggeration. 10 nj
tend the performance of Mozart's Don GtOrdHHt
was like listening, he said, to ten thousand
forests of birds. He knew that no cxaggcra-
|ton in mere words could adequately express
the delight that Il sympathetic mind feels I'M
coming into vital acquaintance with work of
transccndent genius in any department of lit
erature and the fine arts Ten thousand birds
would be n small testimony to the melodies OIL
Mozart; but ten thousand forests OF birds is al
comparison which indicates the rapture OF
wonder and admiration which MoZarts mas
terpiccc eXcitcs in all souls capable of feclingl
its beauty With this tendency to vcrval ex-
aggcration Choa,c had that instantaneous HUI
morous rcCoil from cXtravagant assertion char.
acteristic of ardent natures whose sense of thel
ludicrous is as quick rs their sense Of theI
beautiful and the sublime. interpret to mel
the lbretto" he said to his daughter, "lest
dilate at the wrong emotion" Sydney Smith
never said anything better than that!
He delighted in gravcly joking with judge.
Thus he once asked that case might be post
poned, owing to his engagement in another
court The judge replied that the case was
one in which he might write out his argument.
With mock solemnty, which it always seem
ed to me no other human cOuntenance could
so readily assume, he REPLIED 81 write well
your Honor but SlO,oly." As his handwriting
rescmblcd the tracks of wildcats, with theirl
claws dipped in ink, madly dashing over the
surface of folio sheet of white paper, the AS
semblcd bar could not restrain their laughter.
Indeed it IS affirmed that he could not deci-
pher his own handwriting after a case was
concluded, and lad to call IN experts to eX-
plain it to himself He congratulated HIMSELF
on the fact that if he tailed to get living at
the bar, he could still go to China and support
himself by his pen; that is, by decorating tea
chests.
In fiction, the Serials Mr. Hardy's and Mr..
Blacks stories, are continued; AMI there arel
three excellent short stories, one-Melanie,"
by Clara f. Morse-eXqulsltely illustrated.
There are several poems, and the editorial de
partments present their usual instructive and
entertaining variety.