The Portland daily press., 1881-10-27
The First Number .of the Century
Magazine.


With the November number, Scribners
Monthly takes on its new name.
The first feature to attract attention is the
frontispiece portrait of George Eliot, which is
published through The Century Magazine by
Mrs. Cross's family, and is the one by which
they desire that she should be known to poster
ity, its life.likeness and authenticity being
youched for. It presents the full face "A strong
and adequate though by no means comely
countenance. Mr.. Gross desires it to be known
that no other portrait endorsed by the family
has been or will be published. The engraving
is made by j. H. e. Whitney, from the plate
which the distinguished French etcher, Ra]on'
has recently made, on commission from Mr.
Cross, after the Burton crayon from life. Ihis
and the other existing portraits are the suble Gu
of short account in this number, to which al
so Mr. Frederick w. Ell. Meyers contributes a
delicate piece of writing about the intimate
life of George Eliot-her character, and hei
moral, religious and philosophical beliefs, with
anecdotes,-a paper that will interest every
reader of her books
Not inferior, perhaps, is the Salvini interest
of the number. / t was announced some months
ago that the tragedian had written paper CIV
ing his impressions of certain Shakspearean
characters. This paper now appears. Inc
subjects are Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth,
and to some extent the paper is necessarily
defense of the writer's own splendid imperson-
ations An appreciative paper on Salvinl is
also contributed by Miss Emma Lazarus, with
drawings from life, by Robert Blum, OF Saivlni
as Othello and as Macbeth. Salvini has so often
refused to sit in character that these portraits
are almost the only such representations to be
had The Macbeth is especially interesting as
being his most recent role, and one not before
portrayed.
The fiction of the number is especially reada-
BILE. Mrs. Burnett begins her new novel OF
Washington life, Through One Administra-
ton, and stakes out an interesting field en-
bracing a Smithsonian professor, an army OH
Ger, and an ingenious and charming young her
oine, who is spoken of as "clever httlt' dev-.'
That Mrs. Burnett has something btsyond
conventional love tale in store for the leader
must be inferred from the fact that she eau al
ford to marry off her heroine in the first art
The fun of the number is chiefly in the two
short stories: A Curious Experience, by Marx
Twain, and Eli, by the author of The Village
Convict, story in the August Scribner which
made hit. Eli is not only interesting in it
self, but as confirming the belief that new
writer of unusual ability has appeared. Mr..
Clemenss story deals with thrilling episode
of the civil war. its principal character being
drummer-boy who ''didn't pray fair"
The art features of the number are chiefly
number of exquisite engravings, by Cole and
Closson, of Fortuny and Regnault's pictures,
accompanying an account by Mrs. l.. W.
Champney, of jaunt through Spain to Algiers
in the footsteps of those painters; paper on
Cape Ann, beautifully illustrated with engrav-
ings after etchings by Stephen Parrish; Cos
tunes in the Greek Play at Harvard, popu-
larly written paper by Frank ID. Miilet, with
drawings from life by Alfred Brennan; Mrs.
Mary Hallock Foote'S picturesque account In
text and drawings of recent Diligence Jour-
ney in Mexico; and the So-called Venus OF Me-
los-a paper by w. j. Stillman, the art critic,
to prepare which the writer was sent to Melos
on special commission by this magazine The
last paper is a comparative study of the statue
with regard to its origin. date and original sig
nifcance Further light is thrown on the
subj oct by twenty-five illustrations, including
a fine drawing of the statue itself.
The poetry of the number is by james Rus
sell Lowell Ia beautiful poem on the Phoebe
bird), Austin Dobson, Edmund Clarence Sted--
man, Edmund W. Gosse, Mary Mapes Dodge,
Andrew B. Saxton, Richard w. Glider and
Roger Riordan.
There are two other body articles of special
interest; Compulsory lane Routes on the
North Atlantic, by Captain Horace Mckay, OF
the Cunard Line, points out the constant dan-
ger of collision at sea, and suggests certain
fixed routes The recent numerous accidents
of this kind make the subject timely one,
and this paper is to be followed up by agitations
of the subject in Parliament and Congress.
NV Escape from Slavery, by Frederick Doug
lass. tells for the first time of the manner and
circumstances of his memorable change Of res
idence from Maryland to Massachusetts,.
Tbs only change in the department is the re-
christening of Culture and Progress, which is
now called Literature Topics of the Time
was written by the late DIR. J. G. Holland,
who, few days before his death had tne pleas
ure of seeing bound copy of the first NUMBER
of the Century His contributions are saiut-
atory for the Century Magazine, and articles
on The Contingency of Inability, and Public
Spirit, and there is a communication entitled
A Word to the Friends Of America Abroad, by
Mr.. Glider. In Home and Society are Hints
to Horseback Riders, by Miss Midy Morgan,
Five and Fourteen-of help to mothers-and
poem, Two Visions. Among the books noticed
are Parton's Votaire and Oscar Wilde's poems.
The vUorld,a VVnrlr 10 fr111 of variaty: among
the subjects are Reproductions of Pompeian