The Portland daily press., 1883-02-21
Magazine Notices.

The frontispiece portrait of Gambetta in
the March Century, and the accompanying
article by writer who was intimately ac-
quainted with Gambetta, appear now with
timeliness, which, foot-note explains, is
not to be credited to editorial haste or ener-
gy, since they were both in preparation for
the March Century before Gambetta's ILL
ness. One of the numerous interesting anec-
dotes in the article relates to the not over
scrupulous manner in which Gambetta' s
mother, who was ambitious for her son, out
witted the stubborn father, who wished his
son to succeed him in business. An excel
lent portrait of the father shows man of
strong will and eccentric character. A short
biographical sketch of the late DR.. Leonard
Bacon, with portrait, is contributed by his
son, Leonard Woolsey Bacon, under the ap-
propriate title, A Good Fight Finished. Mr..
Bacon defends his fathers position in oppo.
sition to the Boston extremists in the anti
slavery agitation, and records that Abraham
Lincoln acknowledged indebtedness to DR..
Bacon in forming his own convictions on
the subject. The writer, at the same time,
disparages the work and influence of Will
liam Lloyd Garrison. Also of a controver-
sial character is Mrs. Runkle's plea for the
higher education of women, apropos of the
recent petition for the admission of women
to Columbia College. 1t is called, A New
Knock at an Old door. John Burroughs, in
Signs and Seasons, chats charmingly and
instructively of country life and Nature; and
Elbridge Kingsbury has illustrated the paper
with several striking engravings. In con
trast with the rural .Americanism of this
paper is H. HIS study of local scenes and
character in The Village of Oberammergau,
which she visited at the time of the last
Passion Play. The Architectural League of
New York is the title of profusely Illus
trated paper by Roger Rierdan, describing a
club Of young architects in the metropolis.
Mr.. Cable continues his illustrated histori-
cal series with The End of Foreign Domin-
ion in Louisiana; and DR.. Edward Eggles-
ton, in his third historical paper, treats of
The Migrations of American Colonists. A
realistic romance of the Russo Turkish war,
entitled Yatil, by Frank D. Millet, the ar
tist and war correspondent, is the short sto-
ry of the number. Mr.. Howells, in his Sec
ond part of A Woman's Reason which has
already made strong impression, introduc.
es catastrophe that changes the whole
tenor of the heroine's life; there is also de
tailed description of Boston auction. Mrs.
Burnett's Through One Administration is
nearly finished, and Mrs. Mary Hallock
Foote'S striking story, The LedHorse
Claim, is brought to an effective conclusion.
The poems of the number are by Andrew
Lang, Mrs. Julia G. R. Dorr, Ina D. Cool
BIRTH, John Vance Cheney, and W. P. An
drews, and others. Worthy of special men,
ton is an unfinished poem by William Gull
len Bryant, entitled here A Poet to His
Wife, and dated Roslyn, 1873. Various
public questions are discussed in Topics of
the Time, notably one in Stealing Minis
ter, and the other editorial departments
treat of new books, in Literature of Home
and Society topics, and of new inventions in
The Worlds Work. In Bric-a Brac, besides
light and amusing verses, may be found an
extract from Swedenborgs Treatise on He'll,
which applies with singular aptness to the
political "boss'' of to-day.