New-York tribune., 1886-02-03
THE FEBRUARY MAGAZINES.

A. Easson opens with paper on "The congo ana inc
Presidents Message" in which he efectualy convicts
the Secretary OF and the President OF haste or
ignorance taking the position that the American dele
gates to Congo Conference exceeded their instruc
tons signing the Of that body Mr. Cassus NJ
Clay presents much too briefly some ideas on lsace
and the Solid South" In "Americas Land Question
A. ]. Desmond marshals the statstics which
show how rapidly the available territory of the United
States Is being disposed Of General Beauregard con
tributes a very interesting and important account OF the
Battle Shiloh which he produces fresh evidence III
support the theory that tie attack upse to the
Federal commanders General Beauregard says that he
himself planned the movement but that the advance Oh
the Confederate cavalry too noisy and careless that
he became convinced the enemy must have taken the
ALARM and so believing he gave his counsel against the
prosecution of the attack General Johnston, how
ever decided to make it, and tho result
proved that the Union forces not pre-
pared. General Beauregard gives dispatches from
Halleck, Grant and Sherman, written just before
the Battle OF Shiloh which to show conclusivey
that neither OF them anticipated attack in force at
that time "Ouida" attacks "SOme Fallacies OF Sci
ence" maintaining that the alleged victories OF modern
science many cases accompanied or followed by
such serious evils to make it doubtful whether TIC
world has derived real benefit from Them or course
such an argument in many respects be paradOx-
cal and it may also he said that give plausbility
much gratmtous assumption and generally narrow
view necessary. Oscar Fay Adams discusses
"ArlstOcrac Tendencies of Professionalism taking the
ground that Protestant churches virtually ignore ana
exclude the poorer Henry George talks about
"EngIand and Ireland" in verS readable and lucid
article Nothing less than commonalty in land WILL
he thinks stop the Irish agitation, and ho believes that
his favorite doctrines will also he adopted in England
and Scotland and ultimately in the United states MI
George is always, enthusiastic, sanGune and full OF
plausibilty. The shermauFry correspondence uhtort-
nnately lacking General Frys concluding piece OF evil
Gence makes up remarkably lively number Of the re-
view.
In The Atlantic Monthly Mr. Henry James con-
tiuues the story of The Princess Catamassima" and
In the the Clouds is further developed in charac-
teristic way. Mrs Oiphant proceeds with A Country
Gentleman" The solid paper is " Ministerial Responsi-
bty and the Constitution" in which Abbott Lawrence
Iowel undertakes to show that the responsibility OF
Ministers could not be introduced to the American
system without fundamental alterations In the Federal
Constitution The argument is clear and strong A. A
HAYES defends the memory of General Ward the organ
izer Of that Ever Victorious Army which Gordon
afterward used hammer wherowith to break the
Tae-pings According to Mr. Hayes, the Chnrse plund-
cred after his death, while Gordous bOgraphers
have, perhaps unwttngly, robbed him OF his fane
Whtter's poem. :" The Homestead" apart from It's
melody and grace has a didactc purpose. being In
effect an appeal against abandonment OF the old
rural homestead in favor of the ioversh life Of cities 1t
is to be feared that such pleas however beautifully
couched. will avail nothing against the tenden-0e'M
Putnam writes pleasantly about the contents o
ing paper
The mid winter " number OF The Cenf"B!sa very
attractive Perhaps the mos: important contriDu-
ton discussion the array OF opinions on
International copyright. from foriy-hye Amer can
authors, including Mr. Lowell and Mr. whittier These
expressions cover the ground completely, and VIII
render the position OF Congress on the question more
difficult than ever to maltain more anomalous. and
less capable any apology The war articles are diverse
and interesting General Grants deals with the prep
arations for the Wilderness campdZn which pressed
the life out Confederacy II Is enriched with rae
sime OF Lincon's " God-speed" letter to Grant Just
before the Battle OF the Wilderness One of McCeans
old companions tells OF his bravery in the Mexican War;
Under the title "Our March Against Pope General
Longstreet gives an account OF the second Bul Run
campaign Confederate point OF view; an account
which well supplements General POpes narrative oi the
same events in the January number. Besides these
papers there is one, with Jacksons Foot Cavalry at
the Second Manassas" by Allen C. Redwood describing
the trials and ships private soldier and General
W. Smith, General Erasmus j. Keyes and Others con
tribute valuable military data in Memoranda OF the
Civil War" The leading article. fully illustrated,
AS are several o the military papers. is by
Henry Eckford, the subject being the
French SCULPTOR Antoine Louis Barge. George
W. Cable has paper on "The Dance in Place Congo
illustrated by f. W. Kembe pctorally and with several
arrangements Of Creole music by H. E. Krehbel OF THE
TRIBUNE Miss NJ L. Bartlett ana John A. Broekoven.
MI Van Rensselaer's fifth paper on Recent American
Architecture" treats Of city dwellings, and Is well
Illustrated from NeY-YOrk mansions. In fiction there
are the opening chapters of Mr.. Howellss new story
1.-THE Minister'S Charge" in which Mr. sewen. one Of
the characters Of "Silas Lapham,' reappears. The
hero Lemuel Barker, is country boy who thinks he
can write poetry and who 10 Boston to seek puD-
Usher and falls among thieves-thOugh he does not find
the publisher. Mrs. Mary Haock Foote's story, John
Bodewiu's Testimony" is continued, and Frank Stock
ton begins a short story called THE Borrowed Month"
IN poetry the Of the number is Mr. Edmund e.
stedman's Hebe," a love tragedy, In which honess
plays leading part told in strong, polished and stirring
verse. Mr. Joseph f. amberlan discusses the land
aueson and there are several interesting features in
the "Open Letters" and "Brca-Brac." Altogether the
oumber is an excellent one, and the illustrations
always, good.
In LippinootrS Taken by Siege" is continued. NJ. Il.
Upham under the title &" BackwOods Preraphaelites"
describes kind of rural American life vulgar
and destitute of all sense of beauty aud fitness n social
arrangements and surroundings TO be much more than
caricatnre. Some phases of such dreary life all have
encountered, but the complete horror OF the picture
here drawn owes its unity more to imaeinaton than
fact a Bachelors Bluudcr" by W. f. Norris. Is con
tinued. Dorinan b. Eaton tells about Cyi Service
reform Grant Allen has a short story, The Gold
wulfric" The poetry presents features OF special
interest value In the Gossip" the American Girl
Abroad" 10 discussed and the American girl who thinks
Of going abroad receives interesting information
and some valuable advice that is 1t would be valuable
81 followed, which of 1t will be- The
Der concludes with brief memorial TO the late ]. B.
Lppinc0tt.
The Magazine of american History for February is a
very solid number II opens with article by Fred
eric g. Mather, entitled &" The City Of Albany; two
hundred years OF progress which seasOnabc in view
of the fact that the bi-ccntcnnia OF the State
capital will be celebrated In July OF
the present year. General de Peyster follows
with a capital article Anthony Wayne. though 1t ia
perhaps open to question whether the attempted anao
gics between the and battles OF the Revolution and
the Civil War do somewhat too much to the nat
ural desire Of the author TO round out taking theory
One suggestive papers is that OF Dr. Prosper
Rander ou The OF Canada" in which