The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-03-10
LITERARY NOTES.

tennial Fourth of July (1876) by the prisoners
in the House of Detention in st. Petersburg.
As early as the first week in June the three
hundred "politicals" therein confined began
to make preparations for the celebration by
requesting relatives who visited them to
send to the prison blue and red handker-
chiefs, red flannel underclothes, etc., and be-
fore July 1, almost every prisoner had
roughly made American flag, or few strips
of red, white, and blue cloth, and an inch or
two of candle. Hours before the first mid
night cannon announced the beginning of
the great national celebration in Philadel-
phia, hundreds of flags and streamers we're
fluttering from the grated windows of the
prison; and the prison guards, who had never
heard of the Declaration of Independence
and did not comprehend the significance of
the remarkable outbreak, were busy hushing
the cheers and Selling the streamers. At
intervals through the day flags were hung
out. and at night the prison windows we're
illuminated by the persistent celebrators of
American Independence.
Prof. Francis L. Patton, the newly elected
President of Princeton College, is one of
the active and responsible editors of the
Presbyterian Reoie,o. The selection of all
the articles for the ReUiea0 is made by DR..
Patton, together with DR.. Briggs of the
Union Theological Seminary, and every
number contains some contributions from
his pen.
Julia Magruder contributes the complete
novel, ''Houored in the Breach" to Lippin
colts for March. Max O'Rell has a remark
ably clever article entitled "From My Let
ter-Box," presenting the contents of anony-
nous and other letters received by him,
with humorous comments. Also, Frank G.
Carpenter has ga Talk with Presidents
Son." the "son" being General John Tyler,
of Washington, who gives much curious in
formation from behind the scenes of the
Tyler administration. The number is excel
lent.
Among the forthcoming publications of
Houghton, Miffiin & Co., Boston, is a new
volume of poems by James Russell Lowell,
entitled "Heartsease and Rue," to be pub
lished early in March. Mrs. Margaret De-
land, author of ''The Old Garden and Other
Verses" which has attracted much admira-
ton, has written a novel which they will also
publish in few weeks. The eleventh volume
of Rev. Joseph Cooks Monday Lectures, com
prising those delivered during the winter of
1887, will shortly be issued from the River
side Press under the title of "Current Relig-
ious Perils." Those who are curious in re-
gard to metempsychosis and subjects related
min ha ottr nod hco
'Reincarnation," written by Mr.. E. D.
Walker. of New York, and to be published
in few days by this same Boston firm.
The Sidereol Messenger for February, a
valuable scientific magazine, has reached
us, and is not in any particular behind the
preceding issues in the number, ability
and learning of the papers constituting
its contents. Its specially is astronomy
and it must be invaluable to the student of
this important department of physical sci
ence. 1t is conducted by VIM. w. Payne,
Northfeld, MINI.
The Kalevala, the great national epic poem
of the Finlanders, which Max Muller in his
lectures on Science and Language pro-
nounces to be the equal of the Iliad of Ho-
mer, is now for the first time, in complete
form, translated into English, the translator
being DR.. j. M. Crawford of Cincinnati. 1t
is shortly to be published in two octave vol
umes, the poem being great in magnitude
(nearly q, 600 lines, as we'll as in character.
Apart from the literary merit of the poem.
which is pronounced by all critics to be ex-
traordinary, it has curious fascination for
American students of poetry because in it is
seen, as in mirror, the inspiration which
enabled Longfellow to produce his famous
Indian Edda, "Hiawatha.' Indeed because
of the close resemblance in many points
Longfellow was, by some critics, upon the
appearance of Hiawatha, charged with pla-
giarism, though his friends claimed that he
made no more than legitimate use of the
literary material which the study of the Ian
guage and the mythology of the Firms gave
him. The present edition will for the first
time give curious readers the opportunity of
personal investigation.
Rev. Max Hark, ID. D., prominent mem
Der of the Moravian Church, an editorial
writer for the Christian Union, the Sunday
School Times and other papers, has prepared
a work on "The Unity of the Truth in Christ
ianity and Evolution" The subject is
treated in a manner that reminds one of
the Duke of Argyll's "Reign of Law" and
Prof. Drummond's Natural Law in the
Spiritual World" A ell-known critic who
has read the manuscript pronounces it supe-
rior to either. If it can reasonably be COM
pared to these, thousands of readers will ac-
cord to it a hearty welcome.
The North American ReUiet0 for March
opens with an eminently timely "symposi-
lm" on Permanent Republican Clubs. The
Symposiasts are over twenty in number,
representing as many different States and
Territories. Among them are many of the
eaders of the Republican party, as Senator
Senator Chandler, Henry Cabot
Lodge, Gov. Alger, of Michigan; John S.
Wise, of Virginia, etc. M. d. Conway con-
tributes scholarly and at the same time
popular and interesting paper on "Judas the
scarlet" "The Presidents Puzzle-the
Surplus" by Andrew Carnegie, exhibits in a
marked degree the enthusiastic optimism of
Is author. 1t is an article that will be read
With interest by every patriotic American,
10 matter whether they agree with the author
N the "Surplus" or not. The number has
.lso articles by Murat Halstead, Gail Hamil-
ON and Senator W. M. Stewart, and is lively
nd instructive from beginning to end.
The most interesting frontispiece the
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