The Portland daily press., 1889-01-23
MAGAZINE NOTICES.

The Cosmopolitan is one of the newest as well
as one of the sprightliest of American illustrated
monthly magazines. Not yet three years old, II
has already won a large share of popular favor
It Is truly live magazine, treating In brilliant
manner the questions of the day, and thus com
bining somewhat of the timeliness Of Journalism
with the strength and polish of literature. A
specially of the Cosmopolita an will be its iustra
tons in color, which add warmth and glow Ia
its pages. Not the least OF the attractions Of this
magazine to Maine readers are series of articles
upon Sweden and the Swedes, from the pen Of
Hon. W. w. Thomas Jr. Mr.. Thomas is a recog-
nized authority on everything that pertains to
Sweden, and he treats of his subject inIa fresh,
brilliant and most entertaining manner. The first
OF the Swedish series appeared in the Cosmopoli-
tan for December, and was timely paper upon
Christmas in the Northland. The article by
special permission, appeared in full in the PRESS
but OF course we could not reproduce the striking
and original illustrations which accompanied it
The second of the Swedish papers is given in
the January Cosmopolitan, which is now on our
table. The Gotta Canal, the great water highway
across the peninsula of Sweden is described 10 a
graphic and interesting manner. The word
canal, as the author says, is misleading. More
than fourffths of the way you are sailing upon
rivers and lakes. The sections of canal here and
there are but links connecting a chain of lakes
and affording passage from one to the other. This
canal is SO feet wide, is Davig ted by sea-goipg
steamers more than a hundred feet long and IN
means OF as locks you rise to a height OF 800 feet
Inc nnest piece OF engineering is at Trollhattan.
Right up the hillside" says Mr.. Thomas, went
the locks, eleven of them each one hundred and
twelve feet long, partly blasted out of the solid
Gill; and partly built with blocks of hewn granite
On either side were groves of trees, and looking
up IRON the river the locks appeared like sue
ceSslon OF lofty terraces, or a giant staircase
though neither giants nor angels but ships were
ascending and descending, and their topmasts
with little red flags flying, moved strangely aloug
ABOVE the green tree tops. Up the steps Of this
great rock stairway vessels from the North Sea
mount on Lake Vehern, one hundred and FORTY
tour feet above, and 1t has always seemed to me
that hewing this ship ladder nut of the cliff was
greater achievement than digging through the
sands OF Suez." This paper Is accompanied with
four illustrations of scenes along the route The
next article Of the Swedish series will appear in
March, and Is entitled A Trip TO Dalecarlia II
will be richly illustrated. With the January num-
per the Cosmopolitan enters upon new regime.
u has lately been purchaser by millionaire
from the West Mr.. John Brisben Walker. Placed
now on permanent foundation fnancially its
new management announce that neither effort
nor expense will be spared to place the Cosmo.
p01tan In The front rank of the magazines OF
America At price this monthly IS already one
OF the bestof our periodicals. 1t is sold at the
low price of 20 cents, and can be had at all our
book and periodical stores