The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-11-06
THE ARENA FOR NOVEMBER

The November Arena is brainy with
out being too heavy. The table of con.
tents display variety of attractive
subjects prepared by scholarly minds.
Probably the most striking paper is on
The Future american Drama, completed
by Mr.. BOncicault few days before his
death. 1t is a scholarly essay, and being
a farewell message of the most success,
full Anglo Saxon playwright of this cen
fury, possesses peculiar interest. A par
agraph of Mr.. Boucicault's writing
penned few days before his death Is
reproduced on hevvy plate paper, and
accompanies the article. The venerable
divine, Cyrus A. Bartol, whose strong
yet benign face forms the frontispiece of
this issue, writes on Sex in Mind" A
striking paper displaying all the mental
vigor which, for so many decades.
made DR.. Bartol one of the ablest repre-
sentatives of New England thought.
Prof. N. ). Shaler contributes an able
philosophical paper on the African ele.
ment in America. Prof Shaler is by
birth and raising a Kentuckian, by educa-
ton and later residence aNewEnglander;
he therefore views the race problem
proudly. Rev. MinOt j. Savage in a
| "Glance at the Good Old Times riyes
a striking contrast between the past and
the present There is some pathos and
much fine humoT in this paper. Nathan
Haskell Dole contributes a paper on
Furgenief as poet, giving liberal trans
lations from the great Russian author.
A magnificent full-page picture of Tur-
genief, with his autograph in Russian,
accompanies this picture. "a New
Basis of Church Life" is the title of a
thoughtful essay by Wilbur Larremore.
The heavy papers of this issue are
enlivened by charming paper
entitled 'Fiddling His Way to Fame
1t is sketch of Governor Tay-
lor's life, supposed TO be given by the
Governor in the dialect of his early home
East Tennessee. 1t is said that Gov
ernor Taylor frequently drops into the
dialect of his boyhOod home. This
sketch abounds in pathetic and humor-
GUS incidents set forth in delightful
manner. A beautiful poem entitled
Sunset on the Mississippi" by Virginia
Frazer Boyle, follows 'Fiddling His Way
to Fame" One of the most valuable and
interesting features of this number is a
symposium on "Destitution in Boston,"
Edward Hamilton, Rev. Edward Everett
Hale, Rabbi Solomon SCHNEIDER, Rev. o.
L. Clifford, Rev. W. ID. p. Bliss, editor of
the Dd,on, contribute to this symposium.
The moral force evinced in The arena is
very noticeable in these days of charac-
terless publications. Its instincts are
decidedly reformative, it is emphatically
a disturber of the peace of conservation.
This moral power has undoubtedly CON
trlbuted largely to the remarkable sue
cess Of The Arena. The departments on
Notes on Living Problems" contain ex-
eellent contributions by Francis f. Will |
lard, Gen. Marcus j. Wright, and Rev. !
Forrest A. March. The usual interesting |
editorial notes complete this excellent
issue. The arena has become popular
review among those who think broadly |
and are brave enough TO hear all sides. !
Its sterling ability, its conspicuous i'm !
Partially, and the fearlessness with |
which 1t presents all sides of the burn
ing issues that are agitating society, has J
won for it host of earnest readers. /