The Helena independent., 1891-05-03
LITERARY NOTES.

If any we'll informed man were asked
what are the most i'm orient topics that
have engaged public opinion during the
month of Apgil, and @b ut Thich the public
desires authoritative nfo.mation he would
be su G to anSwe" (l) the italian difficulty
t2) th9 new Australian commonwealth, %
our recip o3ity treaties with Soith America
t4) rel gious discussions caused by large
numhee of trials for helesy. and ~ silver
coinage. The Forum for May contains at
ticlca on every one of these subjectS-oT. our
Constitution and the demand of Italy, by
tx-t5acretary of State Bayard. WHO takes the
same Iostion taken by Mr.. Blaine; on the
Commonwealth of Australia. by Sir X. w.
Cameron, the best authority in the tnited
Stats: on reciprocity, by L q. Mills, cx-
Chairman; Of the ways and means ommittee
of tae house of repro sentatiy5s, and by en-
ator Frye who wtitss w to csncclal refer
ence to the Improvement of our southern
harbols; on changes of orthodox belief in
our time by Rev. DR.. Alfred Momelie, of
Kin g college, London; and ON Free sii
yer Coinage Not:' BY Edward Atkin-
son. In this way the Forum tries to make
good its claim to give its reaGe not only
important information, but imuortant in
formation just when it is most desired.
The forthcoming May number ot the Re
view of Reviews contains, under the tide
Three Empire Builders,' some very timely
and int resting character sketches. One
! deals with Sir Henry Parkes, prime minis
ter OF New South Wales, the father of Aus
traiian federation. and chairman Of the
great constitutional convention which has
just concluded its labors at Melbourne.
The sketch is furnished by writer init
luately acquainted with Sir Henry and with
! Australian politics, and is illustrated with
the only portrait of Sir Henry Parkes that
has been seen in any recent American peri
odical. Another of these sketches deals
with Sir John Macdonald, the great fedora
| tor of the dominion of Canada, and the
veteran prime minister who has just been
successful III securing another lease of
power at the recent elections. 1t is accom-
! panied by very handsome drawing show
ing SIR John in his library. The third
sketcn has the Hon. Cecil Rhodes for It's
subject, Mr. Rhodes being the gifted young
| EnGiishman who, few years ago,
went out as consumptiyo stndent
from Oxford TO regain his health in Africa,
and who hac been conquering 2 new en-
pre- for Great Britain with Capeiown as itf
capital. Mr. Rhodes. hesidcS being prime
minister Of Cape Colony. is the president OF
he British South African Chnrt red com
pauy which owns the iabulousis rich dIa
mond fields and has also acquired tho so
called Land of Ophir.' the African gold
hel = surpassed only Ivy those of Californi.
! and Australia
/ American readers may be pardoned 70
t liking occasionally to see portraits of tin
( mon prominent as writer's for the perodica
! press The Nay number OF the Review o
: Reviews will contain-intersperse through
its department devote to n condensed pre-
=, sentatiou of the leading articles of th
; month-the portraits OF a number of tn
= authors Of those articles, among hem bein
Il portraits Of Cardinal Gibbons, Professor II
r. i. Ely the Rev. D.. iuinsfurd, the Hoi
g A. j. Mundclla and Sir John Willoughby,