New-York tribune., 1895-12-11
SOME MAGAZINE NOTES.
THE CHRISTMAS NUMBERS.

THE CHRISTMAS NUMBERS.
,r,ou. t. nm. not,ceable feature Of the holiday
magazines which may provoke disappointment In
some quarters but which is not on the wnole un-
welcome pictures suitable to the season grow
tresome with the passage OF years, anu IN more
than one instance the usual Christmas illustra-
,,ons have been quite abandoned In 'Harpers.
for example the conspicuous drawings are all OF
nature TO suit any time. and, we may add' 10
r,ease at any time Mr.. Pyle's Illustrations to his
four neat and sentimental little chapters OF text are
delightfully."- picturesque and quaint. MI. o'erher
has given TO Mr. Howells's comedy exactly the con-
temporaneous accompaniment. as REGARDS the pct
ures that the play requires. And the sketches
nr,nted with Mr. Whitney's narrative OF snow
shno,ng IN the barren grounds with the Venezuelan
nansr Of Mr. Davis and with Miss Macleods ar
ticle "From the Hebrid Isles" are all remarkable
for the local flavor and spirit OF to-uay' WHICH
r,oa,s VITALITY This kind OF work is after all the
kind that is most needed In the magazines fureiy
beautiful pictures they must have, too' art ior the
sake OF the loveliness OF art; but IN pupicatiohs
which make their first appeal to the present inter
os,s n, the people the truth about places and
,h,,gs they cannot see for themselves Is, after ALL
the thing. ,,,,
Mr. r. II. Davis's paper on caracas IL aui"i'aoe'
He gives a vivid picture OF the South American
city, telling the reader all that ne most wants 10
,,now about II with tact and humor. hate Doug
,s Xyiagin.s short story Of Maine superstition Is
&c clever IN its delineation of character as II is
n,ouant in its fun The opening chapters OF MI.
William Black new novel appear III ths hummer
and Introduce anew to his own oiu """o"'e
heroine. the tall, slim young Diana, VINO is oeauu-
ful and true-hearted ana prone 10 siis io'N'' '''
at unexpected moments
In "scribners Magazine" the same course mas peef
followed with reference TO the pictures as mas oee
no,nted ont in "Harpers" There are no Christ
fctly
nuuher Instead the first pages OF the magazine
are given up 10 reproductions OF WORKS by MT. Alma
Tadema the occasion being an article on the painter
nv Mr. Cosmo Monkhouse. which Is worthy vi pres
ervation for It's critical and biographical accuracy
The subjects have been we'll chosen, and the repro
ductve work has been uncOmmoh.y Wei uo"e' III
this department "Scrbners is showing constant I'M
movement. The frontispicce, especially engraved by
Iepere has been beautifully printed There are
other interesting pictures in the number MI. Raven
HIS illustra tions for THE River Syndicate py
Mr. Carry full of good art and character acute
" studied For Captain Melliss's paper on wild
Beasts as They Live" the editors have gone to
Evert van Muyden's etchngs for illustrative adorn-
ment and the result is highly satisfactory.
Mr. Joel Chandler Harriss story OF The ColoneIs
Niger Dog is interesting In It's truthtui renee ION
of certain phases OF save-life and FEELING IN the
South but Mr. Harris Is never so attractive as "heh
he retires into the background and lets Uncle Re-
rous talk We must give a word OF praise TO Mr.
Edward s. Martins "BandIna." which Is an ensag-
ing II not important, set OF rhymes.
In tho matter Of its Illustrations THE Century"
has achieved a mean that is really golden. Like the
other magazines II discards the conventional Chrlst
mas picture but II reproduces no less thah eie'eh
of Tssot's Illustrations Of the Life OF CHRIST. IL
will be remembered that this Life consists or a
series Of drawings which NJ Tssot made on the basis
of actual Journeys in Palestine, and that they eec
tr,ned Paris not long since through their originality
and mower Tissot seems to have worked from a
genuine inspiration though there are Few signs OF
any poetic or mystical feeling in his work HIS IN
spiraton has been his belief. his sincerity. ana the
result is while his pictures are realistic they
convey an imaginative sense OF things as those
tbiA,s wore In the time OF Christ. The reproduc-
t,ons in The Century" show extraordinarily vivid
and moving conception OF New Testament scenes
That one in VIII ch Jesus Is portrayed 'eXhortlng
the Apostles TO rest" sheds new light on an oId
scene but II cannot be said that the original image
in ones mind suffers on the contrary. 1t is given
a new sharpness OF outline. and while NJ. Tissot
NAV not be a welcome interpreter in every one OF
his Illustrations he is usually suggestive in very
happy way. THE Century" has been fortunate in
obtaining these pictures for the Christmas number
which has other good illustrations, but nothing to
quite compare with the particular ana notaDle series
we have touched upon.
All the different Rudyard Kipngs one has met
in this brilliant young mans books unite in the
story of THE Brushwood Boy" Once yield ones
self to the magic of the tale and there is no ques-
ton as to whether the work is well done In the liter
airy
pretty told and picturesque love story by
Mary l.. Stickney occupies the larger part OF the
December "Iippncott." This author has an easy
style, a pleasant gift Of humor and the not at all
common power of making her sentiment seem alive.
We question some OF her pessimistic passages con-
he Of In mining
regions, but they certainly help to make exciting
her simple but entertaining story.
The current number OF The Atlantic shows that
the delightful Old magazine loses nothing In quality
the years so In the December OF 1895 1t is as
fresh and vigorous as In the December of 1856. The
famous names 1t carries are perhaps fewer but its
papers are all worth while" and 1t maintains the
air Of distinction which marked It from the first.
Let us give thanks for Mr.. Rowland T.. Robinsons
New England Woodpe"-a homely subject which
is nevertheless full Of poetry for him who has eyes
to see-and such eyes the author certainly pos
sesses. The OF the city who once boy
on n farm will forget Wall Street and go back to
his childhood as he reads these beguing pages. He
will smell the sweet chilliness Of the newfaen
snow. the wocdsy spciness of the smoke from the
great fireplace the warm fragrance OF the freshly
cut pine under the choppers axe. 1t Is a bit OF
winter happiness which the dweer In the town
cannot afford to lose. The verse OF the number is
poor-this, in truth must be said OF most maga-
zine rhymes of the day; but Mr.. Robinsons paper
holds dozen prose poems Of the most eusively
beautiful sort.
THE "reminiscences OF Eastern Europe" by Har-
riet Waters Preston. a little heavy and labored
Mr.. Fiskes Starving Time in Old Virginia" deals
with sad and dramatic episode Of life In the col
ony nealy 800 years ago. The End OF the Terror
Is another colonial episode but a fictitious one-a
well-told tale Of pratical horrors and IMPLYING
retrbution. Dorothy" the story which has
charming Venetian background. is a graceful bit of
writing but the child Dorothy is made TO seem al
most too elderly for quaintness.
Who Is Hilda Johnson? Her name is in fc-
tion but she reveals gift for terse and powerful
narrative which is worth cultivation. Her story OF
New-York tenement life in the December Pail Mall