Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-08-03
Literary Notes.

The North American Review for
August contains an article on "Leo
XIII and the Social Question. by
the Rev. j. A. Zahm, professor of
physics at the University OF Notre
Dame, Indiana. A unique interest
attaches itself to this particular con-
tribution, it having formed the SUBJ
ject of a conversation between his
Holiness and FIR. Zahm, the. Pope
sending through the Review a mes
sage to the people Of the United
States.
Home and Country. New York. for
August, is rich in illustrations. Not
outstanding that with this mum Der
the management OF this popular
monthly commentaries its entry on
the 18th year OF publication by re-
duction in price to 81 year. this
move has been made without cheap
ening the magazine in any sense.
Indeed, if anything, it has been i'm
proved. The table Of contents is an
interesting study. the subjects dis
cussed being timely and attractive
as well as diversified enough to meet
the most exactiug popular demand
for light literature. Home and
Country is indeed o magazine for
everyday people.
Hawthorne as an Interpreter of
New England" is the subject Of an
article of unusual keennsss and inter-
est by Miss Katharine Hillard in the
August number of the New England
Magazine. Hawthorne's subjects
were in very great measure New
England subjects. Salem and Con-
cord and Boston were constantly the
scenes of his stories, and he was a
great deliver into colonial and revo-
lutionary history. 1t is common to
think and talk OF him as an interpre-
ter of New England history and life.
Miss Hillard's contention is that he
was not this in any true sense at all,
and that he did not pretend to be,
but simply made the New England
ground his starting point for ro-
mancing and for general study of
human life and character. Her
points are exceedingly well made,
and it is probable that Hawthorne
himself would have warmly sympa-
thized with all that she says.
The supreme significance of the
fact that the United States has be-
come the foremost iron producing
country Of the world, the necessity
for an output OF 1000. 900 tons OF
iron during the coming IL months.
as against 100000 tons in 1898,
81
strong probability that we shall have
to build 100000 miles of railroads
during the next ID or 20 years to
complete the systems now in opera
tion-these are the central features
of an important leading article by
Edward Atkinson in the Engineering
Magazine for August. Aside from
Mr.. Atkinson's high standing as an
economist and statistician, double in
terest attaches to his present predic-
lions when it is recalled that in
1880 he made similar forecast,
which has been fulfilled with astsa-
ishing accuracy. There are numsr-
Gus other reading articles in the
same number.
Not since 1.-The Anglomaniacs" has
there been so clever a society satire
as Henry Fuller's Pilgrim Sons"
which is published in the August
Cosmopolitan. The problems in
volved in woman's use of the bicycle
are so startling and SO numerous, I'M
der the rapid evolution of this art,
that one welcomes a careful discus
sion Of the subject by SO trained a
mind and so clever a writer as Mrs.
Reginald de Koven. The Cosmopoli-
tan illustrates Mrs. de koven's arti-
Gle with series Of poses by profess
sional models. A new sport. more
thrilling than any known to Nimrod,
more dangerous than was ever ex-
perienced by even a Buffalo Bill, is
exploited in the same issue in a arti-
Gle on .Photographing Big Game in
the Rocky Mountains" before shoot
ing. The idea that 10 cents for the
Cosmopolitan means inferiority from
literary point Of view is dispelled
by tie appearance in this number of
such writers as Sir Lewis Morris,
Sir Edwin Arnold, Edgar Fawcett,
Tabb. W. Clark Russell. Lang. Sar-
cey. Zangwill. Agnes Repplier, ETC.
Nor can we entertain the idea of in
feriority in illustration with such
names as Hamilton Gibson. Denman,
Van Schaick, Liz, Sandman, ETC..
figuring as the chief artists of a sin
gle months issue.