The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-04-10

cover of Appleton's Popular Science
Monthly for April at once arrest our at
tention. Mr.. Wells In this number brings
his account of Taxation in Literature
and History down through the Middle
Ages. and shows that squeezing the Jews
was then the makeshift for a financial
system with many European potentates.
Mr.. Spencer concludes his series of papers
on Professional Institut ions with gen
eral review of the subject, calling atten-
ton to the necessity in past times of
domination that now appears rksome to
many and showing how useless are
statutes that do not conform to the nat
ural laws of society. Prof. Lombroso has
written for the Monthly an account of
The Savage Origin of Tattooing, showing
it's development also among criminals.
Pictures of the highly decorated bodies of
three malefactors illustrate the text. As
especially timely topics we note the
Xrays, on which Prof. John Trow-
bridge, of Harvard has an illustrated ar
ticle, and War and Civilization, which is
treated in thoughtful and temperate
vein by W. d. LeSueur. Surgeon-Gener
al Sternberg contributes splendid rec
ord of The Practical Results of Bacter-
biological Researches. Other illustrated
articles are Tropical Fruit Trees, by Ber-
tina +. Herriok, and Quacks and the
Reason of Them, by DR.. A. Cartaz.
The fullest and most reliable account of
the Cuban insurreotion that has yet
found its way into periodical literature
appears in the April Review Of Reviews
from the pen OF that veteran journalist
and war correspondent, Muart Halstead.
who has only recently returned from an
extended sojourn in Cuba. Mr.. Hal
stead's article EN- bodies much fresh and
important material of the greatest in
terest-for example, the proclamation
Luade by General Gomez in December
last, General Weyler's statement in reply
to questions of Mr.. Halstead concern
ing Spanish policy in Cuba, and speci-
mems of the work Of the press censor,
besides vast amount of statistical data
impossible to obtain except by personal
visitation and inquiry. Mr.. Halstead
has had access to all the sources of trust
worthy Information on both sides of the
knowledge thus gained with the skill of
the practiced writer of current history.
His whole aim has been to get at the
truth and present it impartially.
The April number of the magazine
Romance contains several articles upon
the mysterious New Ray. and one upon
Man Flight, the latter giving interesting
photographs of Lilienthal as he appears
while soaring through the air with his
duplicate set of wings. There is story
by Guy de Maupassant. and in the pictorial
part some excellent pictures of the sea,
others Of Morocco and Tangiers, and
series of nineteen portraits of Miss Ada
D,1Io sv,n ho. -I,o
aoters.
The April number of ST. Nicholas has
wide diversity in its table Of contents. 1t
opens with an article About Flying Ma
chimes, by Tudor jerks, who shows what
has already been accomplished in the way
of navigating the air with mechanical
aids. A feature of the article is num-
ber of diagrams Of simple flying de-
vices that can be made by any clever
boy or girl. Thomas Edwin Turner oon-
tributes an episode of the War of the Re-
bellion, Lieutenant Harry. The hero is
mere boy, son Of a Federal officer, who
is put in nominal command of scouting
party. A story for girls is Marbles Ex-
perience, by Kate Dickinson Sweetser.
Marble was a New England girl who
strove for literary fame, but who could
not realize that she should draw her in
spiration from the familiar scenes about
her. 1t falls to the lot of few photogra-
piers to catch the image Of whale upon
their dry plates. Charles Frederick
Holder got snap shot at one at close
quarters, while it was leaping out of the
sea in fact He tells of his experience
ad his pictures are reproduced in How the
Whale Looked Pleasant Antoinette
Golay tells quaint and amusing story,
A Dare. which will appeal to all children.
Stalled at Bear Run, by Thomas
Holmes, is an account of railroad ex-
.perience in the far West