The Republican journal., 1896-10-01
Literary News and Notes.

The eventful history of the Comstock
Lode and the Sutro Tunnel will be told in
a fully illustrated article on Nevada Silver
which Charles Howard Shinn is to con-
tribute to Appletons Popular Science
Monthly for October.
The Metric System will be vigorously
defended against the recent attack of Her
bert Spencer in the opening article of
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly for
October, by Prof. t. C. Mendenhall, for
mer Superintendent of the United States
Coast Survey
The Penny Magazine, published by the
Penny Magazine Co., Philadelphia. gives
each month half dozen or more bright
and readable stories The October num-
Der, just received is particularly interest
ing. Fifty cents year, five cents num-
Der.
A feature of the November number
of Harper's Magazine is the first of series
of papers on ''White Mans Africa" by
Poultney Bigelow, who recently made a
ourn ey to South Africa to collect the ma
ierial for these articles. The first in
ttalment gives a new version of the story
of jaime sons raid, and all will be illus
strated
The October Forum will contain fou i
articles on the silver question, includin Q
one from ex- President Harrison. Gener al
Harrison's paper is an extremely valuable
contribution to the discussion. 1t is prob
ably the plainest, clearest, most power
full and most convincing argument against
the free coinage of silver at the ratio of
Ii to l that has yet appeared.
An account of the historic Lincoln and
Douglas debates will appearin the October
McClure's, based on material and remi-
niscences gathered by Miss Tarbel at
Ottawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston,
Galesburg, Quincy, and Alton Illinois,
the scenes of the debates, from persons
who heard them and were intimate with
the disputants. The article will be fully
illustrated.
That long established and sterling M ag-
azine, The Living Age, presents in its
| weekly numbers the best fiction, the
ablest essays, the most interesting bits of
biography, adventure and travel in a
word, the most read able and profitable
contributions to foreign periodical liter
allure. Information regarding New
Features about to be introduced, with
special offers to new subscribers, may be
obtained by application to the publishers.
The Living Age Co., Boston.
No reader of the ''Bonnie Brier Bush
stories can fail to be interested in the
opening article in the October McClure's S.
1t is an account Of Ian Maclaren, the au-
thor of those most genial tales, by an in
innate personal friend, the Rev. D. NJ.
Ross, describing him as a minister and
pulpit orator, in which characters he had
become eminent long before he took up
authorship, as we'll as in his literary
methods and career. A series of portraits,
pictures of Ian Maclaren's several resi-
dences, and some original Drumtochty
views illustrate the paper.
An important paper on "Electricty,n
by r. r Bowker, appears in the October
number of Harper's Magazine, with up
wards of twenty illustrations. including
portraits of the men who have done most
in applying electricity to the practical uses
Of modren civilization, in whose deveI-
opment it has been SO great a factor.
The paper rapidly sketches the history of
electrical invention, describes some Of it's
most recent applications to every day
affairs, and furnishes an interesting fore
cast of inventions already in sight,
During the fall and winter of 1896 81 The
! Atlantic Monthly will make a careful study
1 Of contemporaneous writers of America.
In the forthcoming issues of the magazine
will appear appreciative and thoughtful
| studies OF the best cQntemporaneOus writ
ers. These papers will be both critical
and biographical, the aim being sympa-
thetically to interpret the present ten
denotes in our literary production. Among
the writer's that viii be taken up in the
early numbers are MI. Henry B. Fuller
/ MI. Harold Frederic, Mr. Woodrow
1
Washington's Farewell Address was
dated September II, 1896, and published
two days later. Ii is, therefore, just a cen
fury since that immortal paper was given
to the American people. AS its cen
tennial comes, every sober and patriotic
citizen ought to read its solemn words
anew, and ask how we'll the republic is
obeying it's admonitions and needing its
warnings. II is fortunate that it is includ-
ed in the invaluable series of Old South
Leaflets SO that for five cents every per
son may prossess himself of a good copy
1t ought not only to be read by every
voter; it ought to be read and studied by
the young people in every public school,
The feature of the Atlantic for October
which will attract the widest attention is
an innovation. A new department is
opened having the attractive title "Men
and Letters,' to which T. b. Aldrich,
James Lane Allen, Arlo Bates, F. Hop
kinson Smith, Sarah Orne Jewett, Agnes
Repplier, Henry 3. Fuller, and many
other writer's who have won distinction in
the world of letters have been invited to
contribute short signed articles on literary
subjects, "reminiscences, criticisms, and
the like. The department is opened this
month by W. d. Howells, with charm
ing paper reminiscent of his days as edi-
tor of the Atlantic He is followed by
John Burroughs on ''The Poet and the
Modern,' and w. P. Trent, on reading
the 5Oth volume of Balzac.
General Horace Porter, whose articles
on Campaigning with Grant will be
published in The Century the coming
year, owed his position on Grants staff
to the latter's steadfastness of purpose.
General Porter, then a captain in the ar
tillery branch of the service, was intro
duced to Grant at Chattanooga in 1868.
The commanding officer saw in the young
artillerist one who could be of service to
him. SO he asked General Halleck to as
sign Porter to his staff. Captain Porter,
who was the son of the Governor of Penn
SylVania had been graduated third in his