The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-11-04
CURRENT LITERATURE.
The November Magazines,


THE November Arena contains
paper by Mrs. Mary M. Harrison, who
has for years made study of child life,
on "Cbildren's Sense of Fear" which
will be of especial interest to those en-
gagged in training the young. Now
that child psychology is being made
distinct study, it is to be hoped that the
baleful and pernicious old. time custom
of filing the minds of little innocent
children with frightful pictures, so
largely resorted to hitherto as a factor
in their moral training, will be rele-
gated to the barbarties of the past.
THE October Century contained a
number of unique illustrations of
French children by Boutet de Monvel.
The November Century has an article
by that artist on Joan of Arc, to ac-
company a series of exquisite water
color designs in which de Monvel has
depicted the career of the child-saint
and warrior. De Monvel has been
studying Joan of Arc for several years
and he has treated his subject most
alphabetically in these pictures, which,
by the way, are printed in The Century
in advance of their publication in
France.
THE November atlantic Monthly
contains the opening chapters of Colo
mel T. w. Higginson's "reminiscences,
the most interesting recollections
that have anywhere appeared. Colonel
Higginson's career as a writer, soldier,
and man of letters, covers the last half
century, and there is hardly man or a
tpOyanant of tbot tip,a that ho n 10 moi
been identified with. Colonel Higgin-
son has chosen the attractive title,
Cheerful Yesterdays" and the first
installment is "a Cambridge Boyhood."
In it he gives delightful glimpse of
the Cambridge of an earlier time as
well as vivid picture of New England
boy-life of sixty years ago.
THE superior truth and delicacy of
the old daguerreotype are made mani
fest in the Move ber McChue'S, where
fine repI reductions of daguerreotype por-
traits of Calhoun, Webster, Edward
Everett, DIR. Holmes, Jenny Lind, and
others, from rare collections, still sur
viving, illustrate an entertaining paper,
by Mrs d. 7. Davis, on the develop
ment of daguerreotypin in America.
Soon after the discovery of the process
American daguerreotyper became the
strong movement now toward revival
of the art. The paper is, therefore,
timely as we'll as entertaining.
For variety and sustained interest of
contents the November Scribner's Mag
dzine is notable number. The open
ing article, by Capt. G. j. Melliss, of
the Ninth Bombay Infantry. "Pan-
ther-shooting in Central India" gives
not only a vivid impression of the habi.
tat of these great cats, but it is also a
stirring narrative of adventure in their
pursuit, drawn from personal expert
ence. The illustrations by Van Muy-
den, whose remarkable animal etchings
have been praised for their accuracy
and truth to nj ture by the author of the
article, will serve to make this brilliant
artist of animal life more familiar 10
American readers.
AN important feature of Harper's
Magazine for several months to come
will be Poultney Bigelow's series of
papers on the" White Mans Africa"
treating in a thoroughly popular way
the new continent recently opened up
to European exploitation. The first
paper, in the November number, is
merely Introductory, but it gives
novel view of Jameson's raid from ma
terial placed in the authors hand by an
English physician and Boer official
thus presenting both sides of this re-
markable episode. The series is the
result of journey to South Africa I'M