St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-04-12

luxury to appear in print oftener than
once in thirty days He had at least
three advertisements in the March
number. I spent fully quarter of an
hour in carefully reading that num-
Der, and when I finished I wondered
what it was all about Half of the
phamplet was devoted to what was
probably meant for a burlesquc of a
Maeterlinck drama, It probably
pleased Beacon Hill nightly On the
two middle pages was g poster picture
by Edward Penfield. It represented
girl with yellow hair reading yellow
covered book and sitting in yellow
chair surrounded by yellow, white and
black cats.
The Fly Leaf,as the cover announces,
is conducted by Walter Blackburn
Harte, and is "a pamphlet periodical
Of the century end, for curious persons
and book-lovers." Mr.. Blackburn is
literary authority Of some note. He
was at one time connected with the
! Arena and also the New England Mag
| azine. The aims Of his publication are
high, and it may have mission. Per-
haps there are some people who will
come to yearn for the Fly Leaf Five
| numbers have been issued
The Black Cat and the Nickel Mag
azine do not make a speciality of lit
erary monstrosities, as the others
seem to do. but publish short stories.
Romance, published in New York, and
the Penny Magazine, issued in Phil
adelphia, are in the same field. They
sell for five cents a copy, so you are
NOT ha div az
stories are not worth reading. and if
they are you get full value for your
money.
The Bfbelot, published in Portland.
Me-, by Thomas B. Mosher has a dis
tinctive field and more than an ex
cuse for existing. In it are reprinted
scraps Of poetry and prose chosen
from scarce editions. Mr.. Mosher is
an old newspaper man who has spent
lifetime collecting rare and curious
books
Whims, published in New York, prints
poetry of eccentric meter and short
sketches. in prose-
The Lotus has its origin in Kansas
City. 1t is a most picturesque and ar
tfstic production of the print shop
with Beardsleyized cover in black and
red. The paper used is an imitation of
parchment It prints poems and
sketches by undergraduates of colleges
and, judging from the March number
its contributors must suffer much from
indigestion.
In Kansas City, also, p published
Poster Lore, "a journal of enthusiasm
devoted to the appreciation Of modern
posters 1t is highly artistic Then
there are the Lark and several others
published in various cities
But the most unique of all the freaks
is the latest in the field. Bradley. His
Book, it is called, and 1t is privately
printed in Springfield, Mass, for Will
II. Bradley, the young artist who has
made such great success in the new
school. It is either an artistic delight
or an illustrated nightmare, just as
you happen to feel. The type used is
known as the Jensen old style, with
fabricated initials Mr.. Bradley will
do much Of the drawing, and the first
number contains a unique picture of
himself by himself. The first issue
bears an April date.
Just what is to be the end of this
craze for the unusual in literature. as
well as art 1t is interesting but use
less to speculate To the conservative
observer it looks as if the artists and
writers had gone mad and were run
ming wild in untrodden and forbidden
fields. Perhaps it is simply wave Of
reform, and we are all to be educated
up to liking this sort of thing
Doubtless the young men who are
printing these freak magazines hope to
get back some day the money which
they are now spending. If they do,
they will deserve great credit for their
courage. -Sewell Ford.