The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-11-18
Literary News and Notes.

Mr.. John Muir will contribute to early
numbers of the Atlantic Monthly series
OF articles which are likely to become the
classic descriptions of, first, Great Govern
ment Reservations, second, The Yellow
stone Park, third, The Yosemite Park,
and fourth, The Sequoia Parks.
Among the contents of Harper's Maya
zine for December will be narrative
poem by General Lew. Wallace, entitled
THE Wooing of Malkatoon;'' articles on
''The Queens Jubilee by Richard Hard
ing Davis and on George William Curtis
at Concord" by George Willis Cooke, and
an interesting array of fiction, including
stories by Owen Wister, Mary Hartwell
Catherwood, Mary Tracy Earle, and Will
! liam McLennan. The number will be
bound in an ornamental cover designed
in colors by Kenyon Cox.
Mr.. Gilbert Parker's new story is to be
called "The Battle of the Strong'' 1t is
to appear as a serial in the Atlantic Month
ly, the first installment in the number of
January, 1898. 1t will be remembered
that the Atlantic printed Mr.. Parker
successful ''Seats of the Mighty" With
Mr.. F. Hopkinson Smiths serial Caleb
West, now running, and Mrs. Wiggin's
and promises to be, particularly rich in
good fiction.
W. Clark Russell, who has written the
most mastery stories of the sea ever pub
llshed, is not a native of Britain, as is
generally believed, but was born in New
ork City in the old Carleton House in
the year 1914. He Vas educated in Win
chester, England, and at the age of four
teen years went to sea as a mdshipman in
Duncan Dunbar's service, and saw eight
years OF that life in China, India and
Australia before he settled down on shore
and gave to the world such books as the
Wreck of the Grosvenor, A Sailor Sweet
heart, and others, which delight not only
the general reader but ''old salts,'' too.
The Ladies' Home journal has secured
what promises to be the great magazine
feature of 1898. 1t is entitled ''The Inner
Experiences of a Cabinet Members Wife"
In series of letters written Dy the wife
of Cabinet member to her sister at home,
are detailed her actual experiences in
Washington, frankly and freely given
The letters were written without any in
tention of publication. They give init
mate peeps behind the curtain of high
official and social life. They are absolute
ly fearless, they study Washington life
under the searchlight as it has never been
before presented. The President and the
highest officials of the land, with the
most brilliant men and women of the
Capital, are seen in the most familiar
way. AS these are all actual experiences
the name of the writer is withheld The
letters will doubtless excite much shrewd
guessing by readers and study of internal
evidence to discover the secret. The 'EX-
periences," which will be beautifully illus
trated, begin in the December number and
will continue for several months.
Considering the Importance of his work
and the hardship he endured in pursuit of
it, there has been sngularly little written
about the young Swedish explorer; DR..
Sven Hedin. A few months ago he com
pleted journey of three years and seven
teen months in the most inaccessible and
least known parts of Asia. He traversed
mountain passes nearly fifteen thousand
feet high, i'll a temperature of nearly forty
degrees below zero; he explored and meas
ured large lake nine hun lred feet deep:he
climbed neatly to the top OF an unex plol ed
mountain twenty thousand feet high;
he traversed the uneXplored Takla- Makan
Desert, and in doing SO went nine days
without water, losing all but two of his
companions and coming off himself with
the merest spark of life. Certainly here is
a heroic story, scarcely equaled in the
annals of travel and exploration; and it
has gone thus far practically untold. But
Mr.. h. II. Sherard has prepared a full
account of DR.. Hedin and his discoveries.
and adventures, based largely on conversa-
tons with him, and it will be published
in Nor1
along with numerous illustrations from
sketches and photographs made by Dr.
Hedin himself during his journey.