The record-union., 1898-05-01

The report of Henry T. Bailey, agent
for the promotion of industrial draw
ing, addressed to the Boston Board of
Education, gives statement of what
has been done in the way of school
room decorations in Massachusetts.
From this it appears that seventy-one
cities and towns have done something.
at a total estimated cost of between
$4,000 and $4,000 Probably the city
of Cambridge leads in the number of
school buildings decorated with really
good things The finest single collec-
tions are TO be found in Boston, Brook
line, Cambridge, Holyoke, Medford,
Quincy and Springfield.
An old magazine of more than ordi-
nary interest has recently come into the
possession of the New York Historical
Society, THE Boston Magazine"
bound volume, containing the first
number, November, 1853, and every
successive number to December, 1874.
Besides its rarity it is rendered still
more interesting from the fact that it
is probably the only magazine publish
ed in America which made a public
apology for its initial number, and beg
ging it's subscribers to consider the sec
ond number as the first. Still another
interesting fact is that one of the two
original publishers was ]. Norman, an
early American engraver, whose work
was celebrated for the excellence of its
execution, and whose engravings of
Washington are now among the rarest
and most valuable of all the portraits
of this country's first President. The
-+<,,l
several of its engravings were the work
of Norman. The actual first number
of The Boston Magazine appeared in
October 1888, but as this is the one
which the editors desired to suppress,
it is not known whether or not one of
these October issues is now in exist
ence. The bound volume in the New
York Historical Society begins with
the November number, which states
that it is printed and published by
Norman & White at their office in Mar
shall's lane, near the Boston Store The
unique editorial announcement in which
the initial number is. consigned to OBJ
livion appears on the second page and
is, in part as follows: 1.-The printers of
a late publication, The Boston Maga-
zine for October, 1888, sensible of its
many defects, think it their duty to
confess that their plan was the effect of
haste. But they feel themselves pc
culiarly happy to inform the public
that they now have the fullest assur-
ance of such assistance as will in all
probability render the future numbers
more acceptable. The first publication
they beg Of their subscribers and others
may not be ranked among the numbers
Of The Boston Magazine, . and shall
take the liberty of calling the magazine
for November the first mum ber.''s Some
idea of the literary pabulum supplied
by the magazine may be cleaned by
mentioning the titles of some of the ar
ticles in the November issue: "Disqui-
sition on Rational Christianity" I'm
PRODUCTION to a Regular Criticism on
Nonsense, Essay on the Spleen
Essay on Love and Marriage"
Whimsical Distress of County Ply
sician," Natural History of a Cold"
Essay on Patriotism" and the fast
half dozen pages are devoted to poeti-
cal selections most of which have a
crude and wonderful construction. In
one number the editors state "As the
piece on Modern Politeness' by Modes
tus, contains undeserved satire upon
the Fair, it cannot be admitted" And
again, The 'Elegy on an Infant ap-
pears better in manuscript than it
would in print An interesting re-
minder Of a curious event in American
history is recalled by a notice in the
April issue, 1874, which calls attention
to the report of the committee of Con-
gress appointed to draft a plan for ter
ritorial government of the Western
Territory. This territory was to be di-
vided into ten sections, which should
be admitted as States when the popula-
tion was sufficient. The names suggest
ed for these ten States are a peculiar
mixture of Latin and Indian, and while
a semblance of some of the names still
remains in two cases, in all others it is
so absolutely forgotten that the very
fact has ceased to be known by many
close students of American history. The
names as proposed are Sylvania, Michi-
gania, Cherronesus, Assenisipia, Met
ropotamia, Illinoia, Saratoga, Wash
ington, Polypotamia and Pelisipia.
1t is said that there are at least twen-
ty-two copies (and probably more) of
first-folio Shakespeares in this country.
One of the two copies owned in Aus
tralia is preserved in a handsome
carved case made from an oak tree
which grew in the forest of Arden.
There are many copies in England, but
not many that are absolutely perfect.
An expert says that he believes very
few perfect copies are in existence.
Apropos of such perfect copies. it is in
teresting to note F. S. Ellis account of
Mr. Daniel's copy in the Dictionary of
English Book Collectors:
Another of Daniers favorite book
legends was the story of his acquisition
of his first folio Shakespeare from
William Pickering. Though, as usual
with books, its pedigree did not extend
very far. it was less plebian than most
rare volumes in that respect. At the end
of the eighteenth century or the begin
ming of the nineteenth it had belonged
to one Daniel Moore. F. S. A, and by
him was bequeathed to a w. H Booth,
who in his turn left it to John Gage
Rokewode the well-known antiquary,
from whom Mr. Pickering purchased it.
As Gage Rokewode died in 1912. it
must have been before that year that
it came into Daniels possession for the
sum of f100, esteemed high price in
those days He would describe how,
when the bargain was concluded, Pick
ering essayed to put up the volume in
paper: but he exclaimed, mo, no,
Nothing less than silk Fetch me one
of your best silk handkerchiefs. Sc
curely tied in this, a hackney coach was
called. and he drove home to Islington
in triumph It is assuredly a very fine
copy of this book, free from reparation.
Nv