The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-04-04
Literary Notes.

3NOO0He
Book Neaos for April presents as it's open
ing feature an u%p-to-date symposium on
Kipling, half critical, half biographical
a valuable contemporary judgment on the
most famous author of his generation, the
interest of which is heightened by a we'll
executed portrait. In addition there are
estimates of the most striking books which
the month has brought forth in American
and foreign ~fields-among the rest Prot.
Patrons Development of English
Thought" best specimens of illustrative
art from current works; list of the books
in which the reading world is most inter
ested at this time, etc. John Wanamaker,
Philadelphia and New York. Monthly,
&c a copy; SOC a year.
"There exists in Japan, among some of
the classes, a certain custom of hiring a
midwoman, nakoda, or professional match
maker, in order to make an engagement
between a couple, writes Onoto Watanna
in the April Ladies' Home Journal. ct
often happens that a family will desire an
alliance with another family with whom
they are not intimately acquainted. Then
are the services of the professional match
maker invaluable. To be successful in
such a profession one must never be known
as such to the family she desires to court.
Very often nakodas and midwomen follow
this profession for years and yet are not
known as such save to those who have
employed them. Most of the match-mak-
ers are very honest, and it is their duty to
discover all the good and bad points of
the couple and point them out to the
parents; they give good advice and do
everything possible to promote the happi-
ness of the pair. They travel back and
forth to the homes of the young people,
who are entirely ignorant of their motive,
carrying compliments and presents and
trying in a delicate manner to work on
their sentiments"
There has been so much reference in
the recent cable news from Europe to the
strong feeling in France against England,
and so much significant allusion to the eX-
periments which the French are making
with submarine boats, that the question of
the possibility of a French military force
eyer crossing the English channel becom-
ing interesting, a writer in the April Cos
na0poltGn, ''Quatre Etoiles' evidently a
nom de plume-tells an ingenious story of
the results of the consummation one hun
bred years later of that plan which was
first conceived by Napoleon when he
brought his army to the plains of Bou-
logne in 1904. When every detail of the
plan has been successfully prepared, a
great fete on the cliffs of Boulogne brings
the Channel Squadron and the Prince of
Wales to join in the ceremony. Insult
Intentionally and suddenly given by the
President of the French republic, leads to
an immediate declaration of war. The
English fleet, unsuspicious of its real dan
ger, moves to engage the battleships ..and
cruisers of the French which merely serve
as a decoy for their more than one thou
sand submarine vessels. How these latter
accomplish their deadly work is told In a
startling way. Then follows the invasion
of England by three hundred thousand
French troops, all in accordance with
plans carefully arranged in advance-an
invasion which takes place SO quickly that
the French battleships and transports are
landing men at Sandegate almost before
the Foreign Office knows of the declara-
ton of hostilities; then follows the occu-
patton of London, ct cetera. This class
of speculation, while improbable, never
theless has some interesting points in view
of existing complications. The subject is
evidently handled by some one familiar
with the military details involved. The
nom de plume would seem to indicate a
French officer.
IN 4 VI ~ IL " ~ vi
presenting it's readers with a number con
tanning not a single article relating to the
war with Spain, OIL which subject there
has of late been a surfeit. The leading
paper in the April issue is on '"The In
dustrial Development of Russia; and the
writer is Prof. Ivan Oseroff, of Moscow
University, a prominent Russian econo-
mist. An article by a Russian on Russian
industries in an American magazine is a
rarity; and Prof. Oseroff's survey is both
comprehensive and what is more i'm
portant to the reader-exceptionally in
teresting. Another paper, on a subject of
still greater Importance to Americans, is
that by Mr.. John P. Young on THE Men
ace to England's Commercial Supremacy"
Mr.. Young proves conclusively the de-
cadence of English agriculture, and shows
the disastrous results to British industry
of the invasion of the English iron and
steel markets by American products. The
writer considers that the inevitable out
come of existing conditions will be the
development of an American shipbuilding
industry which will be able to produce
ships as cheaply as iron and steel are now
produced in the United States. The whole
number fully maintains the Forums STAN
dard.
The complete novel in the April issue of
Lppinc0tt'S is 1.-The House of Pan" a ro-
nance of the eighteenth century, by Anna
Robson Brown. The readers interest is
sustained throughout by the thrilling adj
ventures OF a young French girl and the
American hero, vslient and true. Con
fessions of a Butcher" by William S.
Walsh, has entertaining "reminiscences