New-York tribune., 1901-02-11
SOME MAGAZINE NOTES.
FEATURES OF THE FEBRUARY NUN
BERS.

him as writer OF love letters. Those published
in the current Harper" show him to be ad-
Tnirable IN that respect. His epistes 10 his
Johanna Jeanne Jeanneton, Giovanna, Juanita
he rings the changes on her name-are frank
and wise and loving without being sentimental.
The black haired Miss Won Puttkamer' though
amiable enough, hardly seems, as revealed IN
these letters. a person OF thrilling attractions.
But the big German was hers TO the core OF his
heart and he tells her in a manly fashion
that win make the world think more kindly OF
him henceforth.
Paul Meurice, writing with enthusiasm OF
Victor Hugo's fantastic drawings. tells Us that
they were mostly done with the pen. 'At the
commencement he used simply the ink in his
inkstand. To this he subsequently added China
ink and sepia one cay he bethought himself
Of another coloring matter that had not been
used before-cafe au iait From this he OBJ
tanned soft yellow tints of admirable quality. II
was his habit then TO end his breakfast with
cup OF coffee and milk and when he had COM
menced a sketch he would pour a few spoon
fuls into the saucer for artistic uses II hap
pened frequently that he would take too much
ink on HIS pen and drop large blot on the pa
per.
Bah! It's OF no consequence Hugo would
say. What 7 going 10 do with this blot?
Immediately he would dip his pen into il. as If
a
a definite FORM changing it into rock. ruin
or some odd geological formation, and finish by
making OF this blemsh a thing Of beauty. An
other Of his artistic secrets or tricks was the
way he used the eraser the penknife was one
OF his Indispensable tools. He would spread
some Ink over a certain place the sheet and
using the point OF his knife. with infinite pa
thence and marvellous deXterity slowly, care
fully, scratch scratch steadily, and thus actual
.~1,, a. ofyr yr1o Dc rfA
wrinkles in the bark the mould on the
stone"
NJ. Meurice believes that if Hugo had serious
" devoted himself to art he would have be-
come the greatest painter Of the century.
A thing 10 be noted in the current Century
IS the high level Of its short stories. There are
several OF them. and, while no single one is
startling. they are, a group very effective.
The article on "A Remarkable American DR..
William Pepper. OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES a
man who was marvellously useful 10 his follow
ers He was useful that when he died at
hfty-six his physicians said that he had the
heart OF a man OF eighty. Here was his daily
programme:
His usual workday was nineteen hours -Four
stenographers and a retinue Of messengers and
assistants helped reel of the work. Two eN-
pert stenographers, very rapid as he DESCRIBED
another then coming and working Till ) or a.
m. From 10 II a. m. his Office was crowded
At some hour in the afternoon came his lecture
at the university, and a great number OF com
rnittee meetings. consultations, and public func-
tions. On one occasion, at a theatre party
which he giving, after some nfteen MIN
utes, he excused himself and was gone three
quarters Of an hour. Remaining a short time,
he excused himself again. and was gone nearly
as long. He then returned for a moment, and
excused himself third time. He had appeared
at three functions, at two OF which he had
made formal addresses; the third disappearance
was for a consultation. While under great pres
sure OF work he occasionally worked thirty-six
OF even forty-eight hours without interruption,
/ except for bite OF food This was in the last
five years OF his life, while he was devoting all
his energies TO civil affairs.
Mr. weIlss story THE First Men IN the
Moon" is undoubtedly the first thing TO which
the habitual reader OF The cosmopolitan's"
lively pages VIII turn. Its weird incidents have
a most impressive air of actuality-one really
forgets that il is all imagination!
"The Worlds Work" is developing new vigor
with every number. Its papers, fresh on in
6ustrial features. are OF striking interest A
particularly attractive is Mr.. r. E. Phillips's
s'Self-Help TO Employees" His description OF
various modern plans for benehting the worker
shows that they have been successful only when
they benefited also the enployer-when based
on charity they fail.
A paper on Cecil Rhodes presents that mod
ern type of Napoleon" as 'abstractedly nlorose
OF carelessly gay. The cold CLEAN OF cynicisn
inseparable from real greatness turks in his
manners. His magnetic power is wonderful.
Men viii work till they drop at his bidding.
With him at the helm, there is no failing. His
is indeed kingdom"
A little incident viii best illustrate this. When
the telegraph line was building, the man who
had been chosen 10 superintend a part of the
work went 10 see Mr. Rhodes in his office in
Cape Town.
Mr.. Rhodes AT table-"TIuuo. So and So Let
me see; ah! yes. telegraph. Help yourself 10 a
drink"
He got up, walked TO one OF those old maps
OF Africa which was hanging on the wall, dot
TED here and there with gold" elephants"
-'desert" etc. He took ruler IN his hand, meas
ured of distance, then turned and said:
Yes! Let see; four hundred miles. To-
day is January August p, please; that viii
suit. i think. Good morning"
The Wretched individual staggered out, faced
by an obvious lmpossibility. No question had
been asked TO the difficulties 10 be overcome;
no possibility OF failure had been considered.
august 25th. please" God knows howl
Toll night and day for seven months and
half, with no stop for fever; and on August %
the work was complete. That has now a
career. Had II been August %, he would have
dropped back into the gulf with Shiny sides.
Among the many good things in 'Scribner's'' is
Mrs. Edith wharton's story OF the nice woman
who spent her life in conserving the literary
memory and remains OF a distinguished grand
papa II IS gracefully humorous and touching.
too; Il has in it so much that is natural and