The Republican journal., 1902-03-20
LITERARY NEWS AND NOTES.

LITERARY NEWS AND No1Eo.
There are, in all. twenty-three feat
ures in the March number OF Outing,
including Mr.. Casper Whitney, regu-
lar monthly review of the current
topics in the world of sport. From the
frontispiece, which is a three-color re-
production of a Dutch scene, drawn
for Outing by George Wharton Ed
wards, to the closing sentence, there is
not dull line or an uninterestlng Illus
tration in the book.
Kennebec journal: Her many friends
are much delighted with the bits OF
verse that are appearing from the pen
of Miss Winnifred Melville Shaw of
Rockland in Boston Ideas. 1t is under
stood that she has two books nearly
ready for publication, and surely they
will be very interesting ones, for she is
one Of the brightest young writer's III
the State. Holman F. Day said of her
the other day: miss Shaw's poems
are like diamond dewdrops upon the
early tender grass of June morning
at sunrise; they have the flavor OF our
Maine Northern Spies and Baldwins in
February, and they are as perfect as
the beautiful tourmaline crystals that
they find in the hills of Oxford" All
of which is true, and there is still much
to be said in praise of her versatility
and her strength.
Tappan Adney, who was the foremost
journalist in the klondyke at the time
of the first rush to the gold fields, con-
tributes to the March number of Outing
an article on the Alaskan Indian,
which gives a clearer impression than
has before been given of this far-north-
western hunter. The entire political
economy of these Indians is based on
proWess; the successful hunter and the
shreWd trader among them becomes the
man of wealth, and is chosen chief.
and his position is that of patriarch to
his people, yet without compulsory
authority. MI. Adney describes the
hunting methods which these people
have acquired since, quite recently,
they made a practice of killing moose
with bow and arrow. Interest in the
article is enhanced by six striking illus
tratlons done by the author.
During the present session of Con-
gress The Saturday Evening Post, of
Philadelphia, will contain bi-weekly
articles on National affairs by the
former Postmaster-G General, Honorable
Charles Emory Smith. In Men and
will discuss the great legislative and
diplomatic questions of the day eX-
planning the news of the week and Civ
policies and politics. MI Smiths long
Familiarity with public affairs, his
shrewd political insight and his brilliant
literary style combine to make these
papers of unusual interest The
lighter side of Washington life, che
amusing happenings, the current gossip
and bright sayings are found in a new
department, A Womans Washington.
These bright letters are by the author
of The Diary of a New Congressman's
Wife.
The March number of the American
Boy lies before us. The front cover
has a full page illustration of a boy
spearing fish, and it will appeal to
all lovers of outdoor sports, old and
young alike. 1t has its usual number
of interesting stories, the principal
being: "a School Lockout by D. B.
Robinson; "Cuthbert's Rather by Ed
gar D. Price; "a Night in the North"
by Frank Baird; "a Grandmotherly
Aoih3 ny quail OOu, lOUy, d
story for Little Boys" by Robarts Sill
Ell Stork," by viii Lexington Comfort,
appears in this number The true
story of ''Casabianca, by Louise Jami-
son; story of the Deep Sea-" by Col
lison Fleming. The special depart
ments are as interesting and instruc-
tive as ever and cannot fail but strike
boys hobby. Handsome illustrations
adorn every page. The subscription
price is $1.00 per annum and it is publish
ed by The Sprague Publishing Company,
Detroit, Mich.
Not one person in ten thousand of
those who will read Helen Keller's own
story of her life, when it begins in an
early issue of the Ladies' Home Jour-
nal, will have the least conception of
the amount of hard work required to
write the story. First of all Miss KEEL
Ter puts down her ideas Sin Braille," as
the blind express it; that is to say, in
the system of ''polnts" raised on paper
by means of stylus and slate devised
to aid the blind; these 'poipts'' being
read afterward by passing the sensitive
fingers over them. When all of this
Brallle work has been completed Miss
Keller goes to her typewriter and uses
these notes as guide to the rewriting
of the story. AS soon as a page of
matter is typewriter it is, so to speak,
lost to Miss Keller, who has to depend
upon her faithful teacher, Miss Sulli-
van, to repeat to her by spelling out
each sentence by means of the hands.
1t is a tedious task, especially as some
of the pages have to be read again and
again, with changes here and there, be-
fore Miss Keller is satisfied. Then,
when the proofs are sent to her, all this
slow process of spelling word after
word has to be gone through once more,
so that each word that Helen Keller
writes goes through her fingers at least
five times. 1t will be satisfaction to
everybody to know that the publishers
of The Journal have recognized in
substantial manner the extraordinary
ability and patience which Miss Keller
has shown in her work.