New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-05-02
MAGAZINE NOTES.
BONE ARTICLES OF SPECIAL INTEREST
IN THE CURRENT NUMBERS.

Whittier, the shyest most reserved Of men.
never told any one why he remained all his life
q bachelor. never acknowledged the existence Of
any early romance How would he have felt, we
wonder, If he had known that Cornelia Russ, the
beautiful Hartford girl. 10 whom he addressed
at twenty-four his only proposal Of marriage
had preserved his letter. and that long after
both had died that letter would be publ shed in
a popular periodical Formal in its phrasing, it
yet reveals eager and passionate feeling, feel
ing deep enough to keep him single all his days
By every law and license Of biography Professor
W. l. Phelps and The Century" entirely
justified in publishing this painful, pathetic lit
tie letter of the young poet We have no COM
plant to make Of them. But how one wishes
that the fair Cornelia had burned that letter,
She would have seemed more worthy of the
mans lifelong devotion.
That she wilfully left it to the chance Of prof
anstion goes TO show that she was no true mate
for the sensitive soul whose one love she was.
Bismarck in his last days expressed the opin-
son that, economically conside.ed. this country
had greet future. and he a Pa: Whenever
the point arrives that the Un~ed States is not
checked in its inroads on our agriculture com
plete ruin will overtaka our landho.ding classes.
The writer who quotes this assertion in The
Century" quotes also this utterance of the pres
ent German Chancellor Won BiIow:
Anything which will tend to bring the two
tions more closely together must be welcomed
on both sides of the ocean This is sentiment
20 which / have given repeated expression. Mis-
understandings Of political or economic nature
are liable TO arise now and then between Ger
many and America, as between other countries:
but with good will on the part of both govern
rnents-and there is every evidence Ct such good
will-these misunderstanding are sure to be
au1icably adjusted The TWO nations nave muCh
in common. and the millions of Germans who
have found a second home in America are alone
a tie that ought to bind very closely There is
a
can see, that ought to breed dscord between
the two countries. and there many reasons
which ought 20 unite them. The press can do
much in furtherance of this.
Many remarkable photographs of living wild
animals have been presented to the public in the
last year. and those to he found in the current
Worlds Work are among the most astonish-
ing of all. To capture in their most fascinating
poses the portraits Of the shyest Of woodland
creatures was not an easy task the enter
tanning account Of Mr.. Carlin's adventures
shows Hours upon hours he forced to sit
with focused. waiting for an oppor-
tunity to snap" a wary wild thing. 1t took
six weeks of watching in place to photo
graph the funny. round, plump pika, or little
chief hare. Many animals he had caught by
baiting-laying food in the same place every
day. In Florida he baited an opossum at his
normal nocturnal feeding hours. and then grad
ually made the hour of feeding later and later.
till he had the little fellow coming 10 o'clock
IN the morning in the full glare Of the sun
shine. 1t took many weeks thus to change
congenital habit but he found that this method
OF batting a night roaming animal later and
later till the light strong enough for a
photograph notably widened the field Of his pos
sibinties."
The unpublished autobiography of Martin
Van Buren, has, among other interesting pages,
this, devoted 20 one time opponent:
John Quincy Adams was as honest & incor-
ruptible as his father. He was equally bold &
fearless in the avowaI and maintenance of his
opinions. & in his feelings & habits more Demo-
cratic. In respect to the unaffected simplicity
Of his manners & the slight value he placed
upon the pride & pomp Of office. he did not fall
behind any Of our Democratic Presidents. not
excepting Mr.. jefferson, who, il will be remem-
bered by few, so outraged the sensibilities of
the sticklers for official dignity by wearing red
breaches & tying his horse TO d peg, when he
had occasion TO visit the Capitol Brought up,
as was at that day the universal custom. q Is
still too much the case, in the belief that there
could be nothing good in our opponents, l en-
tered public life with strong prejudiCes against
Mr. Adams Although I had not the good fort
une TO be in favor with the administration.
10 be partially regarded by himself whilst he
was the head Of Mr.. Monroes cabinet. and was
ranked among opponents Of his own admins
tration, from first 10 last. my respect for his
character a straightforward. we'll meaning
man lasted from my first acquaintance with
him in my Senatorial capacity till the close Of
was invariably respectful, & as cordial as l
could desire.
This passag e-which quote from the at
tractive paper of an autograph collector printed
IN "Harper's Magazine"-is eminently credtable
TO both men.
We are the most untidy among the great
nations Of the world!-so says Professor A. d.
F Hamln in The Forum" Our cities our
roads, docks. the majority Of railroad
stations seem TO hnl-as to ali enlightened trav-
ellers-all unworthy Of so sp-endid a country
Oriental Japan. tiny Switzerland and slow
going Holland stand far ahead Of the United
States in this respect. our national slOvenli-
ness IS seen in dirty streets and Unsightly water
fronts; in i'll kept squares, ragged sidewalks
and abominable pavements; in shabby railway
stations and embankment walls built up Of rot
ting sleepers. and in a thousand shiftless sub
stitutes for solid, permanent works. The
speakable country roads which abound in
many regions not only illustrate the existence,
but also demonstrate the folly Of this semi
harbarous slackness Of administration; for they
constitute the most costly means Of transpOr-
tation possible, impose heavy tax every
farmer and other resident and a clog upon
the general prosperity Of the regions they tray
erse. Tidiness and the efficient maintenance of
public works cost more in the first outlay than
negligence; but they save this excess many
times over in the end.
The haste and makeshft Of pioneer times sur
vive in these conditions. the spirit OF self-as-
sertion which has often held the unframed
worker TO be 'as good as" the trained one in
functions specially demanding training has
much TO do with it, Nor we forget the
lack OF the sense OF beauty which still charac-
terizes us. Americans do not yet realize that
eordid. squalid. weedy. dusty. paper strewn
stretch Of ground around a filthy railway sta
ton is an ugly thing but they will learn that