The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-13

THE March Bookman has fr1vo-
Ious air that does not accord with
the preceding numbers of this
staid and steady magazine. There is
even light and airy look about the
letter press which marks a change
from the solemn appearance of it's
usual dress. What has occurred? We
discover upon opening it that the first
paragraphs tell of an addition to the
editorial staff in the person of Prof.
Frank Moore Colby, who is already
we'll known to the readers of The
Bookman. Now we may take it that
with the coming of Mr.. Colby the RI
gidity of the magazine has somewhat
relaxed and several innovations been
introduced. One of them is the ap-
pearance of two light short stories
which have been strictly tabooed pre-
viously Stranger still, are three fun
ny pictures toward the back of the
magazine which mark a coming down
that is almost incredible. Another
change which modernizes the book and
adds UNNECESSARILY to the comfort Of
the reader, is the cut leaves. The
writer has never been able to UNDER
stand the love of bookish persons for
uncut leaves either in books or peri
odicals.. Why one should have to go
through so much trouble to read when
it can be avoided, is not comprehen-
sible by the ordinary mind. Evidently
this is beginning to be the opinion of
the many, as the latest cry-in mag
azines at least-is for the cut leaves.
1t adds Infinitely to the appearance of
a book as we'll as to the comfort of the
reader. The clever story, The Reye-
lation,, of Herself" by Mary Farley
Sanborn, which has. been appearing
serially in The Bookman, is finished in
the March number and those who re-
fuse to read even the most interesting
tale from month to month, will eagerly
await its appearance in book form :.
There is new form of literature
seemingly very popular in magazines
just now, and this is stories of glori-
fed thievery, and gentleman burglars
who wear good clothes, silk hats and
tell the lady of the house" that they
won't take her watch if it is a keep
sake, and are otherwise mawkishiy
sentimental and very refined. This
sort of thing, which is rather alarming
in it's tendency, was started apparent
ly by "The Bishops Carriage" story
running serially in a literary maya
zine. It was a most interesting and
well told tale of a girl thief, who had
been brought up in shelters, graduated
on the Streets and after a career of
crime, made up her mind to reform.
This story seemed to set the ball roll
ing and now there is a real fad for
stories of women criminals who,
through love, are redeemed. While the
recounting of anyone's redemption is
always edifying there is an element of
danger in making heroines out of girl
thieves and interesting the reader in
one of them, until unconsciously one
is compromising a felony and hoping
the girl may accomplish her evil deed
and come off UNPUBLISHED. But we are
evidently in for a run of these stories
of which there are several in the March
magazines.
That women are forging to the front
in every line of endeavor is more than
ever evident, even though some men,
whose wish is father to the thought,
have been predicting a great reaction
against woman's work. and point to
the wedding out of women stenog-
raphers from railroad offices and from
great corporations as one of the straws
showing which way the wind blows.
It is undoubtedly true that women, III
their great desire for independence,
have somewhat overdone the matter,
but that they are falling back into
their old place of mere domestic
drudges is by no means evident. In
the finer arts women are more and
more prominent. The editor of the
Bookman who has crossed swords
several times with Mrs. Charlotte Per
kins Gilman, the leader of what is
known as the most advanced women.
recently received letter from a wonl-
an, which, while not notable for the
beauty of its diction, still told him
some home truths. She said she could
not understand his belittling woman's
work outside the home, when ne was
obliged to acknowledge that women
We're far in the lead in lines where
men have hitherto though themselves
supreme, and particularly was this true
of the EDITORS particular province, lit
erature. She proceeded to point out
the various good things done by wonl-
en- lately in art, literature and music.
The only thing left for the editor tc
do was to make game of her letter,
which he promptly proceeded to do.
But in another place he has to admit
that, with one exception, the impor-
tant recent novels have been written
by women, and, by way of the last
touch of discriminating praise, he says
they are SO we'll done that they might
have been written by men!
Speaking of Mrs. Charlotte Perkins
Gilman, the apostle of the new woman,
reminds Us that she has made de-
parture recently in that she is now
editing an equal suffrage paper in
Boston called the Woman's Journal
The result is interesting, as being quite
unlike any other paper in the country,
Mrs. Gilman's point OF view being very