The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-12-17
Literary News and Notes.

An unworked mine of rich Lincoln ma
terial will, by happy coincidence, yield
it's first ore in the Lincoln Centennial
year. Throughout Lincoln's administra-
ton, from 1861 to 1865, his Secretary of
the Navy, Gideon Welles, kept diary
commenting in the fullest, frankest man.
ner on men and events as he saw them.
Debates in the Cabinet are reported al
most verbatim, and there is hardly a fig
ure of the time who does not appear
conspicuously in the Diary. But in the
forefront always is Lincoln. 1t is truly
said of the great President that the more
one knows of him the greater is ones
admiration. In this Diary one sees him
continually face to face just as he was
when he worked and suffered. This
Diary, still in manuscript, will by an ar
rangement just concluded be published
in the Atlantic during 1909.
One of the prettiest holiday books for
children is "Little Polly Primrose and
her Friends" the second in the Garden
series which Caro- Frances Warren is
writing for children. Not only is the
style Of the story attractive but the illus
trations by Wallace Goldsmith, done in
colors, add considerable value to the book.
Miss Warren has brought the flower gar
den into life. again, but this time the
scene Of the revelry takes place on an
old fashioned farm and not in the staid
old garden where Polly Primrose bloom
ed. The lovely flower children add a
homely collection of weeds to their party
and teach little human mortals through
their kindly consideration of these humble
blossoms that "kind hearts are more than
coronets.'' 1t is one of the quaintest
little books The C. M. Clark Publishing
Co. has ever brought out.
The efforts of the publishers to make
the Christmas American Boy worthy OF
its readers have certainly proven success
full. The picture Tin colors) OF the pleas
ed and smiling boy laden with Christmas
presents and his no less delighted four
footed friend, which adorns the front
cover page, is happy index to the hne
timely matter the magazine contains.
The interesting serials by Houston and
Tomlinson are concluded this month"; as
is also The Deer Trailers, while That Dill
ingham Boy is continued. Christmas,
of course, is the theme Of most of the
short stories. There is fine Illustrated
page Of college football teams. The reg
ular departments are filled with just the
matter which will please the boys who
delight to do things. In addition there
are over 80 Illustrations. $1.OO year.
The Sprague Publishing Co., Detroit,
Mich.
.'Birch Stream and Other Poems,' by
Anna Boynton Averill, is new Maine
book published by the Cricket Club OF
Dover. The Kennebec Journal says OF
it: In this pretty volume we have col
lection of poems from the pen of the tai
ented Maine woman, collection of much
merit and deserving of wide reading by
all who love nature. While Miss Averill
has for many years contributed poems to
magazines and newspapers, and has writ
ten verses for anniversaries, reunions,
and special occasions, this is the first
collection of her works in book form and
it will be gladly welcomed by her many
friends, not only here in Maine but far
beyond the borders Of the State. There
are 23O poems in the collection, of which
as are classed as personal and occasional
poems and 35 as children's poems. OF
the others, nature in some of its manifold
phases is the leading theme, although the
religious element predomlnates IN some
and in others the theme is found IN the
meditations of the heart and in the simple
suggestions Of everyday life. All the
poems are sweet and graceful, and many
of them possess rare musical SWING and
lyric spirit Many of them deal with
home scenes and subjects in Dover and
Foxcroft and that section OF the State.
The following titles, taken at random
from the table Of contents, indicate the
nature of the volume: "When the Wood
Thrush Sings, Sunset on Sebec Lake, "
''Winter Twilight, 2" 'Lichen, "A Song
for December, "a Dream of Peace, >.
'.Buttercups, ''The Deserted House, -
ga Harvest Hymn, Before the Rain, >,
''The Singers Reward, ""A Bird Song, :,
'Night on the Farm" The Landlocked
Lake, :" ''To Foxcroft Academy THE
Minister'S Garden, ''With Pansles, "A
Raindrop Legend, ""Drouth, - Through
the Heart of Maine, ''Otf Ragged
Mountain" "Organ Music" SIN the
Cornfield," etc., etc. The book is pref
tily illustrated with 30 fuil-page photo
graphs, mainly of forest, hill and water
in Piscataquis county.
The December Atlantic opens with a
Christmas talk by S. M. Crothers. The
Bayonet-Poker is his theme, for such an
implement stands by his own study fire,
devoted now to wholly peaceful pur-
pose, and the essayist takes 1t as SYM
bolical of the coming of international
peace. In Ghosts, Frank Crane protests
against the inherited notions which we
imagine to be convictions of our own.
Again this month the Atlantic presents
an important article by President Pritch-
EFT of the Carnegie Foundation on The
Organization of Higher Education. Other
articles of social and political Importance
are The New View of Charity, by Edward
I. Devine, Civic Righteousness via Per-
centages, by r. l.. Bridgman, and Races
in the United States, by W. q. Ripley.
This latter is startling presentation of
facts in regard to population changes IN
our country based ON an immense amount
of data collected by Professor Ripley.
To the lovers of music is addressed the
article Enter Herr Kapellmeister, by
William E. Walter; and the world Of out
doors is represented by Mr.. Raymond S:
Spears original article on the tracks of
wild animals, which he calls Reading the
Snow. Turning to the field Of letters
Stephen Phillips as Writer of Tragedy
is fine criticism on one who may now
be called the most important OF contem-
porary poets; while the centenary OF Ed
gar Allen Poe is marked by John Mays
article. The Fame of Poe. The Last Two