The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-11-25
Literary News and Notes.

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Mrs. Laura E. Richards has added
another to the list of pleasing and in
structive books for young people. She
Angel of the Crimea" to be the theme
She tells of her heroine's early life. of
her favorite pastime of nursing her dolls
through terrible imaginary illnesses. of
her childhood philanthrophies and acts of
mercy, her training for her great life
work, and her labors among the soldiers
of the Crimea. The story is told in Mrs.
Richards best manner and the beautiful
life is given an added lustre by the charm
ing way in which it is placed before US,
1t is published by D. Appleton & Co.,
New York.
The Rev. Francis Higgins, the hero of
Norman Duncan's book, "Higgins-A
Mans Christian" which the Harpers
have just published, has been preaching
in New York. 1.-THE lumber-jacks' sky
pilot" the lumbermen of the Minnesota
forests call him affectionately, remem-
boring that he travels, winter and sum-
mer, from camp to camp, ministering to
their bodies no less than to their souls
and fighting the vice of the lumber-towns
where the lumber jack drifts into spend
ing his earnings in drink and dissipation.
Mr.. Duncan's book is an unusual account
of the preacher whose churches, although
he is regularly ordained minister of the
Presbyterian Church, are the forests of
Minnesota.
Those who are accustomed to look on
the dark side of life in general and the
American people in particular will do
we'll to read the article in the November
Got hyr IL.
Hutchinson. "Better Americans or
Worse They will be surprised to
learn that there is no dark side of this
question He proves that nothing degen-
crates in America; the puma is lion,
the ish-hawk an eagle, the Yankee
man. Contrary to the idea that our an
cestors were taller, stronger and longer
lived, the race is growing taller, our
death rate is diminishing, our boys are
bigger and wiser. Moreover we are not
so wicked as we think we are and we are
not 50 much in the habit Of going to the
insane asylums. In short it is a good
old world and it is getting better every
day.
The first magazine article of conse-
quence ever published about Mrs. Potter
Palmer of Chicago, appears in the New
Idea Woman's Magazine for December.
1t shows with striking clearness all of
her many sides and will appeal to all
women who have ever given passing
thought to f'Chicago's First Lady,"
Two features especially appropriate for
the holiday season are Camping in the
Snow" and 1.-THE Problems of the Viii
lage Hostess % The former describes
how family gained it's health by spen-
n, %r fho
country. In 1.-The Problems Of the Vii |
tells how women in small towns may en-
tertain to advantage when difficulties
must be faced. In fiction the magazine
is especially entertaining, and the De-
cember fashions are timely. Much atten-
ton is given midwinter furs and Christ
mas wrappings.
The Christmas McClure's is an ideal |
Holiday number-filled with seasonable |
fiction, beautiful illustrations and inter-
esting and informing articles. Jessie
Wilcox Smith, whose pictures of child !
life have become famous, contributes a
set of drawings depicting IA Child's |
World, which are reproduced in full
color. The number is particularly rich |
in fiction. There are Christmas stories
by Mary Stewart Cutting, Gertrude Hall,
Margaret and Arthur E. McF arlane; and
stories by Perceval Landon, J. 0. Cobb |
and Orr Kenyon. Foremost among the
articles is ''Divorce and Public Welfare"
by George Elliott Howard, who says
that bad marriage laws are mainly re-
sponsible for divorce. David Soskice
writes of the atrocities committed in
the Schluesselburg, Russia's most ter
rible political prison; Rudolf Cronau de-
scribes ''The New Germany" Rufus |
Steele tells how wild horses are trapped;
and w. H. Rideing writes of 1.-TWO Ex-