The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-01-30
Literary News and Notes.

The February Lippincott's is a we'll.
rounded, ripe and rich magazine, full Of
varied fiction and papers adjusted to the
season. AS usual, every feature in it is
complete, there being nothing continued
but the entertainment, which never
flags. The novel, Miss Phoenix" is
by new writer. Albert Lee. While its
theme is entirely unlike that of Mary
Roberts Rinehart's "Seven DAYS. +" the
reader is reminded of that now-famous
story, because of its originality. humor
brisk action, tangled but quite plausible
complications, and general breeziness
The short fiction maintains the high level
fixed by Lippincott's standard and the
departments are well filled as usual.
An article of great interest and value
to women is published in the February
Woman's Home Companion. 1t is an ar.
count of the Housewives League. an or
ganization of $780, 900 women, which. in
two years, has developed to the point
where it is actually assisting hundreds of
thousands of housewives in the United
States to reduce the cost of living. One
of its great contentious is that women
should study the market reports in the
newspapers in order to get information
about prices which will enable them to
buy intelligentiy when they come to deal
with tradesmen. The article shows how
the plan may be carried out in any town
or city in the United States. 1t also pre-
sents dramatic picture of the origin of
the League. Mrs. Julian Heath. New
York woman, had an experience which
started her to thinking. Out of this ex-
perience grew the League Hers is a
story of woman who started great
things.
The February American Magazine con-
tains wonderful letter by Allan Pinker-
ton, never before published, in which the
famous detective relates his connection
with the first plot to assassinate Lincoln.
Lincoln was on his way to Washington in
February. 1861, and the plan was to kill
him in Baltimore while he was passing
through that city on the way to Wash
ington where he was to be inaugurated.
Pinkerton discovered the plot, saved Lin
coins life, and tells the whole story in
this letter, which was written in 1866 but
never reached the public until The Amer
lean Magazine got hold of it. Brand
Whitlock, Mayor of Toledo, Ohio, writes
the second chapter of his personal remi-
niscences and tells some remark able
stories about James G. Blaine, Governor
Altgeld, and the Whitechapel Club of
Chicago, which in its time was probably
the most famous and most interesting
Bohemian club in the world
Potent to stir the Imagination with
hints of miraculous changes now dawn
ing upon the world are the numerous
Illustrations appearing in the February
Popular Mechanics Magazine. The read
er feels uneasily, that the capabilities of
the human race have scarcely been
tested, and longs to view the wonders so
surely in store for another generation.
The cover design for February shows, in
delightful color effect, an electric fur
mace just as the molten metal is issuing
from it. An interesting article describes
the furnace and its use in refining steel.
A number illustrations show how the
Panama Canal will be lighted, and an
article states that, "For the first time
two great oceans will be connected by
an unbroken avenue of brilliant lights,
through which the worlds commerce
will pass, for this canal will be in service
every hour during every day in the
year." Two pages of views show the
latest types of aviettes, the machines
for attempting manf1ight by man-power
alone, and which are being widely ex-
perimented with. Something new in
deep-sea diving apparatus is a sledge
which is towed by surface boat and
may be kept either on the surface or at
the bottom, by means of rudder planes.
The bracing of sky-sc-ap ers SO that they
are able to withstand high wind pres
sures is discussed by J. E. Murphy. in
an illustrated article. Two pages of illus
trations accompany an article on 1.-THE
Harvesting of the Mississippi for hydro
electric Power" ard the project is COM
pared with the Panama Canal.