LITERARY NOTES. After a half century of successful existence, Littei-l's Living Age enters upon its fifty-first year with renewed vim and vigor. Its prospectus for 1894 promises much interesting and valuable material. As heretofore its contents will be made up of elabo rate reviews of recent publications; the latest results of scientific research; biographical sketches of emi nent characters; travel, exploration, literary criticism and every phase of culture and progress in the European world; with fiction and choice poetry. In addition to the productions of the leading British writers, The Living Age will publish, during 1894, copyrighted translations of noted French and German authors. A story of thrilling interest entitled "Manette Andrey — a Picture of Life during the Reign of Terror," from the French of Paul Perret, will be begun in the first January issue. A curious and captivating work, also from the French, will follow " Manette Andrey," while early in the new year will appear a charming short serial by Ernst Eckstein, the famous German romancist.
The December Century contains the opening chapters of a story which will particularly interest the legal profession, entitled " Pudd'nhead Wilson." Mark Twain is the author, and the plot introduces a novel and ingenious employment of science in the detection of crime. The other contents of this Christmas number are of unusual interest.
A notable article of timely interest, especially to lawyers, in the December Harper's Magazine, is "The House of Commons," by Thomas Power O'Connor. The subject is treated for its contempo raneous value, and the picture of the customs and personnel of the lower house of Parliament is dis tinct and vigorous. The article is illustrated with nine drawings by Albert E. Sterner.
The Christmas Harper's comes clothed more handsomely than usual, in a cover of white and gold, while extraordinary attention has been given to the illustration of its contents. Nine short stories repre sent the most vigorous movement in American letters, and these tales are varied sufficiently to include all branches of the art which has reached so high an excellence within recent years.
The Atlantic for December offers a goodly feast to its readers. The most noteworthy article is Mr.
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F. B. Sanborn's article on " Thoreau and his English Friend Thomas Cholmondeley." The paper is made up mainly of letters between a young Englishman of no common character and the naturalist and philoso pher whose name is coming more and more to be coupled, like Emerson's arid Hawthorne's, with Con cord in its best days. Mrs. Wiggin provides the short story of the number in " Tom o' the Blueb'ry Plains," a pathetic sketch of New England Life. Mrs. Cavazza's story, " The Man from Aidone," has its third, last and most effective part. Charles Egbert Craddock continues " His Vanished Star." Prof. Woodrow Wilson, in " Mere Literature," makes a plea for the study of books not as subjects of scientific inquiry. "Democracy in America," by Professor Francis Newton Thorp, is of interest par ticularly to students of our social history.
The complete novel in the December number of Lippincott's is " Sergeant Croesus," by Captain Charles King. It is one of his most interesting tales of army life and Indian fighting in the wild West, and makes a new departure in having a private and a foreigner for its hero. A story of marked power, at once striking, deli cate, and pathetic, is " In the Camp of Philistia," by Virginia Woodward Cloud. J. N. Ingram gives the history of " The Austra lian Rabbit-Plague." Wilton Tournier tells " How to Cultivate the Body." Edgar Fawcett writes of "Literary Popularity," and M. Crofton concludes his series, "Men of the Day," with sketches of Professor Huxley and Luigi Arditi.
The Christmas number of Scribner's Magazine contains five short stories of unusual beauty in senti ment, especially chosen for their appropriateness to the Christmas season. The authors are Robert Grant, Thomas Nelson Page, Henry van Dyke, Edith Wharton, and Herbert D. Ward. There is in addition a hitherto unpublished work of fiction by Sir Walter Scott, which is here printed by arrange ment with Mrs. Maxwell Scott, and introduced and edited by Andrew Lang. The poetry of the number represents an equally notable list of authors including Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Richard Henry Stoddard, Edith M. Thomas, Duncan Campbell Scott, and Graham R. Thomson.
The multiplicity and excellence of other maga zines, far fiom lessening the usefulness of the Review of Reviews, makes this unique periodical more and more a necessity. Its indexes, condensations of
