• CURRENT LITERATURE.
MAGAZINES. - Good Words.—This month's instalment of Mr. Besant's tale is most amusing. The French Professor's reflections when he comes into a fortune, and the "valedictory oration" which, by permission of the schoolmistress, he delivers to his pupils, snake excellent fan. Among other good papers, which fully maintain the high standard of the magazine, we may mention "The Green Corn," one of Mr. R. Jefferies' instructive articles on rural things ; the second part of an account of the Paris workmen, "The Oavrier at Work," by Mr. R. Heath ; a sermon on "Progress and Poverty," by the Rev. C. W. Stubbs (the sermon was preached before the University of Oxford, now, perhaps, the most appreciative audience in England of advanced social teaching, as, fifty years ago, it was the most hostile) ; and "The Central-Asian Desert," by Professor Arminias Vambery. Mr. Frederick Lsnsbridge, who is winning, his way steadily to a place among the poets of the day, contributes a ballad, "Sent Back by the Angels," which, however, seems to us scarcely one of his happiest efforts.—Aunt Judy's Magazine con- tinues to show the same sympathetic appreciation of what child- ren really like, that has won for it so mach favour in the past. "Convalescence," the quaint piece with which the number begins, is something that all little invalids should have read to them. The romantic history of Cervantes furnishes, the subject of an in-
teresting article, and there is a good natural-history paper on "Fish Out of Water," with curious details of the peculiarities which enable some species to live and even to move out of their natural element. --Forestry (Rider and Son) gives us the first number of a new series, edited by Mr. Francis George Heath, a gentleman who has done excellent service in many ways to English trees and woods. The practical and the aasthetic aspects of the subject are both dealt with, and that, as far as we can judge, in a satisfactory way. Nor is general agriculture neglected. Mr. D. Sym Scott, for instance, writes on "The Stall-feeding of Cattle," giving his opinion strongly against roots as a winter food. If turnips could be banished, how all eaters of butter would rejoice ! There is a notice of the reafforesta- tion scheme in Ireland. We wish the magazine in its new form all success. —The Theatre. Edited by Clement Scott. (David Bogne.)—The first article in this number, " Telma, and the Dramatic Art," would be better, if it told us a little more of its subject. Some sketch of Talma's books would have been interesting to many readers. There is a sympathetic notice of the last performance of "Caste ;" criti- cism of the principal dramatic performances of the month, and a variety of notes on kindred matters, make up an interesting number. The two photographs, Miss Eastlake and Mr. Forbes Robertson, are good. The poetry, of which there are three specimens, seems to be above the average of magazine verse.
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