C ITRB,ENT LITERAT LIRE.
THE MINOR MAGAZINES.
The Woman at Home continues to fulfil its mission of making the world it appeals to better by pictures of virtuous and self- denying Royalty and by good stories of good people. The septsmher number, however, is not a strong one. Mrs. Burnett Smith shows some symptoms of being "written
out" her very " thin " sketch of "Rachel Waters," a
literary woman," with a villainous temper and an idiot brother, who makes her living by sub-editing ; the other short stories are not at all notable ; and Miss Edith Fowler's "The World and Winslow" does not greatly improve, and hardly even appears to "move." as it drags its length along. The miscel- laneous articles upon such subjects as the shopping of millionaires and the dresses of fashionable women are fatiguing rather than interesting, though it may be important to know that "when I saw her [Mrs. Derek Keppel] last she was looking to admiration in a 'Neville' blouse a few days before sailing in the ` Ophir.' " The new number of the Humanitarian is gentle to dulness, even although Sir Lewis Morris contributes an ode on the ninth jubilee of the University of Glasgow, in which he gives the Battering testimony from Wales that he—
Prizes above all else the noble thirst For knowledge which we gained from Scotland first."
The articles on "Buddhism as a Moral Force," "The Causes of lleredity," and "The Housing of the Working Classes" are interesting, but not otherwise noteworthy.—The new number of Good Words, which is undoubtedly doing its best to hold its own against many rivals, is valuable for the variety of its informing artioles, such as "A Scottish Marine Station and its Development," "Old Coaching Inns," and "Seed Homes in Pine-land." The short stories are rather poor, but "The Shoes of Fortune" is up to even Mr. Neil Munro's standard in romance. —Canon Scott Holland dominates the new number of the Com- monweal—a varied and more than usually vigorous one—to which he contributes articles= Bishop Westcott and "The Heart of the Empire." "The Social Function of a London Parish" and "The Fruits of the Session" are worth reading, as also to a greater extent than usual are "Notes of the Month,"—even though one must differ from-the views of the writers. —There are two excel- lent articles of the "miscellaneous" kind in the Leisure Hour for September—" The Lumberers of Minnesota" and "Glories of Southern Seas "—and at least one story, "Rebellion in Radford Row," which is full of an energetic humour that is expended on the head of an unpopular landlord.—The Girl's Realm has now established itself as one-of the best periodicals for girls. The September number contains several good articles and "storyettes," among the best of the latter being a• comic one in which two children style themselves "General French" and ". De Wet." There is also a sprightly Japanese play," The Night of a Hundred Years."—The Girl's Own Paper and the Boy's Own Paper have of late undergone but little change in the character of their contents, although there appears a growing tendency on the part of the illustrators of the latter to become extravagantly comic. The stories in the Girl's Own Paper might surely be improved. The bulk of them deal with commonplace situations in too commonplace a way. Thus "A Sensible Girl" has nothing better in it than the familiar incident of a girl marrying the man she respects and not the man eheloves. There is no lackof vigour, however, in the "adventures" that appear in the Boy's Own Paper. They are almost too full of incident.--The Expositor for September contains, in addition to the usual features, the first of a series of anonymous articles bearing the attractive title of "An Individual Retrospect of the Religions Thought of the Nineteenth Century." The author tells us that when he entered the University of Cambridge in 1872 it "was passing under that wave of materialistic unbelief that, although short in duration and followed by strong reactions, was powerful while it lasted."—The Rev. Dr. Sinker's" Cam- bridge Reminiscences of Bishop Westcott" are the most inter- esting feature of the September number of the Churchman. They prove—what was certainly not generally understood or known— that, besides being" a profound scholar, a theologian of exceptional grasp, and a saintly mystic," Westcott was a statesman, an excel- lent man of business, and "an ideal chairman." "Our Lord's Present Mediatorial Office" and "The Haida Language" are among the papers in this number of the Churchman that are especially worth reading.—The Public School Magazine continues in admir- able and etrenuous fashion to supply a felt want." The September number gives all the cricket and other news that boys enjoy, and a detailed sketch, of Mill Hill School.—Dr. Conan Doyle's "Great Boer War" and Captain Dreyfus's Five Years of my
Life" are sufficient in themselves to give character and originality to the Ilide World Magazine. Dr. Conan Doyle contrives to be fair and calm even when he is retelling the "black week" stories of Magersfontein, Stormberg, and Coleus° ; if Captain Dreyfpa shows a little emotion, that is excusable. -In addition, the Wide World Magazine gives several very readable articles and stories, notably "Through Unknown Abyssinia," by Captain Powell- Cotton, and "In a Floating Tomb," by Mr. Richard Pearce. — Well printed, lavishly illustrated with portraits and other photo- graphs, the World's Work, which is published by Doubleday, Page, and Co., New York, seems likely to justify its title by giving an accurate representation of the material progress made by the world, and particularly by America. The September number treats of such subjects as the biggest ship—the 'Celtic' —civil government in Puerto Rico, the work of the Arnold Arbo- retum, an American bridge near Mandalay, Ste.
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