BOOKS THAT ARE TO BE work, with Dr. Douglas Hyde, Lady Gregory, J. J. Roche and Professor M. F. Egan as associate editors and Mr. Charles Welsh as managing editor. The Irish literary revival, with such representatives as Mr. Yeats and Lady Gregory, makes a work of this kind peculiarly important. In it appear mythology, poetry, essays, history, science, fiction, drama, humor, etc., all the social and economic life of the race as expressed in its literature. It is a rich mine that has been rediscovered, as it were, and rich veins, such as were scarcely dreamed of, are yielding up their stores. F ICTION is the predominant feature in the October Magazines. The short story by the popular novelist seems to be the thing in demand, and the various important periodicals have vied with one another in getting hold of the well-known names. "Pearson's," it seems, have held over their Exposition number, in order to characterize it by "Samantha at the St. Louis Exposition," by Josiah Allen's Wife, who could not find time to prepare the sketch, written in her own delightful way, until a short time ago. "Lippincott's" managed several good catches for their current issue and now come out with a novelette by Karl Edwin Harriman, entitled "A Lad's Love" and short stories by Alfred Stoddard, Frances Howard Williams, Alison Lederer and others. Mrs. Josephine Daskam, Mrs. Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman, Charles G. D. Roberts and Robert Cambers have been secured for the fiction in "Harper's Magazine," and this rich offer is supplemented by illustrations done by some of the best artists in the field. The "Smart Set," too, has several particularly attractive stories, another tale by Guy Wetmore Carryl, entitled "A Tide in the Affairs of Stephen Girdler," is especially of interest, while contributions which attract the attention are made by Gouveneur Morris and Beatrix Demarest Lloyd. Miss Miriam Michelson's usual monthly appearance is saved for "The Century," as is that of as is that of Mrs. French, otherwise Anne Warner, whose Miss Clegg stories are making quite a hit. Mrs. French also contributes a complete novelette to "Ainslee's," which contains, too, a humorous piece of decided merit by M. H. Vorse. Mr. Emerson Hough comes forward once more in "The Reader" and writes a story called "The Girl and the Julep." while Holman Day and T. Jenkins Hains present themselves through stories in "Success." The important serials for the month are "The Undercurrent," by Robert Grant, in "Scribner's;" "The Youth of Washington," by Dr. Mitchell, and "The SeaWolf," by Jack London in the "Century;' "The Heart of Lady Anne," by Agnes and Egerton Castle, in "Ainslee's," "The Abbess of Vlaye" by Stanley J. Weyman, in "Munsey's," and "The Plum Tree," a new story by David Graham Phillips, in "Success." There has been some let-up on the war and the only important things concerning the Eastern conflict are "Correspondence from the Russian Army," by Thomas F. Millard, which is the first article to appear in "Scribner's" from the Russian side; "The Cossacks," by David Bell Macgowan, and "Togo," by Adachi Kinnosuke, a fellow-countryman of the Japanese Admiral, both in the "Century.' In "Munsey's" J. V. Van Arsdale writes "Russia's Red Record." Miscellaneous articles are many and good this month. Mr. Algernon Charles Swinbourne writes on "Othello" in "Harper's" and Edwin A. Abbey illustrates the article; Professor Felix Schelling, of the University of Pennsylvania, contributes "Old English Sacred Dramas" to "Lippincott's;" Elizabeth L. Cary has a timely study of Henry James, and Fred A. Eaton writes on the Royal Academy in "Scribner's" "McClure's" contains "Enemies of the Republic," by Lincoln Steffens, another installment of John La Farge's "One Hundred Masterpieces," an appreciation. of George William Curtis, and the conclusion of Part Two of Miss Tarbell's "History of the Standard Oil Company." Among the more specialized magazines, "The Arena" for October is a political number. The chief articles are written, each by a representative of the several political parties telling why the Presidential candidate of that particular party should be elected. The art magazines are represented in part by an elaborate issue of "The Printing Art," the leading article of which is by Theodore L. De Vinne on "The Sizes of Books." The samples of typography in this magazine are most artistic and suggestive. The regular monthly issue of "Masters in Art" takes up Meissonier with usual reproductions and biography. ASKED AND ANSWERED In reply to "Suburban," BOOK NEWS, September, 1904: The author of "Ten Acres Enough" was Edmund Morris, of Burlington, N. J. The farm which it describes is still well known in Burlington as "The Post Farm." The other articles inquired for were probably published in "The Atlantic Monthly" 1860 to 1865. Edmund Morris was the author of these articles also. J. A. M. In answer to your request regarding L. T. Meade. L. T. Meade, otherwise Elizabeth Thomasina and in married life Mrs. Toulmin Smith, was born in Brandon, County Cork. She was the daughter of the Rev. R. T. Meade, Rector of Nohoval, County Cork, and she married in 1879. Her first book was written at the age of 17; later she came to London and worked at the British Museum. For six years she edited "The Atlanta." Among her publications, singly and in collaboration, are "Scamp and I;" "The Way of a Woman;" "Mary Gifford;" "The Girls of St. Wode's;" "The Sanctuary Club;" "Daddy's Girl;" "A Princess of the Gutter;" "Voices Out of the Past;" "Drift," etc. THE EDITOR, BOOK NEWS. Dear Sir: On the page "Asked and Answered" in Book NEWS for this month (September) is an inquiry respecting a verse in a poem, which I instantly recognized as the third verse of a wellknown song, "The Lament of the Irish Emigrant." The author of the song, written many years ago, was Lady Dufferin, mother of the late Governor General of Canada. I will add that Lady Dufferin was the granddaughter of Richard Brindsley Sheridan and sister of the Hon. Mrs. Morton. THE EDITOR, BOOK NEWS. Dear Sir: Very truly yours, EMILY TATHAM, Ocala, Fla. The poem, of which one verse is given in BOOK NEWS "Asked and Answered" for September, is "The Irish Emigrant," by Lady Dufferin. It can be found in "The Cabinet of Irish Literature," published by P. Murphy & Son, 86 Walker street, New York. Yours, J. T. D. In accordance with requests received by BOOK NEWS, we publish below what is believed to be the true story of the authorship of the poem, "Beautiful Snow," and the correct text: THE BEAUTIFUL SNOW. In the early part of the year, on a dark Saturday morning, in the dead of winter, there died at the "Commercial Hospital," in Cincinnati, a young woman, over whose head only two and twenty summers had passed. Once the pride of a respectable parentage, her first wrong step was the small beginning of the same old story over again, which has been the only life history of thousands. Among her personal effects was found, in manuscript "The Beautiful Snow," which was immediately carried to Enos B. Read, a gentleman of culture and literary tastes, who was, at the time, Editor of the "National Union." In that paper, on the day following the girl's death, the poem appeared in print for the first time. The at tention of Thomas Buchanan Read, one of the first of American poets, was soon directed to the lines-and he was so taken with the stirring pathos, that he immediately followed the corpse to its final resting place. Such are the plain facts concerning her whose "Beautiful Snow” will long be regarded as one of the brightest gems in American Literature. Oh! the snow, the beautiful snow, Skimming along; |