Show LITERARY REVIEW ST NICHOLAS No success in the magazine world of the present has been more pronounced than that of St Nicholas St Nicholas as its neat title page informs in-forms the public is For Young Folks and the management of the gifted authoress Mary Mapes Dodge has made the magazine a prime favorite with the American youth of both sexes The number for April lies upon our table as we write and is peculiarly attractive In the list of contributors appear such names as Frank Dempton Sherman Elizabeth Robins Pennell Sydney Dayre Ernest E Thompson Susan Hartley Swett Frank Marshall White Olive Thorne Miller Albert Morris Bag bYf Frances Courtney Baylor General Gen-eral Adam Badeau Celia Thaxter Charles Frederick Holder James Otis Mary E Bradley N P Babcock and Tobe Hodge Elizabeth Robins Parnell tells the young folks the story of the famous English school HarrowontheHill The story opens with a short sketch of the life and character of the founder of Harrow Har-row the good old yoeman John Lyon who was one of the subjects of Glorious Queen Bess and is pleasantly carried through the boyish generations to the present time The writer has done full justice to her ample materials and has woven from them a story as ca < tertaining as it is instructive Ernest E Thompson has a charming colloquial description of that fine game bird the Partridge or Ruffed Grouse As Uncle Martin Mr Thompson takes a young nephew into the Canadian forest and there finds the Partridge in the act of drumming The story is entitled the Drummer on Snowshoes and the peculiarities of the bird are fully described from the standpoint of actual observation The boy who already dreams of the gun and tho hunting trophy will be deeply interested in the well told tale of the Drummer on Snowshoes U Cross Country with the News is from the pen of Frank Marshall White and details with entertaining humor the trials and tribulations of a young man in his first attempt to grasp the situation as a reporter on one of the II larger daily papers The article is broadly illustrative and is commended to the earnest perusal of all ambitious I youths who desire to pluck the flower j Success from the thorns of journalism Olive Thorne Miller writes about Working Monkeys Olive says that I monkeys are very much like people in their ways and on this Darwinian basis I she builds very prettily She gives I many illustrations of the intelligences of the monkey tribe and what will better please her young reader I enlarges on the mischievous propensities 0 of the human travesty mho has chosen I for her theme Albert Morris Bagley relates an entertaining enter-taining reminiscence of King Ludwig the First of Bavaria the grandfather of the eccentric Ludwig of our day The young folks will be amused by Mr Bagleys anecdote In this April number of St Nicholas another installment appears of Frances Courteney Baylors serial Juan and Juanita There is no danger of flagging interest in this story The wild region in which the scene of the story is laid the presence of the savage Comanche the dangers from the ferocious animals of the desert and the wanderings of the two children Juan and Juanita in the midst of these perils are materials that are skillfully handled and Juan and Juanita will make St Nicholas doubly welcome The Story of The Merrimac and The Monitor When will the interest of Americans flag in the telling of this wondrous story General Adam Badeau tells it in St Nieholas and tells it very well too The coming of the Confederate naval monster mon-ster the destruction of the Federal vessels ves-sels i the terror thrill of the Northern heart i the coming of Ericssons little machine and the final victory of the dwarf over the giant are well described Charles Frederick Holder entertains the young folks with an account of the origin of the marvelous traditions of the faraway ice country He writes under the caption of A Frozen Dragon He goes into the land of snow as far as sixty four degrees north latitude and finds there many curious relics of enormous enorm-ous animals of past ages and from these relics constructs a foundation for the marvelous stories handed down through time of northern monsters of strange and fearful appearance Mr Holders disposal of these monster myths is both ingenious and interesting Jennys Boarding House by James Otis is continued in the April number This story is a great favorite with the children and M Jenny is a marvel to their young minds St Nicholas for April has several poetical poet-ical gems Mr Frank Dempster Sher mans light and graceful touch appears in An April Jester What the Jonquil Said are pretty verses the illustrated Archery Jingle will make the little folks laugh Sidney Dayres Good Night breathes a poetic spirit Susan Hartly Swetts lines totheCowslip are as sweet as the flower of which they sing A Song of Spring is by Celia Thaxter and needs no other notice Mary E Bradley embalms My Flowers N P Babcock works off a most original rhyming medley med-ley under the heading The Queerness of Quelf and the Teakettle Song is wisdom wis-dom in rhyme Taken altogether St Nicholas for April surpasses itself HARPER The strongest article in the April Harpers is one by Theodore Child on The Comedic Francaise profusely illustrated by Parisian artists and photographers photo-graphers Mr Child says the Comedie Francaise is not only a national monument monu-ment but a historical monument most intimately connected with the history of French literature It has been in existence ex-istence more than two centuries besides the French Academy it is the only institution insti-tution of the old regime that has deserved to survive It was one of the glories of France under Louis XIV it remains re-mains one of the glories of France under the third republic and by admission of all the first theatre in the world The splendid history of this House of Moliere as it is familiarly called is a synopsis of French history from 1080 the date of its inauguration The superb wealth of sculpture and painting paint-ing which decorate its vestibules galleries gal-leries and greenrooms maket an unparalleled un-paralleled treasury of dramatic statuary and pictures The sumptuous saloons magnificent halls elaborate staircases stair-cases and resplendent chambers form a veritable Grand Seigneurs palace And the elegant dress ingrooms and marvellous stage facilities with tho princely system of management I manage-ment which controls the highest dramatic drama-tic talent of France will account for the proverbial perfection of everything which appears on the stage of this theatre One of the illustrations is a portrait of the celebrated actor Coquelin who has achieved most of his honors in the Comedie Francaise and is soon to make a tour through this country The May Harpers will contain an article by him on the art of acting illustrated by over a score of portrait drawings of French actors in their favorite roles |