Literary Notes

Seribner's Magazine enters upon its tenth yoar wilh several new departures and a nn.t promtslng outlook for interesting features. Vliat most readers wfll first turn to is tlie longexpec.ted-serial l.y J. M. Barrio, hls only fiction ince the pubücation of "Tlie Ivittle Minister," four years ago. In these times of proHfic noveüsts it is unusual for one of the most popular of tliem to ,shov the rettcence exhibiu-d by Mr. Baxrte. A réadlng of this first long instalment of "Sentimental Tommy" (25 pages of which are given) wlU convince everyone that Mr. Barrie has produced a masterpiece. The vcry first Une introduces the hero himself, ïvhose mother is a Tlirums woman, but living in the East End of London. There is humor and pathos in every page, with abundant jaidications that the career of "Sentimental Tommy" wlU be watched with almost unequalled bagerness by the reading world. A new port ra it of Barrie with Bewsral full-page pictures by Hatherell accompanies the story. There is plenty oi hoüday oheer in the January number of St. Nicholas. Pictures, poems, sketches and stories are apporpriate to the season. Three of the full-page illustrations are "Cliristmas Lights Do Fade Away," by Frederick Dielman ; "Christmas in the Midd'.e Ages," by F. Melville Du Mond, and "At the Christmas Dance" by B. H. Blashfield. New chapters -carry forward the interest in the three seriáis : "The Prize Cup," by J. T. Troivbridge ; "The Swordmaker's Son," by Williani O. Stoddard, and "Teddy and Carrots," by James Otis. A new serial is begun in tuis number, "Smdbad, Smith & Co.," by Albert Stearns, author of "Chris and the Wonderiul Lainp," which was one of thr most successful features of the magazine last year. This, too, is founded on one of the most famous of the "Atablan Nights" tales, and tells of the partnership formetl between Sindbad and an American lad. But the most important feature of tihe tentire nuinber ia a íurther selectton of "Letters to a Boy," by Robert Louis Stevenson. These describe the buUdiag al the author's house in Samoa, with an account of tlie savage ways of his servante. There are several interesting illustratibns. The Century for January, following upcm two speical numbers- the Twenty-fifth Anniversary and the Chvi-tmas numbers- is not Lacking either in individuality or distintion. The capaWe and picturesque artistic work of Mr. Castaigno would oí itself give distinction to any number oí a magazine. This month his pencil is npplied to the illustration oí the first of the several separate papers on Borne. 1 y Mr. i ■ ■ii;u ion Crawrord," who íirst glves us ".V Kaleidoscope of Rome," setting íorth contraste of the Eternal City, with, so to speak, a reconstruction oft he City as it was in the time of the Emperors, and coming down to the Romeof the present day, which he describes with very distinct deitai. Mr. Castaigne shows his versatility in the reconstruetion of the Colosseum and the Forum in the days of the Chriwüan martyrs, tog ether with numei ous scènes and character-sketches of to-day. Another novel article is an account by Borchgrevink, the explorar, oí "Thé First Landing on the Antartic Continent." being an account of the recent voyage of the Whaler Antarctic. It will be remembered thnt Mr. vink was the iirst person to make the landing, and that lus appearance in the International Geographical Oongress in London made a sensation m its proceedings. He has not j fore written anywhere an account of this voyage, and the "Century" paper is accompanied wlth pictures by, ■himseU, -vhich have the advantage of beiag pioneers in tlüs field. Mi?s Allee C. Fletcher contributes another paper in lier series oï "Personal Studies of lndian Ule," occupied this month with the "Tribal Life Among the Omahas." ïliese articles, whlch have won attention by the uniqueness of their ethnological value, are not the less entertaining reading. Tte first number oí the new volume of Harpor's Wcek'y (the number dated January 4, 1896) will contain the opening chapters of a new serial ol a Scotch fëud of the latter part of the sixteonth century, by S. E. Crockett, author of "The Raiders," etc.