In Literature The Dial, of Chicago, has celebrated its twentieth anniversary. It was founded May 1st, 1880, by its present editor, Francis F. Browne, who, in his review of the twenty years just concluded, gracefully remarks, "We already owe much to our friends, but will be glad to acknowledge a still greater debt." The reading public, or at least that part of it given to intellectual pursuits and a healthful and refined taste in literature, owes a "still greater debt" to The Dial and Mr. Browne. * * Amelia Barr, whose last novel is her best, if one is to judge by its popularity, is getting together material for another, which shall be of the time of Cromwell, and which, it is announced, will be published by Dodd & Meade. Amelia Barr has but recently finished the sequel to "The Bow of Orange Ribbon," that delightfully interesting romance which continues to sell steadily, though now in its sixth or eighth edition. The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, edited by Prof. F. G. Young, of the University of Oregon, contains over a hundred pages of reading matter, and every page is crowded by valuablc. and interesting information. Through it all looms the heroic figure of Dr. McLoughlin, splendid and tall, the dominant character in the affairs of that early time when Oregon was yet a vast, undefined region, slowly taking form and demanding political recognition. Prof. Thomas Condon writes of "The Process of Selection" in the early settlement of Oregon, and gracefully eludes the Whitman controversy, while paying the martyred missionary a high tribute. "The Genesis of Political Authority and of a Commonwealth Government in Oregon," by James Rood Robertson, is as entertaining as it is comprehensive and instructive. One reads it with a certain sense of satisfaction. The author has gone into his subject in such a thorough manner. He, too, acknowledges the influence of the dominant character of the time. He says: "The history of government for about twenty years is summed up in the person of one man, Dr. John McLoughlin." H. S. Lyman's "Reminiscences of F. X. Matthieu," is not only an article of great historic value, but it is most charningly written. The work which Prof. Young is doing for this commonwealth in the name of the Historical Society, is of inestimable value to Oregon. In Art The beautiful drawings, illustrating a series of articles in Harper's Bazar, on "Women of the Bible," must certainly possess a deep interest for those who are watching the career of the young artist, Frank DuMond. They show a remarkable advance in conception, and though his method of treatment is perhaps unchanged, there is a masterly grasp of the subject that surprises as much as it delights. In other words the pictures are quite as "pleasant to the sight," as he could desire, and at the same time they speak to the spiritual and intellectual consciousness of the observer, which is a quality Mr. DuMond professes not greatly to regard, the object of a picture being, according to his theory of art, first and last, to appeal to the eyes. The face that looks out from the white folds of the virgin's veil, and that is darkly clear against the evening sky in the picture of Ruth, gleaning the fields of Boaz, is one that the people of Portland know well and hold dear. There has been exhibited in Portland during the month, a painting by this same artist, which is most remarkable in its way, a striking and original piece of work that might puzzle even the critics. It is a night scene just outside the city of Paris, whose lights gleam with a weird and almost sensational effect in the background. In that dim hour which precedes the dawn a fisherman is going forth to set his nets, and with him is his little daughter. They carry a lantern and the warm, red glow it casts about their figures, vaguely outlined in the darkness, is the picture-the best part of it at least. There is quite enough in those soft shadows and that red glow There is a wide divergence of opinion regarding the merits of the historical novel as a means of instructing the youthful mind. One very able writer has recently expressed a belief in the historical novel as an aid in stimulating an interest in history and in awakening a desire to know more, to get at the facts in the case, while there are others, equally qualified to judge, who denounce such books as pernicious in effect, claiming that they vitiate the taste of the reader and unfit him for actual study. M. Henri de Regueir, the French poet and critic, who is lecturing at Harvard and the leading universities in the east, has been invited to come to Portland. His subject is the origin, development and probable future of French symbolism. In the magnificent new public library just opened in Providence, Rhode Island, there is a department consisting of three thousand volumes and spacious quarters set aside specially for the use of school teachers. WE are showing a very select line of Wall Paper.... We handle a pure line of Paints.... We are selling a dainty line of Picture Mouldings....Send for samples. PAPER-HANGING, PAINTING E. H. MOOREHOUSE & CO., BOTH PHONES. 305 Alder Street, PORTLAND, ORE. OVER 5000 OF THE BEST FAMILIES OF OREGON, WASHINGTON AND IDAHO, READ THE PACIFIC MONTHLY EVERY MONTH. IS THIS FACT WORTH ANYTHING TO YOU IN YOUR BUSINESS? IT IS, IF YOU ARE A WIDE-AWAKE ADVERTISER. Prof. Edward G. Bourne, of Yale University, in an address before the New England Teacher's Association recently, ridiculed the biographies of our national heroes. He said that we were given to deifying our dead heroes much after the manner in which the Romans deified their emperors, and also that, "In the histories of Marcus Whitman, and his alleged saving of the Pacific Coast to the United States, the writers have invariably seized upon the dramatic picture of the old man travelling acrosss the continent on horseback, arriving in Washington, according to these authors, just in time to change the minds of the president and the committee on foreign relations, and thus prevent the Northwest from passing into British control. Now there is no truth in all this," said Prof. Bourne, "as is shown by a study of the diplomatic history of the time." Sooner or Later You must read what we have to say here, and sooner or later you must think about it, but What is the sense of putting it off, and tramping around in agony with a corn that makes life miserable? If you have a corn and nearly everybody has-you know what it means to suffer. We simply want to tell you how to secure relief. You can take advantage of it or not, but if you do what we recommend, we guarantee you will get relief-that the corn will be entirely removed, and a clean white skin left in its place. We have experimented a great many years to achieve this result. One thing will do it. We don't know of anything else that will. You are interested in knowing what will. It is In Religious Thought At the present rate of increase in foreign mission work there will soon be left no spot upon the face of the globe inhabited by man, which has not been illumined by the light of the gospel of Christ. Mrs. Leland Stanford, who is not a The fifth meeting of the International May 2-Mafeking is closely invested. The May 3-Brandfort is taken by the British. Democratis in state convention at Des Moines indorse Bryan, and ignore silver. May 4-Roberts' army is marching to Pretoria. May 5-Admiral Dewey is enthusiastically received in St. Louis. May 6-Governor Roosevelt accepts an invitation to be the guest of honor at the National convention of Republican Clubs to be held at St. Paul in July. May-Towne is mentioned for vice-president on the democratic ticket. May 8-Boers are steadily retreating before the British advance. May 9-Roberts' army still advancing rapidly. May 10-The National convention of the May 11-Fighting still continues in the May 12-Senator Clarke, of Montana, de- May 13-General Roberts captures town of Kroonstad in South Africa. the May 14-Dreyfus arrives in Paris, to the consternation of the French government. May 15-Senator Clark, of Montana, hands in his resignation. May 16-The General Assembly of the Presbyterian church meets in St. Louis. May 17-83.200,000 in gold leave New York for Havre, France, per steamer La Gascogne. Archbishop Christie, of Oregon, is invested with the pallium. The Financial World CONDUCTED BY DOWNING, HOPKINS & CO. The influences of the wheat market at Chicago have suddenly and radically changed within ten days. Following the government crop report on May 10, there was a break to the lowest price for many months, but there has of late been a recovery on the development of unfavorable crop conditions Northwest and Southwest. The interest at the moment centers in the spring wheat states, where drought conditions prevail. From the price of May 12 there has been a recovery of 2c a bu. That it is not merely an unreasonable scare over a brief lack of rain in the North is shown by the haste some of the cleverest of the bears have made in getting out of their contracts and by the terms in which some of the recognized authorities refer to the situation. The Northwestern Miller, has, for instance, declared the Dakota position "grave." The situation is complicaed by some new unfavorable features in the winter wheat belt. Kansas has been getting a great deal of rain, and it is felt that this would be perilous if the temperature should rise. There have developed in Illinois and Kansas and Tennessee new troubles from insects. these new losses are in addition to those of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, which were made last fall and which cost those three states about 50,000,000 bu. of their prospect. All The Northwestern drought situation would not be taken so seriously if there had not been the conditions through the winter which make lack of rain this spring and summer especially hazardous. Snows were few and light in the northern half of Dakota and Minnesota, The streams are low and many wells dry. The soil has not that reserve moisture, the Northwestern people say, which makes the great spring wheat crops certain and which would make a long wait for rain possible this spring. So far the situation is not considered |