28 



THE MUSEUM. 



Christmas Presents. 



The Giving of Gifts at Christmas 

 Should be Much Simplififd. 



In the December Ladies' Home Jour- 

 nal Edward Bok writes in a vigorous 

 deprecation of the complicating of 

 Christmas. "Much as we need simplic- 

 ity in all the phases of our living," he 

 contends, "its greatest need is sometimes 

 felt at Christmas. And it seems a pity 

 that we cannot make a beginning there. 

 We could if we would simplify this ques- 

 tion of presents: if we would leave out 

 of our consideration all but the natural 

 promptings of our hearts. If ever ma- 

 terial consideration should be dismissed 

 from our minds and lives it should be in 

 connection with Christmas. If ever our 

 friends should see our hearts — our real 

 inner selves — it should be on Christmas 

 Day. Not that we should be other than 

 our real selves on other days. But as it 

 is, we are not our actual selves on the 

 day of all days we should be. See how 

 we strive that our present of this year 

 shall surpass the one we gave last year! 

 See how instinctively we think of the 

 material value of what we give, and act- 

 ually of what we receive! See how we 

 wrong ourselves by leaving needful things 

 undone and inviting illness because we 

 feel we must give something of our own 

 making to a friend, when really a sigh 

 goes into each stitch, instead of being 

 frank with ourselves, and pleasing our 

 friends infinitely more by being frank 

 with them, and purchasing something 

 at far less cost to our health. Every 

 woman knows what I mean by this: the 

 great evil of"making things' for Christ- 

 mas presents when really neither the 

 time nor the strength can be spared. 

 In much the same way we complicate 

 Christmas at the table." 



Musical Crows and Vegetable Cat- 

 erpillars- 



(Henry D. Lloyd in the December Atlantic.) 



The crow in New Zealand strikes as 

 sweet a note as any heard in the wood- 

 land, says Henry D. Lloyd in the De- 

 cember Atlantic. The robin has no song 

 and no red breast; the native hen is the 

 greatest of rat killers; there is a cater- 

 pillar which turns into a plant. These 

 and some other productions of nature 

 have done for New Zealand what the 



kangaroo and the ornithorhynchus have 

 done for Australia, — given it the suggest- 

 ion of oddity and the marvelous. Rab- 

 bits and sweetbriers, introduced for 

 pleasure, spread like wildfire, and it is 

 an attraction to be duly advertised in 

 the sale of lands that it has been cleared 

 of sweetbrier and fenced against rabbits; 

 and then later, the rabbit becomes a 

 profit instead of a pest, and is exported 

 by millions to feed the English. 

 {Selected from New Zealand Newest Eng- 

 land, by Henry D. Lloyd, in the Decem- 

 ber Atlantic. ) 



The December Atlantic might in some 

 senses almost be called a Chicago num- 

 ber, for three of the most striking and 

 salient articles are by Chicago authors. 

 Harriet Monroe's "The Grand Canon 

 of the Colorado" is a brilliant and effect- 

 ive sketch of nature and natural scenery; 

 Mrs. Elia W. Peattie's lively "The Ar- 

 tistic Side of Chicago" pictures the aes- 

 thetic, artistic, educational, and literary 

 features of the great city, while the 

 short story "The Detectives," by Will 

 Payne, is a capital example of the pow- 

 er of Chicago write rs in romantic fiction. 

 Chicago has reason to be proud of her 

 contributions to this number of the rep- 

 resentative magazine of America. 



The Companion for the Rest of 1899 



During the remaining wieks of 1899 

 The Youth's Companion will maintain 

 its fresh and varied interest for young 

 and old by presenting articles from ihe 

 pens of eminent men and women and 

 stories by the most gifted writers of fic- 

 tion 



Among these contributors will be 

 Frank R. Stockton, who presents a droll 

 story, "The Wolf and the Wheelbar- 

 row;" James Bryce, author <>f "The 

 American Commonwealth " who offers 

 "Hints on Reading;" W. 1) Howells 

 and Jane Barlow, each of wh >m con- 

 tributes a serial story; Bret Harte, u ho 

 recalls an early California experience 

 in, ' How I Went to the Mines;" Mary 

 E. Wilkins, who tells of ' Sereny Maria 

 at School;" and Henry M Stanly, who 

 under the title, 'For Life and Liberty," 

 relates a thrilling adventure of his trav- 

 els in Darkest Africa 



The November and December num- 

 bers containing these features are given 

 to every new subscriber for the 1900. 



THE YOUTH'S COMPANION, 

 203 Columbus Avenue, Boston, Mass. 



