WITH OUR EXCHANGES. 



FORUM. 



The current number of Thf Forum com- 

 pletes the twenty-sixth volume: and it 

 may with propriety be said that the maga- 

 zine, with increasing years, shows no sign 

 of decadence, but, O n the contrary, pre- 

 serves its virility unimpaired. In the 

 February issue there are two articles of 

 especial importance at the present time. 

 One is by Commander H. B. Bradford on 

 ''Coaling-Stations for the Navy." This 

 officer, as is well known, has seen much 

 active service, and in bringing the neces- 

 sity of coaling-stations before the public 

 his effort has been, as he says, to deal 

 with facts. The other paper is by Hon. 

 David J. Hill, Assistant Secretary of State, 

 and is entitled "The War and the Exten- 

 sion of Civilization.'' But possibly the 

 article which will most appeal to AGE 

 readers is the one on ''Good Roads and 

 State Aid." by Otto Dorner. chairman of 

 the National Committee for Highway Im- 

 provement of the L. A. W. The fact tn at 

 an article of this character appears in 

 such a leading publication is a gratifying 

 indication of the progress the "good 

 roads" movement is making. 



"The last two generations" writes Mr. 

 Dorner, "have seen a wonderful growth in 

 transportation facilities. The opening up 

 of new territory has continued to lend 

 tempting opportunities to capital for rail- 

 road investments. * * * 



The improvement of country roads the 

 principal arteries of commerce and travel 

 has not kspt pace with the developmant 

 of transportation facilities by rail and 

 water. The country road seems to have 

 been a stepchild of legislatures. Its con- 

 struction and improvement have been left 

 almost entirely in the hands of th^ farmer: 

 and the rural district is not equal to the 

 occasion. * * * * 'Working out the 

 road tax' is generally a farce. Our aver- 

 age country highways are little better 

 today than they were at thi closi of the 



Civil War. 



Sterling Elliot, editor of the Good Boads 

 Magazine, once very aptly said, that be- 

 lore we could thoroughly realize the diffi- 

 culty of hauling on our country roads, it 

 would be necessary for one of two things 

 to happen: either the horse must learn to 

 talk, or else we must take his place on the 

 wagon. The latter occurred, he said 

 when we learned to ride the bicyle." 



MCCLURE'S MAGAZINE. 

 Rudyard Kipling has written a poem en- 

 titled ''The White Man's Burden."' evi- 

 dently called forth by the colonial de- 

 velopment of the United States, which ap- 

 pears in the February issue of McClure' $ 

 Maqazine. The following are a few ex- 

 tracts from the poem which is written 

 with Kipling's usual power of making 

 scenes and people live before you. Who 

 but Kipling could, in a single line, so well 

 describe these half savage people? ''The 

 silent, sullen people half devil and half 

 child." 



Take up the White Man's bnrden 



Send forth the best ye breed 

 Go. bind your sons to exile 



To serve your captives' need: 

 To wait in heavy harness. 



Our fluttered folk and wild 

 Yonr new caught sullen peoples. 

 Half devil and half child. 



Take up the White Man's burden- 

 The savage wars of peace 



Fill full the mouth of Famine, 

 And bid the sickness cease: 



The ports ye shall not enter. 



The road ye shall not tread. 

 Go, make them with your living 



And mark them with vour dead. 



By all ye will or whisper. 



By all ye leave or do. 

 The silent sullen peoples 



Shall weigh your God and you. 



It is claimed that the Januarv number 



