THE IRRIGA T10N A GE. 



her work is another article which merits 

 mention. In connection with it are given 

 pictures of the artist herself. 



Under the title of "Brick Paving in the 

 Middle West/ Air. H. Foster Bain, assist- 

 ant state geol ogist of Iowa, tells of the im- 

 provements already made and to be made 

 in the sanitary and physical conditions of 

 small towns throughout the country, espec- 

 ially with reference to the paving of the 

 streets. Brick pavements for the country 

 towns receive very favorable mention. 



MCCLUKE'S MAGAZINE. 

 McCLURE's MAGAZINE for August, with 

 its special cover designed by Will H. Low, 

 its'profusion of beautiful pictures, its half 

 dozen excellent stones, and its other in- 

 teresting contributions, is a number to al- 

 lure one out of any degree of mid-summer 

 indifference. It has an illustrated article 

 on "The Cape to Cairo Railway" by W. T. 

 Stead, whose acquaintance with Cecil 

 Rhodes and other promoters of the enter- 

 prise has yielded him much new and valu- 

 able information regarding it. JVliss Tarbell 

 contributes a new account of Lincoln's 

 assassination and death, illustrated with 

 the last life portrait of Lincoln and other 

 pictures. But the number is especially a 

 "Midsummer Fiction Number;'' and its 

 more particular excellence lies in its short 

 stories. These are of a most varied (Char- 

 acter, comprising a dramatic story of the 

 courts; a humorous story of Irish life; a 

 thrilling true story of the United States 

 Secret Service; a pathetic and tender love 

 story; a kindly, human story of the circus 

 clown of early days; and a breezy, amusing 

 racing story. 



The first installment of "Josiah Allen's 

 Wife" (Marietta Holley) new story, "My 

 Stylish Cousin's Daughter," is given in, 

 this number and is full of promise. 



THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL. 

 Hamlin Garland, Anthony Hope, John 

 Kendrick Bangs, Harold Richard Yynne, 

 Anna Robson Brown, "Josiah Allen's 

 Wife," Clara Morris, Kate Whiting Patch 

 and Anna Farquehar are among the half- 

 score of writers of fiction who contribute 

 stories to the August Ladits Home Jour- 

 nal. The Midsummer Fiction Number of 

 the Journal is in many respects a notable 

 magazine. It has brought together in a 

 sinde issue some of the most popular story- 

 writers, and the most capable black-and- 

 white artists to illustrate their work. Fic- 

 tion, of course, predominates, but there is 

 an abundance of timely, practical articles 

 especially appealing to home and family 

 interests and tending to lighten and bright- 

 en women's work. 



THE FORUM 



The mo&t sensible treatment of the ser- 

 vant girl question we have yet seen is that 

 given it by Mary Roberts Smith in her 

 article "Domestic Service." 



If we are truthful we will admit that, in 

 the small cities and larger towns at least, 

 to be a "hired girl" is considered degrad- 

 ing. Disguise it and deny it as we will, 

 there is still this fact, that domestic service 

 has a certain stigma attached to it, and 

 this is one of the the things that prevents 

 women from taking uu this branch of work 

 in preference to the less lucrative and even 

 more arduous ones of clerk, dressmaker, etc. 

 The writer gives as the reason of this atti- 

 tude of the public toward domestics, th e 

 fact that they have no fixed hours of labor, 

 they are more under the supervision of 

 their mistresses, and are treated well or ill 

 as the caprices of the latter dictate, having 

 no fixed rules as in business life. This is 

 due, says the writer, to the liking of human 

 nature to command its inferiors. "Women 

 especially do not want intelligent equals to 

 serve them: they want an inferior, a sub- 

 ordinate-a servant, not an employe. Com- 

 pare the attitude of the business man to- 

 ward an employee, and the mistress towards 

 the servant." This is the 1 keynote to the 

 whole problem. This splendid article 

 should be read by every woman who hires 

 help. 



Other topics discussed are: ''The Civil 

 Service and the Merit System," by Hon. 

 Lyman J. Gaire; "Liquid Air and Motive 

 Power" by Edwin H. Hall, "Recent De- 

 velopments in China;" "Have We Suf- 

 ficient Gold in Circulation," etc. 



OTHER EXCHANGES. 



We are in receipt of a beautiful booklet 

 published by the Oregon Short Line, enti- 

 tled ''Where Geysers Gush." The illustra- 

 tions, in colors, show the views that may 

 be seen from a trip over the Short Line 

 Railroad. 



Tltf States Duty for August contain 8 

 among other things- ''Better Highways a 

 Neci-sity" being a plea for good roads by 

 Maurice <). Eldridge, of the U. S. Dept. of 

 Agriculture, "The hopeful Twins,'' refers 

 to good roads and rural free delivery. 



