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Long Island Sound Division.-J. M. Finch, Com. Ravenswood Boat Club; Clinton ave., Astoria, Bowery Bay, Steinway, College Point, North Beach, Seawanhaka Boat Club, Flushing and Sanford Points, Wetzel's Island and Max Zehden's, Flushing Bay, Star Athletic Club.

RICHMOND-Port Richmond, Elm Park, West Brighton, Quarantine, South Beach, Crede's Hotel, Atlantic and Miller's Hotel, Midland Beach, Cable's Hotel. There are 182 stations in New York, 48 sub-stations and 468 boats in service. Five hundred and fortynine lives have been saved from drowning in New York State in 1892, and 102 medals have been awarded for risking life.

The president and officers of the corps will address public schools, or library or other associations on the heroism of the life-saving work, free of charge, wherever desired.

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Literature
in 1902.

Booth Tarkington.

Literature is not here at the height of the plastic arts. The sculptors and painters made last year landscapes, portraits, figures, scenes of interiors which were, in forms and colors, art. The men of letters wrote books which were said to be historical, social, realistic or romantie. They did not write books which were literature. The reason of this inferiority of the writers seems to be that they have not yet learned the lesson that painters and sculptors obey docilely. This lesson is that the object of a work of art is to realize itself. And literature is art or it is nothing.

Mark Twain retained his superiority as a man of letters. The least phrase that came from him had for its aim not humor, nor a philosophical maxim, nor morality, nor popularity.

Julian Ralph.

HENRI PENE DU BOIS.

nor wealth of course, but literature. William D. Howells and Henry James wrote admirably, as is their habit. But Howells was not harshly criticised with an idea that to read him is to look out of the window when nothing is happening, and Henry James was not too cruelly charged with obscurity. In the laudable wish to suggest rather than to define, to sketch rather than to polish and clarify, he became almost hermetic. Howells and James have earned the right to expect an effort from their readers. But the mission of literature, like that of art, is to be charming.

The adverse critics, William D. Howells and Henry James, of the books that are full of action wrote well, the authors of the books that are full of action wrote badly. None of the historical novels, the books that are full of action-inspired by the success of Paul Leicester Ford's "Janice Meredith," Charles Major's "When Knighthood Was in Flower," and Mary Johnston's "To Have and to Hold" deserved to be regarded as literature. Their models were not literature and they were followed almost servilely. Only Richard Harding Davis, who had the good fortune to be encouraged by Robert Louis Stevenson, and retains of this amiable interest a sort of charm, took pains to write as if he wrote for the angels. This is the only attitude that a man of letters, to be a man of letters, may assume. Others imagine too much that they are writing for irredeemable sinners.

They preach. They rehearse the decalogue and the maxims of the copybooks in tales, in novels, in poems, in essays, in everything. It is exasperating, it is a plague. The writers and the publishers say that it pays." But the object of literature is not to "pay." It is to be literature.

The books that had the largest circulation were. "The Virginian," by Owen Wister; "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch," by Alice Caldwell Hegan; "The Fortunes of Oliver Horn," by F. Hopkinson Smith; "The Mississippi Bubble." by Emerson Hough; "Castle Craneycrow.' by George Barr McCutcheon; "Hearts Courageous," by Hallie Erminie Rives; "A Speckled Bird," by Augusta Evans Wilson; "The Vultures," by Henry Seton Merriman; "Dorothy Vernon," by Charles Major; "The Spenders," by Harry Leon Wilson; The Leopard's Spots," by Thomas Dixon; "The Conqueror," by Gertrude Atherton.

The popular books were historical novels, single character novels, novels expressive of localities, imitations of imitations. They were "Monsieur Beaucaire" and "The Two Vanrovels," by Booth Tarkington; "Dorothy South, by George Cary Eggleston; "Cardigan" and "The Maid-at-Arms," by Robert W. Chambers; Eben Holden" and "D'ri and I," by Irving Bacheller; F. Marion Crawford's "Coocilia." Edith Wharton's "The Valley of Decision" had more literary merit than they. And every one may be in the humor to be persuaded that the publishers had the manuscripts of works of greater literary value still. which they did not print; for they have a method which is not unreasonable. Their method is that they must print many big books that surely will "pay." to give to themselves the luxury of printing one little book that has originality and may not find buyers at all.

Originality is not immediately profitable, and book publishing is a business, and business is for profit. Paris has an advantage in several printing houses that are martyrs to cult of literature. They suffer proudly for years and years. Out of them comes one day a masterpiece, the "Aphrodite" of Pierre Louys. It makes a fortune. But it was a relative fortune, after all. And Paris has not the business ability of New York. American magazines may be written palely enough to excite the disquietude--about American art of writing-of Walter H. Page, an experienced magazine editor, but they make money. This is not as valuable as literature, but literature's time was not last year. Newspaper men who were celebrated as newspaper men, wrote novels. There were Alan Dale's "A Girl Who Wrote," James Creelman's Eagle Blood," Julian Ralph's "The Millionairess," David Graham Phillips's "The Great God Success" and "Her Serene Highness, Joseph Altsheler's The Captive." They are interesting and valuable books. But why-since they were written by newspaper men-are they not short stories, ehronicles and memoirs? Because short stories, chronicles and memoirs have not ordinarily a large circulation.

This is the bad reason that a publisher can give. But Froissart was a newspaper man, or the equivalent of the newspaper man of to-day, and his fame endures in the centuries because he wrote chronicles. They are literature. An American newspaper man, a young man, is surely to make modern soon the art of Froissart's chronicles.

In biography and memoirs the year produced Edward Everett Hale's "Memories of a Hundred Years"; "Lowell," by Henry Van Dyke; "Emerson" and "Hawthorne." by George Edward Woodberry; "Franklin,' by Owen Wister: "Whittier" and "Longfellow," by Thomas Wentworth Higginson; "Christopher Columbus," by John Boyd Thacher; "My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands," by George Francis Train; "The Autobiography of a Newspaper Gurl," by Elizabeth L. Banks; "Daniel Webster," by John Bach McMaster; "Recollections of a Player," by James H. Stoddart, and Clara Morris's "Confidences."

Historical works were Woodrow Wilson's "History of the American People," "New France and New England," by John Fiske; "The Romance of the Colorado River," by Frederick S. Dellenbaugh; "A Political History of Slavery," by William Henry Smith; "A History of the Nineteenth Century," by Edwin Emerson, Jr.: The American Merchant Marine." by Winthrop L. Marvin: "The Struggle from a Continent." edited from the writings of Francis Parkman by Pelham Edgar.

In general literature appeared "Literature and Life," by William Dean Howells: "The Christmas Kalends of Provence," by Thomas A. Janvier; "A History of Criticism," by George Saintsbury; "Shakespeare and Voltaire, by T. R. Lounsbury; "A Fighting Frigate and Other Essays and Addresses," by Henry Cabot Lodge; "Literary Values," by John Burroughs.

In poetry appeared Charles E. Russell's "Such Stuffs as Dreams," philosophical and gravely harmonious; Bliss Carman's "Pipes of Pan," "Up From Georgia," by Frank L. Stanton. These three books had the merit of works made with a cult for art twice ardent and in order to compensate it for the indifference of the multitude. But in the smallness of this number of books of poems the slightness of the year's regard for literature is only too flagrant.

In travels and descriptions appeared Jesse Lynch Williams's "Picturesque New York," "Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada," by Clarence King; "Two Thousand Miles in an Automobile, by "Chauffeur"; "Fictional Rambles in and Around Boston," by Frances Weston Carruth; "Literary Landmarks of Oxford," by Laurence Hutton.

In art of painting and music appeared John C. Van Dyke's "Old English Masters," with wood engravings by Timothy Cole; George P. Upton's "Musical Pastels," John Ward Stimson's "The Gate Beautiful,"

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Arthur Elson's "Orchestral Instruments and Their Use," "Music and Musicians," by Professor Albert
Lavignac, with additions on music in America by H. E. Krehbiel.

Among books of nature were "Birds of the Rockies," by Leander S. Keyser: "American Animals," by Witmer Stone; "Handbook of Birds of the Western United States," by Florence Merriam Bailey; "Forestry" with special reference to the care of American forests, by Filibert Roth.

In science appeared "A Bibliography of the Sanskrit Drama," by Montgomery Schuyler, Jr.; "Astronomy for Everybody," by Professor Simon Newcomb. In politics, sociology and economics appeared Jacob A. Riis's "Battle with the Slum,' "Handbooks of American Government," edited by Lawrence B. Evans; "American Politics,' by James Albert Woodburn; "The Citizen and the Individual Situation," by Rt. Rev. Henry C. Potter, and the same admirable bishop's "East of To-day and To-morrow."

In theology and religion appeared the Rev. Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis's Quest of Happiness," and "Faith and Character." There were new editions of Poe, Hawthorne, Bret Harte, new gift books of old American authors, new books for children, new text books for schools and colleges and miscellaneous works among which the Rev. Minot J. Savage's "Spiritualism or Telepathy" and "Title Pages," by Theodore L. de Vinne were specially captivating to New Yorkers.

The list does not pretend to be complete. It omits, doubtless. several important works. But literary editors could not hope to be acquainted with all the new books. They were too numerous. table, compiled by the bibliographers, has a permanent interest:

The following

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The record of last year may not prove to be as voluminous. A reaction against quantity was expressed with much force. But it is still necessary to impress writers with Stephane Mallarme's idea that every civilization is to express itself for the ages in one book-the Book of the Dead, Iliad, the Bible, the ZendAvesta. In their formation all the works that had not beauty of form, genius, divine inspiration, died. And one must write always as if one wrote for eternity.

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Living Expenses in the

United States.

As the average wage of a man in the United States is $490.90, according to the 1900 census, the comparisons of the cost of living which were compiled during 1902 by the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor are of more vital interest to every individual in the great laboring class in this country than any which have been published in many years. While the figures which the Massachusetts Bureau has prepared merely cover retail prices in the various towns and cities in that commonwealth, and will vary in some particulars from those quoted in other localities, they will be found to be approximately correct, especially throughout New England and the Eastern and Middle States.

The cost of transportation to the Middle and Western States might tend to increase the cost on a few articles which are produced in the East or imported into Eastern ports only, but the average would be scarcely changed, for other articles can be bought cheaper in the West than in the East or Middle States. The South, however, cannot be classed in this table, for living expenses are generally lower in that section, and the average wage is much less. The first table covers the average retail prices for 1872, 1881, 1897 and 1902, showing the increase or decrease in the cost of living in 1902, as compared with 1897.

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The Purchase Power of Money.-The second table shows the quantities of each commodity which could be purchased for one dollar at each of the periods between 1872 and 1902.

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Cost of Living.-The third table presents the result of the careful inquiry into the expenses of 104 normal families (consisting of father, mother and immediate dependent relatives, or members of the family circle), whose income was based upon the labors of the members of the household, and was not increased by taking boarders or lodgers. In making its presentation of the facts obtained, the Bureau has arranged the families in five groups, according to the graded scale of income.

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Total

9.05 1.31 42.98 4.85

12.60
45.63
70.57 5.63

|$382,49|100.00||$553.53|100,00||$688.87|100.00||$886.50 100.00||$1,252.59 100.00

The Bureau's comparison of necessary expenditures in 1902, as against 1875, resulted as follows:
Percentages of expenditure of families with incomes.

.18

2.80

8.62 1.25
3.24
14.29 2.07

11.17

1.26

20.13 1.61

.47

4.03 24.431

.45

1.01

2.76

3.64

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Relative Prices of Commodities.-The following table, which shows the course of relative prices of 261 commodities from 1890 to 1901, inclusive, was prepared by the United States Department of Labor:

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Louisiana.

Capital:

BATON ROUGE.

The first permanent settlement in Louisiana was at New Orleans, which was founded in 1718, and became the seat of Colonial government in 1722. The French, after their establishment in Canada, explored the Mississippi to the sea in 1682, but founded no settlement until 1699, when Iberville founded his first colony at Biloxi, in what is now Mississippi, but formerly was included in the Territory of Louisiana. In 1717 the Province of Louisiana was granted, with extensive powers and privileges, to a corporation known as the "Western Company." The prosperity of the Territory was greatly increased under the proprietorship of this company, which continued for fifteen years. In 1762 France ceded the Territory to Spain, who in turn re-ceded it to France in 1800, who

sold it to the United States in 1803 for the sum of $15,000,000

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Louisiana is another agricultural State in which manufacturing has increased rapidly in recent years. Its manufactures depend closely upon its natural resources, its forests, which cover a greater part of the State, and upon the sugar cane, cotton and rice fields, as well as the excellent transportation facilities afforded by the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

The refining of sugar is the most prominent industry in the State. and the obstacle to its increase, that of enforced idleness during a great part of the season, promises to be removed by the increased use of the refuse of the cane for the manufacture of paper.

The facilities of the port of New Orleans have greatly stimulated the manufacture of cotton products, such as cottonseed oil and cake. At crease in the manufacture of jute cottonseed and fertilizer.

Recently waterways for the insured by the improvements on canals from the Mississippi to the discovery of oil in Louisiana and fuel, and the manufacturing intercrease rapidly during the next dec

The upper part of Louisiana is and there is also a large area of of the State. The yield of lumber the timber area of the South. The practically untouched, and but upon the pine areas. The hard wood culled of the choicest of white oak. facts are attracting attention from and never before in the history of been carried on to so great an ex

At the last session of the Legis general law governing the sale of cants optional in the parishes. The jury orders an election to take the cerning the sale of liquors, the re only govern the rights of all mu villages, etc., but that no munici intoxicating liquors, should the gen prohibit such sale, until another police jury of the parish and a ple of the parish shall take place.

Gov. W. W. Heard.

tendant upon this has been the inand burlap bagging for raw cotton, transportation of coal have been Warrior River, Alabama, and the Gulf, through Lake Borgne. The Texas has also provided a cheap ests of the State promise to in ade.

covered with forests of yellow pine, this timber in the southwestern part per acre is among the greatest of cypress forests of the State are slight impressions have been made forests, except that they have been remain in their primal state. These lumber dealers all over the country. the State has the timber industry tent as at present.

lature a change was made in the liquor, making the sale of intoxilaw provides that whenever a police sense of the voters of a parish consult of such an election should not nicipal corporations, such as towns, pality should have the right to sell eral election throughout the parish election shall be ordered by the change in the sentiment of the peo

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There was no change in the law establishing the qualifications for voting, that being governed entirely by the Constitution of 1898. There was no legislation regarding labor. A law was passed prohibiting marriage between first cousins.

In July, 1902, the fresh water canals, used for irrigating the rice fields, became impregnated with salt water, and the brackish fluid which resulted scalded the rice fields and seriously injured the crop. Salt water fish were found further up the river than was ever known before, and fishermen reported better catches just off the wharves at New Orleans than they had known far out in the Gulf. A beneficial result of the high tides was the sweeping away of the water hyacinth, which had filled fresh water canals, obstructing navigation and impeding the free flow of water after heavy rains.

many of the

It is expected that within a short time the city of New Orleans will have a plentiful supply of pure water for domestic purposes. A filtering plant is to be constructed at the cost of about $4,000,000, with a pipe system to extend over nearly 500 miles of streets. The water of the Mississippi will be used, which, after filtering. offers a potable water of exceptional purity.

Much agitation has been going on in the same city recently looking to a more rapid improvement of the levees along the river. Much of those now standing have been declared unsafe, and work of reconstruction is now in progress.

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