ve life, enthusiastic fruitful life, be
extended until its last acts of creation, shot through with the
sunshine of experience and wisdom, shall flash in great bars of haze
and glory over the landscape of the twilight days?

Kaboto.

Old John a Venice in his cockleshell
Breasted the salt sea like an Englishman!
He saw the bleak coast of the Tartar Khan
To left-hand in the distance. "All is well!"
He cried to Labrador. The roaring swell
Bore him to shore, whereon his hands upran
The Lion flag and flag republican
Of the old Doges' wave-girt citadel.

Dominion and Democracy are ours!
From the first day unto the last we hold
To Liberty and Empire! We shall be,
Under the Star-flag, for eternal hours,
Even as Cabot's two flags first foretold,
Both free and strong from mountain crag to sea!

A STROKE FOR THE PEOPLE.

Here is a message for all: FROM AND AFTER THE ISSUANCE OF THE NUMBER
FOR JULY THE REGULAR SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OF THE ARENA, THE MAGAZINE OF
THE PEOPLE, WILL BE REDUCED TO $2.50 A YEAR. The reasons for this
reduction are not far to seek. The stringency of the times, the
hardships of the people,--their lack of money, the decline in the
prices of their products, the relentless grip of the mortgages on
their homes,--and the absence of any symptom of present relief from a
Government under the domination and dictation of the money power, have
induced the managers of THE ARENA to bear their part of the common
burden and distress, and to express in a practical way their
sympathies with the masses by reducing the price of the magazine to
the lowest possible figure consistent with its maintenance at the
present standard of efficiency and excellence.

One of the immediate causes and suggestions of this course will be
found in the following private letter written to THE ARENA by a plain
Kansas farmer. We have obtained his permission to use his letter as an
appeal to the public:

"SYLVAN GROVE, KANSAS, May 22, 1897.

"_To_ THE ARENA.

"GENTLEMEN: I enclose my subscription for THE ARENA for the
current year. The only reason for my tardiness in doing this is
pinching, grinding poverty. If we farmers do not assist the OLD
ARENA, so loyal to our interests, we shall deserve the fate many
of us have already accepted; that is, the doom of serfdom under
the club of plu