ell created atmosphere of terror to a clever and
unexpected anticlimax.

THE SPECTATOR for October-November contains much matter of very
substantial worth. "Creation", by Edward R. Taylor, Dean of the
University of California, is a beautiful bit of poetical sentiment and
harmonious metre, while "Half-past-twelve", by Miss von der Heide, is
likewise of great merit, both in thought and in structure. We have
lately been told that many apparent metrical defects which we have noted
are really no more than typographical errors, wherefore we will here
content ourselves by expressing the belief that the third line of the
second stanza of "Half-past-twelve" was originally written thus:

"Across the dark their shrilling laughter floats".

This rendering would do away with two seeming errors in the printed
copy. Olive G. Owen's "Battle-Prayer" is powerful in its appeal and
faultless in its construction. Of marked interest is "Divine
Self-Tower", a brief essay by Takeshi Kanno, the Japanese philosopher.
These words, in a tongue foreign to the writer, contain material for
more than a moment's thought.

"The Frank Friend" is in this number as interesting a critic as before.
The passage of four months has tempered his undue severity; indeed, we
fear that he has in certain cases veered a little too far toward the
other extreme. The most ambitious review is that of "Pig-pen Pete", by
Elbert Hubbard, which gives Mr. Held an opportunity to display his
powers to great advantage. Of the two editorials, that entitled "Life"
is the more notable. Though its philosophy must necessarily be rather
artificial, considering Mr. Held's age, it is none the less a very
artistic and generally creditable piece of composition. The cover of The
Spectator would be less Hearst-like if the fulsome announcements were
eliminated.

TOLEDO AMATEUR for April greets us in altered form, as a two-column
paper. Having given over the previous issue to the credentials of new
members, Mr. Porter very justly claims a goodly space for himself this
month, commenting ably on the affairs and activities of the
associations.

"Camp Columbia", by James J. Hennessey, gives an interesting outline of
the American army routine in Cuba during the years 1907 and 1908.
"Observations of an Outsider", by Mrs. Porter, mother of the editor,
sheds light on amateur journalism from a hitherto unusual angle. We note
with pleasure that Toledo Amateur remains immune from the destructi