Review of November Monthly

The leading article in the November Monthly is a vigorous plea for the betterment of athletics in the University; the writer urges that, as Harvard cannot move for reform till she is victorious, the thing to do at present is to win. There are three prose stories--all with good points. "The Voice of Mastery" describes a conflict between the sense of obligation to the marriage vow and passion for a woman who recognizes and inspires the man's literary ambition. The analysis of the man's feminine poetical temperament (represented as sometimes stimulated by preprandial cognac) is careful; the style is somewhat labored and stilted. "Over There" is a pleasantly told episode. "The Lamentable Case of Churchill the Climber" is an excursion into a comparatively fresh field--a genial, well-written history of an unattractive man who is devoured by desire to get social recognition in college: the writer in passing lifts the veil discreetly from the editorial sanctum. "The Fragment" is vivid and vague. The second of the "Travel Papers of Arminius" is a study of Naples with its dirt and noise and charm--an attempt to grasp the soul of the city, necessarily a partial description, but interesting. The number is rich in poetry. "To a Centaur" is a pleasing fancy. "Apollo Satyros" has genuine lyric grace and sweetness of melody. "Lines in Egypt" express in very excellent quatrains the feeling of the mystery and immutability of that land (qualities that remain though the greater part of the population is half Arabic.) "Amour Cache" is said to be a translation from the French poets: it is remarkably clear. There is merit also in "Queen and Pilgrim," and "Ye Left Me by the Garden Walk." The editorial paragraphs repeat the view expressed in the leading article, and state objections to the new scheme of charges for tuition. The book-reviews are sensible and helpful.