'The: May parts of the four well: nutigizines' issued by'Messrs Cassell &Co., Lathe Family Magazine; the "Quiver, the \Sutuiday Journal, and: Work: are' to hand, and coniprise about, as excellently: vatiedl " selection' of reading for the warm: weatlle® ow pott us'sas could "be wished for." Criticism ly not' called for so far as they—are' concerned; such would be like seeking' faults in an'old' friend, and. we! have so often praised previo issues that it is unnecessary to'do: more than endorse former; compliments. "The, best. way to, display their good qualities is by quotation, and within the space available that shall-be done, Amongst: the papers in the Family Mugazineisone by the well-known.cricketer, Mr. A.C, Maclaren, on the Australian team: now. playing in Eygland.... Discussing the prospectsiof: the team he says:—
'Thave told all whi hive asked for'my hiinble option that T think that they: will be short of howling, for they have no really good first-class fast' bowler. in' Australia; fley can do! without. them in their own country, for they so seldom get a crumbled wicket, notwithstanding the fact that their matches often minto tive days y brit over here, on the bist day of @ match; they. will often long for a forth; especially: if, the wicket, is fiery.
lore will be plenty of bowling to' select from, Inve T feel sue that C, J. Hady i not up to thy, standard of the.fast bowlers they have sent over to.us, I. expect he will be the onl}; fait, howler in the'.team, We. mirist not forget that one member of the committee which "decided that an Australian team stloitld bé'sent over refused to'vote in' favour of the tiation, his reasons beitig that since Av, Re Stoddart' team had defeated: them Australia, their chances' of winning' the rubber in England swore remote. This shows rather la: lack of confidence: la: the powers of their own mon,,: Uvdéubtedly. it. would have! been a safer: policy to have waited for-another English team tofhaye visited them again. first, as it is naturally easier to win in their own, than, in, out country, We have seen many Aiwstialians coming oyer for the, first. tino, with great batting' reputations, which' they fail to niaintain only because~ they "are nbt. acctistomed to, on' wickets, often on the ofp side indeed; anyone who. Tooke thrditgh "Wisden's Abmanaek from' 1879, the year of their first visit: to England, will find that: almost every. man, who: was selected solely as:; batsman, always did far better on his sevend visit: to us, because between he hat taught himself how to score on. soft: wickets. Cricket, in, England, and cricket im, Australia are, tavo totally different games. Owing to the Jack.of rain the Wickets in, Australia are most favourable for long scores, and itis quite a comnjonocouriende to see only a moderate bat making his denttiry, and that bat would, probably 'Melbourne, Sydney, and occasionally Brisbane be lucky to get fifty in Englatid. "Adelaide, supply all the players foran. Australian team. Eady, hails from, Tasmania,..but-is an ex. ception s ang all the: oticketing. counties. of England' contain tharly, first-class players, Wlifch gives us a vast majority to select fréni. Talways thought that the Australians were a better' team, on' their own grounds, than A, HyStoddart's' eleven, bat they were unt fortunate' in "losing an excellent captain in Bluckharis who could: not be replaced; for captains are rather: scarce in. Australia: advisability of making G. Giffen captain, arid Phéy Austealians, are fully aware.of the' in. Lhelieyg thay, will endeavour to find sonreone else to. fill this important: post; but, now that Blackham has again severely' d: Tis thumb, it is almost a certainty that we have seen the last of him as a first-class cricketer.
Amongst the other notable articles is one by Mr. Andrew: Carnegie telling. the, story of how he, became a millionaire, - In concluditig he Sys:—
You know hair people are all moatiing about, poverty as being, a great evily.and st seems to be accepted that if people only,-had money and. were rich, that they would be happy and more-nsefel, and: get-more out of lifer There Was never a graver mistake, As a rule, there fis more happiness, more genuine satisfaction in the cottages of the poor and a truer life, and more obtained' from rife, than in the palaces of the rich.
Very' probably -there is a siced deal of truth-in'this, but either Mr. 'Carnegie did not allow "it to daunt him, or else he'dis-covétell it when' too late;'in any case he 1 paper on the hoines'of Lord Rosebery, are Inutlly nowels eynipithy. The flotiony and well up to the'standard.
'The Quiver has' three: complete' stories, the continization of two serials, and several papers of a more or Jess religious tone,. The most secular is one describing the, perennial of a Sunday in Petticost Lane.
Suturday Jonrnid is full of shott and serial stories, and bright chatty papers.on. the most diverse subjects, A characteristic excerpt is.on dunimy guests at hotels At various times and/in various ways there havé- been: published particulars, of many strange callings and occupations, but in this connection we hi 10 means exhausted the peculiar. Only the other day the writer canie across, quite by accident, a well-dressed, nntlemanly man who for a.great portion of his..time is housed and in luxury in his capacity of a dummy: guest, at hotels. The exercise of his queer profession is brought about this., When a new hotel first opens, it is somewhat difficult to attract visitors till the' reputation of the place is known, Now comes in the ise of the dummy guest. © Half a ozen_ or 's0! of these, all men: who have moved in good society, but are reduced in pocket, are communicated with; anti in return" for their". presence in "the hotel they are- allowed; apartments and -hoard, free of charge, till the rooms they occupy shall be wanted by genuine paying guests. The dummy guests have to be well-dressed, and. have. nightly to, appear. at..the table hate, in order to give the new hotel. an Appearance: of cheerfulness and prosperity In this way the dummies are sometimes in residence for months'at a time. Hotels at seaside places Intgely avail themselves. of these dummy guests, who are supposed to recommend the hotel to their friends anit acquaintances; and hotels that have done bad business in the past, and have just changed proprietorship, usually adopt the same method of filling. what. would. otherwise be. empty Toor for a number of ye it rooms in a hotel is an extremely. prejudicial attribute of any establishment, " In-some fow cases where a dummy guest. has.a very. large circle of acquaintances, with special facilities for re: conimendation, ailditional recomipense'is often mace hint in the form of cash.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.