certainly deserves to prosper, for a vast amount of trouble
has
been taken, it is evident, to provide its clientdle with such reading as they may be supposed to like. There are tales one quality of which we may perceive from the illustration which adorns the first page,—a boy hanging from the ropes of a balloon some miles or so up in air, with a ruffianly looking aeronaut clutching at him. This illustration belongs to one of the " complete stories," which must number nearly two hundred. Of serial stories there are eight, some of which we shall probably have other oppor- tunities of noticing more at length. Of one, "Bowled Out," by Arthur J. Daniels, we venture to remark that, as a matter of fact, schoolboys do not lay the deep plots against each other which figure so often in stories of this kind. Of course the "Interview" has made its way into this, as into other kinds of periodical literature. We are bound to say that these papers are commonly interesting. Among the many facts which wo may gather from this depart- ment of Chums is an illustration of the wide diffusion of certain games. Russian boys, M. Stepniak tells us, are accustomed to play at"hop-scotch" and at " dibs." On the whole, we have here a volume of varied and wholesome reading. But are these perpetual prize competitions salutary F A boy is habituated to look upon the newspaper as something out of which ho may make a gain, a watch, or a cricket-bat, or some other valuable. Wo do not like these incessant appeals to cupidity.
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