ding the bad rhyme of =engaged= and
=dismayed=, and the overweighted seventh line of the final stanza. The
latter might be rectified by substituting =blest=, or some other
monosyllable, for =lucky=. "Li'l Baby Mine," by W. Frank Booker, is a
quaint and captivating darky lullaby, whose accuracy of dialect and
atmosphere comes from that first-hand knowledge of the negroes which
only a Southern writer can possess. Mr. Booker is one of our most
promising bards, and will be doubly notable when his style shall have
received its final polish. "When I Gaze on Thee," by Kathleen Foster
Smith, is an amatory poem of much grace and fluency.

* * * * *

THE UNITED AMATEUR for October furnishes us with a species of
composition not frequently encountered in amateurdom; an official report
which is also a literary classic. Pres. Campbell's message is really an
essay on contemporary amateur journalism, and contains a multitude of
well stated truths which every member of the fraternity would do well to
peruse. "The Wanderer's Return," by Andrew Francis Lockhart, is a
beautiful piece of anapaestic verse whose flow is as pleasing as its
sentiment.

* * * * *

=The Woodbee= for October is edited by Mrs. Ida C. Haughton, and though
not of large size, does credit both to her and to the Columbus Club. "To
the Woodbees," a witty parody of Poe's "Annabel Lee," exhibits Miss
Irene Metzger as the possessor of no little skill in numbers; and
incidentally suggests that other young bards might well improve their
styles by judicious exercises of this sort. Much of the spirit of metre
may be absorbed through copying the works of the standard poets.
"Louise's Letter," a short story by Norma Sanger, contains some of the
defects of early composition, notably an undue hastening of the action
immediately after the letter quoted in the text. The plot involves a
rather unusual coincidence, yet is probably no more overstrained than
that of the average piece of light fiction. "The Ruling Passion," by
Edna M. Haughton, is a story of phenomenal power and interest, forming a
psychological study worthy of more than one perusal. All the
requirements of good fiction, both inspirational and technical, are
complied with to the satisfaction of even the most exacting critic. Miss
Haughton's work is of a very high grade, and would be welcomed in larger
quantities by the amateur world. Miss Harwood's interest