its construction.

"The Paramount Issue," by William T. Harrington, is a somewhat ambitious
attempt to trace the responsibility for the great war to alcoholic
liquor and its degenerative effect on mankind. The author even goes so
far as to say that "had man been represented in his true and noble form,
then war would have been impossible." Now although the present critic is
and always has been an ardent prohibitionist, he must protest at this
extravagant theory. Vast and far-reaching as are the known evil effects
of drink, it is surely transcending fact to accuse it of causing
mankind's natural greed, pride, and combative instincts, which lie at
the base of all warfare. It may, however, be justly suggested that much
of the peculiar bestiality of the Huns is derived from their swinish
addiction to beer. Technically, Mr. Harrington's essay is marked by few
crudities, and displays an encouraging fluency. Other pieces by Mr.
Harrington are "A Bit of My Diary," wherein the author relates his
regrettably brief military experience at Camp Dodge, and "Victory," a
stirring editorial.

"Black Sheep," by Edna Hyde, is an excellent specimen of blank verse by
our gifted laureate. Line 14 seems to lack a syllable, but this
deficiency is probably the result of a typographical error.

A word of praise is due the general appearance of the magazine. The
cover presents a refreshing bit of home-made pictorial art, whilst the
photograph of Corporal Harrington makes a most attractive frontispiece.

* * * * *

=The Pathfinder= for January is easily the best issue yet put forth by
its enterprising young editor. "Hope," which adorns the cover, is a poem
of much merit by Annie Pearce. The apparent lack of a syllable in line 2
of the third stanza is probably due to a printer's error whereby the
word =us= is omitted immediately after the word =for=.

"How and Why Roses Are White," by Margaret Mahon, is a fairy legend of
much charm and decided originality, which argues eloquently for its
author's imaginative scope and literary ability.

"Happiness in a Glove" is a very facile and pleasing rendering of a bit
of Spanish dialogue. Through a mistake, the authorship is credited to
the translator, Miss Ella M. Miller, though her own manuscript fully
proclaimed the text as a translation.

"Welcome, 1919," is a brief contemplative essay by Editor Glause; in
spirit admirable, but in phraseology showing some of the unce