McClure's Magazine, Vol 31, No 2, June 1908

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27699

Title

McClure's Magazine, Vol 31, No 2, June 1908

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this June 1908 issue of McClure's Magazine, actress Ellen Terry recounts her eight theatrical tours of America, contrasting the vibrant, rapidly changing city of New York with her memories of London. The volume also features a critical examination of Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science doctrines, an editorial defending Harry Orchard's confessions regarding labor war assassinations, and a dramatic narrative titled "The Wayfarers" depicting a tense confrontation in the wilderness.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in June 1908, this volume of McClure's Magazine presents a diverse collection of memoirs, critiques, and narratives. The opening piece features Ellen Terry's recollections of her American tours, beginning in 1883. Terry recounts her initial terror of the Atlantic crossing and her fears of a 'barbarous land,' fears that quickly vanished upon witnessing the magnificent harbor of New York. She contrasts the city's then-modern landscape, lacking the skyscrapers of the future, with the distinct social atmosphere and dress of America compared to England. Terry praises the American stage for its lack of prejudice against Shakespearean productions, crediting Henry Irving with pioneering these works in the United States. She notes the rapid growth of cities like New York between 1883 and 1893, observing how the energy of the era transformed the urban environment, while also noting the universal white waist as a symbol of a society where class distinctions were less pronounced. The volume then shifts to a sharp intellectual critique of Mary Baker Eddy's 'Science and Health.' The author argues that Eddy's metaphysics lack religious feeling and compassion, relying instead on a denial of matter and a doctrine of 'malicious animal magnetism' born of vindictiveness. The critique highlights Eddy's dismissal of poverty, science, and family ties as illusions, noting that her work is devoid of pity for suffering. Furthermore, the text examines the Harry Orchard case, presenting Judge Wood's testimony that Orchard's detailed confessions regarding the industrial warfare doctrines of the Western Federation of Miners were truthful. Judge Wood concluded that Orchard's crimes were the natural outcome of the system he represented. Finally, the volume includes a narrative segment titled 'Young Henry and the Old Man.' This story highlights themes of generational conflict and frontier justice. It depicts a tense confrontation where a young man named Henry captures the outlaw 'Kep' Queen while his father, Thomas, and a posse watch from a distance. The narrative captures the harsh realities of the frontier, illustrating the complex dynamics between father and son as they navigate the dangers of the trail and the moral ambiguities of law enforcement in the West.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Literature
• American Literature