Lippincott's Magazine, November 1885

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

26185

Title

Lippincott's Magazine, November 1885

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1885 collection features a courtroom drama involving a lady lawyer defending a widow against a railway company, alongside essays on Peabody Museum archaeology, artist biographies, and reviews of contemporary novels exploring themes of heredity, crime, and social experiment.

Summary up to 500 words

Published in November 1885, this volume of Lippincott's Magazine offers a diverse snapshot of late 19th-century intellectual and cultural life, balancing legal narrative, scientific inquiry, and literary criticism. The collection opens with a courtroom drama titled "The Lady Lawyer's First Client," which profiles Mrs. Tarbell, a capable but inexperienced attorney defending Mrs. Stiles, a widow injured by a train. Despite family pressure and a hostile opponent, Mrs. Tarbell presents a dignified case, highlighting the plaintiff's lifelong dependence on her sewing machine for financial support. The narrative captures the tension between the lawyer's professional instincts and the overwhelming presence of her client's family, particularly the determined younger daughter, Miss Celandine, who has already assumed significant financial and logistical responsibilities for the trial. The text then shifts to a detailed examination of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology. This section outlines the museum's mission to preserve historical evidence through artifacts gathered from shell-heaps, burial sites, and cliff-dwellings. The author emphasizes the importance of displaying specimens in their original context rather than for ornamental display, allowing visitors to verify scientific explanations. The museum's collection illustrates the lives of Native Americans, ranging from prehistoric relics found in farm fields to the sophisticated architecture of the Southwest. Notably, the text describes the use of plaster models to reconstruct cliff-dwellings and village sites, providing a visual understanding of ancient life that words alone could not convey. The discussion of burial practices further reveals the cultural values of indigenous peoples, noting that grave goods and even human sacrifices were intended to assist the deceased in their journey to the spirit world. Subsequent sections profile the artistic lives of Eugène Delacroix and Gustave Courbet, emphasizing their dedication to art over personal comfort. Delacroix is depicted as a sensitive artist who required the careful intervention of his housekeeper to avoid the depressing influences of daily life, while his work was deeply influenced by his studies of animals and great masters like Rubens. The volume also reviews five novels, ranging from the tragedy of hereditary insanity in Arlo Bates's "A Wheel of Fire" to the mystery of a murdered musician in Sidney Luska's "As it was Written." Other reviews include Julian Hawthorne's critique of New York corruption in "Love—or a Name," a tale of social decline in E. A. P. Searing's "A Social Experiment," and Rosa Nouchette Carey's domestic story "For Lilias." Ultimately, the collection serves as a comprehensive record of the era's interests, bridging the gap between rigorous scientific analysis, courtroom strategy, and the evolving landscape of American literature.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Science
• Literature