Lippincott's Magazine, November 1885

In Short

As an anthology of late nineteenth-century literature and thought, this periodical issue gathers fiction, travel writing, architectural criticism, and scientific history. Across its pages, a female attorney argues a railway injury suit, travellers navigate cultural misunderstandings from Italian pensions to ocean steamers, and scholars trace the rise of American ethnological museums. Meanwhile, short fiction explores romantic indiscretions, forest settlement dances, and the loyal bond between a cavalry horse and a young child. The volume endures as a crisp, entertaining snapshot of Victorian intellectual curiosity, humor, and narrative craft.

The Story

The volume opens in the tense arena of American law, where Mrs. Tarbell, a pioneer female attorney, prepares for trial in Stiles vs. The Railway Company. She is effectively directed by her resolute young client, Celandine Stiles, who funds the legal battle through secret typing work while caring for her injured, cane-dependent mother. In court, opposing counsel Mr. Pope delivers a patronizing speech that outwardly praises female sympathy while subtly attempting to dismantle their case.

From courtroom friction, the text turns to architectural history, examining London's resurrection after the Great Fire of 1666 through the masterworks of Sir Christopher Wren. Wren's "Free Classic" style harmonized Protestant utility with structural grace, setting a standard later echoed in American colonial landmarks like Independence Hall and Carpenters' Hall. The essay applies classical Vitruvian principles to argue that true architecture indissolubly binds utility with beauty.

The perspective widens into cosmopolitan travel sketches. On steamships and in Mediterranean pensions, cross-cultural encounters yield subtle comedy: Australian, British, and American women attempt to teach English to Parsee travellers with hilarious linguistic blunders, while an eccentric Brazilian guest with two-inch uncut fingernails scandalizes the dining table with local gossip. A quick turn into domestic fiction reveals Mabel, a young woman wrestling with guilty vanity after secretly mailing an acquaintance's photograph to a suitor.

Scientific progress takes center stage in an essay charting the founding of Harvard's ethnological museum. Readers follow Professor Jeffries Wyman as he gathers stone axes, Peruvian mummies, and plaster models of cliff-dweller ruins into Boylston Hall, building a world-class collection before his sudden death in 1874.

A reflective essay on urban life charts the frantic daily tides of ferry commuters, contrasting breathless rushing with the serene quietude of midnight crossings. This essay leads into a commentary on educational philosophy, comparing modern reading instruction with older methods and recalling Dr. Samuel Johnson's expectations regarding children's literature like Pilgrim's Progress.

Moving to the rural frontier, a wilderness tale unfolds as Drusy prepares for a bustling winter settlement dance, while her heartbroken suitor, John Barker, walks twelve miles back to his timber camp. The narrative reaches its emotional climax in the story of Van, an army horse restored to health by a cavalry regiment. Van becomes a gentle household favorite, bonding with an officer's toddler daughter and trotting carefully under her weight, though an ingrained behavioral quirk brings tragedy. The issue concludes with literary reviews, contrasting William T. Hornaday's wild taxidermy expeditions in Borneo with the cozy, predictable pleasures of contemporary English fiction.

How It Unfolds

A day in court Mrs. Tarbell accompanies the Stiles family into the courtroom to seek damages from the railway company. Her practical young client Celandine directs the family, while opposing attorney Mr. Pope uses grand eloquence and backhanded compliments about female emotion to undermine their case.

Rebuilding from the ashes The volume analyzes how Sir Christopher Wren redesigned post-fire London, replacing dangerous, narrow streets with grand classical edifices. The author connects Wren's English legacy directly to American colonial landmarks, measuring both against the classical Vitruvian principles of utility and proportion.

Lessons in language and gossip Steamship passengers banter over American, British, and Australian slang, leading to embarrassing missteps for Parsee tourists eager to learn English. Meanwhile, guests at an Italian pension endure spoiled meals and the relentless local gossip of a devout Brazilian traveller with uncut fingernails.

Assembling the ancient world Professor Jeffries Wyman gathers stone axes, Peruvian mummies, and plaster models of cliff dwellings to establish Harvard's ethnological museum in Boylston Hall. His sudden death saddens the scientific community, but his expanding catalog of over eight thousand entries secures the institution's future.

Rhythms of the city and schoolroom An essayist details the chaotic scramble of urban ferry commuters, contrasting their daily anxiety with the peaceful beauty of the harbor at night. The commentary then shifts to educational theory, comparing modern reading instruction with traditional primers and Dr. Johnson's views on children's literature.

Winter festivities in the woods Remote forest dwellers lend dresses, petticoats, and ox-teams to prepare for a rare winter dance in the timber country. Amid the morning excitement, John Barker walks twelve lonely miles back to camp after Drusy gently declines his offer to escort her.

A loyal mount's tragedy A sick troop horse named Van is nursed back to health by cavalrymen, becoming a gentle garrison favorite fond of cut loaf-sugar. Van builds a tender friendship with an officer's toddler daughter, though a strange behavioral habit eventually brings his story to a tragic end.

The People

Celandine Stiles wants to win a personal injury lawsuit for her crippled mother. Hindered by poverty and legal delays, she quits school and works secret jobs as a bookkeeper and typist to pay court fees, ultimately subjugating her own attorney through sheer determination.

Mrs. Tarbell, a pioneering female lawyer, wants to successfully try the Stiles suit. Blocked by opposing counsel's condescending rhetoric and Celandine's stubbornness, she transforms from an authoritative legal philosopher into a yields-to-her-client disputant.

Professor Jeffries Wyman seeks to construct a world-class ethnological collection at Harvard. Facing empty display cases in Boylston Hall, he abandons his established anatomical studies to gather mummies, skulls, and indigenous artifacts from around the globe until his sudden death in 1874.

John Barker wants to escort Drusy to a long-anticipated winter settlement dance. Stymied by rumors of a rival suitor down-river and Drusy's prior commitment, he masks his heartache and retreats into twelve miles of lonely wilderness.

Van, a sick cavalry horse, wants health, freedom, and affection. Nursed back to strength by an army regiment, he transforms from a battered troop mount into a pampered garrison favorite who dotes on a three-year-old girl, though an unlearned, dangerous trick eventually seals his destiny.

In Its Own Voice

In the courtroom, opposing lawyer Mr. Pope delivers a patronizing speech regarding the entry of women into legal practice:

"No one, no man, however jealous and crabbed in temper, will be sorry to see the law vivified by a spark of that genius, that inexplicable instinct by which women know what is right and make right to be done, where men fail and fail again."

On an international steamship voyage, an eager Parsee traveller attempts to bid farewell to departing ladies using newly acquired English slang:

"By god, ladies, by god!"

An essayist observing urban transit reflects on the profound sense of tranquility that accompanies a midnight river crossing:

"Nowhere does the night seem more 'stilly,' or the sense of seclusion more profound, than in the middle of the broad bay on a midsummer night before or after the theatre-goers have crossed."

What It's Really About

Beneath its varied narratives, this volume explores the tension between traditional social structures and the rapid emergence of modern discipline. Whether examining female lawyers asserting authority in patriarchal courtrooms, architects harmonizing utility with beauty after catastrophic fires, or curators systemizing indigenous history, the text repeatedly asks how society preserves order while embracing progress. It grapples with the complexities of human communication across cultural, gender, and regional divides—from slang misinterpretations on steamships to unspoken heartaches in timber country. Ultimately, the collection argues that true order, whether in civic architecture, educational philosophy, or personal devotion, requires balancing rational design with genuine human sympathy.

Why Read It Today

This volume will delight lovers of nineteenth-century social history, literary miscellanies, and Victorian cultural commentary. Reading it feels like browsing a sophisticated period parlor magazine, offering an intimate window into the debates, humor, and domestic realities of 1885. The prose balances lighthearted observational wit with rigorous intellectual curiosity, moving seamlessly from courtroom maneuverings to architectural philosophy.

However, modern readers should prepare for the inherent fragmentation of a periodical issue, where detailed architectural analysis sits directly alongside timber-country romance and scientific museum reports. The text also reflects period attitudes and occasional dated terminology, particularly regarding gender roles in professional spheres and nineteenth-century racial classifications in travel writing. Some readers may also find the dialect-heavy dialogue in the forest sketches or the archaic architectural references somewhat slow to navigate.

Yet these friction points are precisely what make the work valuable. What stays with you is the vivid human detail: a daughter typing secretly to pay her mother's court fees, a midnight ferry crossing under starry skies, and the quiet bond between a cavalry horse and a toddler.