Darwin. Charles Darwin, 1809-1882. The great English naturalist, founder of the “Darwinian Theory” of evolution from lower forms.
Pasteur. Louis Pasteur, 1822-1895. The great French microscopist, and student of hydrophobia. He was the first to inoculate for hydrophobia.
Koch. Robert Koch, 1843-1910. A great German physician who discovered the bacilli of tuberculosis and of cholera.
A DILEMMA
By S. WEIR MITCHELL
A popular type of story leaves the reader, at the conclusion, to choose one of two endings, either of which is open to objections. Such a story sets the reader’s mind at work, leads him to review every part of the story, and leaves a peculiarly lasting impression of construction and emphasis. In stories of this sort there is careful exclusion of everything that does not tend to lead to, or to increase, the difficulty.
A Dilemma makes complete preparation for the final puzzle by giving all the necessary facts, and all the motives for possible action, or non-action. When the reader reviews all that has been said, and sees how cleverly the story is constructed, he finds that the difficulty of solution appears even greater than at first.
Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, 1829-1914, was born in Philadelphia, and there spent most of his life. As a physician he wrote many medical books, and became one of the most distinguished neurologists in the world. His unusual ability led to his becoming member of many learned scientific societies in this country and in Europe. In spite of his active medical work he found time for much writing of a purely literary nature. Such books as Hugh Wynne, The Adventures of François, and Dr. North and His Friends, are distinctly original American contributions, and made their author unusually popular.
Empress-Queen Maria Theresa. Maria Theresa, 1717-1780. Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, and wife of Emperor Francis I of Austria. One of the most interesting and notable women in history.
THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
By A. CONAN DOYLE
Edgar Allan Poe was the first author to succeed in the “detective story.” His Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget, and The Purloined Letter are among the first stories of their type. Since Poe’s time there have been all sorts of detective stories,—good, bad, and indifferent,—from cheap penny-dreadfuls to elaborate novels. Poe’s method has been followed in nearly every one, whether written in this country, or abroad, as by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in England, Émile Gaboriau in France, or Anton Chekhov in Russia.