AN AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 129, 2 June 1908, Page 2

AN AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE.

THE NEW IDEAi

The New Idea, easily the most widely, circulated woman's .magazine iii Australasia, has increased its price Ixj sixpence, and more than justified the move by an advance in the quality, the quantity, and the get-up of the contents. This popular magazine becomes .more thoroughly Australasian with each step,in,.its progress. In the enlarged issues before us are some of the finest little stories, sketches, pictures and verses that any niagazine has produced on this side of the world. Mary Gilmore, a, writer of exceptional sweetness, and a poet of great charm, begins here a' series k>i memories of childhood spent in the tush—a series that might grace any njagazine 'in the world. They are -illustrated by an artist of the front rank, Albert Enes, who^e -pictures tHoroughly catch the spirit of the ncf&tteri Miss Hattie F. Hopkins, a •daughter of "Hop," the most famous :C£rtooni;st in Australia, has begun to -contribute short, bright stories, and these are being illustrated by a yqung Melbourne artist, Laurie Taylor, who is' displaying remarkable facility both in line and brush-work. First-class ■writers, and experts in their own line, have been engaged to write successive articles on all sorts of topics. Charles Barrett, ' for example, begins a Nature-study series, through which runs a love interest that makes it ■ practically a complete novel^. whilst Jacqueline Gore takes the time-worn subject of "How to be Beautiful," ' and weaves it into the, love-^tory of a bush-girl. A capital serial story by.a leading novelist, and a number of jsl?.or^,. complete tales make up the tally of the story-element. The Fashion side has . been strengthened by the engagement of Monsieur -Worth, the celebrated Parisian dressmaker, to write a number of articles, advising readers how to dress with taste and economy. In addition, a system has been adopted for the supply of paper patterns of any of the printed designs in the magazine, and as upwards of forty designs appear in each issue, covering the whole range of the fashions of the month, readers nave the advantage of being able to put 'Monsieur Worth's advice to a practical test. The New Idea patterns are, as a matter of fact, achieving a reputation for correctness and up-to-dateness. On the domestic side, there are strong departments devoted to all phases of a woman's life, and page after page'" 'of sound, common-setose advice are given each month. The editor caters for the amusement and profit of his readers by running a number of competitions. Chief of these is the picture-puzzle contest. JSach month nine little pictures are printed, each representing the name -of, an author (and a list from which the authors are taken is supplied)* and at the end of twelve months the first prize-winner' is to be awarded a fre trip to Japan and back;' on another page, six current fashions are printed, and for the exercise of good taste in placing these fashions, it^is *ojjeii to readers to win £10 to £>$) in actual cash every month. Altogether, we know of no magazine ■of* its size and price that gives so wj&le, so varied^ and so excellent a collection of reading matter as The New Idea. .