The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
HORACE GRANTHAM; or The Neglected Son

By Charles Ilorrochs, Esq. Shaerl.

Ainoug the many works of fiction with which the
literature of the present day abounds there are few
to be met with containing a higher purpose than the
one before us. From the proverbs of the wise King
to the last educational design,f
sages, philosophers,
the training of youth
has engaged the attention o
and statesmen. As in the world of sense "Man never
is, but always to bo blest," so in the world of action
it is to the new generation that all look as a pillar of
trust. It is a natural impulse of human' nature to
turn from present failures and disappointments to
the contemplation of future successes and glory.
Hence many have indulged the dream and entertained
the hope that the children of their care would be as
shining lights to the world, and gain the applause of
their fellow-men. But what right they have to form
such an opinion of the result of their labours, or how
such an hereafter can proceed from the now, might
puzzle the wisest to,determine. The work in ques- I
tion ably depicts the utter heartlessness Of many
parents, exempt from care, immersed in pleasures,
possessed of boundless wealth, who consider their
children as encumbrances that interfere with their
progress, and are only too happy to escape
from all further annoyance, by entrusting to the
hands of unknown, and perhaps unworthy persons,
those heirs of immortality, for whose care they must
render up an account. How, it is asked, can the
young be protected from danger and temptation, if no
encouragement is held out to them. It is the fashion
now-a-days to hold in derision all feeling and senti-
ment; but the cold caculations and levelling doctrines
of materialism will never supply the place of warmth
of heart and loftiness of spirit. If harmony cannot
prevail at home, is it likely to be met with amid the
discords of the world ? The story is very interest-
ing, and there are some characters which form a
pleasing contrast to the above, exemplifying the truth
of the principles laid down, that good is stronger than
evil, and that the apparently hopeless may be saved
by timely aid. Mr. Cecil is the good spirit who in-
terferes to rescue the unfortunate hero from the effects
of his folly and error, occasioned by neglect and mis-
management. Amy is a delightful heroine, full of
grace and intelligence, although, as will be seen, she
is led away too easily by her feelings. Altogether
the perusal of this work insures satisfaction, and a
higher admiration is accorded, when it is remembered
that it has an end and object in its pages, whose im-
portance none can deny, and whose improvement all
must desire; for, after all, the past is over and the pre-
sent passing, then it is to the future that we look
for the day-spring, on the fulfilment of its promise
our hopes must rest. Therefore this narrative espe-
cially concerns the coming, for, as it has been
ably expressed by the author of ".Sybil," " The youth
of a nation are the trustees of posterity." The fol-
lowing extracts will serve to show the object and
style of the work :
" How many youths there are wandering about amid
the busy scenes of life whose parents, though ;,afliluent
and even powerful, never bestow a thought on their
moral training, far less cultivate that natural feeling of
love and duty iu their children which all orignally pos-
sess, and which only becomes blunted when the know-
ledge is at last forced upon them that they aro nothing
more than stumbling-blocks in their path, that they are
looked on not as boons from the Most High, but as in-
terlopers who must indeed be fed, clothed, and -educated
according to their different grades in life, but who are
not worthy of consideration, affection, nay, even com-
mon regard.
"Fathers, fathers of the present generation, ye are all ;
addressed, though some, indeed, form a gladsome con-
trast to the above. Pause and reflect. Do ye,
blame the dissipated, the erring, and the lost; are ye
estranged from those whom God gave and whom in re-
ality no crimes should sunder from ye, for no father
should detest his son—his own flesh and blood ! Pause,
reflect I Is there no neglect on your own parts of those
numberless duties which it should b© the pride and in-
clination of ye all to perform? Has there been that
fond affection, that watchful care in boyhood, that gentle
though firm guidance in youth, which at once attack
the hearts and ensnare the respect of sons. If there has
not think again, and recollect that yo, ye alone are to
blame, and that it is never too late to relent and 'receive
the lost sheep to the paternal fold again.
"At this glorious moment, with the moon shining
above them, in the midst of the most splendid scenery,
and not a sound audible save their own low voices and
the distant murmuring of the waters, it seemed to her
—romantic by nature, and wound up by the iptensity of
her own feelings, which were greatly excited by the
impassioned tone in which her lover had related his
dream—as if they alone wcre inhabitants of the globe,
that all misery and unhappiness had vanished from the
earth, and that in reality they were about to visit toge-
ther some celestial abode of divine love and magni-
ficence.
" She laid her head on his shoulder, and Horace leant
against a tree which now 'overshadowed them, in the full
enjoyment of all that superhuman happiness which can-
not be described, but is well known to those who have
had the good fortune thus to love and be beloved in
return by the one single object of their worship, and
without whom life and all its pleasures would be a worth-
less blank. Oh, glorious moments! immortal seconds of
time! never to be forgotten periods of incomprehensible
joy ! when the senses lose he power of thought for aught
but the present, and the conventional modes of life are
buried in an absorbing and overwhelming sentiment of
mutual love! why are ye so fleeting? why is it impos-
sible to prolong your existence, or to court ye oft and
again from the realms above?;"

NEW MUSIC.
The. Stream and the Wit2ow. Duet.
The Wandering Stars. Duet. .

Farewell ! remember .111 e. Duet.
Say, where shall we Roam. Duet.
The Flower Gatherers. Duct.
The Warrior Page. Duet.
The Angel's Song.
The Vision Romances for the Piano-forte. By Brin-
ley Richards.
Recollections of Wales. By ichards.
Robert Cocks BrinleyßriandnleCo.
The words of these songs are written by J. E.
Carpenter, the music is composed by
Stephen Glover.
" The Stream and the Willow " is a very pretty duet
in Mr. Glover's peculiar style. " Farewell! remem-
ber Me," is the next in merit. " Say, where shall we
Roam " and " The Flower Gatherers" are not re-
markable for novelty, bat are pleasing. " The Wan-
dering Stars" and " The Warrior Page"
are inferior
to the others, especially the latter, which is very si-
milar to the old duet of "My pretty Page- With
these exceptions the collection is very good, though
the words of Mr. Carpenter are worthy of more va-
riety than the music gives them. " The Angel's
Song" and " The Vision" are written with Mr.
Brinley Richards's usual grace and elegance of style,
and will bear comparison with the best of his com-
positions. "The Recollections of Wales " are founded
on the oldest national airs and well carried out.
" The Rising of the Lark" and " The Ash Grove"
are the best, though the others will amply repay the
learner for the difficulties he will encounter.