These make up far the greater part of life's reality, and, if truth be the essence of poetry, they must be poetical. . . . Passion has too often usurped the place of reason, and a selfish sensitiveness been fostered, instead of that healthful sentiment of complacency in the happiness of others, which all high exercise of the mental faculties should exalt and encourage. It is this enlarging and elevating the affections, which improves the heart and purifies the taste. And this is one important office of true poetry-such poetry as Miss Gould has written. Then she has a very felicitous command of language, and the skill of making the most uncouth words 'lie smooth in rhyme,' which the greatest poet of the age might envy. . . .
Wit is a much rarer quality than wisdom in female writers. . . .
Miss Gould's sprightly wit has the advantage of appearing quite original. She, however, uses it with great delicacy, and always to teach or enforce some lesson . . . . The mania for melancholy and despairing poetry, which the Byronian era introduced, never found any favour in the clear, calm, sensible mind of our poetess. Her philosophy is as practical and contented as her piety is ardent. Her poems will be popular while truth has friends and nature admirers, and while children are readers.