Hannibal journal and western union. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1851-1852, 1851-11-27
A Glimpse Of the Elephant,
WRITTEN ron TIE JOURNAL AND UNION.
n BY ONE OF THE IEITIATED.
q - @
Continued.
Continued.)

Campbell: his talents, or perhaps more proper
ly, his poetical feelings were Of high, but not
nearly Of the highest order his conceptions were
many Of them beautiful, but they are by no
means impressive in the FULLEST sense to The
reader. They were not forcbly depicted Upon
his own mind for he conveys his ideas to his
reader with great facility, and Ms versi6cstion
is harmonious, but on the whole, confess es-
TEEN Campbell inferior to many Of his competi-
tors in the Aowery paths of Parnassus."
"And who are they that excel him?, The
Lake School?'' Tyndall inquired
"No,' replied the critic, Gin my opinion,
Campbell far surpassed all who may be called
disciples of that school-W Wordsworth, Southey,
Cottle, Coeridge, Keats and Shelley; but on the
other hand, think him far inferior to Burns,
Scott, Moore and Byron"
"Well, DUST now, Wordsworth ard Southey,
especially, are regarded By many ne greater pc
cts than the older masters, Dryden, Pope and
Thompson" Tyndall said. .
"Tfet may be- said his companion; ''but ia
sb;on neither, makes nor detracts from poet
The SON a; De Nunnez informed Gil Bias that
he and his cotei,ie were higher IN public estlma-
ton than Saavedra o. L2pe de Vega, yet the lat
ter were men of the loftGst geniusIthe lorner'
asses. There was time l"hen Shakespeare
was considered antquated. In the laS' century
III noe +asers held johnson to be the CON um'na-
t;o5 81 noeto;,,. well as Literary excellence
and Goldsmith but 9 mere driFeller, yet they
did not succeed in exciting Or, johnson to the
highest seat upon Parnassus--nay, us meirlcal
eiilsions in the decision of posterity are httle
admired, while the works OF NoG Goldsmith are
read and admired wherever the English Ian
Iguage is spoken. Pope himself found many en-
emies and detractors IN his life time, and when
!Bowles first published bis structures, Pope's
memory was almost without a champion, until
Byron appeared; SO you see eGrtssfao amigo
that it is not present popularity which consti-
tutes a poet"
"And Pope was the greatest poet of 'em all;
al least there was more philosophy about him
than all the balance" quoth Flint, who needs
must set mp also, for Daniel come 20 judg-
Iment.
/ eyes, Chaloner responded. "Pope is enti-
tied to the precedence as the most philosophic
bard. His works show an intimate acq,iaint-
anoe with the full scope Of the human mind, and
the foibles and preiudices by which it is swayed
and diverted from things of greater moment
Pope initiated Horace TO a considerable extent
and vet not too servilely, for think that his sa-
tires and epistles lose nothing by comparison
with those of the Latin,
Tyndall, unwilling to abandon his proteges as
vet, said:
"Well, Harry, what place do you then assign
to Wordsworth, in your scale Of poetical emil
nence?"
"His post is low one" was the answer
81 believe in Byron's creed:
"Thou shalt believe in Milton, Dryden, Pope,
Thou shalt not trust TO Wordsworth, COlerdee, Sou
they,
Because the fl st is efazed beyond all hope,
The second drunk-,he third quaint and mou
thy"
Tyndall was beginning to answer, and insist
upon the number and magnitude OF the works Of
his fayorte bards when Chsloner interrupted
him by saying:
s.Ie voluminousness Of matter is made the
standard then Sir Richard BlackmUre and Sii
, William D'Avenant are entitled TO greater fame
I than any of their successors, but e
"A bard may sing too often and too long,"
! as both Southey and Scott have proven to the
cost"
"Southey's utlaint1iess ought TO form no objec
ton TO YOU, as | think you profess great vener.
ton for Chaueer aDa Spencer, and the elder po
cts" replied Tyndall. ru
I ''But his quaintness is Of very diileren
E character. His epies look about Ike knight o
the nineteenth century dight in The armor n
/. ancestor wore during the time OF the Crusades'
:, replied Chaloner. ~
Isupposc. admit that he was truly poet?'' san
! ITyndall, demurely,
! .,Yes,n said Chaloner, II am willing to accOr
4 Ito him the third place among the poets OF TN
'senturv-not equal to Byron and Moore, b'
little their inferior" o.
@ "Well, am glad to find there have been som
poets in these latter days, but hope my DEF
ic friend and fellow pitcher" Mr.: Tyndall pu
N sued. uvou surely do not hold Don Juan equ
u to the Lady of the Lake, or Marmion?" o
,sNo, | do not; nor do hold SCOTS eiiuSlol
eouol 10 Don Juan. The style is essential
le ditIcrent; we had as we'll compare Don QuiXo
Ito Rown's -. But do not think Don j.
: an by any means Byron's masterpiece. lnilnlt
y Iv nIefeI the Island, the Gaiour, and the Go
sair, and particularly Childe Harold q,
"You are not then, such an enthusiastic vot
!. ,'ry of Byron, Harry, as to be blind 10 the IN
e II bat he had some defects" obseryed iyhdah.
'Iacknowledged he had many and great II
= (uerfeotions. both as man and an author;
~ 90 his Temperament fostered by edueNiic
80 indeed irrascible, and bitter drops wiu
y ,oiled forth from the fountains Oh ms Glsa
,'o;n,mcnts. and morbid passions miAgleu
y Pointod with the full majestic tide o1 song
! mrcd out SO profusely, but where since M
: p Is his equal in splehdor Of dlenon, 81
: ton T,ssneare. in knowledge OF the pulsalons
! Sha MI. since Dante, in the magmhsenee Oh
itlo o he beheld every scene WIN INC eye ~
age,!, Nd all OF the groupings he mas PoIuay g
lpa ~ oW the characters he mas ucso,,oSS ~ ~
an nich Uesque and natural ro''an'i' anu y