New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-10-20

a., ;noo,ir;h,.,,rou Faust that humorous er' a.
tn-e Ch;,ac HarGd I,ow ..aag Of qaps and
W. - fun i.
crpnks Is Ulysses! How running over VIII
Eneas, IN SHAT perpetual sisgle + 'oh" VI.
tons Satan That Mr. LcngfeToH' IN ''e IA.
Of these merry examples should Se"'n'' IT.
.olicit public emotion IS intoleras'e'
suihor OF Wilkins and hi. Dinah. IS the haa
for our money, or At least for The AHsH"Sms'
Another principal objection 10 Nr. lscngieiio" Is
that his poems "do not stir, exalt aid strengthen
the writer IN III, 1th,neHr'. This IL especlaiV
unfortunate because il is painfully evident that
subsection 10 either OF the progresses would do 'he
writer aforesaid no harm. But We are Reminded
OF DIR. ,Johnsons famous careHi against being COM
f.Ied to find both arguments and brains. Mr..
Lonefrlluw is not Orpheus. The stones may not
move vh,n he sings. This is his misfortune.
Other poets, we trust, are luckier Oiher poets
wc trust stir" the writer. until he dlla;cs with
emotion. exalt hin until he - seems to shake
.. the spheres, ard " strengthen hin uu'h ~ u
Samson of pen and ink. Mr.. Longfelow ia,
as we are told, especially the Young ladies poet.
This critic il very tough old indy, and Mr.. l..
does not suit her at all. She likes brand, in her
Bohea.
And she i. a very candid old lady, too. There is
lust one pretty line in Mr.. Longfellow 8
Miles Standish," and another poem, she admlts'
has one fine line" OF the minor poems, one
is striking This kind Of criticism is profitable
to the critic 1t shows that he means to De
fair. When man, to the best OF his ability
damns nine hundred and nnety.nine lines, and ad-
mits that the thousandth is tolerable everybody
sees Al once that he intends TO be honest. He has
written from = sense of stern, imperious and in
eyitable duty and is only too glad 10 plaster the
wound which memorable justice compelled him to
give. He would not quite kill the unfortunate
author. 80 he praises; and to tell the truth his
praise is sometimes harder to bear than his blame.
This is not the place inwhich to critically estimate
| Mr.. Longfcllow's genius or performance. But II
| can do no harm to say, here or anywhere that
writer who in these days of multtudnous and mu'
Hilarious strum,nng contriyes to be popular and al
the same time decent, is deserving OF at least fail
| treatment The temptation to inquire after thu
! great living poets of England is considerable, bu
we feel and acknowledge the faacy of that descrip
| ton of argument II there is anybody writin!
poetry at present in Great Britain who does no
furnish ample opportunity to clever man 10
"a smash We viii pay pound sterling for hi
Name There are fine writer's living in that rathe
prosaic island, but no faultless ones. If we shou
talk of the incomprchensibity of Mr.. Browning
of the literary sluttishness of Mr.. Browning's wife
of the .ugar-candy and curlpaper style of Mr.. Ten
| nyson. and of the maniac rawlings of Mr.. Matthew
| Arnold, We should do those gifted songsters som
injustice We could 30 talk of them; aH4a inou
sands of honest people would sdip down our censur
az just. But tie day of such criticism has gone by
| Al least, we have no inclination to prolong it.