Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1859-02-04


somewhat preentious volume Of 400 pages, under the
above title issued from the press two or three mouths
since have before copy in red leather bindng pro-
fuscy gilt and ornamented with figure of harp and any
quantity of gngerbreadwork all of which, IT intended to
preuro the lyrical and superior character of the general
contents the book might have been elsewhere more ju
dcously bestowed or saved altogether During its passage
through the press before was sent to the press
the public journals only of Vermont batn other states
had frequently alluded to the work as one that would oes
rably fill vacancy hitherto unsupplied-woud doubtless
possess much merit and attract good deal OF public inter
est Since its publication the book has been more or less
widely heraed by the newspaper press, and SO far as
have seen, for the part in complimentary terms
Now with all difference the superior taste and sagaei
of those who have passed favorable opinon would thank
YOU Mr. Editor to allow my firm but respect
full dissent The volume ostenatiousy paraded forth to
the world as the aud Poetry of Vermont have
perused with degree of and certainly with de-
hope and disposition TO approve and cannot but re-
gard It as failure marked and lamentable Its detects,
both editorial and typographical glarng-I
had we'll nigh said scandalous The writer's whose illusions
included in the work something more than one hun
dred number and of these certainly one half should
have been omitted altogether their productions being
thing but poetical and fully half of the remainder
needed great deal pruning and rctrenchment which
they failed to get
The preface by the edtorwheh by no means carefully
wrttenstaes the design of the work be o represent
the general poetic literature Of Vermont II she had SAID
the design present miscellaneous tumble oil the
genuine poetry and the good rhymes bad rhymes and no
rhymes at all blank in proper and the
banker ah whose innocent authors seem TO have mad no
idea that either metre necessary the clear ana
simple language of poetic truth and beauty, and the amp
tious phraseoogy which apparently in the random and
! g aenrt s1fter
of all Conference or cearness expresonin short, the
motley mixture of very good the terable and the in
toerabe-the horrid yercaton, the poor eoncet, the
wretched imitation and the unmtgaed doggerel poured
forth at one and another under the guise Of poetry
in the Green Mountain State II say If this had been The
design of the volume before me- think that design would
have been fully answered
But should hope that tasteful and intelligent reader
would be so far msled suppose the general poetic LII
eture of the sate otherwise than grossly misrepe-
sente in the work in question. Amles senseless and
measureess doggere no. properly defined by the phrase
poetc iteraturen for is neither poetic literary in
any true sense Does not the compiler of the soeaed
sPoes and Poetry of Vermont know this Surely if she
does not she should ventued upon the task she
has so poorly acccmpshedNor all the apologies and
deprecatng explanations of her preface be made to weigh
so much as a feather in mitigation of this Judgment.
But we are told that the editor did rely solely he
own discretion as selection of the subject matters thai
90 to make up the volume Noshe had the aid and eoun
sell she tells us examining committee of -four gen
temen and several ladies' from among the leadng con
trbutors whom every page Of the manuscript was sub
mited for approval rejection. Indeed And who ar
the afour gentlemen and several ladies' who, among tn
"eading contributors this hopeful performance hay
bent themselves to such infction upon the public
Methinks would be interesting to know precisely VIII
these leadng contributors arefor they have properl
incurred some responsibility nthe premises, if they di
but know it.
The .4th of July Ode, page 81 My Native Mountains,
page rs the "Sougs they most absurdiy term
ed pages 80 o. Eie Angel page 1917 the Crouch
ing Lion page 1922 The May Flower" page 205 son
of the Cobbler page 21 sonnets pages 2oo-26i son
of Owls Head page 329 Dream Of Remorse page 81
and neuty suore of the sordo this bright exam
ming committee really consider such articles proper spec
mems of the general poetic literature Of Vermont! Al
they quite willing have this sort Of @ dodds 20 fort
10 the world with their sanction land do they thnkt vi
prove creditablc the literary taste talent and culture
their Ii they do surely they ought toilet US ha
their names-these brilliant committee and commte
women-that may know who are the poetic arbers,
here among the mountains.
The unmtgaed Scotch trash, page 2Is to ISL also 81
might possibly do for book Of nursery rhymes for re
small children in the land where they talk such nonsens
\ but nothing could be out of place in " Nermo
Book of Poetry except possibly the false grammar al
A. wretched largely displayed in this volume
n paltry limitations of the awatha style of poetry pa
1871 to 1872 page 1885, wholly ntoeraoe to any jr
poetic taste-As to the abortYe and uncouth figures
speech the aectation of lofty and hghsoundng phras
the wretehed obscurites the frequent violations OF gra
u matca rules etc. etc. that dshgue pieces Of some me
r in other respects there end these for specimens
e. the expression glorious bps of heaven, the blue
r. You'd corpse-like tread velvet richness thou
known and any quantity Of similar monstrosites SC
tered throughout the book
1t is refreshing from the contemplation Of ST
ed trash to the poetry,the gems from SAKE Mrs L1
d. Botta, E. R. Campbell Julia wallace-and the very good
er tees by Eastman Cotton Fessenden Wilcox Dr. speuC
Rankin johnson, Mrs. Dorr, Mrs. Wood Smith, and
a others, which appear in this Vermont Book" OF the
pages really readable part might be easily comprised
~ 1907 not Pope would have said lea
er and prunela,n but it is like the poesy,n which
Jeffrey says, neither gods nor men will permit
That the compiler should have given considerable sp
to the ladies, is neither surprising bamabe but
though She her astute committee, ough
have put limit the illusions Of schoolgirls
as school-boys.-The undue prominence given to Z
Ethan, and the extra gorihcation of Vermont by Il
fedglings, also great bore.
A marked fault in the getting up of the work, is the
neglect of all alphabetical arrangement in the tab
contents. You know where to mud any thing
body are left blunder through four FIVE pages
der the general headngof contents and find the ma
article you in pursuit Of, If you can. Such 6
neglect is quite nexcusable.
The book is printed good paper with large fair yI
and that really about all that justly be said
printer. The typographical many staring
provoking. How any body, pretending to be prn
be ignorant Of the rule that in setting up verse, the
that rhyme together should be indented alike land
this volume issued from what is regarded of the
appointed printing establishments in Vermont, Is fu
fragrant violations Of this rule. For samples, pages
q, 49, 23 24, 255, 263, The type used for the
the various authors and that employed in the head
titles to their articles, is quite too much alike to
eye avorablythe slight variation in size being the
perecptible diferenee-which is by sufHeer
such The type for these separate should
been of widely different fonts, somebody Tut
establishment should have been sharp enough to kno
The table of contents should NOT have been printed
tai letters; it is capital offence against the of
graphical taste.
If it be said or thought by any that this notice
Vermont Book is unnecessarily harsh and severe or