The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-03-05
HONOLULU HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, MARCH s. 1870

most solemn injunctions of secrecy. According
TO Mrs. Stoves own statement, % the trustees in
whose care these papers were placed declared that
they could not be fully published, and that they
should regret anything that should call public
tention once more to the discussion of her his
tory" These papers, in the words of Lady
Byron's will, Z" the trustees were alone to make
use of as they might judge to be best for the in
terests of her grandchildren" The true story of
Lady Byron's life will probably be written
until the bank vaults give up these sealed papers.
Meanwhile, good an authority rs tho New York
Tribune says of Mrs. Stoves course in the mat
ter: 50 She determined that Lady Byron's will
should not be respected. We do not believe that
a grosser breach of trust was ever committed
with good motive.''
But enough of this deplorable affair. The holi-
day season has brought us pleasanter books tban
the 50 Vindication.'' One of them is j R. Lowell's
new poem, 90 The Cathedral 1t is a pretty
flower of culture, though in no sense grand
poem. 1t is appropriate to the holiday season
it is the confectionery of poetry, cathedral imi
tated in frosted sugar. When shall we have
poet that is at once artist and a masculine
thinker? Tennyson's new poem, the Holy
Grail is just out, growth of the same spirit of
delicate culture which has produced Lowell's
poem 1t is 80 double-distiIled thoughts expressed
in doubledistilled language" With all Tenny
sons great talents, there is about whatever he
writes an ineffaceable impression of ilagree. No
living poet is abreast with the finest thought of
the age. Lowell is finical; LOngfellow is a rever-
beration of delightful echoes TennysOn is rhymed
orthodoxy Browning buzzes unintelligibly like
a hy entangled in web Of speculation Bryant
never attains an emotional temperature higher
than zero Emerson and Walt. Whitman are
wonderful thinkers, but their poems artistic
ally without form and void. Anglo-Saxon poetry
is, during the present generation, affair of the
holidays.
The drama revives with the new year, the prin-
cipal attractions promised being Fechter, the
German-French-E English actor and Edwin Booth.
Last week Mr. Booth, who lives, since his mar
riage, few months ago. to Miss McVickar, in an
elegant house under the roof of his own theatre,
gave brilliant reception to his friends, at which
the company, though small, was the choicest that
New York could give. Such another reception
was given by Mrs. Youmans, formerly Mrs. Judge
Lee, Of Honolulu, few evenings previously.
Among the guests noticed Professor and Mrs.
Stowe. Horace Greeley, and other Hterah of hardly
less celebrity. Professor Youmans, by the way,
retired lately from the editorship of AppIeton's
Journal, and the vacant position was filled by Mr..
Robert Carter, of Philadelphia.
1t may interest the readers of the AdUe,fiSer to
know that the editorship of Harper's Magazine
has passed from the hands of Mr.. Guernsey to
Mr.. Henry NJ. Alden, late editor of Harper's
Weekly. The New York Times is still without a
head, the management being unable to supply as
yet the vacancy caused by the death of Mr.. Ray
mOnd. The frst-rate journalist is exceedingly
rare article in the American market.
A weekly periodical, called the Universe,
is to make its appearance here on the 9th inst.
1t Is q continuation of the weekly known to
Western readers as the ChicagOan, and will aim
to be the leading organ of the Spiritualists.
Stephen Pearl Andrews treatise on % Univers-
ology s." has been long delayed in its appearance.
The work is entirely stereotyped, but will
not be printed for some months to come The
book trade is unusually dull this winter, holiday
sales, especially, being fewer than during any
previous season for many years. \ number of
heavy failures have occurred in other branches Of
business. There is some stringency in the
kets, and general disposition to purchase only
for immediate sales. Yet the trade in many
articles of luxury has not fallen off during the
present holiday season. At Tifany's, and at
Ball Blacks, our principal jewelers., never
saw greater crowds of customers than few days
ago. Evidently there is plenty of money in New
York yet CALAMUs.