The New York herald., 1874-12-28
NEW LITERATURE.
EmerSon'S lnthOlOgy---Where He Culled
His Lyric Flowers.
ANCIENT AND MODERN ADVERTISING.
Literary Pap for Young
America.


PARNAssus. Edited by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Small Svo. 534 PIP. Boston: J. r. Osgood Il Co.,
1875.
The poetic volume with the above unique title
which the Philosopher OF Concord. himself poet
OF no mean Skill, has given US, bears the impress
OF his own peculiar taste and culture. The
volume, he tells US in the preface took its origin
from the old habit OF copying any poem or lines
that interested him into blank book. "Tne
belief that what charmed me PROBABLY might
charm Others suggested the printing Of my en-
larged collection" Admitting, with Mr.. Emerson,
the convenience and merits OF the existing an
thoiogies, IT must be conceded that the majority
Of them are too bulky and too crowded with CON-
monpace poems TO make them perennial
favorites with the lovers of the genuine
poetic faculty. MI. Emerson's "Parnassus"
" limited to an anthology OF English and
American poets, and In bulk is only about half the
size OF Mr.. Dana's "Book OF Household Poetryn
or Of the more recently published Library Of
Poetry and Song" which passes under the name
OF Mr.. Bryant. although the selection was made
BY other hands, he contributing the preface.
While Mr.. Emerson's volume is compact with
good things. 1t Is inevitable tnar many readers
VIII ind some OF their prime favorites in the
poetic realm excluded. Some writer's who pass for
much in the vast collections OF Chalmers ana
Johnson and Anderson not here represented
by so much as scrap. Mr.. Emerson is q firm be.
never in the poets who were born, not made. He
says "there are two classes OF poets-the poets
By education and practice: these We respect;
and the poets by natures these We love.n
II is not surprising to ind, in accord
sncs with this principle, that the largest
place IL given In Mr.. Emerson "Parnassus" to
Chaucer, Herbert. Herrick. Shakespeare, Milton,
Burns, Wordsworth and Tennyson. There Is moth
ing from those twin bards Of the hothouse school,
swinburne and Rossetti, nor is there a line from
Edgar A. Poe, Thomas Buchanan Read or Bayard
Taylor. The selections from Longtellow, with
characteristic good sense, omit the hackneyed
Excelsior" "Psalm OF Lie" and "Footsteps OF
Angels. }" while Mr.. Emerson prints the whole OF
"rhe Birds OF Kilingworth,n which, indeed, con-
tains poetry enough to set up hall dozen mod
ern minstvels. Some readers win consider, doubt
less, That Mr.. Emerson has given TOO much prom.
nence TO the poets oil the ElIzabehan age; yet the
great revival OF interest In that literature among
all scholars Of late years completely justiies this
prominence. with Mr Emerson, as with all dis.
cerning writers, shakespeare remains the supreme
artist in poetry.
There are some solecisms and unexpected
''nndsn In this anthology "a favorite poems. Thus
Mr. Emerson among his rather redundant speci.
mems OF poems OF the civil war, gives stedmans
"John Brown OF ossawatomie," Randall's "My
MaryladA,- y BrowDel's "The Bay Fight' and "The
OId Cave,n Mrs. Howe's "Battle Hymn" and two
or three OF LoweL's Yankee dialect poems. And
We venture 10 say that no man born out OF Massa-
cnusetts would print the album verses OF such
poets as John Quincy Adams and Daniel Webster
In volume bearing the title OF "Parnassus"
There are evidences OF Mr. Emerson's fine dis
strewn through the preface TO his book. Thus
"Poetry teaches the enormous force OF lew
words, ami. in proportion to the inspiration.
checks ioquacity IL requires that splendor OF ex-
preston which carries with 1t the proof OF great
thoughts The poets are they who see that spirit
ual ID greater than any material force; that
thoughts rule the worldn or delightful old
George Herbert he says, $50 much piety was
never married TO so much w.t." Tennyson, says
Nr. Emerson, .has Incompatible felicity in all
poetic forms, SURPRISING in melody also. The
variety Of his poems dscioses The wealth and the
health OF his mind"
A HISTORY on ADVERTISING FROM THE EARLIEST
TINES. Illustrated by Anecdotes. curious Specl-
mems ana Biographical Notes. by Henry Samp-
son. l2mo. ole PIP. London: Chatto Windus,
1874.
This snowy and handsome book is the first at
tempt, outside OF the various histories OF the
newspaper press 10 give us the origin. the philoso-
ply and the curiosities OF the advertising business
Az such the book ilIs gap, which IT is surprising
70 find has remained SO long unified in this book
making age. Beginning aiar OF in the realm OF
ancient history, with the Greek crers and the
Roman wall painted advertisements Mr. Sampson
brings us down to the latest devices for catching
public notice through the newspaper press OF the
modern Babylon. His book is dscursive and dis
connected. but so also Is his subject. The curious
examples OF advertising in various ages and coun-
tries, the oddities of expression and the photo
Autograph ac-similes OF ancient journals give a
perpctuay shifting interest 10 the work. 1t Is
inaiflerentiy well written, and the reader must
depend more upon the curiosity and inherent IN
tercst OF the subject than upon any felicity or
lnish OF style.
Advertising, as a newspaper custom, is not Above
zoo years old; but a. an art tor giving publicity -
sales, pubic entertainments and business or vari
Gus kinds, advertising appears TO have been well
known for centuries before the Christian era.
Street advertising, OF which so much Is done by
tie walking dummies OF nowadays, was unGles-
tionably derived from the Romans. With the un-
earihng oil Hercuaneum and Pcmpcii, which went
under in the year 70 oi tue Christian era. came the
revelation OF walls covered WITH notices Of differ
eni kinds painted IN black or red. They bear a
volnminous testimony rs TO tue state %! Iciety,
the habitual wants aud the standard ol public
taste OF the Romans in tnai age. Advertisements
Of dramas and gladiators are common. Here rs
one:-
AedRis Famaia. G1aliotoria. Pugnabt.
pompeis. TT. a. Js4nfds. Ie4GtO et Teig. That
is:-'1he troop OF gadiatoTs ~ the Aedlle VIII
hgh, at pomptii on the nrst kalend OF June, and
there Will he boar-DaltDg or hunting, and an avn
ing TO keep Oh the SUM-
Many OF these advertisements we're found under
the porticos OF the baths AZ Pompei,. Houses we're
found win notices oi premises 10 et or sell painted
on the doors or nxed BY placards 10 the houses.
IL was the practice 10 have on Roman houses
piece OF the wall whitened 70 receive inscriptions
or notices. Gne Roman booksellers we're accus
toned To placard the titles of new books or manu-
script rolls they had Tor sale upon their shops.
In the Middle Ages pubic criers we're weIi
nsed Institution on tho Continent, and In France
were formed into corporation as early as the
thirteenth century. They we're regulated by