New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-10-09
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE MISTRESS OF THE MANsE.

THE MISTRESS OF THE MANsE. BY J. g. HOLLAND
limo. PIP Gas. scribner. Armstrong @0o,
The mystery of the Divine Logos as the maniiesta-
ton of universal love furnishes the inspiring motive
of this noetical domestic romance. In few terse
stangas At the commencement of the tale, Dr. Holland
nresents the basis of his endeavor in an exposition
Of the philosophy of feeling and expression, There
10 Init one mighty Word In the Universe of which all
poetry is only the faint and imperfect utterance All
the forms of human language, all phrases OF the
books and schools are but the weak attempts TO
sneak the ineffable omnipresent Word. The mani
fold voices of Nature all tend to the same purpose
No tree rears its crest flower cleaves the sod no
bird sings in the vocal AZURE but tries to syllable
the thought of God. The sole meaning OF TINS stu"
pendous Word is Love. This breathes o soul INTO
the whole creation and reveals the divine Shechlnah
which is throned behind the vail OF the Temple Inc
poem aims to give expression to this Word by Illus
tratipc the spiritual beauty of the affections in the
form of holy and gracious womanhood.
Mildred the heroine of the romance, is a maiden
of the South whose heart had been won by Philip,
an eloquent Northern preacher, and who IS intro
duced upon the scene on her arrival at the rural
manse of which she is be the future mistress The
young bride, distrustful of herself is haunted by
the fear that she may be regarded as the mere
satellite of her husband, instead of being loved ana
cherished for her own sake.
The
"Oh happy moon !" the lady said;
Men love thee for thysef but
Am loved because my life is wed
To one whose message, pure ana hign'
Has spread the worlds evangel far,
And thrown such radiance through the dark
That men behold him as star,
And in his gracious coming mark
How beautiful his footsteps are"
Yet she is treasured by the thought that each OBJ
ject in Nature has its peculiar beauty. its own
title TO sympathy and love- The moon takes not all Its
hight from the fiery SUM- His splendors are colored
by the shapes on its white disk, and acquire soft
ness that tempers their flaming ardor The altar
however majestic. sanctifes the humblest gift Mil
bred gives vent to her souls questonings in brief
sohloQuy:
"The stars are winter for the blue;
The sky Is deeper for the stars
Thew give and take III commerce true,
And lend their beauty TO the cars
OF downy dusk, that all night through
"Ron DER the void on silver wheels;
IL loved the less that it reveals
beauty all ITS OwD endowed
BY all the wealth its beauty steals.
Am a dew-drop in a rose,
With no significance apartf
Must but sparkle in repOse
Close TO its folded, fragrant heart,
Its peerless beauty 10 disclosef
"woud not toll TO win his bread,
Aud give him all have 10 give
Would not die IN his sweet stead,
And die IN joyi But must live;
And, living must still he fed
"On love that comes in loves own right.
They must not pet, or papper me
Those who rejoice beneath mis- light
Or pity him, that can be
So precious In his priDcely sight"
There was no lack of devotion to the fair bride on
che part of the husband-lover.
To Philip, Mildred q child,
Or a fair angel, to be kept
From all things earthly uudetiled,-
Ore who upon his bosom slept.
Aud only walked TO De Degulied
From loneliness and bomely care
BY loves unfailng ministry.
No toll OF his she 20 share,
No burden hers, that should not be
Lett for his stronger hands TO bear.
His love eDwrapped her n robe,
Which seemed by its supernal charm,
To shield from every poisoned probe
OF earthly pain and earthly harm
This choice creature OF the globe.
The love he bore her lifted him
Into a bright, sweet atmosphere
That filed with beauty to the brlm
The world beneath him. far and near,
And stained the clouds that draped its rim.
Toll not toll except in name,
Care not care but only means
To feed with holy OIL the flame
That warmed her soul and lit the scenes
Through which her figure went and came.
In the routine of their daily life. cOnsecrated by
mutual duties and mutual trusts, adorned with the