Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-11-26
Hayard TayIor,s Note sad Amicos!

RayRrd TRy1Or's Note eAu Amicos'
The article to which Bayard Taylor's friendly
and interesting note refers was written in defer
eice to the fact that his newly-made collection
o, poems presents afresh certain forms OF ex-
preston which had been before remarked and
which now excited the attention of a leading
literary authority. These, retained by the poet
in collecting the work of several years for a new
book, seemed to invite, If indeed they did not
challenge, something more than the passing OBJ
servation of readers, and we therefore undertook
to speak OF them-by no means critically, but in
fact with anxiety to avoid the remotest approach
to criticsm-n the light Of what have been un-
derstood to be the facts of the case That these
facts we're personal and local was due necessarily
to the nature Of the passages to which they refer,
those in the " Home Pastorals" being descrip-
tive of the poets own outlook upon particular
locality, and of its features as they presented
themselves to his view.
The lines which are quoted by their author
from the hexameter OF August" as signifying
the resolution of aesthetic if not ethic differences
into a condition of actual content, are not more
significant Of that, certainly, than those "Ad
Amicos" which, being prefxed to the volume,
and employed, as Mr.. Taylor says, as "dedica-
tory stanzas," we candidly chose to take "a
the true tone and inspiration of the whole" We
thought they interpreted the poet his muse
really deserved, and in doing him that act of
Justice did not wait for the citation which he
now presents.
II we have been wrong in understanding that
the poet failed to share the ''reformatory enthu
siasms" that blow over the hills of Chester
county, and which swell sometimes to gale at
Longwood or indeed if we have formed an
erroneous impression in supposing that he deci-
dedly differed from many if not most OF the par
ticulsr objects which they represented his note
is accepted most frankly as modification OF
these impressions, go far as he may intend to
modify them. His desire for "the higher intel
lectual and moral development of man s not tc
be questioned the point whore differences
most frequently arise is at the selection of the
precise methods of development, and here, il
has been declared, the differences did arise tt
which we alluded.
The result shows that we ought to have said
simply, "Mr. Taylor uses wine, and not to hav'
employed euphemistic expression, for as he
fairly remarks the latter conveyed entirely toe
much. Not "entirely abstinent" was all tina
was meant Of course, and all that was though
Of, for the allusion simply was to difference
which outgsew between the opinion on one hant
that total abstinence is necessary, and the opn
ion ON the other that the moderate use Of PURE
wine is beneficial.
Our readers in this quarter of the world wht
are now enjoying Mr.. Tayor's poems would d.
well, no doubt to cut out his note elsewher
printed and paste it iu their copy of the bool;
1t illuminates expressions which may otherwis
go misconstrued, and it contributes, we conceive
to better understanding between the autho
and those who appreciate his productions.