The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-11
SOME NEW hooks.


the social asperitier and crudites sup
posed to cramp the play OF fancy In general
must be specially discouraging TO poetry
yet It so happens that we possess a poet who
II distinctively, even curiously, American. We
refer, Of course, to john @. WHITTIER. whose
collected poems, Complete Pocticdi Works OF
John Grcenicdf Whittier, may well rank among
the most creditable and appropriate contribu-
tious to the Centenary year. This earnest and
useful man, who Ia likewise a punctilious and
paiust king artist, owes nothing to class or
cotere. to the atmosphere Of partial praise and
mutual admiration. His reputation has grown
like forest tree. and may reasonably expect
the life Of one. In the eveHn9 OF his days, a
modest singer, who seems never to have sought
prestige by cunning ways, and whose merits
were long eclipsed at home by the transient
glitter Of other names 1nds himself grown dear
TO whole country and very generally accepted
as one OF its truest lyric representatives,.
Mr.. Whittier Is very volumnous, and there
fore inevitably an unequal, writer In the at
tempt to form an estimate Of a given poet In
our day. when the trick Of correct metrical ex-
preston seems to be easily learned, we are con
fronted on the threshold by the question, what
precise distinction have we In mind when we
talk OF rcrs de soc6tt occasional verses and
the ike, as something Disseminated from gen
une poetry, and hesitate to accord the name Of
poet 10 such masters Oh charming rhyme a.
Praed, Tuackeray, and Wendell Holmes7 Some
clear notion OF TINS ulHerehce Is likewise neces-
sary IN grading ana elassilNlnG inc work oil the
greatest artists, since the ncld OF their achieVe
ments IL commonly TOO proau 10 ADMIT every
where tue theory oi riessuoe VOCATION much
iess OF impuIsNe utterance' NOT even these
men sarg as the blrds sing' or u they sometimes
did. not always or often Obviously where the
range Of theme A. wide. and the treat mont a. Z
acted various the chemic neat Oh strong emo
non must many times be wanting ana the coii
chisel OF tue mechanical eraitsman' toiilhg To
Keep BODY or reputation awe not seldom leave
Hs Marks
Tue TACT Is prooaoiy' that all canons OF INTEL
ngent Criticism may DC ueuuceu ron the an
cent dehnition (Which shuts out by the way.
didactic verse; that poets single aim Is to
rouse the emotions, and his instruments the pic
toral power Of the quickened Imagination,
coupled with the musical effects OF song. But
since the wells OF profound feeling must be
sought about the roots OF humanity, In the fun
damental relations of men to one another, and
their surroundings, rather than In the surface
contrasts Of artificial life, 1t NAV happen that
one writer mistakes the proper field OF poetry,
and so produces something trivial or occasional
-rers &c soci6t6, In a Worthwhile another, aim
ing shrewdy enough, through native frigidity
or temporary miscarriage, fails to nre the read
er's fancy. and the result Is merely rythmic,
lacquered prose.
Inherent inertness and clumsy workmanship
are seldom overlooked, and each generation
may be trusted to deal with the latter class Of
poetasters. Kirke White, Montgomery, Alex
ander Smith, aud our American Perciyal were
brought TO bar by their contemporaries. Hut
those accomplished gentlemen who masuuer-
ade In verse, and use the sonnet, as Congreve did
the drama, TO embalm the sentiment Of
high society, whose shortcomings are princi-
pallv due to a narrow and superficial theme, and
whose genre pictures often evlnce considerable
Imagination and a remarkable command Of
ry:bmic mechanism. carry 1t bravely enough for
aseason and sometimes In England have been
thought worthy of the laurel. Moreover, as
these pleasant, polished voices have their mo-
men;s OF genuine fervor and strike now and
then some chord OF universal sympathy, while
on the other hand the strongest works OF the
great singers are marred 10y intervals of languor
and remssness, discrimination In certain cases
becomes question Of averages which is willing
ly left TO later times.
Mr.. whittier can afford to own that he has