The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-18

and most purely critical chapter in the volume
The paragraph upon the Partially accorded to
German poetry above that of the Latin Ian
guaces. on account OF it's Saxon element and
consequent sympathy with our own speech
is SO original, just and acute that want of space
only forbids its transcription here. Mr.. Fiske's
theory of the two distinct methods of transla-
ton is open to criticism, however. 1t leaves
no middle way where the translator may go
safely-but sees only upon the one hand the
austere rocks of liberalism, and upon the other
the bewildering whirlpool of free paraphrase.
In Dante Rossetti's preface to his admirable
translation of the "Vita Nuova" and some
works of the circle of poets which were Dante's
contemporaries, is to be found SO clear, so full
and practical comment upon the transator's
art, that all difficulties of theory-not of course
of practise which are of individual application
seem at once solved by it. A word upon MI.
Longfellow's liberalism may not be out Of place
Eere, lest previous mention of that trait seem
to lack appreciation of its worth, when en-
ployed as his is. Mr. Lopgfelow possesses a
peculiar power of moulding words to his mean
ing and following with strong, sure touch the
outlines of his copy. This trait found admira
bic room for its legitimate display in his Di-
vine Tragedy-an undertaking almost auda-
cious in seeming, from the sacred ma
ture of the subject; and, in literary
point of view, from the parallel OF its title with
the sDivina Commedia. but so reverently, SO
closely has the poet transcribed the scriptural
words, so pure and so harmonious is his verse,
that it becomes a pious work, an atarpiece
which the artist has painted kneeling.
The notice of the performance in our city of
Mr.. j. K. Paine's ''St. Peter" which Mr..
Fiske wrote for the Atlantic Monthly of July,
1873, will of course have much interest for
Portland readers. 1t is an extended, minute
and technical critique, following in many
points the review of the oratorio in the PRESS,
the m ornipg after the performance. AS
musical critic, Mr. Fiske evidences cultivation,
solid generous appreciation, not especially i'm.
aginative and at times slightly conventional.
His remarks upon the relative sentiment of
final cadences; his spirited reasoning upon the
comment of the Nation upon the occasion, as
usual, over-nice and over-wise; ard his gener-
GUS praise of the Portland cherus, and appreca-
ton of the ORCHESTRAL difficulties with which they
SUCCESSFULLY Cutcuueu-pION6 MI. Il lSh6 10 D6
an impartial, solid and kindly critic.
The other essays and reviews of the volume
have the merits already denoted, and are judi
cious. sincere and reliable in tone.
ROBINSON CRosoE's MONEY. By David A Wells
New York: Harper & Brothers. For sale BY
Loring Short & Harmon.
The attempt of David A. Wells to convey
sound financial knowledge in the form of a
story is highly successful one. The tale will
be heartily commended by all hard-money
men who read it-and all should-and its argu-
ments must command a grumbling acquies-
cence from whatever soft-money men can be
induced TO lcok over its pages. The construc-
ton of the story is certainly open to criticism
from an artistic standpoint, the transitions
from the imaginary Crusoe Island to this
blessed country of ours often being abrupt and
confusing, but it is vastly entertaining both as
tale ard as clever satire. Mr. Wells scarts
with the discovery by Robinson Crusoe of the
three great bags of money in a chest, which
were utterly useless to the exile because they
possessed no utility, no exchangeable value,
and no price. But with the coming of other
people to the island a new social order of
things is established. The story opens with
condition of things in which money had clearly
neither utility dor value, and goes on to show
under what change of domestic circumstances
it :became useful, acquired value, became an
object of exchange, and constituted standard
for establishing prices. As the tale progresses
the inhabitants experiment with different kinds
of currency, 60 to war and get into debt, adopt
paper money, and suffer therefrom much as
vpa enffar ho oh
have obtained in history in reference to ex.
change, money, or currency, are committed by
the people, and mercilessy exposed by the
author.
Mr.. Wells announces in his preface that the
book took its origin in suggestion by certain
prominent friends of hard. money of a prepara-
tion for popular reading of tract or essay in
which the elementary principles underlying
the important subjects of money and currency
should be presented and illustrated from the
simplest A B G standpoint. Finally it was
concluded to make a story the medium for COM
municating instruction, and SO remote island
community was imagined, in which, starting
from conditions but one remove from barba-
rism, but gradually rising 10 high degree of
civilization, the progress, the use, and the
abuse Of the instrumentalities and mechanism
of exchange-through barter, money and cur
rency-were traced consecutively, and the
effect of the application of not few of the
most popular fiscal recommendations and theo-
res Of the day practically worked out and re-
corded Thus a subject, commonly regarded
as dry and abstract, is invested with sufficient
new interest to render it at once attractive and
ineligible to those whose tastes disincline
them to close reasoning and investigation.
The intentions of the author have been happily
carried out, and the result is a volume which
should be placed in the hands Of every Ameri-
can voter. Hard-money men will do good mis-
sionary work by interesting themselves in its
distribution 1t is published in paper cover
and sells for fifty cents.
SoNGsioN RELIGION AND LIFE. By John Stuart
BlacFie. New York: Scribner, Armstrong & Co.
For sale by Loring, Short g. Harmon.
Professor Blackie is we'll known as the au-
thor of very scholarly work entitled "Four
Phases of Morals" and of an excellent vol
ume on "Self-culture,' but, however success
full he may be in prose didactics, his verse will
not add to his prestige. When metaphysician
deliberately seats himself to the composition
OF verse, with the dim uncertainty whether it
turn out "a song or sermon, 1.-THE odds are
greatly in favor of the sermon. And nothing
is less inspiring than rhymed theology, hex
ameter philosophy, and the cosmos set to
ballad. The theory upon which Professor
Blaskie forms his poetry is rather depressing,
and seems unnatural in Professor of Greek,
who must surely have known the delight of
beauty, unfettered by didactic intent, in the
poems of the oldtne singers. The purpose
with which these poems of his are written is
he says, "the cultivation of religious reverence
without sectarian dogmatsm to reg
ulate the conduct of life,' &c. &c, adding
'all true poetry is a concrete philosophy
This polemical passion Of the Scotchman is
arranged in short, hard phrases-showing The
undue influence of German verse, whose tight
packed mannerism is doing to death the tai
ent of some of or English-speaking poets
and the effect of Professor Blackie's large.
philosophical, logical, but, alas, utterly unpo
eticai work set painfully to dance to favorite
German airs, is decidedly heavy 1t is with
out intention of disparaging the authors tai
ant. nd mira hla in its dam ri Of