The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-12-29

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lence Of every sort.
Governor Hayes has II in his pow.
er to do more for the South than
Governor Tilden can possibly do, as
President. In case the latter comea
into power the old feeling OF Southern
sectiOnalism will be kept alive, and will
become again the same dominant and in.
tolerant element in politics and social life
that it has ever been in the past, and thus
there will be as Of old but one set Of fopin.
ions in the South and one standard Of po.
litical preierment. When such policy
as this again resumes sway it will be an
evil day for the South. srtI
A COMPLIMENT IspEED.-We have
elsewhere copied an editorial notice from
the Ph:ladelphia Bulaia OF Mr., William
Leightons book, "The Sons OF Goodwin"
and since putting 1t in the hands Of the
compositor have seen yet another and
more elaborate notice from the same
paper, touching the singular coincidence
Of its almost simultaneous appearance
from the presr along with poem on The
same subject by the English poet, Tenny-
aon. Tennysou's poem has followed Mr..
Leighton'a about two weeks, and makes
book nearly the same-in aiEs although not
near so taslefully got up.
The Philadelphia Bulletin has criti.
cally examined and compared the two
poems-thus sipgularly enough appear
log together-,he one In England and the
other in this country-and writes about
them as follows: TH.
"The coincidence is quite uuprece.
dented that two poets, separated by about
four thousand miles, should have written
and published simultaneously blank
verse i've act dramas on the same SUBJ
ject. MIR. Alfred Tennyson, the poet
laureate Of England, and Mr.. William
Leighton, Jr, who We believe lives at
Wheeling, in West Virginia, have done
this very thing, the common subject being
the story Of Harold, King OF England, rs it
has been made familiar to novel-readers
by the late Lord Lytton. Mr.. Tennyson
calls his play harold;' Mr.. Leighton
calls his 'fhe Sons OF Goodwin, wishing,
perhaps, to avoid confusion, as the lau-
reate's work has for some time been an.
nounced by name to the public.
This remark does Mr.. Leighton in
Justice, as he did not know Of any pur.
pose on the part Of Tennyson to write
upon this subject.-EDs. INTEL
"When Mr.. Leighton's drama appeared,
fortnight ago, twas commended in this
paper IA a remarkable production for an
unknown author, and bit Of soliloquy
was quoted, as an example, that was al
most subtle enough for Shakespeare him.
seIf. Last week Mr.. Tennysons drama
appeared in this country and in England,
and its character has been indicated in
these columns, hut all direct comparison
with the American work was avoided.
A reader Of the two plays, however,
cannot help comparing the treatment Of
the story Ivy the two artists; for Mr..
Leighton, although not laureate, has
fairly won the right TO be regarded as an
nrtist, and to have his work compared
with that OF the most popular OF Eng lish
poets. 1t is only in certain technical de-
tails Of the b!auk verse, OF which Tenny-
son 10 ali acknowledged master, that his
play is superior to I-eightUns. For as a
drama, either for acting or residing,
Leighton's is much the better Of the two.
II has better selection OF the incidents
Of the story, and in those where the Sc
lection is the same with both authors, the
American shows much more vigor than
the Englishman.
There are larger number OF charac.
tiers In THE Sons Of Goodwin than in
Harold and they are conceived and do.
veloped with uchgreater individuality.
Harold himself, as presented by Leigh
ton, il creation Of distinctness, in which
The, weak and the strong traits. are. alike
we'll expressed. Tostig, Morkar, Gurth,
Woinoth, Edward, William, Aldred and
stigand (the two archbishors) and Edith,
are all stronger portraits in the Ameri-
can than in the English work. The Conn.
tess 6ytha, Godwin's widow, whose
mother.loye makes feature in Mr..
Leighton's play, does not appear at all in
Mr.. Tennyson's. There Is the faintest
and vainest attempt in Mr.. Tennyson's to
tighten up the story with little hnmor.
But in Mr.. Leightons the character oil
Mollo, the minstrel or gleeman, serves to
enliyen many Roenes, although he Is not
by any means the clown, or even the con.
yentional court fool.
So far as the dramatic action is con.
cerned, the American work Is superior
to the English. There are many con.
trasts Of feeling and outbursts Of passion
in t"'rhe Sons Of Goodwin" while in
"Harold" everything is elegant, but cold
and colorless. The incident OF King Ed.
wards death ia made much more etfec
tive by Mr.. Leighton than it ID by Mr.
Ttnnyson, aud 30 is the battle of STAN.
ford Bridge. The crowning incident OF
the search for HarOld's body by Edith,
on the battlefield OF Hastings, is much
elaborated by the Laureate; but the effect
Of Mr.. Leighlons brief but vivid treat.
nent Of the same subject Is much better
in the reading and would be much greater
| III HtANS AOpASSSuheAS" '
either Of the poets intended his drama
for the stage, we are unable TO say.
Neither Of them seem to US 10 be well
adapted to such purpose But OF the
1.-Two, Mr.. Leightons alter proper pruning
by an intelligent stage manager, would
be much the most effective.
COUNCIL To.NIoHr.-Ths City Fathers
propose to take another bitch this even
ing on the subject Of municipal reform.
In the matter Of officers now elective and
also in the matter Of aboIishing the muni.
cipAl court and establishing a May or's
court in lieu thereof, the Committee on
Liquidation submitted 1T the last meeting
Of Council, their action without any rec.
ommendatiOn. The absence OF recon-
mendation was probably owing TO that
mUdesty which is begotten Of long expe-
rience in committee business, at least We
will not insinuate that in the matter Of
the elective Nficers the committee we're
animated by any dread Of popular
opiniop on the proposed AbridRemebt