The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-14
SOME NEW HUNS
,,,,,.r'. New POEM

The ul'''' v,,,rn's poctry il intoluidt-
"''" I, wound he strn"''' "'''' "'',''u
enough. IL N''.'rfninVs OF our poet Of
the rafAs. Neither could we expect people
accustomed to the elaborate and dainty finish
ing Of Tcnnysons verse to overlook Millcr's
obvious and frequent faults Ct workmanship.
There il. however. such thing as dottHntc-
ism and snobism in criticism. and the fact that
some Of the foremost artists now living rccog-
ni2e the claim of this American TO place OF
honor in their guild. may well operate in arrest
of judgment Those who read tho volume
lately published underline name Of The baroness
Of Nee lo,k Carleton. will find now proof Of
the authors deficiencies in conventional. aca-
dcmir culture; but we doubt If they will venture
60 deny him the possession of strong and us-
irous powers. Of the essential qualities which
at all times and under all skies attest the poet
Those cultivated persons who pique them
selves on an accurate pronunciation Of classical
names. and whose knowledge is carefully cor
rooted up 20 the date of the latest cyropa' ill.,
will find much To shock them in joaquin Millcrs
now volume Its surface is scanned with hlcm-
ishcs patent to the least discriminating cyc
with historical and social blundcrs. with faults
Of style and faults Of taste. There is hardly
page in which the nice critics Of young ladies'
seminary might not find something 10 prunc
and rectify. Sometimes his lines want foot or
two. sometimes they forgotto rhyme, and some
times they cannot even bee parsed. Those are
licenses which no young person properly drilled
in the arts Of syntuN and proso1y would permit
herself under any circumstances So. too. when
We find Mount Palatino described as the Pal
lentinc and are told that another Seacrous
lslc POUNDS "a Greece how can we expect the
average college graduate to rcprcss his con-
seriousness Of supcriortyy Again. when the
heroine OF the poem. "a pseudo baroness. pro-
poses TO perfect her title. as lawyers say. 10y
marrying one Sir Francis Jain" Now shall |
wed this baronet and so shall be- indeed a right
full Baroness we can understand the sovcr-
cign contempt with which London larkey
would regard u blum Ter of which he felt him
self incapable. Besides such sad disclosures "
Ignorance. this poem cvinccs hero and there a
very grievous want Of taste Thus portrayng
asccnc of primeyal nature fresh from the crca-
tive hand. the author tells lis the world
seemed SO new as II smelling OF paint" Again.
one OF his characters inliiing an epi-tlc at "A
tragic crisis Of his life. takes two large brown
envelopes of Congress shape and proceeds to
seal them tight. addressed each one. then
licked he 'Udickel Hdshmg'on." Neither can it
Do pronounced In coping with the tone Of
serious verse or even of gcntocl comedy to de-
scribe the New York Academy Of Design a.
notified with the small poX. We are sure that
mono of the young gentlemen who pen -onnots
guilty II such offences. They are justified in
visiting these slips with severe animadvcrsion.
because they can point the bard of the Sierras
10 their own exemplary performances. But for
our own part we shrink from preparing a COM
plete catalogue Of his shortcomings for while
hose readers who should not soc his book might
possibly dospise the poet. those who did see it
would certainly despisc the critic
We arc new people. and il may well be that
Tho V...s HfN.-e q
Ing than in some other countries. At least we
know that this is said and is believed Of US But
1t is scarcely wise 10 betray the self conscious
ness Of pdrrefu 10y netting out our praise in
the precise ratio of an authors approximation
to foreign models. and by reserving our most
scathng censhre. or most ley Indifference for
those whose imperiections seem to countenance
the charge that our culture j. poor and raw.
The curious feeling Of resentment with which
some educated Americans hear Walt Whitman
and joaquin Miller cxtollcd hy Establishment
and the profound ignorance touching those
writers which thcyare quick To- profess produce
n very different impression from that which
they contemplate. That willingness to see "A
personal aiiront in the homage rendered TO un-
conventional merit that pronencss o. detect a
patroni2ng tone and an air Of conde-eension in
eulogy. are not easily reeonciled with the self
assurance and serenity If a mature and we'll
poised Judgment II Is not by insisting on n
punctilious conformity 10 exotic types ana
forms. and the rigorous castigation Of minor
technical defects, that national literatures are
iostered BY Just such pressure the Latin
literature was strangled, and the German at one
epoch brought very nigh to death. Clearly we
ought to he more appreciatye OF native genius
and more tolerant Of its incompleteness be-
rause we better than others can measure the
shortcomings of its artistic environment So