New-York tribune., 1878-12-21
BAYARD TAYLOR AND HIS WORK.


The death of Mr.. BayaId Taylor VIII De
felt persona! bereavement by all Americans He
are commonly the authors whose books we read, but
sebSe Closely personally, afectionately. Most
o. ~, Us Haye cme n whose cnmpanv we have gone
over tile world, friend who has told US stories Oh
his own wanderlngs, telling them so simply anu 80
earnestly to make them personal condolences rather
than literary works. He mas made his readers snafeIs
in sights, his experiences. hs reflections, even III tne
emotions which accompanied these things and so he mas
become the friend, the companion Of all his readers anu
the brief dispatch yesterdays Erentng Post an
nocug hs death came as shock to all the readers oi
this journal. a..
critically OF Bayard TaylOr's literary work Most OF u
indeed has been passed upon already by the pubic anu
the OF literary performances, aud mas been as
signed its proper place letters; mis- last work.
" Prince Deukaon," will be closely scrutinlzed mere
after and Judged the fullest rpest expression OF ais
conception Of human life and human destiny las the most
ambitious attempt tlar he made. We have no Thought
the varied excellence OF hs other literary works put
there one or two aspects in which lis publlsnen
writings must be cOis sidered IN any comment upon MS
life. IN these writings there Is one qualify more maui
fest and more important than any other namely Tue
as a writer OF books was silent but enecuVe
force for good IN this cOunry from the time now near
an were reading Views AtOot" to the end OF his ca
reer, his writings exercised in an unusual degree an cd
ucaOual. "A stimulating influence which has wrOusht
vastly good than appears upon the surface. Inc
youth of thirty years ago were made more anDiEus, &
work by tis mans example and by the Indirect ana
scarcely conscious teaching OF ms books the men anu
women OF this generation who felt his Influence In their
youth better and stronger OF soul because ne mas
lived and worked; there Is broader manhood ano1G
IA because Bayard Taylor WAS resoute III his many
strugg ,.
ing tendency OF his literary work Ia only another way
OF that In his books as elsewhere lie was ns Oh
all journalist As journalist II was ms business S 20
that other might know he wrote as the JOurhs.t
must whose gift aud duty it's to give to others tne irs
OF hs activity; whose business 10 Is to inform himself IN
that he may inform his readers and TO cultivate
hmselfin order that ms Judgments may pe SCUM, @ nlr
teaching wholesome
he went and Whatever he did he was always the Jour
nas above everything else and whatever form circum
whether he wrote articles for newspapers, DOCKS
that of the journalist enthusiastically eager TO
share with tie public whatever he knew or Thought or
man. an honest man, a profoundly sincere man. He
was never for moment trlfer. Even Ia MS lgntest
influence. and even his lyrics had for their in'
spration a strong impulse TO share win his readers
sake. In Prince Deukalon, truly as in his descrp-
tons Of foreign lands, his moving impulse was tue Jour-
nasrs desire give the world the fruit Of his obser-
vaon. study and reflection. What he saw in any quar-
& of globe that interested him. ne set forth IN P
for he information aud the OF MS readers
in precisely the way he was moved In his latest
poem 10 tell his readers what he saw or thought ne saw
superstition doubt the tyranny 0f dogma ana the pun
erfet manhood and des purity Of life it was the
thoughtful observer here rs there telling what he had
seen and pointing out its sgnitcance The only dlner
hring that IN the po IN we have an account 0i ne
travels ia the world OF thought instead OF the material
world.
So too I'm his translation Of Faust" which upon the
surface appears 10 nave been purely literary work, the
impulse OF The journalist present II because he
saw III Faust" tnat which EugllsH-spcaking men had
never had an opportunity 10 see, that lie sought IN
translang the pOem To rive us Gd'thcs masterpiece in
its funcss IL precisely rs II he had discovered such
a poem ~ manuscript somewhere, and had sent IL to
TIE TRIBUNE a piece OF news. Tie had news uf
graudcr poem In Faust than Engshs peaking men
had yet known in IT, and il 10 tell that news that he
made his supremcy good translation.
No has worked more uniriugly or more mn
crasngly than Bayard Taylor, and whatever his
place may he In literature when hls works
Ms Il is certain that no man has worked with greater
profit TO his fellow men. well for that he has
lived al Though may never he able To measure accu-
raey or 10 estimate adequately the good that he has
done the phrase OF another dilgent worker
for his kind, he was a man who lent hand in life.