The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-03-20
Anew Work by Mr.. VIM. Leighton, the
Wheeling Poet.

wheeling Poet.
I-gGr Unadin RcSIcW.
Or The Whisper Of the Sphinx. ny William
b'.ioa' Philadelphia; ldppinsot & 20. 1879.
W. Leighton seems bent on surprises.
Ho!ears ago he sent out his first poetic
'ealure in The SINS VI GNilrin, which en-.
cS9sHt,ted TGnnyson's enterprise Of "Har-
CA, IN which the same perSOnages played
leel'p parts on the samo historic scene as
III bore the comparison well oi fresh
G9iE with work long.tried and skilled.
!ht1 came the next year, the surprise Of
iafher dnma, in so short u while, By the
lev poet who had unwittingly broken a
Anr with the laureate. Al hr Court OF
aug EI,id proved fellow to the first, with
sei measure Of dramatic skill and poetic
!eilIy, Now, one more year surprises us
N'ih poem Of an opposite sort, philo.
SPAIc IN place Of dramatic.
lhlS will not attract the attention or
sain tie liking that the others did. Let
siole the interest felt in the first because
" t0e comparison it invited with the
OASF poets work, and in the second TO
Sv how IL fulfilled tho promise Of the for.
Aitr, lhlS has no story to follow, and no
tSoas aud iates to get interested in, Ii
aN 10 do with thoughts, theories, relec-
;""-TiIh questions and difficulties oi
TG ,M!hd' BlOodleSs distractions and
'"lIIeSS PhilOSophiGing are not inter.
eHas to the crowd OF readers and
SeLeS alter new things, like characters
'i. %@ I'VE and move, suffer and die, in
gaaa, In the way Of popular interest,
sl4 chance will memory, consciousness,
i've pFosrcss, have beside Pellius and
@e hlns,-llarold, Gurth, and TostigY
A4ileace to the new poem will be feW
;sil ;Ta"l unit, whether OF those curious
wheat what the new man has to saw on
,r,,, |',sl points and grave matters, or OF the
2aNlhE''c ready To find their wonder.
,S,,,d KS asd PerPlexlties put into poetic
,. I!s, perhaps, acloscr test Of Mr.. Leigh.
.s intellectual parts aud poetic faculty
s.s. -, 'ormer works. a philosophic poem
V INA SS lat ANY rale, q different rauSe OF
%T"ny yT,y Ir'tn'a WfmnaticGonc; ehE1Rinr
,Sa iDa' Is more rare, iiuot tiner. Ic LeArs
t;S,,, Gs Us, NSII, il not greatly aud iamously,
r,,.S , "0u lannon's belongs 10 Words,
@bs anu his peers in philDs,
y p". RcIry. II belongs to them
Mall in verse the "purple Iic,
.,J SJ' Q! rla;o aud his flight Of intellecI
E@.Illal'nHtioR helping metaphysic. Yel
b,Ty'sSoFlh, IN THE Prelude" !" mods,
Ge.ys TSn 'yT Changr mentioned with Lucre,
tSs ss pa'iosophizing. Its writer wouli b,
n, N ".I' TO smile Ut such nisnlaCing ant
IN IN oi contrast lie addresses LimsSI
Y6iS !" n's work, aud Carricsit 10 an ent
pbTa.,,,eNns s'eNns l! wOrthily. He proves nj,
sinS 'e Theme congenial with a cast O
si'", "I y y sympathy with serious and OK
,%,S IS 'noasht, lie faces problems whicl
"v'ne ,vI burning questions now with sobSI
So,,S,t,pNe ySUIt,pe'ent consideration. And hi
;5nSSnn "a treatment of these he ha
t,sr,iro ~ mo lorm Of poetry which is al
sy.s S,,w :, and Interesting, and rises h Il
and St,iaces tIiaces into the true poetic ieryo
bIsvv.' v'snleen sien parts or cantos, the noe
"Cbs"noGWe work, fashion and mystefy q
mi S,SS. through its various sphere
IL SiSn siASSng the SUBJECTS Of ia opsrstjoS
lotto; 'aAen SIlelley's line for III
i. y. ,s''sA. may soa,ire sp. ,as.,s,lI.,.r (
%'0lI'TA its ancient date, tracks Is, is Ion