The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-04-12
SATURDAY MORNING. APRIL IL.

,ortant matters, and this knowledge OF men |
nd sffare, was, no doubt, beneficial, too, to
Mr.. Bryant's poetic gift. He was-nay rather
s, SO long as there is murmurous speech Of
Zines, cry of great waters, and the golden
ilence of sunlight in the land-he is preemi-
iently poet-priest Of nature. With this
arge thought, and sight stretching over great
hills and immeasurable lands, it might we'll
have been that Mr.. Bryant would have lost
of the sense of proportion of things,
had not business balanced his genius. Words
worth, whom in some respects Mr.. Bryant much
resemb led, was large and vague or was trivial
and minute by turns; but the great journalist
was too accustomed to the lively comment OF
the world to permit himself to lose all connec-
ton with its tendencies in his highest imagi-
lngs, or to expose his work to its mockpg
-healthful though hard for the writer who
occasions it. As fnsncier, Mr.. Bryant had
decided views; he was an early and warm ad-
vocate of free trade. Upon the great question
of slavery bis attitude was curiOusly reserved
until be sang its cousummate downfall. Prof
Hill excuses upon several grounds this
lamentsble lack to seize the occasion for
the denunciatlon of a vast and bitur
national sin; but the truth probably is
that Mr.. Bryant's journal, the Post'
was hindrance to such expressions Uuder
the management Of his colleague, Mr.. Will
lam Leggett, the Post had given great
offence to Its patrons by vigorous and
unstinted abolitoDsm. These patrons
were, for the most, Democrats of the better
81 ID
conducted, aud its fiue literary tone appealed
OF course to the upper class of the singular
constructed party; and these gentlemen are lot
fond of vulgar sensations but like the stream
of public affairs to flow deep and calm, and OBJ
ject to any stirring up of the mire below the
wave. William Leggett saw his subscription
list fail, his constituency dissatisfied, but con-
tinued to speak bis mind bravely. The Post
was an Independent" journal, but this iude-
pendence of Mr.. Leggetts it could not away
with. Mr.. Bryant returned, propped the fall
ing house, and settled it firm upon the founda
tion of discreet silence Its fine qualities de-
served and still deserve, long life and prospect
ty but there might have been great gain in
loss. Professor Hill seems to appreciate poor
ly the valor of Mr. Leggett's course, for in the
same paragraph that records this superb def
ance, the biographer dilates upon the objections
which the editor had to pictorial advertising as
. matter of taste, and almost seems to consider
the two protests as of quite similar kind and
importance. Yet, whatever may have been
the reasoning by means of which Mr.. Bryant
accounted for his policy in the time of the ma
tion's turning from its tremendous sin-of this
we may be sure, he was man of such utter
purity of mind, of such cleanness of hands, of
such exalted genius, that no one may doubt
that whatever he did or left uudone, was &C.
cording to his best Judgment. He, more per.
haps than any other man, had and improved
the opportunity to advance and dignity journal
ism !; he was irreproachable in every relation of
life; untiring in action, noble in thought, in
spired in speech; and the memory of his face.
lined by great experiences, of his wintry beard
blown like the beard of an olden bard, of his
strength failing only with his last days, re.
mains as an inspiration to the journalists of to.
literary art to the daily usefulness of newspa-
per work, and gave to his editorial duties the
passion of the poet and the thought of the phil
osopher.
The New Puritan, by James s. Pike, New
York: Harpers; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony is very curious and interesting biog.
raphy of Robert Pike who, two hundred years
ago. defended the Qaakers, resisted the cleri.
cal domination, and opposed the persecution of
those poor creatures who were tried for witch
craft. 1t reads very strangely to-day, this cir
oumstantial account of the superstitions of our
early history; and seems to set the New Eng.
and of those days far back into the dark ages
All the more for this sombre background,
the honest, clear.headed figure of Robert
Pike takes on prominence. He was q
man as remarkable for his kindness, his
charity and his justice, as for the fearlessness
and originality of his course. Mr.. Whittier in
his Leaves from Margaret Smiths journal has
described Robert Pixies character; and in a
letter to the author Of the present biography,
call it's subject zone of the wisest and worthest
of the early settlers of the region" To those
interested 10 the details of the history of New
England this book will be of great interest and
value.
Moses, the Law Giver New York: Harpers:
Portland: Loring. Short & Harmony is one of
Rev. VIM. M. Tsylor's clear and useful works
upon Biblical characters. 1t is devoted to the
consideration of the character of Moses and his
mission, as lawgiver for the tribes of Israel,
and as precursor of the Christian dispensa-
ton. The work is plainly aud we'll written
without sensationalism, and with frequent
vafa ko TINT he <Ixo
as we'll as to the books of the Old Testame Mt
which nairate the life and work of Moses. DR..
Taylor has much tact in writing for popular
readers; he shocks no sense of reverence: he
INDUCES in no poemic pirouettes; he does not
adopt slang, or disgust by undgnifed descent
into unpleasant familiarity. He writes like a
man who can meet men on common ground,
has studied his subject carefully and with in
terest, and presents an unaffected account of
his research and thought.
Mr.. Longfellow's latest volume of Poems of
Places Is devoted to the Southern States. and
contains many fine and picturesque poems.
Among these are notable Mr.. Lauier's SYM
phonic poem, the Marshes of Glynn, which
might have been scored by Wagner at his best !;
some fine and finished work by Mr.. Paul H,
Hayne; some Of Mr.. Wkittier's familiar. but
always welcome, lines; and few of Mr.. Long
fellows own, Of which there could not be too
many. 1t is to be wished that instead of in
serting such verses as My Maryland and some
other pieces less to be regarded as poetry than
az ebullitions of rebel sentiment, the sooner
buried the better, Mr.. Lopgfellow would have
given more of bis own poems which reflect so
exquisitely the spirit of the scene, not of the
mad and murderous passions that rendered for
the time its beauty almost internal, and which
cost the lives of many of the noblest of the men
of the North. and gave tears and endless sor-
row for the lot of many household. 1t is
indeed true that these memories belong to the
places where the unnatural strife occurred, and
the high sweet soul of the poet sees the bios.
SONS above the blood stained earth-but until
Il is sure that the war has availed us, we shall
not care to read rebel rhymes overmuch.
Mr.. Hudson's edition of ShaBspere's Hamlet
is prepared for the use of schools, clubs classes
and families; and its value as Shaksperian
authority is too we'll known to need more than
mention of its present convenient and useful
shape. Boston: CHM & Heatb.)