New-York tribune., 1881-03-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

rHE ENGLISH POETS selection: s Nth ct,sa sncaa In In
rcdasiion Sy MArIaEw AnsoLP Editca - AVG pn
mgxsaaslI an7 ,an Impdon saa New.York Macmillan Co.
we have hero the conclusion Of perhaps the pess
commonplace selection from the English poe's
which has ever been made-certainly no cIitoai
notices in previous compilations OF tins kno nave
eoualled those contained in this WORK. lheS arc
from yar:ous hands, most OF them nrst-ra'e o"90'
For instance, the remarks upon Wordsworth are %
the Dean Of 81. PauPs; those upon soutney py OH
Henry Taylers Keats is discussed by Matthew Ar
mold: Austin Dobscn treats Of Thomas HOOD anu
thare ara essays upon different poets by Swinburne'
Professor Nchoi and Goldwin Smith, not to mention
severaI Others These essays will strike the reader
os articularly fresh and original These are at the
same time It is necessary to remember tne eA
nress,ons of individual opinion, and iss sucn tne
reader NAV not always agree with them. 1et IL 10
syideut that no notices of the Eughsh poe,s
written in any other way would pe OF nu0"
value The plan OF the work is NasS i
proyement upon the old method which conndeo So
i..t;o- and ohservatiou to single editor as in the
combinations Of Akin, Campbell and Haz1tt. lnis
MIGHT answer better IL all poets were alike, pue ln
as,nue as they have always widely differed IN man
per as well as in matter it is idle TO SUBJECT lnou
in body to the judgment of single inind Inc
biographical particulars in these volumes are worry
succinctly given but they furnish dates anG ien-
t,on of the poetcal works OF each writer. Inc 30.
leciops are made With excellent taste, ana eacn I'D"
in itself certain completeness whlcn coiieo'iO"'
quotations sometimes waut
The body Of English poetry mas no" oeco~o oo
large. that considerable portion OF ones Lifetime
might be spent in completely peruslng H. ies
aome knowledge of its history is required oy every
one who would have q decent historical Knowieueo
of this department of our literature To Suen' tnS
compilation is to be recommended as one mauo
with perfect taste, and arranged with admnaOio
method. We miss name which we sHouio haVe
expected; and we have here notice, satisfactory
not copious, of every Engllsh poet Oh tne IeaS' i
nortance. All the work of the book is wen done,
"a 90. coo no reason why these four volumes should
not become popuar
IT ia evident that poetry is now produced unaer
somewhat changed conditions. To be yersiner'
and even tolerable one, is now no particular uIS
tInction. The body of English poetry alreaoy
larce through the accessions of centuries has now
become unweldy; and the present age VIII mhho
grant additions 70 1T. The winnowlng process lroh
time TO time must be resOrted to- 1t is MT however
that Young readers should remember that no realiy
great writer con be fairly known through the ineo
ium of elegant extracts It will be no great task TO
road all the really great poems in the language
without abridgment and fortunately many OF tho
hest are by no means long. With this suggestion
we can safely commend the present collection.
TIE Ts ARs WINDOW No Name Series Syo, pp. 272
Boston: Roberts Brothers.
.The Tsar's Window is the City OF st. Peters
burg whence Peter the Great looked ont into Europe
over the ICY waters of the Baltic. Into the frozen
city this little volume brings group of Americans
whose visit to the Russian count, their relative Is
diversified By much cOquetry. love-making sight
seeing and going to Court If there be something OF
the guide-book about the story it is assurediy
elorifed gude-book: the descriptions are neat
vivid, sharply drawn as line engraving Here is
shining little ice picture;
During the day we had the most glorious sunshine
ever saw the sky was as blue as an itallan SKY.
AS we crossed the our return all the trees IN
the Summer Garden were glistenlng IKE DIAMONDS;
each branch covered with ice. stood out DISTINCTLY
against the blue What are diamonds and turquoIses
after such sight as thati In the west the sun was
setting in flaming glory OF orange ana hany ts SSe We
held our breath while We looked 1t lasted only o
few mnutes then the sun drOppeG eeo% tne 1Tsv aad
cold that we snivered and buried our cnins IN tne
eapaclous fur collars about our necks. Inc collars
nans and boards of the istv0schIks, whom we met;
were white with frost, and all the horses looked
gray. st. Isaac's golden dome was the only warm
pTSe beIls began to ring for vespers as we drew
near home They are wonderfully soft ana
sweet that one could imagine they were ringing IN
heaven.
On gala night tne party OL hAheiAOahn w w V"N
theatre, filed with all the beauty and glitter OF the
Court and thrilling with shouts OF welcome as Alex
ander II. enters.
This soverean's face is to me inexpressibly sad
and touching he bore the SINS and grleis OF DIS
people upon his heart and was lifted so far aIoVe
hnman sympathy that no one but his God had power
to comfort him. IL ever had the desire TO De an
emperor one look ut Alexander III. would nave Deen
never known what it is to be happy, as though he
had felt from babyhood every whit OF the respons"
billty which weighs upon monarchs. 1eel ueep
re,crence for this man, who has treed MS people
from slavery and many Christians from persecution,
aud who now is blamed by the world because Ne
does not think 1t best to do more IKE TO tnihk z,
fbonab that his liberated serfs love hIn, and that
posterity will do him justice.
The charm of the book in its descriptions OF the
eity and of court ceremonial. The story is told In
series of letters and of extracts from the herones
journal, and is consequently slightly ncoherent and
abrupt. This heroine is far from lovely and low
able and that her heart should be the point of at
tack for divers cavaliers, Russian and English, ILLS
an impartial reader with wonder. Miss Doris
Romilly is rude capricoas and petty, and her best
friends lind nothing better to say of her than that
she is good traveller, and of an lnquiring mind
With supernatural ignorance Of her own heart she
combines an exceeding stupidity in regard to the
hearts of others. and thus manages to weave tan
gled web of pain aud misunderstanding which Is, oi
course, comfortably unraveed in the last chapter.
The little book belongs to the tribe of ephemera
but it is an engaging thing; its wings are jewelled
apd its ri oht airv and animattng.