New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-01
DJCKENgS POEMS AND PLAYS.
A NEW COLLECTION BY r.. II. SHEPHERD.


A NEW COLLECTION BY II. II. SHEPHERD
From me PalI MAI Gazette.
This volume OF Iejeca con aIns a lew prose scraps,
the most important ofwhich Is sunday under Ihree
HeansD Except for a certain eXaggeIalOn, excusa-
HE enough when writers had 10 combat Slr Andrew
Arnew and for some sngularly gross 1auls OF style
winch appear in most OF DIckensS early work TINS
nnner deserves reprinting well enough. he Poems"
are yalueless except the verses winch appear ordI
Marty IN their proper place ia Plckwlck" But The
pIayS are something more than ya!ueless-they are
positively bad and though III sound literary Judg-
iuent no blame can attach 10 Dickens lOr the pro-
Gucuou al "A very early age of a KIND OF work Tor
which he was obviously united. ana his unhtness
for which lie had the sense to recognize Is not so
clear that 10 blame attaches To MI. shepherd
foI raklug up these peccadlIIOes OF great writer's
youth. There are SIX plays gwen mere, including
- No Thoroughbred the ramatZdtloh OF Whicn Is
knowu 10 be due almost entirely to Mr. Nllkle Col
nus but not including The Master OF haVehs-
wood III which Dickens IS DeilcVed 10 nave ndd
some not uncomfortable though underlined share.
" Mr. NIghungaIes Diary" which was written III
collaboration with Marx Lemon ana was acted at
Devonshre House Is not worthless; out lts great
superiority the plays or rather 1arces, IN winch
dickens worked alone suggests mat the cola DoIator
had the greater share. Nj. shepherd also I'VE are
purpOsely IetIOgIaulng III point OF cnIonOIOsS ie-
minis a snOrt and vaiueless piece called, As She
Ills Vile OF Something singular OF winch fOIstcr
seems to have known nothing; Dut whlch Deals
By Boz" on the utle-pagc. But The rejected
I,ampiighter" of 1888 and the accepted " stage
Gentleman" and "Niilage COquettes" OF 1886 make
up the to,al OF Dchenss Recognized anu uhdsslsIeu
Tne LsmpIIghter" which Mr. Shepherds dill
peuce mas Sucu out oil the FORSTER Library al SOutH
kenslnpon, though not a good play, Has some 1T
erary merit but tnIs was dIsceIhlOle equally III me
prosr tale published III the " Picnic Papers" winch
The author las editor of that BOOK subsequently
made out of IT, THE Stage Gentleman ana The
Village COqueItes" are slugllary Ddd. ne FORMER
is a standardization OF ne GREAT "lheleDuIy
Duel in the Boz" sketches. Ii is sufficient 10
say that ali the tun of that sketch land IL Is not III
considerable has eyaporated from It, As Tor he
Village Coquettes II has, as Tar as We can see only
one merit it will make the careless readers Oh
tO-aay appreciate tue fun o1 Nj GuDeIts bulIesques
of the olu comic opera better, and may possibly send
a few people 10 the charming lmpTOylsed
scribed as theodore HOOKS III the introductory
Lie 20 the IngoldsDy Legends" The most
uncOmprOnsing OF Dlckehss recent ueiendefs mas
spoken OF his " reckless conYentlOhaHty ana GER
rauly that quality appears nowhere more strlkngly
thau ia thus opeTetIa The opeIa-chOrus vllager.
the heavy vlrtuous peasant father, the easily be-
oIlrd maiden the country squire, loose but honest,
and the scOundrelly London rake, appear mere ia
f.,sl,on which AT. HuliaLs music Is SAID to nave
made toIerable but which the nbrettist has dOne
his best to make intoleIable Here is the Vrtuous
father, a small farmer, be 1T remembered:
And what are these tales that idle busy fools pirate Of
with deight among themselves caring not whose ears
taey reach 80 long as tuey Kept from The old man
whose DhHdness-tne blindness OF iona anu Gouhs
Elther-s subject their rude and brutal Jeering
The lover, also a small farmer says:
My honest love las been des pissed; my affection has
remembered only " be tried almost beyond endur-
aDOe. Lucy be the nighsouied woman, not the
light and thougntiess tifer That dsgraoes the Dane
As for the lyrical dialogue this specimen will
probably suhce:
Edmu,sds. OPpressor, hear me-
Sgare command it, and you viii obey
hose Rise dear Lucy rise You shall not kneei before
The u rant ~nO drives Us away.
Squire Your sorrows are useless your prayers in
vain.
command IT, and you will begOne.
IGmu,.ds No; they shall not beg again
OF a NAN whom view with deep scOrn.
After this it is unnecessary to quote the scene