New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-01
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


which the friends Of a dead hero nowadays rush
10 the publication of biographies of their idsl theio
,vould seem 10 be still moro of indellcacy IN the
nrintinc of n studied memoir while its SUBJECT Is
still alive Ii cannot but give the unpleasant I'M
nression that the bographer Is anxious TO antici-
nate the flock of writer's that hurry to make money
out Of a dead mans memory while yet his pouy -
hardly cold. Without accusing Mr. Kennedy oil
apv such intention as this, it may be sald
that his book is unnecessary. he teiis "'
notbing new: his estimate Of Mr.. Winters
abilities and his conclusions In reg"iu :.
the influences that moulded his nature anu "i
rected his talents only what every rui'''
reader has arrived at for himself III MI hen"ouS
literary treatment of his material there Is nosnis
acute and fascinating to atone for lie lack OF iiesh
-. U;ss,yIo is Moor its commouplaceuess being
ors;f;ed here and there with wOuid-be Striking
metanbor or strained compound adjective that
CRATES crl,ely upon the reader. And in what scnool
of authorship has mis- pen been trained that IL
sbould tSirl itself about such q millinery phrase
as a little miss of some fourteen years y
Mr.. Kennedy's opinions in regard TO Whittier are,
"a may he inferred from the foregoing, inst ana
reasonable enough; he does not err III crtlciSui 'oo
blndly favorable. some of his ghnpses oil inc
Quaker poets personality are pleasantly interest
ing WHITTIER he says, is now an Ola man.
somewhat hard Of hearing. and with the hAeu S"u-
ness of time upon his pleasant face"
But ever and anon as you converse WIN M, n ,.
oonntenance i. irradated by sudden SMILE SWEEP
snd strange and full of benlgnity-INe a pei @
from q bed of white vOlets, or gllnu Oh TIcn SUI
light April day HIS IS one OF ,nof t iht The
very mole under tie right eye seems SOMEHOW "a; ~
b,rthmark or sign-manual of kindllness me quIlnV
grammaticaI solrcsms of the Qua ker aud the New
EnnIand farmer-thg thee'sp and the omlssion OF
The as from present participles ard other Wolus
ending "mg'-gIve to the poets conversation
certain slight piquaacy ana pictureequehoSS'
Mr. Kennedy remembers once speaking with
,ahorer whom Mr. Whittier had employed. Inc
GOOD fellow he SAYS, could not conceal ms ad-
mirotion for the poet Why he said, you
wouldnt think it, would you, but he talks Just IKE
common folks. We was talkln' about the apples
one day and he said, Some years they amt worm
pickin'' Just like anybody you know; am
stuck up at all, and yet he's great man, you kno"
He likes TO talk with farmers and common loihS'
he don; go much with the big bugs one u 'n0
incest men, and liberal with his money 100
RARE POEMS OF THE SIXTEENTH AND SEVEN
TEENTH CENTURIES. supplement TO the an
IISToS lCmo. pr. 26i Rcbetts Brothers
This charming little hook is in part reprint OF
Mr.. Unions Golden Apples Of he peruS," ana Is
collection of dainty AMI hOneyed verses that are ho
IN he met in other anthoogies. Exception has been
taken by certain critics TO two or three OF the oes
included in this volume using license Wmch ID
these DAYS is not ju titable. Perhaps not; DuV An
age that ioyfuly accepts the sickly anguor OF hu
of SwInburne's and Rossetti's verse and the FRANK
nsstines, Of Walt Whitmans 'yawp"need not halt at
Philip Siduey's "Epithalanium" or Joseph kutters
-" Marriage Hymn" An accomplished critic, him-
self poet of renown has called the license OF these
earlier writers clean dirt" The phrase is happy,
There il a certain healthfuln S. about Their verse
which comes in curious contrast for instance, with
divers sonnets of d. q. Rosett much admired py
the modern writers. Patef!amilias may perhaps
not read aloud all Mr.. LintOn's pretty volume to
his group of tender juveniles, but he may be sure
that there is nothing in it calculated 10 inare the
morals or corrupt the taste OF refined and we'll
read man or woman. 1t is book for poets, notion
children or young girls.
The compiler has brought together many tiny
gems of marvellous grace and beauty-gems so
lovely that one must wonder why the makers Of
snthologies have 30 long neglected them He las,
moreover taken his praver in hand and adorned the
text with stray blossoms, swift-hying birds. and
other glimpses of nature most sweet and desirable.
The hook is printed and bound in excellent taste.
a DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES OF ECO
NONiC PLANTS. BY JoHS SMITH, A. l.. s. Auth0rO
Historic Fiicum," etc Sve. PIP 4o|' Macmillan
& Co.
An official connection for more than forty years
with the Royal Gardens and the Museum OF Eco
nomic Botany, Kew, has afforded Mr. Smith ample
facilities for compiling a useful book. About
1000 plants and plant products are treated IN the
alphabetical order of their common names. and an
index of the genera noticed is added This addition
Is essential because single is often popularity
applied to several distinct plants, and single
plant is often decorated with half a dozen common
names The word Economic IN the title is used
In its widest sense to include plants which are arti
Giles OF commerce on account OF their ornamental
yalae or rarity we'll as those which furnish food,
clothing, medicine, and material for mechanical
work 1t need not be said that the Dictionary is
incom pete for an exhaustive work of this scope
would embrace many more than 1000 subjects.
Plants and productions have been excluded and
included in an arbitrary manner simply because the
WORK needed to be limited somewhere. No reason
can he gwen why the ornamental trees. shrubs and
plants noticed have been selected. aud why as
many mere equally worthy OF notice have been
rejected Dodder is hardly an economic plant. nor
is smut or any other of the destructive fungi, And
vet the book better tor admitting them 1t
would have been better still il many other plants
and trees of genuine economic value had been
noticed Among the products of our own country,
for example, not n hint is given of the value and
uses OF our hickory wood, although the nut is
spoken of The wood of the black walnut is men-
toned but the nut is said TO be unpalatabe. while
the butternut is omitted altogether. il the wild
cherry and many another Of our most useful trees
About others Surprising information Is given.
as for instance that maple sugar is chiefly made by
the Indians and is in general use IN this country.
Some excusabe errors. too. are made in the common
names of our native plants, but on the whole the
book contains n considerable store oil facts which
cannot be found elsewhere in such convenient
compass. IL well deserves place i'll the reference
library until 1t is superseded by some more COM
prehenslve work