The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-04-12
Chats About Books, Poets and Novelsts


1t was but a few weeks ago that we reviewed
a book by native of Belfast, and now we have
another on our table. Mr.. Farrow's little vol
ume, "How Became Il Crack Shot," makes no
literary pretensions, but the story il tells is an
interesting one, and we may well feel proud of
the record made by our town. man. No better
testimony as to Yankee pluck and energy could
be asked for than may be found in the account
of his visit to England and France and of the
prizes he won in competition with the crack
marksmen of those countries Mr.. HaZeltine's
book will command attention by its literary
merit. A few words here as to- the author, Mavo
Williamson Hazeltine is the son of Mayo Hazel
tine, one of six brothers who came here from
Massachusetts in 1927. four settling in Belfast,
one in Searsmont, and one inI Nobeboro, Mr.
1aZeltine was successful merchant Of this
city for many years. He married the Youngest
daughter OF William burke Williamson. of
Bangor. a sister of Mrs. p. r Hazeltine Mavo
Hazetine died i'll Boston. Dee. ). 1913. and lis
wife did not long survive him. They left two
children Mayo W.. and f Amy, two wears
Younger The latter married Mr.. Edward
Livingston. of New York. She died some ten
years ago. Both children were left to the guar
dianshlp of their uncle, p. r. Hazeltine, by
whom they We're educated. and who by DIN
dent management had doubled the estate left
them by their father by the time they became
of age. Mayo graduated at Harvard, and sub
sequenty entered at oxford College, England
and having fitted himself for the bar entered
upon the practice of law. His tastes were lite
rary, however, and he naturally gravitaed TO
journalism. For ten wears or more he has con
tributcd to the Sunday edition Of the New York
sun book reviews which hayc attracted wide
attention among lovers of literature on account
of their freedom from all forms of literary af-
fCctaton and the delicate appreciation of Iitcll-
~ excellence which they manifest, joined TO "A
wide acquaintance with literature in all its
forms and periods. \ collection of these pa
pcrs, in some measure reV>dd, makes up the
present volume The following are the titles Of
the essays: George Eliot, Victor Hugo Two
American Novels. Swinburnr. Alphonsc Dau-
Diet, Longfellow, lola, Whittier Lord Beacon>-
fields Endymion, Nathaniel Hawthorne. VIII
liam Morris Epic POEM Bret Hartc Edwin
Arnold's Light of Asia, Charles Rcade. Jules
Nerne'S Didactic Fiction, Henry James, Jr
AS indicating Mr.. Hazeltin4's STYLE we give
brief extracts from his papers on Longfeow
and Whittier. OF the former lie says:
Whatever >hortcoming and limitations may
be ascribed to LongfelloW's genius, it is certain
that no contempOry poet, not even Tcnny>0n,
has been so universally and cordially welcomed
by the English speaking race. Neither has any
Englishman since Byron approached 50 nearly
to il Worldwide reputation. for there is scarce
~ any country of Europe where some acquaint-
ance with Longfelow'> writings i not account
Ell an essential element of culture. IT, more
over, he had never written q line of original
verse. his reproduction of the Divine Comedy
would have challenged respect for the author
and his country. since perhaps no man has
more nearly satisfied Dryden's well known de-
tintion of right translation. true to the sense.
but near to the fame
1t is obvious that the favor of contemporaries
constitutes Il letter of credit which posterity
may decline to accept at its face value. Circum-
stances, of course, may foster. as well a. de-
press an author; and it is conceivable that the
cOnSummate adjustment of his work to the taste
and sentiment dormant in his age and country
might assure to 4 given poet such ardent SYM
pathy that the task of cold and vigorous analy-
sis would be generally RENTED t. another gen
Grafton. How inlleNiblv the junction i there
eXecn ed and how yainIy isolated gems appeal
to the niggarG hand which is necessarily weed
ing the roll OF honor, is demonstrated by the
permanent eclipse of Pope's reputation and the
perclpitate decline of Moore's no less than bN
the crescent fame OF Wordsworth.
of Whittier, initial performances he SAYS
The aroma Of scholarship WAS not conSpicI-
on. in them. although the writer was scholar
and has since cyinced a range of culture BY no
means incOnslderable. But his first productions
were rnrV soil ard their. SaN,r Avn. 1s,I,,-
gently American. For this reason they Were
dealt with somewhat cavalierly by the ccnSor>
OF our nascent literature. and Were substantial
~ left to find an audience for themselves. We
need not say that readers We're nevertheless
forthcoming. and it was not long before his
household lyrics gave Whittier such a hold on
the popular heart As made him later, in the anti
slavery agitation, 4 Veritable power in the land
The songs and ballads which formed the bulk
of his earlier volumes Were pitched on Il KEY
wholly distinct from that Of L0ngfcllow'
verse. being adjusted with intuitye precision
to the average sentiment and intelligence Of
that great body of readers TO whom recOnditC
learning Is Il stumbling block, and hyper-renc-
ment foolisnness. Naturally. an author who
contrivcd to dignity the memorable bleaknc>s OF
existence under the conditions of New England
climate ana soil. ana to east halo Of high puI-
pose about that scramble for warmth and food
which summed the life OF the majority, was. in
the end, hailed With delight by thousands to
whom the Suaye music OF Lon9felIow'> Pre-
Jude and the penslYe charm Of the ''COplas ID
Manrique.' Were wasted breath. Far from
aiming to DestOW tchcitouS embodiment on III
eVanescent mood Of our higher society. The
naive, impersOna creations of the Quaker poet
We're nspicuOusty wanting in that adroit re.
miniscence and dainty allusion which nfuse at
exotic sweetness and evolve Il classic atmOs
phere In them we catch for the first time the
voice OF genuine New England bard, the ac.
cents native TO a hOmely yet tender spirit, MOI
crampcd by any halt-conscious imitation OF for
elgn styles and methods. or strained by the de
liberate effort to sustain ambitious song.
The book is vol, II mo. Price Sl.50. Cha>
Serbner's Sons, publishers, New York.
some young people who have just read the
novel entitled Mr.. Isaac>" are remarking that
the paradise OF newspaper men is India. where
the morning paper is always printed ,y two
O'Clock the previous afternoon. and sealed ready
for the post by p. N. Pshaw The writer Of
TINS does not claim respect for his gray hairs
| but he remembers well the summer SUNDAY,
| not 4 quarter OF 4 century ago when the Ban
gof W ing used to be printed every Sunday af
| lern0On, and some of the subscribers got thell
Monday morning papers before they sat down
| to dinner Sunday. For example the gray-hair
e q man who then was and now is the Wings
preSsman used to carry Monday morning pa
per to his neighb0rs every Sunday afternoon
-NtDouN accused MN OF NlOlalnT lllc SUNDAY
laws either. Boston Herald.
Our memory can beat that. We can remem-
Der when the Monday morning newspapers Of
Richmond, Virginia, and Halifax, Nova Scotia
were printed Saturday evening. There hap
pened to be Il pleasant Saturday late in the au.
umn and a Halifax paper came out MONDAY
morning with the announcement, 1--WE are now
basLing in the sunshine of Indian summer ;
But in reality there was foot of snow on til,
ground, which had fallen Sunday. Later tht
office Of this paper was burned to the ground OF
Saturday night, but the paper had been printed
and given to the carrier aud was distributed a
usual Monday morning. 1t had no news Of thu
fire.
The wife of Thomassen, the Internal machin,
| murderer of Bremerhaven, has lust died in al
| insane asylum in London Her husband,
| trightful crime robbed her of her reason. Sht
always supposed him to be still alive, and at tn,
| time of her death imagined that he had caused
| the loss of the Cimbria by another crime lik,
| that Of Bremerhaven. She was a woman o.