New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-04
A BOOK OF VERSES.


BOOK OF VERSES.
sIrRF AND WAVE. THE SEA AS SUNG BY THE
POETS. Edited by ANNA L. WARD; Win liIus era
tious by FLoRENTINE II. HAYDEN l2mo' pp' oi''
New. York: Thomas Y Croweil & 20.
This is a book that will be especially relished by
visitors at the seaside 1t contains upwards OF 3oo
nieces of verse selected from bards OF low as well
as of high degree, and all of marine character.
| Many of them, to be sure. are deficient Oh tna'
| nameless attribute-that glamour, charm CT magi-
! cal sympathy-which constitute poetry anu some
are mere cadence of the hurdy gurdy such, LOT ex-
ample as "The Flying Dutchman." OF MI Jonn
BOYLE OReilIy, and The Forging of the Anchor
| by Samuel Ferguson. But, together Win cons'uoi-
| able padding the volume contains such gems as
Byron's "Apostrophe." CampbelPs =" Mariners OF
| England.v Cowper's Castaway," Kngslevs
" sands % Dee.n Jean Ingelow's "High Tide"
Iowelrs Sirens" Poe's "Annabel Lee" SIT
Patrick spens.r Tennyson's ballad of The Re-
veneep and his exquisite lyric Break Break
Breakr Whitters Sea Dream" southeys
Inehcape Rock Shelleys Stanzas on Naples,
| and extracts from The Ancient Mariner" and
| "Lalla Rookh." 1t is difficult to understand why
"Araby's Daughter should be given IN part ana
not entire; and we have seen smoother text 'han
| ia herein reproduced Of Bulwers translation Oh
"The Diver" Nineteen pieces are set down 10
that prolific author Anonymous oil them
being A Ballad of Nantucket" which was written
by T. b. Aldrich, and another being The story Oh
| Stowaway" which appeared IN Punch. ana which
we believe was written by Mr.. Clement Scott. 1t
would be possible to make collection of sea pieces
each one of which should he a true poem and the
! more critical readers of Miss Wards compilation
will probably regret that she has not exercised her
| editorial Judgment and taste III sterner fashion,
| choosing poems only and grouping them in more
| coherent and significant order of arrangement
To readers in general. however. who care at all for
| this kind of literature, Surf and Wave viii
bring the freshness of ocean breezes and the music
of the surge 1t is a timely publication and appears
in q tasteful attire.
THE ENGLISH NOVEL AND THE PRINCIPLE OF
ITS DEVELOPMENT. BY SIDNEY LASiER' Charles
scribners Sons PIP. 2o3.
The chapters composing this book were originally
delivered as lectures at Johns Hopkins University
The authors death prevented any revision OF them
| But though the present editor has not felt war
ranted in making any changes, the reader VIII
| probably not lose much by the assumed crudity Oh
the work Mr. Laniers intention was. following
up the design OF his preceding lectures published
under the title Of The Science of English verse,
to work out q comprehensive philosophy of for'nai
and substantial beauty In literature. In this book
he has undertaken to show that the Development
of the English novel largely due to the OF
|
the increase OF complexity in this personality at
opce causes and accounts for the marked differences
between the earliest form of i'm agnatve literature
| viz the Greek drama, aud the most modern ex-
ample OF the highest class of fiction. Us represented
by the novels OF George Eliot. Incidentally MT.
Lanier intimares q belief that Physical Science,
| Music and the Novel can be shown to have taken
tbeir rise at the same time and he argues that
these various forms OF culture and research arc
coverings of the principle OF personality In
differing directions. He illustrates his theory OF
the absence of the personal principle among the
ancient. by an analysis Of the Promcheus Of
Eschylus: and ho quotes copiously from George
Eliot TO show the growth of the modern spirit Of
| what Herbert Spencer calls aaltruism." The
theory Is certainly not wanting ia ingenuity. The
STYLE of Mr. Lanier is graceful, easy, and often
| piouaut The evidences of research and reflection
| are abundant in his pages. His love OF the pure
and beautiful lmparts n sustained elevation of tone
| 10 his argument And il is doubt partially true
| that the ancients wese lacking in indivldualism;
though in one sensehe mperishable beauty oil Greek
| Art must be ascrbed to deep yearning and search
| after the very principle which MI. Laner denies
them the possession Of In fact, however man posed
| in Greek life almost always part of the State,
and scarcely ever In the full significance OF indvid'
nolism The so-caled freedom of the Old World
| vouid be regarded by the modern world as intoier
able tyranny. And therefore there is basis Tor
Mr.. Laner's theory. While, however he has
produced an ingenious and ceyerly argucd dsqui-
sition its ncorrigiblc dscursycnoss and oycrelao-
Grafton render 1T somewhat vexatious to the reader
| who is not fortified by any special enthusiasm.
That the development Of the novel should hive fol-
lowed the lines OF all intellectual growth and pro-
ceeded from the simple TO the complex. 49, however.
completely conceivable and in accordance with the
4 Ioo Of Init IL IN
be regretted that Mr. Laner did not live to com.
plete the exposition of philosophy of development
which at least possesses all the attraction that
be conferred by the free working Of pure, gentle
sympathetic and cultured intelligence.