National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-12-13

poetry was simply cxtraueous and incl
dental. There can be no sadder story |
than that Of his bitter weary, lifelong |
fight with poverty and disease, his hard |
and ceaseless struggle simply for room to
1.-Two while he wrote, a struggle that never |
hardened or embittered him, but through |
which he kept his strong and genuine
nature sound and sweet to the end. His
was the truo hero's soul, which obeyed
tho lofty inspiration within him, and
sang even when death held him in his
strong clasp. His last-and many think
his greatest--poem was penciled when be
was physically too weak to raise his food to
his lips. Death had conquered the body,
but failed to subdue the strong and man
full spirit. He was n soldier and Chris.
tian aud no know how to die, but he did
not know how to be false to his convic-
ton of what was his life work, OF his
sense of what was true art in poetry.
Whore ia there sadder instance of the
torriblo pathos of destiny than tho story
Of how for years he ''scornod delights aud
lived laborious days" in tho struggle to
eke out an existence by occasional scraps
Of literary work and by verses published
In different magazines until he finally
conquered tho worlds recognition and
stood where indifference could no longer
touch him, whore he was assured of COM
fort for himself and his family-and then
no died.
Ho died, but no left that behind him
which will not dio. His poems are not rs
we might naturally think they would be,
sttuned to mouratul, minor key. In
stead, scorning circumstance, they are a.
free, and joyous, and exultant in their
power as the rush of q strong birds wings
through the air. We hear the many
voices of nature and see her changing
lights, but we hear through it all the
vibrant message Of the poets soul. In
tho poem called Individuality" we SOC,
perhaps, more clearly than in any
other his dominant purpose in writing
but there Ia no monotony of tone in his
song. He sings with q voice Of wonder
full range now intense in dramatic force,
as in "The Revenge Of Hamish;" now
genial with exquisite humor, as in "Owl
| Against Robin !" "Jones's Private Argy-
ment." or 1.-THE Power of Prayer" and
again with exalted purity of religious
feeling, as in "The Crystal" or "a Ballad
of Trees and Ny Master" Where can
we find sweeter and truer love poem
than my SpringsT or fresher and
breezier lyric than tho Song of tho
Chattahooohee DO we not hear the
rivers rush and see its sparkle in such
verses as these,
All down the hills of Habcrsham,
| All through the valleys of Hall,
| The rushes cried Abide, abide,
| The willful waterweeds held me thrall,
| The LAYING laurel turned my tide,
| The ferns aud the fondling grass said say
The dew6erry dipped for 70 , work delay delay
Here IN The hills Of Hdbershdm,
Here IN ule valleys Of Hal.
Hsut oh not the hills OF Habersham,
| And oh not the valleys OF Hall,
Avail am fain to water tho plain.
| Downward the voices of Duty call
Downward to toll and be mixed with the main
The dry fields burn, and the mills are TO turn
And a myriad flowers mortally yearn,
And the lordly main from beyond the plain
Calls DER the hills of Habersham,
Calls through the valleys of Hail.
Musician as we'll as poet tho history Of
his life In Baltimore as member OF tn,
Peabody orchestra, as well as lecturer
at the Johns Hopkins university, is I
deeply interesting one. Such touch a
this shows what music was to him:
And yet shall Love himself be heard,
Though long deferred, though long deferred
Der the modern waste dove has whirred;
Music is love in search of word
Ono of the dainty little music poems 4
short enough to BIO quoted entire:
LIFE AND SONG.
| If life were caught by n clarionet,
And a wild heart throbbing in the reed,
Should thrill its JOY aud trill its fret,
And utter Its heart in every deed.
r,. ,,,, AT. ,-,,,,,rr o,or,oro,
TYNE what the poet fain would be;
For none O. the singers ever yet
Has wholly lived his minstrelsy,
49, .,o .,,,o,.
vi or Sir ,t,eyy, su boaiad forth his jife
Or out of life and song has wrought
The perfect one of man and wife;
and Con-,
M iigt ea" d exnre e The otber's iii
Careless If life or art were long
Since both were one, to stand or fall;
% Sha' s NY ~ nhn,t IN land
MS AN 9n ,eHs oaiv ii,Sn1 aioud
-
STORIES BY AMERICAN AUTHORS. No.
of the series, New York Charles Soribner
Sons. Washington: William Ballantyne
Son.
This number contains 1.-THE Brigad
Commander" by j. w. De Forest; "Spli
Zephyr" by Henry A. Beers; "Zervia
Hope" by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps; 9TH
Life-Magnet," by Alvey A. Adee; 20
goods Predicament," by Elizabeth ID.
Stoddard.
| "JACK IN THE PULPIT" Edited by J. ,
WHITTIER. X. Worthington, New Yorl
Brentano Bros. Washington.
Tb;s dainty little poem. decorated. ,
:, ~ e.,s.ors ,,,S,,I1 l,aa.> .
~ r "9'V odwir;ng tho Ingenious devic,
: ,"h;,,, ,,aa, tho evo On eacb mage ri
) maa,n ;tse,f ia vory prettv. and its into
ps,;,,o or;a;n Ia oiyen in a fac sim;Ie lett,
|, Ms Wh;tt;er
|. W mntber fr;nsed namnblet issued h
= the same publisher is STYLED "Seyen Lit
Malus -Pictules anu No,eeo w mary