New-York tribune., 1885-07-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MJNOR POEMS.

MINOR POEMS
c,,,n.s c.pnFN OF vERs Es BY ROBERT
Tnris sTx yESsox Charles scribncrs, sons porws
cAMp'FIFE' MEMORIAL DAY AND OTHER rnmmH' Ior.an
By KATE BRowYLEE SHERWOOD on''"s''
IifH. MSHu5f qfE LEGEND OF THE FIRST WOMAN OMAN
BY ADA LAsawoKTHr COLLIER n''''" D'
puSsHR, A TRAGIC EPISODE I n THE REF4RSMdA, WsSde
TiON. by THIsrLEDo"N. Gaih'"'hA
coSAN, LADY BRIDE AND OTHER .FsIns PSEMs dS By the
fIYRA BrcYCLIcA BY JOSEPH @. DALTON. Boston; H.
THE GRAY asdsS' MAsoUE. AND OTHER POEMS, :,By, BY
MARY BARKER DODGE. Boston: d. Ao'"i'P
RoMER. KING OF NORWAY, AND OTHER DRAMAS. MAS
BY ADAIR wELcKER. Sacramento: Lew'S ''A'
VERSES OF A coLLEGIAN. BY EDWARD G. GEnsrLE
AeaMEMSoSs fStSS% pxUGnrER AUG BY DENTON j. sNprn
rRASsgSrs RSsGn = FROM S;s'os a OLD INN BY LILLIAN
R1zESE O. By EueaS MsnSIY KENT
saada:iy oho: IF @n&s Mack BT1tHfT WaHsi MEMOIR.
By CHARLES W. WENDrE. Selected and n,,,. edited ny
W p ANDREWS Boston kSner.s Trsm.ated bV EEoSoE
RABIILON. Henry Holt co.
1t is not given to many grOwn-up people Z" io-
produce the thoughts of childhood. Inc heaVe"
that lies about us in our infancy leaves few memo
r,es which are not blurred aud effaced and though
Il is not so difficult to detect bad limitations Oh .no
child-lfe it Is rarely that we encounter GENUINE
euccess in that line Of experiment. MI SteVehSo"
has however como vcry near to its achievement
He has certainly caught many thoroughly chiiu'sn
ways of thought and expression, ana one VI 'no
most subtle of them is the curious fce'ng' mos'
pty but somo contempt, which children s1 s'rone
imagination often entertain toward the pursuits
and apxieties of their seniors. The funny incon-
s.ouence of childish thought and ITS nairete, are
also wonderfully brought out and the result Is q
ouaint and pleasing little volume which Is sure 10
delight fathers and mothers though we are not 80
certain that it will meetth approval OF the httic
folks themselves Here is a cautious statement ot
the
WHOLE DUTY OF CHILDREN.
A child should always say what's true
And speak when he is spoken TO-
And behave mannerly at table;
At least as far as he Is able.
The proviso IN tho last line is capital Hero is
very childish couplet.
HAPPY THOUGHTS.
"The world Is so full of a number OF things,
Pm sure we should all be as happy as kings
Many Of the verses are full OF sweetness anu
grace, and some are perhaps too finished for their
place. But the volume is bright and pretty
throughout, and the printing and makeup are
dainty and satisfying
Mrs Sberwood's poems are mostly of the stirring
martial kind, reminiscent of the war, and filled
with guns and drums and charging columns and
snoke-wreathed battle-felds aud CORY corpses and
feats of gallantry and bursts of patriotism. Inc
rbvmes Jingle too much, and the sentiment is con-
s1derably too military for these piping times, but
there is plenty of dash and go" in many OF the
war-poems. and one or two of those written for
Memorial Day possess merit not only foT the versl-
ficatiou bat for the feeling. No doubt many o1
the pieces have been will be heartily received at
the meetings of Grand Army Posts and the ike.
The author has made it clear that warpoetry Is her
forte by giving the public an opportunity TO COM
pare 1t with her miscellaneous verse-which Is very
thin
"Lilithp is a fanclful poem showing decided
talent. The Talmudic legend is made the ground
work for a graceful and at times spirited story.
Iilith the first woman, quarres with Adam In
Paradise because she cannot acknowledge his su-
premacy, and wanders forth from Eden to seek an
undisputed kingdom. There after time she IS
sought by Eblis the fallen angel, who tempts her
with splendid gauds until she consents 10 be his
mate But their union is not happy, for all her
offspring are spirit children who vanish from her
arms. And so she yearns after Eden, ana hhdlns
her way to It's boundaries is witness of Adams
happiness with Eve, who has borne him a real hn'
man child. This infant Lilith contrives to steal
away. but it cannot live with her. and although
she restores il the doom of earth is upon 1T and 1T
dies in Eves arms. The poem is full OF the strang-
est anachronisms ard it appears to be the work OF
an inexperienced writer. but 1t contains the prom
ise of better things and even with all its faults
there is much fresh and tender thought In 1t. by
no means ill-expresscd
"Dunbar the Kings Advocate" is entitled
tragic episode in the Reformation" The scene Is
laid in Scotland the time being the sixteenth CEN
tury. Dunbar the hero, is lawyer of
Protestant tendencies, who incurs the enmlty
of Cardinal BeatOn by undertaking the de-
fence of an old woman accused OF witchcraft
There is Of course love element in the drama,
though it is very mildly handled. There are plenty
of characters but none OF them have any remark
aule features. The action aud dialogue are alike
tir.some and dreary and as for George Dunbar, the
Kings Advocate he is such inexpressibly
prosy and interminabe talker that contrary to the
purpOse of the author, we find ourselves almost
sympathizing with Beaton's vindictive determine
fion TO burn him at the stake. The author of this
depressing drama is anonymous aud IN withhold
ing his name exhibits the only indication Of judg-
ment manifested in the volume.
In "Conan" " Lady Bride and the other So
called ,ems with which Z" the author of MainOc"
has filed this little volume there is superiuity
of bad rhyme and worse What it is all about
any one may possibly discover who is foolish
enough to wade through several scores OF pages OF
tinkling meaningless verses, but 1t is not often
that 50 dead level of worthlcssness is maintained
through whole volume. Yet cannot DISMISS
the book without word of really deserved praise.
1t Is excelIently well printed.
Bicycle poetry is we suppose sign Of the times.
In this volume there is enough of it to satisfy the
most enthusiastic " "wheellAan so far as quantity
goes though as regards quality the less said the
better. There is age at which this kind of stuff
seems funny, and sometimes even witty. but it is
the age when one is pleased with a rattle. tickled
with straw" Fancy bicycle parody on Adrian's
address to his aOnI after this fashion