New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-09-30
THOMAS HUGHES ON LOWELL.
LECTURE IN ASSOCIATION HALL.
THE POET AS A CRITIC. MoRALIsT, WIT AND LOVER
OF NATURE.

ha, heard or read Tom Brown. talked Tor an hor
and a half OF Association Hall last nisht 10 a
deeply interested audience on James hu'Sen
LoweIrs Works" Although :" lecture had been an
ncunced Mr. Hughess address took on such converse
tiopal and easy air that word talk seems to CHAR
asterize II best Despite his age HIS
form is erect, his face rudy. and his
whole appearance indicates the hale and hearty man
whom mon Of many less years might envy His voice Is
clear and ringing, his ennuciation distinct and
his speech penetrating. Simply to SEQ Ihomas
Hughes as no stood before his audience
las. evening would be goody sight to all who have
heard OF him.
The audience though not large, was choice one Mr.
Hughes WAS accompanied by Congressman A. g. Hewitt
whose guest he is by E. L. Godkin. who presided
In the audience were DR.. Agnew, exJudge Russell w.
Hastings Hughes the brother of the speaker
and many we'll known at literary gather
ipgs Tho lee lrer listened to closely and
elected frequent expressions OF applause. mirth'
and at times hearty laughter This first
of two lectures 1.-THE second to be given Friday night was
devoted Mr. Lowell as preacher critic and moraist
ns wit and alover of nature. The speakers manner
was ofhand simple. direct and at the same time per
suasive and vigorous He quoted largely and his read
Ing while far from the conventional style of the elocu
ZIONIST marked by taste and feeling and melodious
utterance
After being presented by Mr. Godkn and received with
A warm welcome, Mr. Hughes said that 1t had been
fifteen years since he delivered the "hrst and only lee
ture" he had delivered In this CITY, at the request
of An old and honorod friend who then sitting below
him. 81 did not intend to deliver another lecture in
New-Ycrk" ne continued, land before you go away to-
night you may think Ii would have been advantageous
for me to nave abided by my intention tLaughtcrl l
wish to say in few words why have changed that in
tention II is almost exactly forty years since
frat came TO know Mr. Lowers poems Only a few OF
them wero out them but the small taste had got
made me eager to obtain everything which came from
hs men, made It point to secure each new produc
lion of his works have been source OF pleasure
and strength to me since don't really know rs have
apy living author to thank so much as Mr.. Lowell
edited the first edition of the Biglow Papers brought
ont I'm England little over twenty years ago be-
CANTOR an Englishmsn-to see a great many AmerI-
cans, and to my establishment, and considerably
to my grief, L found single one
who knew his Lowell as he ought to-as
we in En- gland do when boy is familiar with tho poets
that have taken the most hold of him.
And So although it Involved another public appear
nnce In New-York thought would come ana sec IL
could not inspire the youth Of America to study Mr.
Iowels poetry and what he has contributed in other
lines of literature. And first will consider Mr.. Lowell
as poet. AS such he must be looked
Mt in several aspects. aud the first is
"a strange one to l read the other day
in one OF your literary papers new definition OF poet
1t said that the poets first great function was Grill
cism-he criticism OF tho life of his time. will take
Mr. Lowell first In that Junction. although 1t Is not his
highest high as IN TWO lhrco oI
tions Now Mr. Lowell Is perhaps amongst poets
unique critic. I don't know that any poet-I don't
know I'm any snguage with which acquainted any
thing at all like of his longest works-and, in my
opinion, a very important work-and that Is Fable
Tor Critics. That book published auony mously in
1913. The plot of the poem that all the American
authors are passed before Apollo who is sit
ting in n sort OF judicial character, and he says
what he has 10 say about OF them and he only
does that he break away here aud there AMI very
can authors but of American national habits aud
ners say that tho poem is unique, ALTHOUGH have
heard IL said persons who ought 10 have known he
Ter that Mr. Lowell only borrowed this idea from Lor
Byron that Byron had done the same thing In one of
MS earliest works Of any import ncc English Bards
ami Scotch Reviewers The only likeness between the
s swG and 1' not sSf Soe tho Of apollo
ali the great contemporary writers OF MS time and then
crtcise them say that criticism Is simply an angry
explosion OF young aristocrat who has found himself
treated like other folks and rs smarng ana indg ant
under treatment and the c0n'q enre Is TIA many
of his CRITICISMS or little value. venture 10 cId
lenge any sdmrer Of By ron there DC sGh IN The
IN Engis Bards and Scotch Reviewers which Will
aiming at ruer knowledge o. the work o. tbs man
One OF the works OF Byron you may have
fSrsoten. viii tell YOU Amos COtte was bookseller
Of the West England lie WAS great frien OF Cole
He published little book OF poems dbOat waves very
innocent and quite as good as most volumes Of that
after flying at big game the great reviewers who he
we're altogether undcsrrvr assaed hie little
nook of pOeins. IL was simply Miniature.
Now we come To Lowell A Fable for CriCs,' as
said came anonymously in 1913. and when first got
hold of 1t ddn't know II was work Of Lo"elf' II
lad known that IL was his should nave gone for II and
got H. and know should have spec ally admired It,
am very fond Of looking al the ttepases OF books and
especially how the book Is introduced. was very
much absorbed by the tlepaSe and soon found 1t was
a very remarkable tue-p printed sometimes IN hg
letters and sometimes In small with nothing
markable about it until you began rcad 'eaderIwak
fpfIy rinons rate Fable for Critics: or better Il ike
as a thing that the readers first fancy may strike an
In hf, ftan To- "A IL
ular view Of the volumes cODtens).a glance at few
o. our literary voea and anse meIey
that is. series OF Jokes by wonderful quiz who ac-
companies him off by rub-adubdnb full OF spirit aud
grace ON the top the tnb forth October the 3l
day in the year 4S, g. r. Putnam. Broadva}' When
ust ike when you go circus where there clowns
and such fellows,one clown steps INTO the ring aud
makes bow, and the other steps into the RUG ana looks
through MS legs and makes bow. lou know from
which the THO ySa @ s sW eaRFst the the 1s"ef RIM
much same manner and printed Ia prose- They COM
nrocedure / promise few candid remarks to the
reader This rine begun TO please only myself ana my
friends mo had 1t induced me, b dint oil saying
they liked it, to put it IN print And so he goes on Then
before rad you any Of It, That II IL were my good
circumstances 10 be appointed professor of modern
hteratn in one of your school or colleges, the tex
S would I be- Fable for cTtes AppiaGoe inSyc
read no bOUk English or American, mat mas been
30 artfuy happy and 80 dantily descriptive as TINS
roickIRg rub-a-dub-dub OF LowelPs, brought out III
1S4S.
Rearing in mind that criticism OF COttle by Byron.
from whom Lowell supposed 10 have taken the idea
ia his poem, let call your attention TO one oil the
crticisins by Lowell l might compare almost any OF
fbe ans with object aul quite sure all
OF Won will apprec IT, Tor there Is no III this room
who has not ron his youth up read Frlm0re cooper:
he's as sSoi as iSrd' let's sani ha he's so;
II a Der on prefer that ;3crptIon OF pr Use,
WHY 9 cOronets certainly cheaper than pays"
"a great difference between that knd OF criticism
hlch teaches something and mskes yOa think OF
end t, absurd superficial nonsense which Byron used
in English Birds and Scotch Reviewers And then
comes "A passage which think will hkeI hope II IS
ma reason why well Is not thoroughly representative OF
te Young men america but he very often speaks very
nsinv 10 them-I sure the passage Will do you good
and think you will like to hear 1t. Laughter