New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-25

Whittier its idyllic charm. The beautiful paper
upon Longfellow, q model of searching, deliberate
ard affectonate criticism, affords one OF the best
illustrations of that sympathetic insight to which
we referred just now one of Mr.. Stednlans Inost
precious gifts. There are passages IN II which no
lover of Longfeow, lover of poetry, no judge OF
what is true in literary art, can read
without flush Of emotion. And, indeed,
the note Of genuine feeling sounds
clear and musical in more than one of these stud
les. The poet-critlc always rises with his theme,
touching here and there the heights of eloquence'
but never rhetorical or affected.
The chapter on Walt Whitman will be read with
curiosity not unmixed with amusement. 1t Is well
worth reading twice. There are fine half hidden
strokes in it which 1t were pity to mss. MI
Stedman secs more real poetry In Whitman than
we have ever been able to discover in that person.
age, whom disting uished author is said to have
described as "a poet two generations before
BIRTH" but his praises are qualified by criticism
ALI the moro cutting because it is administered
with delicious suavity. Whitman is tried by his
own rules and found wanting. His views oil lie
and art his worship of the nasty, his theories or
form, as well as some of his personal
pretensions, are subjected to searching inquiry
The reader will perhaps gather from tho Whoie
essay more unfavorabe estimate of Whitman
than Mr.. Stedman really puts into words. We now
remember no study of this writer which at once so
Iudicious and so generous, but none which the
noisy rout who follow in Whitman'S train will more
deeply resent
passage IN the Whitman chapter may be cited
as an example of the many choice bits when spar
kle in Mr.. Stedman's pages soften where no
utters truths 1t is with effort to give offence OF
with expressions of contempt FOR that
well might make even the truth offensive. man
does not caIe to be driven with blows and hard
names even to feast. nor to have the host Drag
too much Of the entertainment" Equally
good is remark about Hol nes in conn ectlon
with his prose boohsi " His dialogues and stories
are in every way the expression of stimulating
parsonage, their author,-a frank display OF the
Autocrat himself If one would learn how to be
his own Boswell, these five books are naive exam
pies of a successful American method" Tho hnl-
cal and mechanical poetry of theover-rehned moo
ern English school is felictously deuoTnated
"Kensington-stitch verse" The treatment which
New-York has measured Out TO her later poets is
thus described: Writers have been tolerated and
even welcomed but not taken as councillors until
they have proved themselves worldly wise, OF
gained their influence elsewhere. Then NewYork
has been proud Of them, in her awkward way, and
used them at Aeed but has asss g.d tc the PROV
inces the duty of reading their works"
In concluding chapter Mr.. Stedman presents a
very comprehensive review Of the multitude of
singers who make up the choir of our OWE day. not
allowing himself to crtici5o th"ir work, except II
the lightest and briefest manner but pointing out
the tendencies already Observable Ia what IS IN
qucstionably a dull time. His survey Of tho pres
cnt is pot cheering, but he finds no cause to doubt
of fair future and 1t is with words of cheer that
he closes bis noble work. Let US hope that our
next song period may find as true critic as tho
first