New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-11-15
RECENT POETRY.

THE SILVER BRIDGE. other Poems. BY ELIZA
BtrH AKEEs. l6mo. ~. ia Houth'on' M,"'u -"
PIPES FROM PRAIRIE LAND AND OTHER
PLACE.. BY MINNIE GILMORE lomo Pr. lou
CaSsell q Co.
In the verse Of Mrs. Akers there is an almost uni
formly musical ana graceful quality waich makes
her one Of the most satisfactory of our minor
singers She does not stir deep feelings. nor sur
prise Us with fla hes of insight. NOR kindle the
IMAGINATION TO q blaze. even that
her treatment of familiar poetical forms shows a
distinctly individual manner Still her work with
IN its limited range is artlstcay finished, and the
impulse from which II comes is usually genuine.
Her ear tor the melody OF words and rnythms is
sure her taste IN dlction is seldom at fault. her
sentiment il true and nnstrained. Her favorite
themes are affection and flowers. In her emotional
pieces che incnes toward a pensive yet not
gloomy mood and in her poems of nature she
delights in painting the br ghtest aspects OF beau
tilul world. without searching too Tar after its hid
den lessons and analo gies. rhe Silver Bridge !"
Is an excellent example of her feicitous treatment
of simple emotion. "Daudelon Ghosts is a
dainty out-of- door fancy. In A Pine Tree we
have a good illustration of the art of varying the
Tilt of a measure whose smoothness might become
monotonous In soch poems. however, as Dives
and the Angels" and " Her Sphere" where Mrs
Akers IN tempted into making Improving remarks S,
the muse takes flight.
Miss VI innIe Gilmore the daughter or the banu-
maste. offers her little collection of Pipes with
q modesty which dissrms criticism. She avows
herself a novice and If we bear this IN
mind we shall find in her work a great
deal of reason for satisfaction. She has not yet
found out that she can do but she has fancy and
facility ana she promises TO develop strength
where as yet she shows only rudeness. The chief
trouble with her verses now is that the inspiration
of them is not her own. She has been under the in
nuence of various poets, chief of whom are Long
fellow VIII Carleton and Bret Harte, her most
effective studies being after the manner OF the last
named artist. But we do not believe that she will
find her poetical mission in the mining-camp.
THE VOLCANO UNDER INV CITY. BY Volunteer
Special. LONE. pp. $50. Fords, Howard Hul"ert
Under this sensational title an anonymous writer
has undertas en- 10 tell in detail the story Of the
New-York Draft Riot of 1868. for the sake of the
lesson which it teaches in the present condition OF
affairs We may THANK him for putting upon rec
ord the particulars of jreadfui affair. Of which
no adequate account has ever been published;
bu. TO write a vivid and comprehensive narrative
of such tumult would tax mnch ADLER pen than
his. The story is In respect well toll, the
causes Of the outbreak but imperfectly
amiDed. and the author throws no new light upon
the character and aims OF the mob, or rather the
several lndependout mobs who for three days held
the public authorities % defiance. He maintains
that the riot after the 6rst day, was distinctly
insurrection against property. This opinion. how
ever, 10 not JUSTIFIED by his own pages. except in
10 far az all great liots are accompanied by wan
ton and apparently malicious destruction not con-
templated by the authors of the original disturb
snce. Tho lesson of the book therefore is not clear