The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1886-12-30

tFrom the New York American. September II,
1856.
CONSOLATION AND OTHER Poems.
BY ABRAHAM PERRY MILLER. New
York: BrentanO Bros.
The New York American recently
contained \ notice of the above vol.
ume, written in u most friendly and
appreciative spirit. After referring
to the boyhood and early experiences
OF the author, the writer says:
The poems collected here are a por-
tion Of the literary productions of his
life. He has written much prose that
is we'll worthy Of permanent preserva
tion. and considerable poetry that does
some that does; but u writer is not oft.
Ell the best judge of his own work.
Mr.. Miller is u poet by nature; per-
accepted saying that poets are born,
not made. He is also u poet Of nature,
and many of the finest passages in this
hook occur in his descriptions of nat
ural scenery and of the grand and sub
lime operations of the forces of nature.
He reads
''SermOnsin stones.
Books In the running brooks,
= And God In everything"
And in all these he sees poetry. The
storm that RACES through the
heavens and over the earth is to
him u poem no less than the gentle
breeze that murmers through the
leaves of the forest, or the brook that
sings and dances on its way to the sea.
And beyond and above all these
Hooking through Nature up to Ma
ture's God''-he sees a kind and bene-
ficient Creator whose loving kindness
is over all his works. and whose love
for us AL is infinitely greater than the
love of any earthly parent for child.
And thus. combined with an earnest
love for Nature in all its moods, we
find deep religious feeling pervading
almost every poem in the b00k-cer.
tainly all the best Of them-that re-
minds us of some IF the finest and
sweetest creations of Whittier-not AS
an imitatOr-fOr lie is very far from
that-bnt because of the similarity OF
their views of the loving nature Of the
great All Father, aud perhaps. also, of
their plainly evident love for all hu-
manity. and their earnest desire to do
what they can to lift it up to 4 higher
plane. and so make the world brighter
and better.
To one who has known him as init
mately AS has the writer of this, plaiu
traces are visible of the mental expert
ences through which the author has
passed. In his earlier years devOtedly
we might say observation-disclosures
then for time swept and tossed by
the doubts and fears Of skepticiSn, and
then coming back almost to the old
faith and trust, which. though never
entirely lost, were for time seriously
and sadly shaken.
But an earnest nature like his.
warmed and strengthened by sincere
religious principle, is not likely to GO
very far astray, however strongly it
may be assailed by skpptical questions.
| delusions, doubts and fears. 1t may
drift in darkness for awhile like Il no
BILE ship on a stormy sea without a rud
| der or compass. but sooner or later ii
is almost sure to find its way back to
| tie haven IF faith and trust. The,,
the storms may continue to rage out
side the harbOr, but such 4 soul feels
that it has come back to home and tn
rest, and it will never drift away
again.
The marked characteristics of Mr.
Miller's poetry are an enthusiastic
love of nature, IN earnest religious
| feeling. and deep and abiding faitl
| ir the love Of God for all his creatures
In all of Gods works, and in all Of his
dealings with men, he sees not anger
nor vengeance. but only an infinite
| love. And when lie has been personal
| ly called to walk in rough and thorny
paths. and face the severe storms ot
adversity, he has never failed to rec
OgniZe the leading hand of the great
and loving Al!-Fathor. And thus
has adversely broadened and deepened
not only his love Of God but also foI
humanity. For there are not many
in all this world with souls more full
Of nnselfish love for every class and
condition Of men than the author OF
| these poems
The authors love of nature and pow
er Of poetic description are shown in
the following, on u summer storm:
| All through the afternoon the dreamy day
Swan listless Ger the Earth, and far away
The lazy clouds went lettering round the sky,
Or sat far up and dozed on mountains high
The green trees drOOped the painting cattle lay
In the warm shade and fought the flies away.
Along the worlds far rim and down the sky,
| Cloud Panoramas lOOmed and gil led by,
| Rocks, icebergs, mountains, capped with lumin
! Gus snow.
And hundred-towered cities, moving Slow!
And then, with banners round the West unfurl.
The great red Sun went down behind the world
And, eastward. looming DER the hills, Night:
| rim,
Like Worlds Ghost, rose i'll defne' and dim! {!
| Around the West, in many purple fold.
The delicatetexturea clouds lay fringed will
As though the gods hal thrown their cloak:
For so%e as'efi Sigh pa.t,me played at eventide;
And where the sun went down. the glowing sky
The light burned upward, like some furnace
Where Heavens ore is into Planet cast.
And spin for cycles through the realms OF space
Then when the fire burned down, across thu
A Thunder Storm upheaved its golden crest,
| Alive with lightning, that with wOndrous freaks
Played DER the c. oad built cliffs and mountain
As though the gods. on some great work intent
Into the sky had heaved 4 Continent!
| And now, while yet the sky above was blue
And all Gods worlds CAME thrOnging int.
From out the West there came cooling breez.
Which went about and whispered to the trees
| That DER the mountains and the western plain,
sweeping CulS way, Cncre was u mighty ram,
And we. who sat beneath the whispering heard
And knew its meaning clear as human word.
Then all the glad trees, with the news elatc,
Waved leaves and branches with c"mmotior
great,
| As men hear good news Of some great affair
And wave their hats and handkercl,tefs in air {!
Anon the storm came on. The lightning
fell
| In seas OF fire upon every hill:
The crashing Thunder split tn eternal walls,
And rnmbled down the sky like rolling balls,
| And gathered all its strength and burst again,
And shook the world from mountain-tOp tt
| plain!
And al the woods and all the mountains round
Ana al the hills and wales and quiv'ring ground
| And all the hollow sky and every cloud
Filled with the thunder beloved long and loud
Down came the rain as though the streams or
Had burst their banks and overflowed the sky!
And sweeping on with mighty rush AMI beat
And roar and tramp of multitudinOus feet,
| Washed of the world and left 1t fresh and sweet
Then passed the Storm and left US such
| night
As only storms can leave US in their flight!
| So bland the air that all the sounds seem near
| And turn to music on the Quickened ear: