The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-12-29
rRNNYsoN,s LATEST.
LoCkslsy II all Sixty Years Aftsr-An Old
MnnA PesslmIam.

LockAleY II nll sixty AehrA AAter-An oln
AIRn's Pesslnism.
NJ " TtBmr,
The tendency which has been observable
in all TennySon's reCept poetry and which
was marked in his last previous volume
"Tiresias" -is nov ireyocably determined
English poetry, since he reached hia
climax in the fiTat volume Of "ldyls Of the
King,n has apparently been divided be-
tween two contrary courses, one In the
direction OF intellectual abstrueness and
severity, the other towards tue hlgheat
elaboration OF art, With strange per
yeEsity Tenuysop, whose strength lay ~
the latter way, chose philosophy and d.
dactiCism, the sermon rather than the
song; and year by year he has put oil
more and more Of the old charm without
gaining the force and msjesty which no
expected totake It's place, Itis otCompara'
atiyely little consequence that in.the nav
II ,ncisley Halln hehautA the expectations
OF bis ardent youth, and heaps the rs-
proaehes OF disappointed old man upon
tho world which seemed iull OF hope and
progress when no wrote, IN the earlier
poem, U..sl
No. in vain the dstauee bORcouS. Toward, Tor
ward Let Us Iggge, A. TO-,
lnggroOYes oil TIME;
or when no sang hia generous aspirations
ia "The Golden Year" O;her poets, too,
haye miaread their time, The vision Of
the inspired seeF does not always take IN
relation 10 things that lie next at hand.
Rather 1t stretches beyond the accidents
Of society and politics, in search OF the
fixed and universal, Our valuation OF
Wordsworth is not affected by the change
In his sentimenA On public RtaiTs
neither will II make much difference In
Tennyson's fame ten years from now that
in his impatient decline he has lost his
old confidence in the pEoeieseot mankind,
Bat 1t is q matter Of serious moment
that when Hope took wings tue
Muse fed with her. We con ID pooh
pooh the political psssimism OF Locks,
ley Hall Sixty Years Alter" II its poetical
quality were not rs disappointing as It's
philosophy. II has hardly any OF the
traits which made the charm OF its prede'
Cessor: worse than that, 1t has hardly any
of the traits which made TennyeOn one
OF the foremost figures Of bis time. What
ever differences might declare themselves
| in the discussion Of his poetry, all agreed
that II was ono Of the most exquisite art
products In tho whole range VI Eng lsh
| literature. Symmetry Of form, perfection
OF melody, variety oil sound and metre,
delicious harmony OF words, the dexterous
nae OF senBuouS effects to heighten the
suggestions Of fancy, the Incompatible
adaptation Of the body al the poem to It's
spirit-theEe QualitieB in Tennyson used
to he the delight Of every reader; and in
thege qualities, Notwithstanding the
leugLh TO which the Grt.moVement has
been carried by the younger writers, the
Tennyson Of forty years ago has not been
SURPASSED. But we listen In vain Tor the old
music in thia unfortunate paliuode, where
thu grabbed verse Crawls alter the sour
thought, and rough, uushapen phrases are
heaped upon one another like rtprap
wall, There are sentences which tell by
their yehemenCe, and some that are forci.
BILE by sheer ugliness; there ara none that
shine by their beauty. 'LoCkslCy Hall"
aparkIed with lines which have haunted
the world ever since they were first read;
"LoCksley Hall Sixty Years Alter" con.
taina little that men will wish to remem-
her. The absolute decay OF poetic power
Is most painfully shown in passages which
recall tho love story OF the earlier piece
and attempt to produce the poets senu-
ment toward his "Cousin Amy" We
have the words, but all the light, grace
and heart have gone out OF them. Here
is cad line:
"Christilu conqueforI took and dung the CON-
QuCred LhriSIlan into flames"
Alas, that tho author Of "The Princess"
nLn,,ll L ..n "a ,r.iin ILLnnk and nnnnml