Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-17

has "the quality Of bic detect" u.r has
ased his rspier freely, he has been much
m.nled with literary bIudeeons, and has
,Iways come NJ smiling aud good-tem-
pered. .,,ro 10 thin.
tha, MIR. Arnolo's writings ha'. Deen o'
more value than his political snd theologi-
cal dissertations. a. course, ne often pro-
yoked irrilaicd protests. why ooes nv
land Byron 80 highly, Byron WHOM even
IN CarIyle's youth. Mrs. Bnl'ef o'Se"Nrt"n
10 re the poet Of girls ana BOYS - sad ..
night for very wantonness, not OF tnen and
womenY With bis sense OF stvle no" can
he forgive Byron's "loied'neadth lM-
CON- as Mr.. swinburne s,vcreV cihs
~ with his belief thai cfmicism oi
ne j. the function 81 poetry now eau
ne tolerate Hyron's nelanchoN ana rex
Ie.. glance az the mysterious "oill-a
c,,,ic,sm Of fast life, " a criticism Of life at
ais probahly Mr.. Arn0lds ~ Influenced by
,h. ,,ratilude ~ youth, by old memories ~
,,e - he poe,, who first ught his ear.
and by the natural 9dmiraiion ~ the fire
and tree Of the man, fire that burned 40
Iu,,diy. and force Ciien wasted Ike the
rish Of river IN space. Again, on Million.
MIR Arnold ha. written IN manter that
y,,obt partly have pleased DR.. Johnson.
I'm. IN the other sidc of the account, VIZ.
Arnold Ia. opcnc1. - = literary critic,
-,rn, ~ the fields ~ the mod,rr French
gr. i'm. to thousands " r'1dcrs Who knew
nam not: and in another d"ld ~ owe
10 INN some ~ our knowledge OF
tbe charm and agic ot Welsh poetry.
Uc has always spoken best when ne
has spoken 81 poetry; above ah, per
hans, IN the prcfac 10 The earlier colle..
tion. Of hi own lyrics and 70 M'rppe.
II Dc has been almost impiouS about shell
lev. his lectures on flDmcric translation are
masterpieces a. Insight and appreciation.
Weuay not bCheSc IN hi, hcN1m ters toe
t,nd,ucy 81 ih'rg. has been against them
but the rest ~ h. lIomcric literary rriliclsm
is worthy 81 Plato or ~ Arl'tarrhus had
Artstarchus deserted the text FORTH matter.
pouLtle.s Mr.. Arnold could not interest or
arouse bis readers 80 much II thrv we're
aivav- sblc lo agree with his tastes ani IT.
methods. What would discussion b" worth
# We could always agree! Nobody j.
Hkfy a. find any tamcnrss Ia NE IN
tcr,.t Il studying Mr. Aru0ll4 cf'iicl'
writings.
Ti,sc Performance. are more or lcs- evan
cscout and fugitive. Ike cIili,i'm' a. zen
sr4i: u j. bV his poetry thai he mu-i i've.
", con 'hinh ~ ro modern pot who VIII
':.-i. % thr hands Il time. one can
imrg'nc iblt a century hence .inI -- " &c.
hirrt. ol th1i iron uWc" .hill "dtnW the
harm les an crime - people VIII red
Lord IOnvson-hut not his pays,
and not. rcrhaps, most Of hl, iiYls.
OF Mr. Browning thy viii NIKE
Icir selection maiuly from Wen
and Wom,n" and "Drlmltis Per
.ora" "Thc Ring aud the Book " Will
scarcely reach then; they will not break
tb,ir minds on anything 80 "craggy a,
"FiGnc" or "Rcd-COttpn Nish'cap toun.
iry." But il thcy read Mr.. Arnold
poetry they win read Il all, except pcrhdp.
Inc solitary experiment McrOpe.' There
l. no root 90 equal. none, 4. Mr.. S~inburne
saw. 90 "surc'Ootcd. none - truly cll,'i-
cal and worthy Of comparison with the
Greeks in the Victorian age. lripide'
might have been proud of the ">trayed
Hcyolcr." SCphocles Of the songs IN
.'Empcdoclos and Of "DOver Beach,
There l. melancholy in his poems,
certainly. but ii seems TO Us much
lcs, like the peculiar mood OF sad
ncss of given age in human history
than like "the still, sad music OF human-
ity.' II informs "SohriO and Ruslum
uua 81 der a J. intOrul> tue GtN ul no.
Nor, when Achilles tells hi> mother how
be iorc hin TO brief and glorious day.
I ri, power ~ bringing nature before IL.
and he lesson Of nature i perhaps not
hort Of the N >tery Of Wordsworth. and
/ be rcycr sinks 10 the bIldnes, Of prose
4 which di.iigurc, even " riutern Abbey
| TIorc !, an accent % truth, oi fcclln!. OF
! Kindness IN hi, verse which charms and
/ lold- q man rot iu-cn,ihlc 10 tao-" inllu-
oncc> With power wholly singular and
| oii.-r.L 1t {, q power which cannot he
/ weighed and measured. only i"it aud A.
knowlcdgcd. Perhaps II i, impossible IN
.,guc about these things. and there may
/ oven 49, student. Of poetry over whom thl'
lrcgih masses aad leaves them unmovcd.
+ We cannot III 2dmire even the same uurc
/ one mn +, mi, rable in the Alps md pre-
! fus Lincolnshire; another can ma no
/ hearty mJch 20 his mind ont 81 me round
or,eu hin, on The border. But NLi.e Eng
/ h.n poetry is read there wlll h"ly> DE
/ ,,pdcr, takmcaItiyc by Nr. ArnOld-rc"r
/ crs Who rtrt.iulg VIII not deem him III
1 greatest oi poets, but only tIe poet dearest
10 them. Tie might have douc mote In
lhcir dcli2ht had he hcen. hike almost eNcr
ore oi our most famous poets. tl'u %
/ ii>UfC all his lifelong.