The Irish standard., 1888-01-21


him, y and the oftener he'd come the more
she'd adore him. She cries:
"Light is my heart since the day we were
Red is my cheek that they told me was
blighted;
The green of the trees looks far greener than
ever,
And the linnets are singing true lovers don't
seyer.'
These be the old poets, but here is AL
fred Pelcival Graves, the last addition TO
the tards Of Erin, who with delicious
elusion speaks of
An ankle sambuscadin through her gowns
delightful whrl."
Certainly no one will ring the bell on
the poet for seeiug an ankle ambuscadin'.
To show the value Of this collection by
the editors industry I will quote his
biographical note Of Rt. Rev. George
Berkeley, author of the "Course Of Em-
pire:o
Westward the course OF empire takes it's way;
The four first acts already past,
A fifth shall clnse the drama With the day.
Times noblest offspring is the last"
Bishop Berkeley, says the editor Of the
volume under review, was born at Kill
crin county Kilkenny, March, 1854, and
died Jan Z, 1858. With the approval Of
Swift, he formed a plan for establishing
| college at the Bermlldas for the purpose
of training pastors. for colonial churches
| and missionaries Tor the Indians, and IL
was in anticipation Of the results OF the
scheme, which was not carried out. that
| he wrote the celebrated poem
| Jane l.. Gray, born Levers, is not
| known to many as an Irish writer, oIls
she is claimed for tie Irish by yhis indus
| of ireland, svas educated in q Moravian
I, john Gray and moved to E.asron, Penn
! sylvania In "Reminiscences, (" speaking
OF the Snhlatb she says, with charm
| ing sisnplicity:'
Twas not the decking Of the head. my father
| But careful clothing Of the heart, that graced
| that holy day
| Twas not the bonnet nor the dress; and be-
! l1evc it true;
! But those were very simple Girnes, and YVES
| simple toe.
The Irish-American poets are we'll rep
resented in this collection; Joseph Brett
nan, who went to New Orleans and filed
III early grave, and Fit2-Ja,nes O'brien,
| whose cortege passed down Fulton street
one sunny day, Ell route for the place Of
rest at Greenwood, and whose remains
were followed by William Winter, and
kindred and appreciative spirits, who,
upon that occasion, had no sunshine in
their hearts, and Father Abram j. Ryan,
I; the laureate OF the lost cause, Of whose
| grand leOnine head there is u fns steel en-
gravel, picture. Father Ryan WAS born
! in Virginia, and so the South to him WAS
his country The Editor calls special at
! tenton to the fearful poem OH the death
of his brother, who, as the poet wrote,
had tvt, graves, one in the place Of earth
| to earth, and Zone ia the heart Of his
| nlothar.''
| But it is not possible to follow the
author through his royal octave OF s7A
pages of double columns. the contents Of
which are suitably keyed III solemn mood,
for there is O. sadness in all Irish inaag
inativa patriotic writing. Generation after
generation the people have cried, Flow
long, Oh Lord, how long? The volume
win take the place long lost to Hayes
ballads and Dujfy's songs, and is tha
best work of Its kinu ever done. It is en-
riched by portraits, in addition to that Of
Father Ryan, Of Clarence Mangan,
Thomas Davis, Moore, who has the place
Dennis Floreiice Mccarthy, Lady Wilde,
ranza,' Of the Nation, and who has fa1he
now as the rnotaer CT Oscar Wilde, John
Boyle O'l2ielly, editor OF the Pilot, who
may be given first rank in the band OF
lrish-Amerjcan living l,ars1s: Fanny
pasneu, Sir Samuel Ferguson, who had
first place in Irish authorship Of this
class. assigned TO him by a. NJ, VIII
liams, editor Of the Providence Journal,
who is not an Irishinan, but vino wrote
as intelligently Of Irish poets as Taine,
the Frenchman, wrote OF llngliss, men
Of letters, and Charles G. Halpine,
miles O'Reilly," who WAS Of the lighter
school, and who Will he short lived as an
author.
Yne poems are arranged by subjects,
thus of S'.Atfections;" Of "Home aud
Childhood;" of mature and Places;'
ct sRefection;' OF Sentiment aud
Retrospection;'' Of the ''ImaginaGion;"
of "Patriotism;'' Of "Heroisrn;" of
Labor" of "Comedy;" Of Gloss and
Sorrow stMemorial Poems," and
"Moral and Religious Poems.S'
1t would be 1lngracious to close this
writing without word Of the editor
who is also poet. His subjects in the
volume are s'Trouy Fishing Memories OF
the Erne,m "compeasation," Jasper
Dean, Ine Eyes OF an 1IlSH 11ifl,
"Erina Regina, ~ IA Lay Sermon" "The
Leap for Life, - a kind of Sheridan S ride,
NacMahon, of France, being the hero;
i'Evicted," zone Summer Night and
EsMitchell-1975. Instead of copying
any of his lines I will say that the book
is SO varied in genius and SO full of infor
nation that it will make lonely nights to
be summer nights to those who will pos
sess it.
AS matter of convenience to the
reader will say that the price of the
book is five dollars and half, and that
the price being sent in p. 0. order to Mr..
Connolly, at 2S union Square, New York,
a copy will be sent free of charge.
S. j. AHERN.
35S jackson St, st. Paul, Jan. l2.
Remember the telephone call af