New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-08

the bottom OF method OF treating serious things
which in other writers, has been sometimes blamed
as irreverent although little consideration
would show that the authors feeling Is always
dccorous, and that the supposed improperly Is
nothing more than the use of homcly speech to
capress what has become homely familiar idea
In the January number " " The Century there
is poem OF Mr.. Rley's not included IN this vol
ume, on the silent affection Of father Tor his
soldier son. Well; good bye, Jim; take keer OF
yourself is the cid mans only expression OF the
love and anxiety which Ill his heart. When jim
is diving. the father takes his hand. and Well;
good bye Jim take keer Of yourself are the last
words that fall on his ear. The irresistible in
eopgruity of this untimcly counsel brings us to
the close of a pathetic little poem in strnngely
mixed frame Of mind We hardly know whether
TO laugh or to wipe our eyes. But ut any rate
there is no irrcycrcnce in substituting for con-
vcntonal dcath-bcd phrases this touch Of hearth
ness and nature In the volume there Is another
" jim journeyman shoemaker, whose good
nature patience, and generosity are described with
u sort of rude tenderness rs one of his shopnates;
and the piece ends thus
Now there was n man 1T ics' pcarcd like to me,
At Ortn't a-ncvcr aided.
" But death hant a-slIowin' no fav0rS, the OLD
boss said,
Only to jim" and cried:
And wigger. who puts up the best scwcd work i'll
Err the Whole blame nciglborhood,
He says When God made jim, l bet you
He didn't do anything else that day
But jos set around and feel good!'
Here the mcddlng with sacred conceptions is
bolder than in The other piece, but IL is the in
congrnity not the audncity which makes the last
lines tell and the final secret Of the effect in both
poems is the legitimate employment Of the art of
surprise
Mr.. Rilcy's miscellaneous poems are 50 strongly
marked by the domcsticity, djrectness, affection
atencss. and cheerful contentment which we Lave
seen in his dialect pieces. that they require little
separate attention. With few cNceptons-noia-
bly very spirited exercise of fancy entitled The
South Wind and the Sun'-the tone Of both
divisions of the work is the same, the themes are
similar, only the diction varies.
Miss Guincy's little book is inscribed rs
tribute to Keats, and is so plainly, we may say
SO ingcnuously the product OF a prolonged feast
upon that poet that hesitate to judge it as an
original production The writer is cxubcrant IN
fancy and her sentiment lacks neither warmth
nor sustained energy. Out OF all this ciiusveness,
fervor and poctical aptitude something good VIII
probably come when she has learned what her
individual gifts are, and has acquired a better
control of her copous vocabulary. But at present
her work is conceived under the influence OF il
master who has binding fascination for many
young poets, and while the glamour remains III
tense no creative effort can be expected. The
White Sail part of the legend OF Thescus, Is
written in blank verse, Of whose difficult music
Miss Quincy has not caught the secret; and the
language labors under constant effort to be
unusual and fine. The lyrics are better than
the legends but the volume as whole must be
regretted premature.