The Irish standard., 1888-01-21
[Selected.]
sAN HOUR WITH THE POETS,
THE LAWYER, THE STATESMAN,
THE SOLDIER.

- VE . LfS!S y~N; Iit- ~ y y -o'"fHJ
THE SOLDIER.
What became of the pins, used TO be
question, and what becomes OF the BOOKS
may be Il reasonable question now, con-
sidering that the new ones average hum
dred a day, without saying word about
WsbsterAs speller, which is stepping stone
to all books, and upon which the Apple
tons keep presses at work all the time.
The old tar, journeying home after his
voyage, purchased three copies OF one
work, because, as he said, he wanted.
zone for to read, and one For 10 iend, ahH
one for to carry home" 1t wOnld save
the completeness Of many a mans library
il he would meet the question Oh supply
ii1g by purchase his borrow ing and reading
neighhor The lawyers leave q standing
order with the publishers Of law books to
send them a copy Of everything they pub
lish Perhaps the publishers take extra
hazardous risks sometimes in thus sup
plying the limbs of the law. No pub
Usher would be safe, one may say. with
the Good like Daniel" fer instance, for
Webster, mach as he knew Of constitu-
w
money, and did not remember obligations
70 nay it over In a. delightful book just
Published by the Appletons for George
S. Boutwell, on The Lawyer, the States
Eaan, The Soldier '--Choate, Webster,
I.iucoln, Grant---wc get insight into
Cbua.te' 5 collection Of books and his esti-
nate OF the wisdom Of publishers in fty-
nishing them. Mir. Boutwell, says t}eat
Choate was the bcst equipped advocate
ever known by the American! bar" Bout.
well and Il brother attorney called upon
Choasa on OCCASION and W'cre ushered up
stairs into he library, which filled two
rooms, the partitions being taken away,
the books rising TO rfie ceiling: and
occupying the largest part Of the floor.
''What l, collection Of books you have,
Mr. Chuate. said the stranger. Yes
more than ] have paid for; but that is
the booksellers business, not mine, re-
piled the lawyer, who. ;: Wendell Phil
hips said, made it safe TO murder, and for
whose health thieves asked before they
commenced tc steal" Sam Johnson
would have the prefix "Sir'i to the answer,
but otherwise i'll it's gruifness it would
stand FOR Bpswells hero, and, by the
way, the pity of it that Choate did not
have a. Boswell! Webster charged
Choate with having 'thirteeu editions Of
the Greek testament, and not one copy Of
the constitution of your colantryl"
In Cboate's estimation, the. four great
men Of England, and in their order, were
Shakespeare, Bacon, Milton and Burke.
The Dounelly cypher was then unknown,
else nayhap the tirst two names
would be transposel. He wsas
playful in his exasygerasiou, was Rllfus;
he wrote to Sumner that 'fout Of Burke
mighC be cut fifty Mackintosiles, one
hunnred and twenty five AIacauleys,
for,y Jet1reys, and two hundred and
fifty Sir Robert Peels and leave hila
gre,lter than Pitt and Fox put together" I"
IhaF, assureoly, is very warm writing
for the cold New England coast, but
then Burke grows greater as we move
away from him, and his time.
There is I, class Of writing that Burke,
with all his ability, did not touch, that is
the making OF verse, and SO the collector
Of poems on Ireland and her sorroWs was
not able to find anything from the heart
OK pen of the great commouer, anything
if poetry, that is.
The collutlng and arranging OF poetry
has been a relaxation to many who had
ahs poetic genius themselves. Long
fellow found occupation for several years
III the afternoon CT life. in getting to-
gether 'EPoenls OF Places,' as he called
them, taking from ALI sources poems upon
Scotland; for instance, or upon Ireland
CIR France. His labor III that tield pro-
ducat forty dainty volumes, ard SO &C.
nera! had his own travel been that he was
able to select from his writings poems
npon the various European countries
Charles A. Dana many years ago made
collection OF poems that still holds first
rank for taste and Discrimination The
hate James Z. Fields and Edwin p Whip
pie made u collection from British
poets, starting with Chaucer and
showing the growth OF poetry
from Chaucer's day to ours.
They gave many pages to Chaucer, the
Ea,her OF English verse, but while he
ga"y continue the poet of the poets, and
of the learned of the earth, he has by the
changes of our language ceased to be in
teliigihle to the people. A volume of
Chanccr in one hand would involve a
glossary of the English language in the
ether.
THE IRISH SINGERS.
But here is ssThe Household Library Of
keland's Poets with full and choice
selections from the Irish-American poets,
and complete department. of authentic
biographical notes." collected and edited
Oy Mr.. Daniel Connolly, and sent forth
from 20 Union Square. New York.
The Irish lover and Irish patriot al
lowed Thomas Davis and Dennis Flo
renee Mccarthy and William Allingham
and others to tell of their affections, and
Of their aspirations, and of their discon-
tent in Ireland, and of their hopes in
America And here, as specimen, is
Charles j. Kickha1n's story Of ''Rory Of
the Hill,n a kind of patriotic Rip Van
Wrinkle of ours, who was not pleased that
q rake-handle was allowed to remain idle
near the rafuers; he thought it should
have pike at one end, but the pike apart,
he paid compliment to the world S l<nowl-
edge, mightier than the sword, as follows:
"Oh! knowledge is a wondrous power,s
And stronger than the wind:
Aud thrones shall fall and tlespots bow
Rot, tbo, irhf fofy, ind