New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-24
brighter and more glorious moral era Tor the


whole human race.
The revolt OF these pure minded instructors
of the rising generation has been directly pro-
yoked by the introduction into the reaaihg
course of corrupt and dcbasing poem calleo
1.-THE Building OF the Ship" reputed to have
been written by one II. w. Longfelow. But
this is only the eliminating incident in long
course of systematic outrage. Other poems OF
this same man LongfellOw have been used IN
the schools against the earnest protest OF the
nrincipals. One Of them is entitled "The
Psalm of Life"-its very name indicating Its
shockingly irrcIigious character; and 1t con-
tans. among lines that cannot here be quoted,
this infamous passage:
ACT act In the living Present.
Heart within and God oerhead--"
words which must have led hundreds OF lnno-
cent boys and girls to forsake the ways OF
virtue for the gilded vice of the dramatic stage
Another shameless effusion from the same pen
1.-The Bridge" pictures its sin-steeped hero as
saying:
How often oh. how often.
In the years that have gone by
] had stood on tina, bridge al midnight
And gazcd that wave and sky!'
And the children of Brooklyn were forced 70
contemplate the conduct of that hardened mis-
crcant in his nightly orgies among the p'iriieuS
of the watcr-sdc. As though this were mol
enough. the same insidious powers loaded the
curriculum OF the schools with countless other
equally vile works. among which VIC may only
mcntion-for to quote them in Il family news
paper is ont of the question-such poems as
Maud Mulor' by Whittier, the W In Memo
tt,.,t, - :, |,
scandalOll> production commonly known as
I'VE Arc Seven the offspring ol the heated
and lcentouS Imagination of an EnglIShman
named Wordsworth. We have even heard 1t
whispered with batcd breath that the flprnt
md ribald "Paradise LOST of the notorious
Milton, and the very properly suppressed
I.!ccy Written In Country Churchyard,
for the production Of which the name of Gray
i, 81 universally exccratcd. have been clan
dc>tincly distributed among the pupils in sever
al schools But this we can scarcely even yet
believe.
Our readers will agree with us in thinking
that il is high time for something To be done.
There is such an abundance of pure and who!"-
some literature cAtant that 10 excuse Is pos
>iblc for poisoning tho mind of youth with such
OIL as that which has now been exposed. Let
us discard the Salacous LOngfcllow for the
chastc innoccncc Of Swinburncs earlier works
and the austere dccorrm Of Whitman's !" Leaves
Of Grass Lot Whittier and tho >tyslan
Wordsworth give place to the limpid sweetness
IF Concrcvc and Aphla Bchn And the I'M
altered works Of Xola. and Catulc Alcndc'. an!
,;uy dc Maupas>ani. not Ia name Dumas ANA
ToI>tui and THE Police tiaIcii". shall they
moi all he preferred before >u'h VIII - H. iho>"
who have aroused IA" ighoo wrath "t Grad
grind and >quccr> beyond ia" lirid."' We
trust that such an Ind"\ L>!urcal"lnI," may
he pr pared l., these inspired principals ~
shall effect vhoc> IN" rev olu'ipn III TIA" read
IN. If tn" vorL. II i a great work: and well
begun and AT is triumphant close tho >tron:
st yndd"d rr,'> in IN" l'lathu>h ~, lum shall
be the reward Of lis authors.