New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-07
LANES RUSSELL LOWELL.
A NEW EDITION OF HIS WORKS.

worthily presented in these haIr'some pooN''
| which will evidently t9kc their proper P''o' 80
| tbe library edition" II was tlme 'lll' a." "'V
onate and authoritative collection OF thiS ''No'r
| autbor's works should be prepared; and 1t VIII
crafty his admirers to learn that he mas not Ie'
At liberty. particularly in the case Of Inc poems
| 70 supprcss or omit or alter even 'hoSc e"ll'i
! nro6uctioDs with which he has ceased 10 leci
! contentcd Experience shows that 10 poet Is 10
! be trusted IN matter OF ms KIM Inc VIZ"
bo tol,os Of his early verse is almost sure to be
! n mistaken view, even Us regards the question: VI
noetic achievement; for no poet ever appears 10
| ho q fair ipdQr of his own work Bat this is not
| ,,,o coli, Consideration The world desires ard We
toLo u is instifPd In desiring, 10 have the OPP
nortnnitv of studying the growth of its poets. and
| tbe changes which the years work In thcir en-
nreseion. H. pcrccvcs that the difference between
| Youth and Age however radical Is ny no means
| ooossorilv the difference between RIGHT ard
wrong. or even between crudity and maturity
Roth views may he equally right, equally VaIp-
| able though perhaps not to he rccohclicu WIN
one another and about the early ones there VIII
! ho = freshness a spontaneity. an innocent conf
dence in the moral progress of the world III l'S
rosnonse 70 purely ethical arguments, which soo'hc
Hattcr and family amusc that ho2ry cNnic ana
recall dimlv the venerable past when il too was
! vourr and without experience. In Mr.. L"Nclls
| carly verse moreover, there really is nothing
! which will not stand the crucial test OF comp'rl-
son. or which, 10 say the truth. does not. when
subjected TO that test. rather hcilttlc the la'er
verse by the side of which il is placed
| Mr.. Lowell is many-sided man. and while AZ
tomptinp various enterprises hc has had large
measure of success in oil. Scholar teacher, poet,
essayist envoy. he has distinguished himself IN
each role Yet there is one clear line Of conn"c-
ton running through all bis parts. and it Is the
characteristic which gives vitality, power and III"
quality of endurance 10 81 mnch OF MS W''h
Broadly speak king the nature OF this dominant
trait may We think. he expressed iut"lliclhlN as
the Ncw-Engand Conscience. and perhaps there
is no influence or force in operation THROUGHOUT
American history which il is more impor''i,c';
necessary 10 recognize an 70 reckon with, or which
has ACCOMPLISHED more important things for tac
country II is thinknhc that had lr been bred
among somewhat ruAcr and les classical SUI
roundinrs. Mr. Lowell might have developed
/ truly Carlylcan bent might have thrown himself
into the great preliminary struggle OF the ante
b,lum DAYS with almost the sicrnncs' and tic un-
compromising spirit Of Garrison. Bui he fell into
the mildcr was illustrated in The la'Io"
Papers. He had n natural gift for satire and
he gave il free play here What j." might hoN"
come to i'm those days is indeed rrciIu.cd ln
here and there n few lines Of such hot wrath
and bitter contempt for the truCnlent slave
Power as the Quaker Poet was in IL" habit of
writing The two men animated hV H."
same influence They thought and felt alike pn
the topics which then acita'cd the country, hp'
Lovells academic culture determined the clay
actcr Of his expression. and If was lc,- direct.
downright ond energetic than that of Whittier
The Biglow Papers" however made their marx
deep and the New-Eneland that had conc 10
sleep under the dIowsy hum 81 the cotton mocbin-
cry and had become used 10 consulting its pocket
instead Of It's conscience YVES al laS' reused ~
| an uncasneSs which put further slUmlcr ont o.
the question and stimulated salutarv rejection.
There las crown mp OF late % fashion ~ crit
cism which deserves 20 bc called Invcrtcbrai" fsel-
| ion. Those who employ il VIII MOI consent That
there any principles, an cri'cria %; right and
wrong any ethical standards whatever. Evoln-
ton and Acsthcticisu are substituted for the old
methods and modes OF jud -.ng. and II is con
sdcrcd a special mark Of culture = oTod any
thing 50 shockinelv definite and hNci as cplrl1-
sions Everything j. relative; and tn principle
/ Of the relatively Of all things e made reason for
/ putting a wasiy nuX Of undiccsteG ideas IN ih"
stead OF clear and ripe judgments. f1irl, reasoned
[ DAT With this modern school Mr. Lowell ha-
not. ani from his temperament could not have. Tie
/ least sympathy. What makes lis essays such
bracing reading is precisely his adherence o. -"
| old standards He is. whether he write ~ pros"
or verse constantly recurring I" them. His IDEAL
| is Swallowed forth in one Of his poems. IT,"
longer on this earth We live he says speaking
of Washington,
oThe more We feel the high stern featured beauty
OF plain ccyotcinc,- - duty.
| steadfast and still nor paid with mortal praise.
| Dnt finding amP,e,i rccoupcnse
For Hfc's unrarlanccd e>prn,e
In work done squnrcly and uuwastcd daYs'
| Tia, same high Ideal may be traced throughout
| Mr. Lowcls prose writings. Take, for example.
the essay on Josiah QuincY, which dbouLds with
this noble tcaching. II il time, writes TIE cs-
savist. that fiji honor should be paid also 10 hlih
VINO shows a genius Tor public usc!ulucs, i"r the
achievement Of character, Who shapes bis life +"
a certain classic proportion and comes on con-
oueror on those inward fields where something
more than mere talent is demanded fer victory.
The memory Of such should be cherished ~
the most precious inheritance which one genera
tion can hequcaih 60 ihc rcyt His preference
is for courses controlled ~ Tho current. "oi an
Gent wisdom channciled deep in law, such ~ the
undauntcd few who changed the Old World for
the New followed.
The humor whc,. was 50 marked quality in
Mr. Lowclrs earlier poetry has, indeed not wholly
disappeared. but with advancing time il has he
come less frequent, and has given place 10 sober
and lottier strain. ict MS protests against Che
scep,icism and dccayng faith of The age are not
always entirely grave, as witness that stritlng
poem, Crcidimus Jovcm Rcenare.' Here, he
Meath a humorous exterior, the graycSt problems
are Touched, yet never fippantiy. Reverence Is
too deeply ingraned in Mr. Lowell for that; rev
crcncc and sincerity Jet rs add. In thc body of
his writings there is pahulum for all tastes The
fastdious scholar, the poet, the statesman the
seeker after entertainment, the lover Of humor
/ tho 1,,fr Il. t,t,.tar
may each and all find full satisfaction in these
volumes. But in the final analysis it is the strong
and clear sense OF duty, OF honor, Of integrity,
of veraclty, that constitutes the chief value ana
tho main tendency of Mr.. lowclls literary work
, and that insure for him a fame and place whose
endurance must be estimated not by beauty Of
style, or range and brilliancy OF Imagination, or