Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25


to periodical literature. He Is at present
engaged on a memoir of his father.
OF all these numerous books think j,
putting aside for the moment Mr.. Gosse g
poems, that "Seventeenth Century
Studies' is, perhaps, the most fascina-
ting. No critic, it seems to me, can be
more Just or more catholic than Edmund
Gosse. He is never blind to the excel
lence of men in the opposite camp. A
romanticist by taste and by tempera-
ment, he is capable, nevertheless, OF
perceiving all that is finest IN the didac-
tic writers of the Eighteenth century
He wrote no less than twenty-nine Of
the articles in Mr.. Humphrey Ward 8
'AnthoIogy of English Poetry, in
Guiding sketches of Lodge. Carew and
Herrick, and, indeed, he treated poets
of every period down to our own. The
editor of the Anthology IN his preface re-
turns thanks to Mr.. Gosse, "whose
great knowledge of English poetry, es-
pecially of the Seventeenth and Eigh-
teenth centuries, has been of the highest
service. -
Besides the oatholicity of our author
the business with which he treats all
schools and all phases Of literature-he
has the advantage of wide knowledge OF
other literatures than his own, and that
certainty of judgment which comes Of
extensive culture. Moreover, his work
is singularly beautiful in style, and ex-
ceedingly felIcitous in the power to hit OF
a portrait in a single phrase. One stops
to linger over some of his sentences for
pure enjoyment of their grace and charm.
In writing of the love songs of Thomas
Lodge, he says: ''In these loVe-songs
note of passion, a soaring and shouting
music of the lark at heaven gate, was
heard for the first time, above the schol-
astic voices of such artificial poets as
WATSON If Gosse makes quotation
1t is always the quotation for his purpose.
1 have before this commended his
studies of literature to the attention OF
those who have not time to make ex-
haustive studies for themselves. His
Seventeenth Century Studies' and his
Eighteenth Century Literature
would turn an ignorant man into one
reasonably well informed concerning the
literary epochs of which they treat. L
turn over their pages and come upon
sentences that are revelations. Here is,
for instance, Mrs. Barry, who chad
balanced sense of her own value,
and smiled at nothing lower than an
earl. Again, does not one know
exactly what Otway was worth when one
reads that "his stroke was broad and
bold, and when he did succeed it was in
figures of heroic size, and on grand
scale?'' tThe Matchless Orinda'' is
one of the most delightful portraits that
even Mr.. Gosse has painted. 1t has all
his special qualities-delioacy of touch,
subtlety of perception, courtesy of treat
ment, and tenderness of human SYM
patty of which so many critics are in
capable.
Mr.. Gosse's critical method seems to
me rather French than English; and
think the French are the best critics in
the world, as they certainly are the best
reconteurs of what we call the short
story. Gosse has been a loving student
of Ssinte Beuve, whom he honors as his
master in criticism. Lemaitre is also one
of his chief favorites; and to his study of
the art of criticism as practiced by the
best French critical writers he attrib-
utes much Gas he modestly puts i) of
whatever success he has won. To criti-
else is one thing, and to construct is an
other, and to find man with the sub
tlest critical perception added to the
creative power of the poet might sur
pTlS0 Hdu We uOL b6SH Lie cOulOlud-
ton already in Swinburne and in Mathew
Arnold, to say nothing of our own Lowell
and Stedman.
Space fails me for an analysis of Mr..
Gosse' g poetic power; but I can give
you q brief specimen or two, by which
you may divine for yourselves its quail
ity. Read, for instance:
THE MRNAD GRAVE.
The girl who once, on Ly dian heights,
Around the sacred grove of pines,
Would dance through whole tempestuous
nights,
When no moon shines,
Whose pipe of lotos featly blown
Gave airs as shrill as Coty's own;
Who, Gro Wned with buds of ivy dark
Three times drained deep with amorous lips
The wine-fed bowl of willow bark,
With silver tips,
Nor sank, nor ceased, but shouted still
Like some wild wind from hill to hill.
She lies at last where poplars wave
Their sad, gray foliage all day long;
The river murmurs near her grave
a soothing songi
FAREWELL it saith. Her days have done
With shouting at the set of sun.
Or read, for another sample of lyric
grace, this pleasant
SONG.
There's sleek thrush sits in the apple tree
And harkl how he opens his heart to me,
Till its inmost hopes and desires knowl
Blow, winds, blow,
For the thrush will fly when the bloom must go.
Oh, friend had, and loved him well.
And his heart was open and sang to mine,
And it pains me more than choose to tell
That he cares no more if laugh or pine.
Friend of mine,
Can the music fade out of love like timer
Most of Mr.. Gosse g best poems are far
too long for copying here; but the two I
have quoted are sufficient to prove him a
true poet. One or two volumes of his
poems are completely out of print at
present, while they are often and vainly
called for at the book shops. 1 am
happy to say that volume will be pub
lished this autumn, with the title son
Vol and Flute, and containing those
poems from all previous volumes which
the matured critical judgment of their
author esteems most worthy of preserva-
ton.
Copyrighted 1890 by the author.
INDIAN SCOUTS AND TRAILERs.
BY Charles King, Captain .. s. A.