The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-27


pie. Smells and sounds-almost 'npercepti-
Die py day-become, as he phrases it. "pic-
toriai. And more than once, Mr.. Gibson's
testimony accords with that of the famous
sonnet OF Baudelaire which is formula of the
French decodents land of which the present
reviewer permits herself to cite her own
trs nslation)
Nature temple is, where living pillars stand
from them sometimes sound OF wJIds confused
Man passes there mid forests OF symbolic shapes
mat watch him with familiar gaze on every
hand.
Even as long echoes far away mix all their speech,
And In gloomy depCh of harmony unite
Vast and Unreasonable as Is the night the light,
Coors, perfumes, and senses answer each to each.
Perfumes there be as cool as children's flesh new
Sweet as the note of hautboys. green as prairies
And others opulent, triumphant and depraved;
Which. as things infinite, expand and spread
Odors Of amber, musk. benzoin and frankincensee
That sing the transports of the spirit and the
sense. 4l LIZ EisrttS ,a3GYoJs
But It Is probable that Mr.. Gibson,s health
full perceptions, do not. like those of M. Rim
baud. see the variegations of the five vowels;
,Yowels, black, white, Ired green, o
This indeed, is the pathology of the artis-
tic nerves; and our naturalist concerns him.
self rather with their normal sensibilities,
from which may some time be discovered the
true light of art, the fusion of the separate
.tints of its iris.
These, perhaps, are dreams and visions
vain as we folloy the starlight stroller; now
in the daylight, our guide bids US listen to
the song Of the bob0link, which reminds Mr..
Gibson of a niusic-box when, by reason of
defective machinery, its cylinder is per-
mitted to revolve its circuit In a few seconds
| /. Under that dizzy tintinnabulatory
some rare melody is smothered :" he thinks,
aud longs to put for once "a fy-wheel on
Bob's vocal machinery"
The vireos are an instructed folk. it ap-
pears. One, who lined his nest with news
paper scraps, had chosen editorials, and was
"a bad case Of the politician; another had
woven among the straws and twigs of his
home, the clipping "Have In view the will
Of God" and certain little house-decorators
had In their nests blue-bottle flies strung on
cobweb, peacock feathers aud bits Of old
lace for bric-a-brac. The hieroglyphs on the
butterfy's wing record to this natur-
alist the first works that drew the world out
OF chaos; on so frail a parchment is written
their patent as prehistoric "botanists d.
vine," allies of the Infinite in the perpetua-
tion and division of plant life. And 1t is a
wonder indeed to read of "a boreal BROOD
OF these winged things who abide, a tribe
apart, In tract of land on and near the
summit sof Mt. Washington, where they
have dwelt ever since the Ice Age, eighty
thousand years ago, and are even now una
ware that they have brethren at Longs Peak
In Colorado and at Hopedale in Labrador.
The liyeliness Of Mr.. Gibson's dislike to
prize orchids and roses is very interesting;
they appear to him unnatural, absurd--and
he prefers, finally. the Lords blossoms to
those Of the florist Not less vigorous is his
recommendation of the goldenrod as the
natural flower of America, which he scalls d..
vining rods scattered broadcast over the con-
tinent, messenger of untold natural wealth
and brings botany to witness its order CON-
0Sitde. unit composed Of many, its "family
called Solidago by your prophets. which
name. as onelQf shhheHi affirms, is derived
fromSosdas and ago, to draw together, to
Join, to make whole" 1t is-he declares
the national flower; and appears with its |
golden fame. little torch of Liberty en- |
tightening the world! sah
In the limits Of a newspaper review, even
somewhat extended. can be noted only few |
of the many topics delightfully."- treated by |
Mr.. Gibson. Yet this may suffice to attract |
the readers of the PRESS to acquaint them |
selves, or refresh the acquaintance already
formed, with the work of a naturalist and |
poet whose insight into the individual life of
the woods and fields renders him not un-
worthy the name Of the Shakespeare of birds
and plants. And the spirit and fidelity of
his drawings make them akin to his descrip
tions. New York: Harper & Brothers;
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmon. Price
$350)
Washington Bible Glass. By Gail Ham,
lton. 1t must have been a curious and an |
edifying sigtt!to see the vivacious Gail Ham,
aton presidingtoyer this class for the study I
Of the Scriptures. Its personnel was testi-
mony to the liberal and earnest temper and
thought of the Capital. Women of the high |
est rank ia the Republic, OF every denomina-
tiopal preference, met cordially to search |
for the key by which to unlock the treasures
contained in the Bible. The leader of the
class appears to have been its spokesman,
the others preferring. for the most. to listen
to her expeditions. Later a request was
made by the class that Miss Dodge would
collect and print volume of her discourses;
and she with very frank and modest re-
minder that they are not to be held as in
dorsers of all her views, has complied by the
publication of the present book. Miss Dodge
comments upon variety of great topics
with the entire fearlessness ami indepen-
deDce natural to her, but without the flip
pancy that in former times and lighter es-
says, was the defect of those qualities. Her
theories for example, upon the real genesis
of things, the doctrine OF election. or mira
eles, will seem more or less novel and start
ling according to the religious denomination
Of the individual; but all must agree in re-
speeding her Intense eagerness for truth,
her keen Intelligence and her true If uncop
ventional piety. And all can heartily accord
with her conclusion that eternal energy
which is also eternal love, is slowly evolving
from humanity everlasting order and life.
New York: d. Appleton & Co; Portland:
Loping, Short & Harmony
The Story of My House. By George Il.
Ellwanger. The writings of Mr.. Ellwanger
have much charm Of temperament and of
choice scho iarship. This house of his is the
Castle in the air, which is forever being
built and never finished; the immaterial
repository of all our cherished fancies, in
whose galleries hanglthe implanted pictures,
echo the music that has not been composed,
while outside beat. the SHOWS of yesteryear
or fail the sunbeams of tomorrow. The in
PRODUCTION given by Mr.. Ellwanger to the
description Of this house of his, is quite
sufficient: His ship came in. And SO he
proceeds to depict the delights of an ideal |
home-not without the garden and fields
that give place for his delightful studies of |
nature-provided. within doors, with the OBJ |
jects OF ant, porcelains, bronzes, Oriental |
rugs which are woven dreams of color. and |
books. books, at every hand. By the way. it
would be pleasant to watch duel of diction |
between Mr.. Ellwanger and Mr.. Gibson.
aprcpos Of tho dollhouse orchids so highly
valued by the one and SO deeply despised bv
the other. There would be some brilliant |
crossing OF courteous rapiers! AS already
10