New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-08

many and varied were the eXcellences III '"t'
volume, the later poems on a far higher P',he,
In fact, there is no poet whose works eXhlDit
more steady and strong crescendo As Dr JONI.
son said of Goldsmith, Whittier was Slowly
Towering plant With every new effort ne snow ond
more power. and incomparaby more gra,e anu
finish. The rudeness of an untaught ear chal-
acterzed the early productions, if any ana Is III
no way recognizable in the verse OF later rlih
the publishing of Whittier's works Ra iIt.
into the hands of Tcknor & fien,,
and new complete edition apPearei IN IN
1857 At this period he ono of the coterle
that established " The Atlantic Monthly ana ne
continued his contributions to 1t for more 'l Tl
twenty-five years. lie wrote also for " The Ma,
verse. from lsi5 TO 1899. Margarct Shl, d. y
Journal first printed in that paper; SO were
the 'Od Portraits and the Literary kecr'"-
tons"
These prose works arc less known and less
popular than his poems, but they all have an
individual flavor. Many of the articles are Xaiu-
able parts of the history of domestic life in New
England, and especially of the traditions OF the
Merrimac Valley.
LANDSCAPE POEMS
From 1857 to SOC there was an evident upward
movement Poems appeared which caused thrills
of delight among all thoughtful men. This may
perhaps be called the landscape period. When
one reads the noble quatrains in Summer By the
Lakeside" he seems to be contemplating the work
of master, whose soul was touched by radiance
from the Source Of all light, and whose piety and
serenity flowed out with his colors on the canvas
Among the landscape poems may he mentioned
The Last Walk in Autumn" rich in successive
pictures of scenery pcrvaded by tender feeling.
and full Of Renaissance and suggestion. II is adj
mired and quoted. perhaps, much as any IN
Whttiers volumes. 1t contains sketches Of Elmer
son, Bayard Taylor and Charles Sumner which are
easily recognizable: but the charm of the poem is
in its general tone in its ideal treatment, and in
tie intense love of home which leads the poet TO
prefer the sights Of his native valley to the Sp'cn-
doris and associations OF the most famous spots
in the Old World
Nearly every poem of this period has its bright
setting of landscape-not formally drawn as a back
ground, but an integral part OF the conception
Observe " The Sycamores.' Telling the Bees
My Playmate" "Thc Old Burying Ground" ana
others. In fact. this faculty of depicting land
scape continued through all changes hut IN later
times another element came more clearly IN view
and rendered everything else subordinaie-the pow
erfuly developed religious feeling.
Winters uttcranccS are ready anu uuent, ne
cause spontaneous and unsought; this gives 10
his ballads and narrative poems the charm OF
ease. His stories delightfully."- told, aud would
be attractive even without ornament. such ore
Skipper Ire>on's Ride" Mary Garvn,7 Mabel
Martin" Tie Witch's Daughter" and Maud
Muller Barclay of Try is in noble strain,
and so is the almost pathetic lament over " Ran
dolph of Roanoke
fOtNo ABOO fEhSONS.
The personal tributes in his volumes are numer-
Gus and are uniformly excellent; some, indeed,
must be ranked among his highest efforts There
are two upon Sumner that will be- remembered;
the later elegy moves with solemn pomp such
as might beft the funeral OF king. There are
few poems of the kind in the language. The ter
tibe rebuke Of Webster in 1chabod " WAS con-
sidered by Emerson as Whituers most powerful
stroke; but afterward in " The Lost OCCASION
when the poets heart hal soitened toward the
great statesman, By foes deceived, by friends
betrayed he rose to a far greater height. The
Abolitonisis have forgiven Webster; his suffer
ings atoned for his errors and now they con-
template the superb picture Of
New.England's stacliost type Of man,
In port and speech Olymplsn,-
with a pride that is tempered only by unavaihns
regret.
The tribute TO the chivalrous and phslan,hropic
" Hero DR.. Samuel G. Howe, is full Of beauty,
worthy Of the subject, and IN honor TO the poet.
But the poem which most endears Whittier to
men Of kindred feeling is the one upon Burns, On
Receiving Sprig of Heather in Bio. som There
are many who admire Burns because he las been
pronounced great by the authoritative Judgment
Of the ablcSt critics but the rdptureN OF such are
easily detected the tone Is false from the be gin
ming. Whittier was moved by the sane Influences
that developed the Scottish singer; only the
Quaker adhered 10 the auSierc rules of his people
while Burns too soon forgot the big Ina Bible
and the solemn dcvOtions OF the tOttcr's Satur-
day Night" Each loved the scenes of his native
land each felt the ccsauc Joy in birds. flowers
and bees tho sympathy for the wee tmofOus
beastie" turned out OF her nest by the plough and
for the wounded hare that limped by. Whittier
As we as Burns, wrote with exquisite tenderness
Of woman. His poem " he lIehchman throbs
with suppressed passion, and IL was written at
thrcc-ScOrc and ten.
They sin who tell us Love die!'
MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS.
During the Civil War Whittier was in a very
unpleasant position He could not forsakc the
doctrine Of Peace. and he could not write word
70 encourage the War spirit. Still he could not
but see that the great contest 10 result in
the freedom Of the continent His poems during
the war were sorrowful, almost dcspondcnt: but
at the end he rejoiced. he well might. Then
came the eXuting Laus Dc0!' Then he OK
claimed, looking down the future:
" Ring, bells In unreaIcd steeres.
The Joy OF unborn peoples
There arr not wanting instances of curious md
instructive autobiOgraphic hints in various poems.
Two poems written for namesakes are remarkable.
and show Whittier painting his own mental
lincamcnts, as Durcr did, and not emitting
wrinkle. One OF these was in the edition of
sj7; the other is in a later volume, called The
Kings Missve." Another poem in a similar
strain has II vein Of suggestion, as If IT, had
come from the depths OF his heart. A few
stanZas should be quoted:
O living friends who love mel
q dear ones gone above me!
Careless Of other fame,
leave to you my name.
Hide II from Idle praises
Save il from cvt phrases:
Why, when dear lips that spake II
Are dumb, should strangers wake II
lot he