New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-13

! and English he loved. II there was hhA ''ii-
he dcspised and detested II was the modern nonoh
| which would make England into Holland
reduce the Empire to a parish. and put trade be-
fore the flag. lie was an Englishman OF tilHa-
beth DAYS The spirit of Grenville and Of Raleigh
was his; Of Howard anu Of Drake. If 1t onrneu
in any breast of his own days much the 'oetter'
| Gordon was 10 him "a ruch hero and martyr
| As Ctanmer was What he hated the ipane
! internationalism which has striven, and striven
vany to supplant in EnClish hearts The love OF
! this English land. He hated the pcacc-atany-
price people Aldwor,h YES distant from Man
chester by millions of miles. The pure air which
the poet brcathed the iir-clad slopes OF MS
| Sussex home had nothing In common Win TIE
poisoned vapors on which the men OF the Man
! chester school nonrshca their blood The Mall
! chester school has died out, leaving its spawn
what il called the New Radicalism. For that
! ALSO and for the men, most of them, who preach
and practise il, Tcnnyson had healthy and manly
scorn That, too, Will die out
| I do no. believe that the love Of country, OF
! the love OF nghtng for the sake of country,
! has ever zone ont OF the heart OF this
! English race but il it had. Tennyson would have
| rekindlcd the fire. No such appeal had for long
been heard in England that summons 10 arise
which put life into the volunteer movement. and
| gave England another army. Bac'ava, Inck-
now" the Ballad Of the Revenge and many
| another, Eng with tie clash Of steel Emerson
! well said that tn. Ode on the Death Of the Duke
! Of Wellington" wds n more magnificent MONT
ment than any or all Of the histories of the Dukes
| life There is not line of il which is not
ahamc with patriotism His admiration for Cor
don, and his righteous anger against the aban-
donnncnt Of that noble soul 10 his martyrdom in
| ~.
mercy hi, rclody, nor in any degree his religious
rhapso lies, is why the great Poet like the great
Duke is buried with ar Empires lamenta ions.
buriel TO the noise of che mourning Of mighty
nation.
The attempts TO assign to Tennyson definite
and permanent position rs poet are numerous.
Whether any Of them is completely successful Is
another matter The ambition to anticipate the
verdict of pos,crity is . natural one, rcrh p'
| lau1abc. but is not free from peril to him who
| INDUCES il; Postcrty is apt to pay little heed
| 10 these predictions. Browning used TO say that
lie reSardc! fcreign opinion as a kind Of con
! temDorancous ro,teritv This might seen 10
| point 10 America and in a letter written some
time before this-the third or fourth of this shor;
seres- spoke Of Mr.. Stcdmans criticism on
| Tcnnyso1 as one Of the fullcs' AMI most ade-
quate of all. But Browning would not admit that
America came within the category OF foreign coun-
! tries. If we keep TO English estimates, II L.
| 10 bc id that, while the hard OF the PhliSiin'
is visible in many. some Of them are delicate AMI
true as far as they 90. if not complies. To sum
them up within the limits Of concluding para
graph is impossible, anG it is now perhaps rather
late 10 attempt il in newspaper.
| Mary of Tcnnysons qualities and gifts were
such as nobody could miss. and ever writer
ofTerf Won a catalOgu" sf them. There are hu'
two points on which | wish 10 gay a word AMI
| Browning's name suggests the first. There never
were that heard of, any Tennyson societies, n
there were Browning societies, and the reason
! is plain. The Iaunate wrote so a. TO he I'M
| standed OF the people, and rot to require" a.
| browning certainly did, even. during his life
| time an army OF commentators and cNpoSt"rS'
His lucid simplicity was as admirable rs il was
| characteristic he had theory OF poetry
which was compatible with obscurity, or with rough
workmanship He left the grotesque on one side
| He chiseed and finished sometimes, no doubt.
! ovcran ,ously for the changes in the later cdl-
lions are seldom for the better But he was true
! 70 his convictions That he had something III
common with Browning my he admitted, bnt II
was touching the substance Of things unseen
not at all as 10 the Inchod Of poetic work
manship, or the true definition OF poetry
The two men were friends but douht whether
| Tonnvsop ever quite understood the or with OF
thc fame which came so late in Brownnes lii''
or what element of popularity there was in him.
! They were both deeply coEccric'l with some OF
the deepest problems of human nature; that Wa
the real bond OF intellectual and spiritual SYM
pathv between them. 1t may be imagined thl'
| the discussion OF their own work was r0' usu'l
with them. Browning, indeed had many IT cnd'
| who cared for him, and cared not for his poetry
| lie mad the magnanimty t. disregard hi' iri"hdf
| blindness, or indi ference 70 the work Of his life
lie would meet people day after day, on intimate
terms socially, and exchange views with them
freely on all or most other subjects. and never
seem 70 remember that they had nothing & snv
10 him of the theme he cared for n"~'-hi'
own poetry Such, conceive wcr" IN" r"latlon'
in which he stood TO Tcnnyson, except that ms
intimacy with TenDysoD not very clos
The other point is this: Tcnnyson was III
literature the supreme artist OF his time ana oil
his own country. No Engshman OF ms hay
has 50 perfectly understood the use OF words
When all else is said. whcn inspiration, poetic
rcniu, melody. rhythmlcal variety, his mfS'"r'
over metres. and all his Other gifts ar" allowed
for in estimating the effect and influence Of Ms
writing. the final anaiysii comes back to TIM
point III II dpO'' an '''"S' " ~ w ~ "
the supreme art is in the choc" and rs" OF words
The bes, words in the hest ordcr-that Is poetry
said Colcridgc. Yet Tcnnysoa Is OF country
which cares little fer art ard knows less, wh"he'
IL he of canvas or OF the printed page, OF o.
marble o. whatever else. lIcnc" il j.. supp s.
that SO little i said of Tcnnysons ART s. little
acknowledgment made Of the plac" ii norris II
his poetry The English concern themselves VIII
results: seldom with processes. They are con
tent 10 perccive that n poem or picture Il
beautiful: rot asking why it is bcauti
full. Tia. is why 50 much Of the EnrlSl
criticism. full IA it is of appreciation IL - I'm
perfect, and why it gives you no full account "l
the matter, and 10 disclosure OF the secret oil
which the poets fame may ultimately rest.
nj In fhl hinhn.