New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-08

| has more OF Golsmith's sweetness and lovabity:
grace dainty fancies and all p,easurab!e things
was Leigh Hum; he has more worldly sense without
the moral languor. but there is the same boy-heart
/ beating in manly breast beneath the poets sing
Ing rope t0r ne s rs poe as WEI aS IA
is fun OF poetry. with the beaded bubbles" Of
hum0r dancing up through the true hippoerene, and
| invitation shining in their merry eyes
THE POET.
'Old lronsldes" We have already mentioned.
Among the "Autocrat' papers appeared such
gems The Chambcred Nautilus" and The
One-Iioss Shay" Fgh: after flight Of song came
on There were poems Of nature and Of the
heart. genial WITNESSES and sparkling wit; pa
troiism pathos: all the gamut # expression. each
/ note touched with fauitlcss skin. Here is liite
volume. worn and old, in the familiar blue and
gold binding Of years ago. In its introductory
poem We read:
When those wrote. my locks were brown;
When these / wriie-ah wcll-a-day:
Is not the purple bloom Of May!
The date at the foot is April 5. 1862 There
are 400 pages in the book scarcely enc Of which
could be blotted cut without distinct loss to the
| literature Of the English tongue. Yet that was
| full generation ago. and in the busy years that
| lie between many more poems equally precious
have been added to his shining roll. We may
/ scarcely say that lac was the greatest Of Amer
/ lean poets. But none will for moment deny
! that he was among the greatest. 1t will be
! remembered that the caustic Poe reckoned his
Last Leaf one Of the most perfect things eX-
tant Miss Milford. too. more than twoscore
years ago hailed him from over seas as the most
original and with Whittier. most truly ma
/ tiona Of ali American poets.
| He was an od-fashioned writer. When he be
gan his work New-Enrland yet cherished the
| literature of the Stuarts and of Queen Anne's
time as vita! and potent force. Holmes a
! Puritan of the Puritans. chung to those old
ideals. modified only by the Vicissitudes Of Colo
NAL experience, and by the ferVent impulse of
! the Revolution. But he was. as Mr.. Stedman
has observed. survival Of old-style literature,
] IL. .frtAh1
cally survival Of the fittcst He had the gift -
discern in that witch old that which was
abiding. and which. therefore. must he ever
new. OF all the chief American poets. he was
one Of the most direct and simple, and least in
volved and subtle None has with more def. ar
tistc touch portrayed the traits Of Yankee-land
foibles and virtues both. None has more truly
voiced the spirit Of New-Engiand. And If W.
were TO look for the typical Yankee ballad that
should be to New England what Tam Q Shan
ter is to the land q cakes an biither Scots"
where should We find it but i'll the "One-lloss
Shay?
Moreover. he was prc-eminen;ly the Harvard
poet and The poet Of Boston. that city whose
-three-fold hills shall be
The home of art. the nurse OF liberty.
When there was building to be dedicated. a
guest to be welcomed, an anniversary to be cce-
brated Holmes the poet Of the occasion.
Such poems are apt to be perfunctory or else TO
be so strictly local and ephemeral in interest As
not to command Widespread and lasting notice.
Not -, however, with his. His genius made the
poem Of a place worldwide: the lyric Of an hour,
he could offer poem that Will be read with
keenest relish by many future generations;
on The Lending OF Punch Bowl he could
pen a ballad that gives 10 the world its best
portrait Of the famous little captain" Of the
Purtans, a portrait etched with sword-po!nt
and bit,en-in with fiery Hollands, And when We
turn to his matchlcss tribute u Moore. there
seems no extravaganza in declaring that as
maker Of poetical addresses. and Is poet Of
occasions" he stands unrvalled and supreme.
We shall not find in Holmes ihe prodigdl pun
stership OF Hood. He never attained tho cabo-
rate power Of satire displayed by Lowell in THE
BiglOw Papers" Yet in refined. Spontaneous
humor he was unsurpassed In Mr.. Stcdman's
opinion as Wit. no writer of English. unless It
were Lowell. in his own day WED with him; and
Lowell himself wrote:
There's Holmes. who is matchless among YOU for
a Leyden jar always fun charged. from which fit
The electrical tingles OF hit after hit.
In society Verse" he set a pace for all who
followed him, which none have found easy 10
keep Nor did he forget how closely smiles and
tears are interminglcd. and how nearly akin are
humor and spathos. In many Of his merriest
conceits are touches OF profoundcst sadness. In
his most sparkling rhapsOdies chords 90
sorrow and OF pain. And he had the gift. too. ~
composing some Of our best devotional and
spiritual hymns. Indeed religious vein runs
clearly through all his work. and 50 carefully in
his wit does h, avoid mere hippancy. irrever- |
ence and coarsencss-qualities unfailingly mimi |
cal to wit. though often mistaken FOR it-that |
there is no incOngruity, no shock to sentiment /
in his concluding his most rollcking after-din- |
ner extravaganza with
WhGn we have aone WIN r our rcas9s
TIE NOVELIST
1t was not until late in his life that Holmes
was known 10 tn world as writer Of fiction |
The romance Of the Professor and the School /
mistress interviewer. with his Breakfast Table |
essays might, indeed be- regarded his first |
venture in that field. Yet 1t was incidental. not |
sustained. When therefore. Elsie Venncr" ap- !
peared in 1860 IL tho first work Of a !
new novelist. "Thc Guardian Anger came seven |
years later; In q measure Il sequel to the fore /
yof nd in 4 rial Ant f.nfl N
which It's scvcnty-six -year-old author auda- /
ciously called THE First Opening Of tn" New !
Portfolio" These three works represent the sum |
Of his productions in woodworking. They are. |
would naturally be expected. tales u typical |
Ncw-England life. pOrtrayng the labors. achieve
inents, aspirations, passions Of the common peo-
pie They are. morcovcr-as indeed seems also !
natural considering the age and predictions Of |
their author-more philosOphic than narrative. |
The plot is there, bat IT IS ovcrlaid with psyche
logical and even pathological DISCUSSIONS 50 that |
the reader often wonders whether the book be a |
philosophical romance or "A romantic treatise on |
philosophy
The story. however. is always fascinating. and /
the philosophy Is never dull. The analysis OF |
character and of motive chiefly displays those !
the descriptions Of people and their doings are |
unfailingly realistic and Illuminated with rare
professionally comic" writers. Said IN Eng |
fish critic Of The Guardian Anger:
The story Is exceedingly humorous and comic |
minor poet in the whole range Of fiction as the i'm
mortal Gifted Hopkins. In the character Of Hopkins
al the fobies and vanites Of the literary nature |
exemplifei in the most mirhful manner. If !
DR. Holmes has more characters like Gifted Hop !
kins in his mind the hiiarity of two continents Is /
In much danger OF being cxtinguished.
single quotation from this work will give a /
taste Of the authors facilc fancy. Gifted Hop /
kins' is shown suffering the torments Of jealousy:
He retired pensve from the interview, and. fling /
Ing himself at his desk. attempted wrcaking his |
thoughts upon expression. 10 borrow the language !
Of one OF his brother bards in a passionate lyric,
which he began thus:
"Another's,
Anothers, q the pang. the smart,
Fate to Love deathess grudge-
The barbed fang has rent heart
Whch-which-
tuige-judge- not Judge Bulge. drudge fudge
dls.ll tlnl,l Ennllsh IL MI