New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-24

onhv in the University OF st. Andrews. Up. WI
3S5 Harper x Brothers.
Professor Minto's death precluded the revision
which he would doubtless have given u the
lectures included IN this volume. Minute cIit-
cis,n Of style would therefore be an ungratefui
and useless task If the editor had changed
passages which might be cited he could easily
have made them correct: but he would also nave
incurred the responsibility Of thrusJing his own
personality into the work Of another professor
Minto.s work should he judged rather by its gen
eral pan than in detail. The hypothesis when
links the various studies together is that no liter
ary phenomenon can be fully accounted for WITH
out reference to literature that already existed
when II appeared. Even the work Of those VINO
imagine themselves TO be opposing the tendency
of the age to which they belong. If carefully
scanned will be found less original than 1t pre-
tends to be Without lessening the prcrogatiVe or
individual, genius the author maintains that the
factor of training both that specia, 10 the Wr.'er
and that common to the nation, must be consiL-
cred The aptest illustration Of his argument is
found in his study OF the Scottish lyric poetry Oh
the eighteenth century. His views on this SUD
iect will strike many readers with the rreFh-
ross Of novelty To ordinary thinking, Robert
Burns and less important singers who from the
constellation around him owed Ettle except py
onnositon and contrast to the exact Nerse-Hlakers
of England. That most Of these Northern Nrlcls's
and Burns in particulHr-were wholly unedu-
ca.ed has become tradition in literature. To
this tradition Professor Mimic objected lie ia'd
q down AS an axiom that no worthy work was
over done by any man who had not been Prev
ouslv fitted for the task. TO this rule Burns was
an exception only If the term education be Inn
tied to a course Of instruction in school or COL
Of instruction
have helped to perfect his poetic gift 1t was de-
vised not to make men of letters. but to produce
scholars and candidates for certain professions.
Rrt there had been before Burns wrote two gen.
.r,t;ons Of song-writers in Scotland, ana the
noati-o, movement was shared by men ana
women Of every rank in life from the bold
hIack-eved lucky Isabel POgan. who Kept an ale-
house in Ayrshire, to the accomplished Lazy Anne
Lindsay. daughter OF the Earl of Belcarres' COL
Iections of the songs written by TINS mui'i'uoe VI
authors were 'conned in moorland bothes anu
ttcb1n fresides as ardenty as In libraries and
dr,vine-rooms 1t was in this school of the
noets that Burns received his education IL
awakened his enthusiasm and provoked his dis
elimination But in addition TO the schooi ne
needed a teacher that could show how TO sepa-
rate the good from the bad. To supply TINS need
no had not merely his own good sense, but also
Pono at its head Pope taught him not how TO be
natural. but how to be natural with art Given
this training. in view of the human nature which
noets had TO deal with in Scottish song. and Pro-
fassor Mimic holds that Burns's social position
was favorable 10 his genius. that his songs would
have been far more wonderful than they are If
tbev had come from any hand save that Of
ploughman.
sThe case Of Burns. according to Professor
Mimic was merely repetition Of that Of Scot
fish poetry in general. At first glance 1t looks
"a IL the song-writers who preceded Burns had
suddenly risen and fourshed on soil that nad
long been barren. But this is an Illusion due 10
the conditions that followed the union OF the Eng
nsh and Scottish monarchies in the person of
James T. In the time Of this King Scotland had
poets, but the poets followed the Court 10 Lon
dom The times of the Covenanters and the
Roundheads were not friendly TO the lighter
forms of verse. But when the lyric spirit aWoKe
again it was stirred by the perusal OF the Scot
fish poetrv of the sixteenth century. The new
noets while they emulated the ancient songs
also studied the contemporary verse OF England
Professor Mimic dates the revival of Scottish
poetry from the collection Of Choice Scots Songs
Ancient and Modern" published by Watson in
1905. From this book Allan Ramsay drew his in
spiration In this way popular poetry in Scotland
was imbued with the spirit OF the old Cavaliers
and Jacobites and arrayed itself as in Burns.
against the Kirk. at is a striking illustra non.
saws the author, "of the vitality OF ideas ara
their directive power over conduct that the Cava-
Her ideal transmitted through Ramsay took pos
session Of the warm temperament of Barns and
worked out in him the incontnent irregularities
that made shipwreck Of his life. Not only Is the
connection thus made clear between the court
poetry of the sixteenth century and the peasant
poetry Of the seventeenth century III Scotland,
but Ramsay's chief work shows. especially by the
errors which il avoids. the influence OF contempt
rary English criticism The controversy over the
proper way Of writing pastoral poetry Is. proDa-
bly, familiar to all those who have read The
Guardian" There was a little politics mixed up
in the dispute. If Pope had been Wing, Steele
might have found a way of praisng him. As Il,
was he ignored him. while commencing Ambrose
Phillips II is not necessary to recall Phillips
verse His nickname of "Namby-Pamby sutices.
But Steele found way to magnify his achieve
ments in bucoc verse that was positively with
out defect. Pastoral poetry should be true TO
nature Instead OF Greek names and Greek
fora English pastorals should have rustic Eng
l,sh characters and flowers such grew in Eng
land This was true, and II happened that Phil
lps's verses filled the bill exactly. Steele had
neglected to state with clearness that poetry Of
any kind should. first OF all, be poetry. One OF
the things that has always been cited as proof OF
Pope's Unborn malignity is the essay in which he
revenged himself on Steele. The latter unsus-
pectingly published the piece, which seemed at
first glance 10 censure Pope. In this famous
paper the missing factor in Steele's criticism was
supplied. and Pope was written down as having
in one place actually deviated into poetry Pro-
fegsor Mimic defends Pope from the attacks Of
adverse critics with success. But that Is neither
here nor there. What happened in Scotland was
that Allan Ramsay took to heart the lessons
taught by both Steele and Pope In his Gentle
Shepherd he not only wrote poetry. but he de-
picted the life OF shepherds and shepherdesses