The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-10

6oorx Of Thoreau's 'sWaIden," rather than
It's human PHILOSOPHY. made y acceptable:
To eaxe Grace SroenwOod. ana others
was extended the hand OF Fellowship. and
not writer Of any standing wa neg
That Richard II. stoddard should pro-
duce most beautiful thoughts from ms
brain while his hands were ehaping the
homellest OF metals. and that Thomas
BAILEY Aldrich should have begun 70 ex-
crciss his genius while earning his LIVING
as a clerk, were facts mat 1aoeo en-
pbasis to the estimate OF the one as one
Of our most graceful and accomplished
though youngest poets" and OF the otner
as having "a higher future before MN II
he be but true TO MS gen'a'Sh .nkfmi that
he lived 'in the same age ana coun.l;
with an author 20 competeIt 70 i nv,;
cheer. and improve" as OIiver wen .,,,
Holmes, but me, ne h snar no sprtbblers who
compose the better part OF hor.m 'i,l, n IN
erati," he said in 1900. are puc ,,i.,,,ersv
fected with the new leprosyLW hi.'i Hl.rtb
has his imitaiors by the hundred, az
mirers by the thousand, and an organ.
the slab-swsngins paper TAKE S.ea pair
of frog-iegs. put a tongue to every toe OF
both legs. and place the legs uhue,
gaivanic battery. and you have the vt, ,hs
ings OF Whitman. Inc 'eIsvS ,,,a mo-
Messenger. often published in unnue pro
portion. never had trenched upom Inc
style or tyson the material of whitman.
ENCOURAGING THE PosIs.
Their inferiority in the carly DAYS was
explained by the hope or me eui ~ the
cultivate that phase OF Wills lit
South. Before the rise or magazine III
er-ature the daily or weekly newspaper
had been the medium for poets. ana Ien
like Prentice and Sprague were cns ~
about collecting their iugitives Iiii1 '1 IN
covers of book. Lack OF originality ~
magazine verses led 10 the ques.i,on,
.sW'hy are our literary periodicals niIeo
with 50 much poetry OF an liusli9r ~
ture when there are suGh wri'sIa III ei 30
land as Bryant. Percival, ana haisca
In 1871. though, signs OF. progress ~
peared. Two volumes OF poems Were
published the one containing sei nsrs,nrs
from tho works of thirty-eight sohgsters
Of the West: the other. specimens OF tne
dom College. Then Keese's Poets OF
America" illustrates ny S, ,pis copntrv
and i'm England. and in 1871 BOSTON wac
thought 10 have made good It's tille oi
the literary metropolis" by Issuing ID
one year the poems OF nine peGh9nnine
w. W. Story, Thomas Buchanan hean'
James r Colman. Frances r: browni
Charles 7. Brooks Epes SARGENT; ana
Harriet Farley the editor OF tlo N Stven
much honor by the Messenger IT.. ma
Emerson had Tong exercised MS pre-,
roeative Of writing enignas IN Pi,Os. an
verse. sometimes with meaning III mem mem
and sometimes without-more irequen.lSs
without" Charming wrote q 1eeplr NJ.
diluted copy OF Mr.. Emerson's poe.ry,
- not so mystical ana ihcDn siltd,;
hut far more childish and lnsipld.
Brooks translations were commended Tor
their mOdesty, because most OF our con,
Temporary bards seem 10 consider knu
OF dog-faced impudence as IeT srrot,.
lv ESCAPED being poet. Reah poems
were mere sketches. reflections OF tne
r,o,nular illusions Of favorite contempora-
ries. Colman was oppressively wearl :'.,,re
and dull and Sargent possessed iheasie
fancy and little original thought.
The Messengers literary notices recall
the times OF Kendalrs exposure or MAT
romapces Of material drawn from the
Santa ZEE sketches of Willis jeu d'eE'rlt
al the expense Of Paulding, OF Try
ine,s graceful surrender of the field
Of Mexican nisi0ry, 70 noted deal
with the Partisan publisher for the. publ,
cation of his works. The Rolio BOOKS ana
Peter Farley nourfshed then; Inc lecture
win, Curtis. Poe, Simms. and Thackeray.
The novel with a religious purpose was
born. Alexandra Nattemare spent ms Tor
tune in advancing his plan for an interIa,
tional Literary Exchange, ana lnonas
Francis Meagher was a pioneer or 'ra'ei-
ling Irish patriots and orators.
The rivalry between Philadelphia ana
New York as literary centres yielded
during that period TO one between New
York and Boston. a writer of 1893, scout
ing the idea Of Boston's being the Lite
rary Emporium" claimed that New YORK
was rapidly becoming the LONDON OF
America Authors now visit the me
tropolis." he wrote. ''in search OF patron
age and subsistence as Crabbe went up 10
London He must. indeed, be poor In
capacity who cannot find sufficient lite
rary employment TO keep from starving.
The gray goose quill Is at best poor
instrument with which 10 carve out
mans wav in this hard and noisy world :;
hut that II can be welded TO better ad-
vantage here than in other cities or the
Union the number Of new books which
emanate from our presses aoundantiy
testify"
In the midst OF these movements and
discussions the Messenger conducted It's
criticisms, sometimes upon the theory an
parently that IT could not be complete
Without resort 10 ridicule or abuse. some
times marvellously correct In judgment
and prophetic character. and again far
short OF proper praise or blame. The sum
of its reviews is valuable to-day az a
chronicle of the first efforts OF men who
have pressed forward 10 eternal fame. or
who have failed 10 win the laurel, and
as "a guide 10 the springs Of southern lite
rary opinion. EDN AkD MULE.