Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-12-08

ISM tnat mas Deen passeu upon his "oin
J What she has said Is in beautiful
taste. ard, while we can appreciate the
| influences that swayed one In her posi-
ton, we would fain have had fuller b.
| ography of him who. perhaps more
than any other poet. has sung Virginia
| glory.
The volume is pleasant to look upon as
| A specimen Of Richmond book-making-
| is. indeed, In all of its mechanical details
| a credit To publishers. printer, and bind
| Grand II cmbaims many of the poets
| noblest and most inspiring thoughts. The
| opening poem Is 1.-THE Charge at Bala-
klava," which has been pronounced by
| high critical authority unsurpassed by
| Tennyson's Charge OF the Light Bril-
! gade." and OF the ringing lines. OF which
| these are examples:
Now is the fevered spell broken;
Every man feels twice as large:
Every heart is 6ercely leaping,
As a lion reused from sleeping;
For they know they will be sweeping
In moment to the charge"
"Of that charge at Balaklava--
In its chivalry sublime
Vivid. grand, historic pages
Shall descend to future ages;
Poets. painters, boary sages,
Shall record It for all time.
"Teling how those English horsemen
Rode the Russian gunners down;
How. with ranks all tern and shat
tered;
How. with helmets hacked and bat
tered;
How, with sword-arms blood bespat-
tered:
They won honor and renown."
But James Barron Hope was a Vir-
gInian of Virginians. and his most ambi-
tious efforts are linked with and -cele-
brate great events In Virginia's history
He was the poet at the commemoraton
| Of the goth anniversary of the settle
ment of jamestown: stood. as Mrs. Mari
SAYS. ''as poet and as the youthful col
| league Of Henry A. Wise and John r
| Thompson at the base of Crawford's
| statue Of Washington" in this city. Feb
ruary % 1858. and was chosen by Con-
gress as poet for the Yorktown Centen-
F, NAL In 1881. Virginia selected him 10
weave among her annals the laurel OF
| his verse" at the laying OF the corner
| stone OF the Lee monument: and. al
though he did her bidding in the compo.
sltion of his "Memoriae Sacrum." he died
| shortly before the, time appointed for
| the ceremony The poem was read NJ
the unwilling by his friend. Captain W
| Gordon McCabe. and Is regarded by many
as his masterpiece. From a brother
poet. Rev. DR.. Beverly d. Tucker, II
called forth a beautiful tribute. which
| closes:
"And when the many pilgrims come TO
gaze
Upon the sculptured form Of mighty Lee,
| ~ ~ ,l,., q
his praise
With dying breath. but breathless melo-
For. on the statue which a country
rears,
Tho craven by no hand. we'll surely
Fen tho 1t be through binding mist OF
tears,
Thy name forever linked with that OF
| Lee"
Mrs. Mari has done we'll to give us
Hopes epic chants; but equally happy
has she been in her selections from
what we may term his minor and lyric
poems. Both are necessary to an appre-
citation of the versatile genius OF the poet
and an understanding of the heart OF the
patriot and the man. James Barron
| Hope Illustrated in his life that
|
The loving are the daring"
and his poetry was the musical expires.
| sion OF his character
In 1857 Iippincott & Co. brought out
Hope's "Leoni di Monota" and other
poems his Yorktown Centennial "me.
trical address" with various sonnete
was published In 1882 and several OF hi
prose productions have been printed
in book and pamphlet form. Mrs Mars
effort Ito show James Barron Hope, ths
poet. as Virginia's laureate. and James
Barron Hope. tho man. as he was loved
and revered by his household and his
friends" IL an affectionate and most ap-
propriate tribute to his memory; but full
justice will not have been done hin
| until his works complete have been placed
before the public. We earnestly trust
that the success Of "a Wreath Of Vir.
ginia Bay-Leaves'-and the volume otgh
to be in every Virginia home--may prove
such as 70 inspire the more extended
undertaking. The book contains several Il
lustrations. including a portrait OF tn
poet. and some of the shorter selections
are distinctly Confederate. both In Their
application and In the sense that they
breathe the spirit of the heroes OF th'
j Lost Cause. Among these are wholly
or In part. "Our Heroic Dead" ''rh'
Portsmouth Memorial Poem" and "Th'
Cadets at New Market" who
Left us a story
A story to live.
And blaze on the brows Of the Stat
like a crown
For sale by the publishers.
A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE. BY L. T
Meade, author Of 'rhe Medicine Lady,
"A Knight of To-day" ETC.. etc. r
p. Fenno & Company. New York. I.
mo. pp. 2s3.
This Is a novel OF much more thar
average merit. The, story Is well con
ceiyed and original. and out Of tho
beaten track Of sensational love stories
The interest Of the reader. keeniy awak
anei IN the very first chapter. is main
tanned throughout until the close. TIT
characters are well and strongly drawn
specially those Of the females. present
ing In marked contrast variant types oil
womanhood. Around the .homely names
Of John Henry Smith and Nancy Brown
the author hss woven q narrative OF mos
entertaining interest. always enlistins tn
sympathIes OF the reader for true worl
and pure living. The d'nouement Is Il
full harmony with all the propenssties o
the antecedent story. but while foreshad
owed In such very early and true mar
| rative. its realization In 30 artisticail,
yelled as 70 occasion some surprises
There are not many books OF the lik'
-. - - A.