New-York tribune., 1896-12-06

q, of the render turn to "A Banjo Song" or to the
DELIGHTFULLY."- humorous Accountability
Folks amt got no right TO censuan othai io'N'
about dey habits; 10
Him dat Civ de s1ur'ls de bushtails made de
bObtals fu de rabbits. r,
Him dat built de gread big mountains hoiieeN
out de little valleys.
Him dat made de streets an drveways wasnt
shamed to make de alleys.
We is all constructed diff'ent. d'aint no t"o VI
US de same; ,o
We CANT hep ouah likes an dislikes, ef wese
bad we amt to blame. -
Eff we'se good, needn't show off, case you oet
il amt ouah doin'. ,..
We gifts into cuttain channels dat we )es '''''
hep pu'sun
But we all fits into places dat no othan ONES
could n ,
An we does the things we has to. big er httie'
good er i'll.
John CANT tex de place o. Henry. Su an Sally
amt alike:
Bass amt nothin' like sukah, chuD am ho'"-
in like pike.
When you come to think about 1t, how it's all
planned out. it's splendid
Nuthin's done er evan happens, 'dout hits some
fin dats intended; 80,
Don't kecr whut YOU does. you has to. an nit
sholy beats de dickens
Viney, go put on de kittle. got one o mastah >
There you find the imagination and the speech
Of the negro working together in exquisite mar
mony and producing lines as smooth
AS animated as they are exact. Mr. DUNBAR
has nicely pointed sense OF fun. ana ]"
some Of his satircal verses. like "a Co.
uuette Conquered" he does what many
poet of our own race has often tried to do, but
has never done 50 WELL he draws carlcature OF
the sentimental negress and yet retains the
genuine traits in her makes her human as well
as amusing lie is n minor poet. and the best
of his songs leaves him with a long distance sun
to travel before his verse gains wide currency
as indubitablc literature. There Is nothing IN
his book which has the distinction OF quite un-
forgettablc. song. But the minor poet Is rare
whose first book leaves such an impression or
sincerity Of poetic feeling of verbal taste ana
skill as this collection leaves.
Mr. Rileys mastery Of dialect has long been
familiar. and the appearance OF "A ChIld-Worid
does not mark any change in his style or any
modification of his enthusiasm for the themes
Of infancy and childhood. on the other hand
the narrative form has never been handled u!
him at such length as in the present instance
and the mere story Of the book has variety
and n sustained verismtude which combine
To make it peculiarly fresh ard readable. lie
strikes no new note but he keeps the old one
more spirited and captivating than might nave
been expected. consid ring the Incidents with
which he has crowded his latest volume. In
some sense we presume. the book Is autobo-
graphical. II speaks Of the old home sentiments
with which Mr Riley's public Is already famil-
lar as sentiments bred in his bone as well as
borrowed from his muse This personal tend
cncv makes him especially minute He fingers
fondly over the trihcs Of rural life. describes
with elaboration the things Of his childhood and
uses unsparingly the idioms. even the slang. OF
his juvenile days II all imparts vividness ana
zcst To his verse. The wcll-ncd pages Of Mr.
Hcaton's volume "The Quilting Bee and Olher
Rhymes" are occasionally divertng but more
frequently commonplace. His dialect Is In
genious and facilc His observation is some
times noticeable for cearness and his report OF
II for sympathy "Borrcrin' Back n Fo'th de-
lincatcs very happily curious phase OF life. But
the book Is not rich In agreeable sensations
The Studies in Iomcspun." which are the be"
things in il. are themselves lacking In originality
and the remaining verses deepen the sense Of
unimportance which Mr.. Iicaton I'm his most
successful mood provokcs