The sun., 1897-12-25

Brief Reviews or lmportaut and Hntsrestins
view Publications.

DIR. Isaac Watts and entitled "Childhoods
Songs OF Long Ago" is published by e. R. Her
rick & Co. DIR. Watts seems to have had the
right view of things. and we do not hesitate to
say that his counsels to children are invariably
calculated TO open their minds to an understand
ing OF what is proper in habit and behavior.
Thus, he refers them TO the bee. the little busy
bee" In his own happy characterization, as q
model of diligence worthy OF their imitstion;
pictures and stigmatizes the sluggard In the
way that he deserves; and warns children, In q
series OF verses marked by really admirable
flow, and not devoid of n melody that is we'll
calculated to be haunting, to leave fighting to
the dogs and lions and bears. His opening re-
marks upon this theme are we'll worth quoting.
He says:
Let dogs delight TO bark and bite
For God has made them so;
Let bears aud lions growl and fight,
For It's their nature to.
But children, you should never let
Such angry passions rise;
Your little hands were never made
To tear each others eyes.
There Is great deal of truth and reasonable
ness In these observations, and they can hardly
fail to be of value, at least to the pugnacious
child whose fortune 1t has been to get the
worst of it. Whoever this Dr. Watts was,
perception of what is desirable in morals
No child can read his book without enjoy
ing ut least the opportunity to become ac-
quRinted with what is meant by good behavior
Miss Blanche McManus has illustrated tho
little volume, and in particular has supplied 1t
with picture of great liveliness and power Of
moral impress. showing the absurdity as well
as the wrong involved in those cataclysms Of
childhood, which include hair-pulling, kicking,
and biting. Surely 1t is better to leave to dogs,
bears. and lions the unpleasant business which
Miss McManus has indicated here, and 1t may
be added that every right-minded and kind
hearted person will approve of the expressive
attitude Of the good boy in the picture.
who stands with his forehnger in his
mouth. regarding the combatants with an
air OF unmistakable disapproval and surprise.
In a brief introduction relating to her illustra-
tions, Miss McManus says that it has not been
her pleasure to discover any edition for sale
at the present day in America that seems to I'LL
the requirements or cater to the possibilities
and susceptibilites of these simple rhymes In
reference to their appropriate dress and en-.
bellishment which is tho plea for this attempt
to picture their varied charms in a manner COM
mensurate with their demands" Neither do We
remember any edition Of the Sort and we feel
that 1t is due to Miss McManus to thank her for
her very feeling and altogether admirable Illus
trations of tho poems Of this Dr. Watts. In regard
to the question to who DIR. Watts was, some
anonymous hand has supplied the book with q
brief account Of his career from which 1t appears
that his poems at ono time were very familiar,
and that they were generally considered to be
correct in their moral tone. AS regards the Pc
riod in time at which DR.. Watts lived and wrote,
We are sorry to say that this brief account Is not
quito satisfactory. For instance, 1t says that he
l~,., al I..I. 70 f.pIA A.
having completed his academic course. "in
1893, at the age of "a, he preached his
first Sermon" and that che died on the 25th
November. 174s, in tho 18th year of
his age, calmly and peacefully" How this
excellent poet and presumably worthy man
could have died calmly and peacefully sixteen
years before he was born, is an enigma which
we cannot pretend to solvo at this moment
though we shall endeavor to obtain light upon
1t as soon as possible. AS for the illustrations
provided by Miss McManus, It is further to be
said that they are generous In number. humor-
GUS and archaic in tone and worthy in their exc
cution, and. by reason of their general interest.
to be associated with the admirable poems
which they celebrate. Not often nowadays do
We get poetry equal to that produced by this DR..
Watts at some comparatively remote period not
exactly specified. We wish that he had not died,
SO astonishingly prematurely, at ripe age which
10 quite inconceivable when it Is considered that
it was attained by him some years before he
was born. We wish that he might have written
more poetry Of the sort. Perhaps he did write
more. If it is II fact that he did, we should be
delighted to see 1t, and we have no doubt that
our readers would be quick to share our own
extreme qualification in the event Of the appear
ance OF more Of DR.. Wattss remarkable work
upon a market q: present not I = brilliantly
supplied.
In Columbia Verse" we have book of poems
written by the students of Columbia Univer-
sity during the last five years, and published In
the several papers furnished and issued by the
students of that university from time to time
We are glad to bear testimony that they are
pretty good poems, not world.shaking, but
marked generally by the great recommendation
of sanity and of the perception that the metri-
cal form does not excuse everything. The
verses are not unduly charged with the classi-
cal manner which long ago, indeed. came to be
| o good deal ovcrworked. We have discov-
cred here nothing about pale Luna, exclusive
Dian, or the other similar matters that were
| long ago sufficiently endeared to US. But
| II Columbia does not maintain the pure classl-
| cality which still distinguishes other American
colleges such Amherst, for instance, It is still
| inevitable, of course, that her poets should be
| impressonblc and initiative. HGine has made his
impress here, and so. TOO. has Mr.. Chevalier, tho
distinguished apostle Of the Costcr dialect; nor
| has the great and intricate dialect from beyond
| tho Tweed had less OF an influence than thought
| full and apprehensive people may have feared
| that 1t would. 1t may be that 1t is an unac-
countable popularity of those poems that they
| are charged with no marked Mugwump.
| ish quality, and that they celebrate neither
petitions nor partitions in political and
| nartiSnn Affairs There is Odn hora
| SO far as we have discovered. in commemora.
tion of the Citizens movement or tho superior
| position and inferior experience of DIR. Low in
the last election. Perhaps poetry. which. In the
young especially. is apt TO be an expression OF
the warmer und more generous emotions. was
| unable in this case properly to direct and OK.
| pend itself. 1t may have suffered from chill
| Further curious. perhaps. is the circumstanc
| that there is little or nothing in columbia
Verso" which reflects the presumably great in.
| fiucnce of Prof. Brander Matthews In behalf
| nj local color Local color so far as