The herald., 1897-04-04
A Plea for Minor Poets

Are but the tears shed for thy funerall.
A Plea for Minor Poets
After reminding us that poets are
not classed until very late in their lives
and often not until long after death, the
author of very thoughtful article In
The Dial shows that the great mass
of poetry that goes out amongst the
people of any country, helping to mould
opinion and life itself, comes from other
than the admittedly great poets III.
quotes little summing OF the case from
q new British volume on the subject
which seems so just that we append II
here:
4'Here for the eclecticism, If wemay so
express 1t, of the great masters the age
itself finds tongue. For the voice which
speaks in these poets is the voice of the
nation, Of the courter of the statesman
and man of affairs, OF the scholar anc
Jitterateur, of the churchman, of the
man of pleasure, of the busy citizen, Of
the recluse, OF the soldier and sailor, oi
the peasant, of the mechanic, and OF wo-
men of all classes and OF all callings
What is moulding, what Is coloring
what Is In any way affecting the life OF
the time has its record here. Is the
pulse OF the nationed quickened or de-
pressed; are imagination and passion.
or fancy and sentiment or reason and
ItUdctlOu Ill tHt dSCtliQaAtt 10 tiiC III
vailing tendency In the direction of SIM
plicity and nature or towards ingenuity
and art, is the moral tone in society high
or low, is the period period OF progress
or of decadence or of transition? The
answer to all this may be found, and
found in detail, in our collections OF
minor poetry"
MEMORIES OF HAWTHORNE-B
his daughter, Rose Hawthorne La
throp. With a new portrait of Haw-
thorne. One volume, crown Svo, gilt
top, So.
Every addition to our knowledge
OF Hawthorne is peculiarly well
come. Admiration for his genius
wish for fuller Information concerning
him as a man. His daughter in this book
gives numerous glimpses of him, espe-
cially as a father, which will be very
gratifying. Her charming book covers
the family life in Salem, Lenox and Con-
cord, the term of Hawthorne's residence
In Liverpool as United States consul
from 1853 to 1858. his years of traved in
France and Italy, 1S5S-1S60, and his last
years In Concord, 1S60-64. The residence
of the family abroad during the period
of the Liverpool consulship was In
some ways, the most interesting and
important portion of Hawthornes life.
lOr H6 ndQ lHtH COtilt W a CblibiQtLdDie
measure of fame, and his position gave
him opportunities to broaden himself In
many ways by contact with men of note
all over Europe. Still, to us who have
had especial pride and interest in his
career, his Concord home life and his
Salem shorter residence will furnish the
most abiding memories of this remark
able genius. His simplicity, his utter
'unselfshness and his almost oppressive
modesty one never loses sight of in all
this recital of Mrs Lathrop. Mrs. Haw-
thorne writes from Liverpool how her
husband dreaded to go into fine society.
Concerning one invitation to the house
of a mighty banker she says: Mr.,
Hawthorne does not want to go and es-
pecially curses the hour when white
muslin cravats became the sine qua non
of a gentleman's full dress. Just think
how reverend he must look! / believe
he would even rather wear a sword and
cooked hat, for he declares a white
muslin cravat the last abomination, the
chief enormity of fashion, and that all
the natural feelings of q man cry out
against 1t, and that 1t Is alike abhorrent
to taste and to sentiment"
It Is always gratifying to remember
that there was nothing morbid about
Rawthorne's modesty. 1t was simply
b self-assertion against show and all
hlse that would trespass upon his love
Tor home and all its companionships and
sacred belongings. How dearly he loved
and cherished that home and fireside
no one who has read much of him Is
permitted to forget.
One passage from the volume before
ms we cannot refrain from quoting: II
was q little, roguish child, but he was
the youngest and merriest person in the
room when he was amused. Yet he was
never far removed from his companion
80 - Dc lxv xxrva aaxra 81 tr,
and tragedy at our very hearthstones.
It was with such memory In the center
Of home joys that the Pilgrim Fathers
turned toward the door, ever and anon,
to guard 1t from creeping Indian forms.
'On Sundays, at sundown, when the
winter rain had very likely dulled every
body's sense Of more moderate humor,
the blue law Of quietness was lifted
from the atmosphere; and between
and 8 o'clock we spread butterfly wings
again and had blind mans buff We
ran around the large center-table and
made this gambOl most tempestuously
merry. If anything had been left upon
the table before we began It was re-
moved with rapidity before we finished .
"There was a distinct understand
Ing that our blindfolded father
must not be permitted to touch
any Of us, or else we should be
reduced forthwith to our original dust
The pulsing grasp of his great hands
and heavy fingers, soft and springing in
their manipulation of ones shoulders
~ the touch of wild thing, was anus
ingly harmless. considering the howls
with which his onslaught was eyaded
as long as our flying legs were loyal to
US. My fathers gentle laughter and
happy looking lips were a revelation
during these bouts. But there were
times when used to stand at q distance
ana saze = ms peacerui aspect ana
gates Of fun in game Of romp In any
rainy Sunday Of the future. r. q traV-
eler caught the Sphinx humming to
herself would he not be inclined to sit
down ana watch her TIL she did II
IN al ways thls i : noble volume,