New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-29

IN fact. a hero at all, but genius who Is also
a man. Hence they sought In placing his WORK
and biography upon sure footing to state
facts as far as possible and confne assumption
10 the smallest possible Of offices. Mr.. Henley
shows this good resolution eXcellently In his
essay. which is fairly brilliant In Its vigor and
directness The most salient passage. travers-
ing the much-vexed question OF the poets
Originality" is cited herewith:
I wish to make clear the fact that
genius apart, Burns was no miracle put haI ,
Ial development Of circumstance and time. Inc
fact is patcnt enough to all but them that. Tor
n superstition's sake, insist ignoring his
tory ard decline to recognize the uncnanglhB
processes Of natural and social law. without
the achievement OF -tSchylus' .neIe can ~ y. ~
lection achieved. the decline of tragedy, as IN
Euripides is but matter of time But lor me
Middle Ages and the reaction against the Middle
Ages there could have been no Ronsard no
Rabelais no Montague in France. HAD there
been no Surrey and no MarloWe, no ChauCcl
and no Ovid to name no more than these III a
hundred infuences). who shall take on hiirseI
IN saw the shape in which we should now De
privileged regard the greatest artist that ever
expressed himself in speech? II 10 IN all dePa'' =
ments of human energy as in the eternal round
of nature There can be no birth where there
is no preparation. The sower must take his
seed sheet and go afeld into grouho prepare
for his illustrations, or there can De 10 ma,
vest The poet Springs from compost or Ideals
and experiences and achievements. whose es
sences he absorbs and assmilates. and IN whose
absence he could not be the poet. THIS is espe-
cially true Of Burns. He was the last Oh d
school II eliminated In him. because ne had
more genius, and genius OF a finer rareT ana
q more generous quality than all his lInmedlate
ancestors put together. But he cannot lairly
be said to have contributed anything TO IL ex-
cept himself. He invented none OF Its forms.
It's spirit was none OF his originating ias uea.
and standards of perfection were discovered
and partly realized by other men. ana ne had d
certain timidity. as It were. a 'faineanuse; III
concepton-a kind OF unreadiness IN lntla' w..
which makes him more largely dependent upon
his exemplars than any other great poet mas
over been 1t was fortunate for him and
for his book as It was fortunate FOR the World
at large-as, too, It was afterward TO ne lortu-
nate for Scots song-that he was thus initiative
in kind and thus traditional in practice. lie
had the sole ear OF the vernacular Muse; there
was not a tool in her budget of which ne was
not master and he took his place the moment
he moved for 1t. not 80 much perhaps ID! reason
OF his uncommon capacity, as because ne Hls-
cove ed himself to his public in the very terms
Of dtction form STYLE sentiment even-wl'n
which that public was familiar from OF ora, anu
in which il was waiting and longing 10 be al
dressed.
Mr. Herford who edits the "Warwick IL
brary." In which Mr.. Carpenters anthology or
English lyrics appears. remarks with justice
that he labors of Mr. Bullen and other special
lists OF old English verse are relatively httIe
known. and his hint that the present volume
NAV supply a need is reasonably offered. MT
Carpenter's scholarly and suggestive introduce
tIon foreshadows a well-selected collection OF
noems. and the reader is not disappointed Inc
task has been a difficult one-it Is always hard
TO put together Just the poems that make the
most symmetrical and harmonious collection
but the editors taste is acute, his Judgment -
severe and he has shown admirable discretion
in the arrangement Of his selections. II -
nleasant. con,panionable anthology. which de-
serves the artistic form bestowed upon 1t by the
publishers
The high erected thoughts Of Mr. Addison Nc
Leod are embodied in verse which we would be
glad TO find musical and poetic II so happens
however that "a Window In Lincoln's Inn is
on the whole prosaic. The author lacks inagi-
nation for all his aspirations toward noble
themes. and neither his blank verse nor his lyric
lines Weld the faintest hint Of melody or charm
The book is disnifed in tone. We can cay no