Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-24
WRITE RS AND BOOKS
Recovery of Bacchylides' Poems
-Geniality of Daudet.
William Reed Huntington's Volume On q
National Church'-Letters BY Walt
Whitman and Various New
Publications.

The sudden appearance Of a bright
star, like that which came into the SON
stellation of Cassiopeia in the year 1872,
does not excite more interest among as
tronomers than it aroused in the world
Of letters by the recovery of lost class
ic A certain Greek poet, called Bac-
chylides, was, until January, 1897, known
I by name-little more. We knew that he
was born at Iulis, in the island of Ceos,
and travelled far and wide, like his I'M
Gle, Simonides, his great rival Pindar,
and the other lyric poets who lived and
sang FIVE centuries before the beginning
of our era; we have known that when
! Simonides was invited to Syracuse by
Hero, Bacchylides went with him, and
we knew that afterwards Athens was
his home for many years, and the scene
Of repeated literary triumphs that gave
| him an eninence second to none in his
own day, and that still later he prac-
| ticed his art in the Peloponnesus. But
that was about all we knew of him UNI
til this time last year, when the British
| Museum announced the discovery Of a
manuscript (papyrus) containing songs
"a score of them, and some Of consider
able length-by Bacchylides. The resti-
tuition of a writer's personality as re-
vealed in his works, after all these CEN
turles of dimness, is in a high degree
picturesque 1t is somewhat as though
one of those extinct, turnout Suns
invisible black balls that Eravitate
round other huge dark bodies here and
there among the systems Of the universe
had suddenly come to light and life.
The poem entitled "Theseus and
Minos," (from the newly-discovered
paean of Bacchylides) is given in Liter
AZURE CNo. 10). The translator is r. Car
nett.
In the same number of Literature.
Henry James writing of Alphonse Dau-
Diet with recognition that does not too
narrowly aim to ''be just before it is
generous says: 1.-THE sun in his blood
had never burnt out, and If it were nee
esary to characterize in a single word
the quality that, either as artist or as
man, he most distilled, one would sneak
unhesitatingly of his warmth. He was
as warm as the south wall of a garden
or as the flushed fruit that grows there.
In suggestive and thoughtful two
part essay containing the substance of
lectures given at Kenyon College. in
Gambler, Ohio, William Reed Hunting
ton, rector of Grace Church, New York.
and formerly of this city, deals with the
interesting religious topic "a national
church. He deals with it as only
clear and practically-minded evangeli-
cal churchman can, who looks forward
to the time when there may be less sub
division Of creeds, greater assimilation
and grouping of similar beliefs and,
eventually single church which may
meet the needs of the people of the
United States, while preserving the uni
versal attributes of apostolic Chris
tianity. The first part of the essay deals
with the theory, the second with the
practicability Of a national church. It's
advantages are pointed out, largely
from the standpoint Of the church Of
England, and the obstacles to its real
ization are dwelt upon The three
watchwords of unity are, according to
the author: In the field of dogma,
theological and ethical, condensation; in
that of polity, coordination; and in that
of worship, classification. The obstacles
in these three fields are, respectively,
sacramento theology, the value OF his
| toricity in connection with holy orders,
and, in the third again, the sacramento
element There are some interesting
| appendices and a photography of irenic
! literature, American and English Pub
| liShed by Charles Scribner's Sons, New
York. For sale by Putnam, Davis &
Co.
Some letters, interesting in them
selves, which will prove of special inter-
est to those acquainted with Walt Whit
mans life and writings, are contained
in THE Wound Dresser" a volume ed
tied by Richard Maurice Buckle M. D.,
one Of Whitman's literary executors,
and published by Small, Maynard & Co
| of Boston. They are series of letters
written by Whitman during the war of
the rebellion to his mother, from the
| hospitals in Washington where he was
| engaged in caring for wounded and sick
| federal soldiers. While not to be classed
| as real literature in company with
much of Whitman's writings, they are
] full of references and ideas of general
and personal nature, which appeal read
| lily to humanity and their strong indi-
Vfduality alone renders them worth
reading. These letters are preceded by
| three of Whitman's communications to
the press, covering the time during
which the material which composes this
volume was being written; these hav-
! ing been in part used by Whitman in
his Memoranda Of the Secession War"
| There is an excellent frontispiece por-
| trait of Whitman as he appeared in
middle life from a photograph taken by
Gardner at Washington in 1868.
CIVIL WAR ESSAYS.
Several readable and instructive "Es-
says of the Civil War and Reconstruc-
ton and Related Topics" which have
all but one previously appeared in peri
odicals, have been gathered together in
la single volume by their author, Prof.
William Archibald Dunning, Phi, D., of
Columbia University. They are intend
| ed chiefly for the use of the younger
generation of reading men who are ia
miliar with the military history of the
civil war, but little so with it's consti-
tutional and political history. They deal
with the following topics; THE Consti-
tuition of the United States in Civil
| War" THE Constitution of the United
States in Reconstruction" Military
Government During Reconstruction, -
"The Process of Reconstruction, 1.-THE
| impeachment and Trial of President
Johnson" "Are the States Equal Under
! the Constitution" American Political
Philosophy" There is a good index,
and numerous foot-notes contain COM
ment or useful references to special
matters. Published by the Macmillan
Company, New York.
THE PERIODICALS.
The Tribune Almanac for 1898 is the
largest ever issued by the New York
| Tribune containing 340 Daees and hav-