New-York tribune., 1899-07-15

ono Of the most exquisite writer's Of the age
and still one OF tho most accomplished cr'tics
Of the Older drama Again. here II Keats, the
son Of livery stable keeper. apprenticed ~ M
teen to q Scotch surgeon drudgins at surgery
I'll the age Of twonty, struck down soon ai'er
with n mortal maiady, poor all his life un-
settled. self taught. wholly dependent on him-
self for guidance which he sorely needed and
yet recognized az having. ut tho age OF twenty
lve written sonnots which would not disgrace
Milton. lyrics that Shelley might have owned
and letters that Byron could hardly surpass'
Keats knew no Greek. and yet his ode on
0recan Urn.' his 'Lamia. redoent OF tho
essence of Crock myths. Milton himself was
hardly more truly Greek in imagination.
Here are two of our brightest men Of genius
one writer Of exquisite prose. the other a
poet endowed with the luscious note OF night
ingsle Yet both were wholly bereft OF any
education of the official and academic sort
They gave themselves tho whole or the eauca-
ton they had, with scant leisure. meagre re-
sources. cruel hindrances. How Few indeea OF
famous writer's In prose or verse. even our
men Of learning or Of science, owe their success
TO the conventional school and college cur
ricuuml Not Shakespeare. certainly. nor MAT
lowe. nor Pope. Shelley. nor Byron, nor
Burns nor Scott All Of these made themselves
formed their own minds their own Ideals ana
form. And so. too did Swift and Defoe, Gold
smith and Gibbon. Mil and Grote Spencer and
Darwin. Milton Gray and Johnson are the rev
examples OF those who received complete aca-
demic training and even they gave themselves
the best part of their own education.
And then the lecturer added with unaccus-
toned fervor: why Is It. often ask myself
that our English people. which for ages has
bred such imaginative genius, which has a
literature that nothing in the modern world can
rival are the least reading people OF all the
nations Of Europe north Of the Alps and west
Of the Carpathians? Why are so far behind
our American kinsmen? Why. in the name OF
free libraries and books, do come behino
Germans Scandinavians Hollanders and Bel
gians French and certainly Americans! why
cannot we make better use even of the munin-
cent gifts Of patriotic citizens? know not; but
II is So I sometimes fancy that the mechanical
and bureaucratic methods Of our official educa-
ton with our primary schools. and STANDARDS
and tests our endless examinations Cwhlch
mean endless cramming), and all our engine
turned compound action machinery for FORCING
facts into young brains. as If we were FORCING
carbonic acid gas into spring water, may make
useful clerks and accountants but is benumoihs
to the sense of literature fatal to ART ia'ai 10
poetry IT teaches millions, 1t is true the art
Of correct correspondence. quick arithmetic anu
some popuar statistics Of a remunerauVe soi'
rut II deadens originality of mind VulgarIZes
form. dus the desire for literature ana "ouIu
cramp genius if it ever could seize the chahce'
urs vovnich's admirable novel, The Gadhy.'
continues 10 enjoy the popularity II deserves
The Holts have Just issued the seventeenth I'M
pression of the book. 1t is now definitely an
nounced that the authors dramatizatlon OF her
story will be performed in this country next
fall
Arthur Tennvson a younger brother OF the
late Poet Laureate has just died in England.
His likeness to the most famous member OF MS
family was striking-so striking that when' IN
q sunny street you came upon the romantic hg-
IRE draped in an ample cloak. and surmounted
by a black felt hat it was hard to believe that
It was not Alfred Tennyson himself Like the
poet he was tall and commanding In person.
He had the family features-the long, oval
bead the aouiline nose the broad brow. sloping
massvely back to a dome-shaped skull. Inc
Younger brothers face however was less stern
and grand than that of the poet; it had an eX-
| pression Of rugged tenderness. and the dreamy
| far away look of his blue eyes was the lndeX
| of the religious deyoutness which marked MS
| inner life. The voices Of the two brothers were
| strangely /
deenlv attached companions. 1t was on one OF
| their childish rambles that Alfred first spoke
| Of his plans in life. Arthur, / mean to be IA
| NOUS" said he to the admring little boy beside
! him.
To his intimates Arthur Tennyson often spoke
of these early days; and he had much to say
| also Of the poetical promise shown in boyhood
| bv his brother Charles afterward to be called
! Tennyson- Turner and to be the writer of some
delightful sonnets. Arthur's own taste for
poetrv he attributed to the influence of Miss
Sellwood, who afterward became the wife OF the
| Laureate "She It was" he said. who first
awakened my love for poetry. when was quite
a boy" To Dantes verse he was particularly
devoted through life. and almost to the last he
could when the English translation was being
read to him. roll out long passages In Italian
| The new "Haworth" edition Of the works OF
! the Bronte sisters edited by Mrs Humphry
Ward is to be brought out in this country by
the Harpers. who will begin publishing II IN
September, in form similar to that OF the
| "Riographical" Thackeray. Mrs. Gaskelrs Life
Of Charlotte Bronte," with annotations by Mr..
c. X. Shorter. is to be included In the set OF
seven volumes.
| Two volumes Of letters by Richard Wagner
to Otto Wesendonck and Emil Henckel respec-
| lively. have not hitherto been translated into
| English. Mr. Ashton Ellis has translated them,
therefore, and they will soon be printed
The Putnams choose good month In which
to publish How to SWIM, manual ny cap
| tain Davis Dalton. Holiday makers on the eve
| of departure for the waterside would do well to
| put this book in their travelling bags. The
frontispiece portrait Of the author displays a
broad chest richly adorned with medals. and
the text justifes this testimony to his prowess
nv showing how thoroughly he knows his bust
ness. He writes clearly. too. and the iustra-