The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-24

one. The able writer on o Tor the
Philadelphia American in its last issue
we have seen, 18th March, says that
there are many brilliant passages,
"some weighted with pathos, some with
dry humor, some with keen bits Of
philosophy, all marked by the authors
own unique and inimitable style"
1t is now published that Mr.. Kipling
has been offered knighthood by Queen
Victoria, but he declined because The
did not see of what benefit it would be
to him" We have always regretted
that the most ilustrious poet, Alfred
TenL-son, accepted the peerage. What
possible title could add one leaf to the
laurel wealth that crowns him? The
great Gladstone refused more than once
the peerage rendered him. He remains
the grand old mantle Great Com
moner, greater than any man in the
peerage-too great to need title of any
kind.
The New York Tribune's excellent
Literary illustrated Supplement" con-
tains a capital blunder. 1t has a fine
portrait of the great Queen Anne es-
8 list, the original painted by the
famous Kneller, but it appears as the
portrait of Thomas Addison. All know
that Joseph Addison was the very gift
ed writer of the Spectator" in associ-
alton with glorious "Dick" Steele,
whose portrait by Kneller also appears.
For more of these worthless read the
great Thackeray's lectures on English
Humorists."
The Tribune critics praises highly Mr..
Maurice Hewlett's recent "Earthwork
Out of Tuscany" He says it is "a
book full of genius" is IAN original
and valuable production"
Andrew Lang will soon publish the
first volume of his History of Scotland
from the Roman Occupation" He will
produce an interesting work we may
not doubt. He is indeed a man of
many and varied gifts.
When Kipling's life was hanging on
the brink, the great London Times said
of him:
"He has sung the pride of empire of
none better. He has also preached its
obligations. He has not hesitated to
nrnc1oiro tho NIGHT nf tho oonoh1n m
rule the weak. But he has inculcated,
in ways which men of the world under
stand, duty, obedience, resignation and
~self-denial as if they were the corner
stones of empire. 1t is just because he
has dwelt on the many virtues Of life
that affection and tender solicitude for
his recovery have gone out to him."
Hannah Moore was present at the Gel
ebrated trial of Warren Hastings, made
forever memorable by the splendid &C
count of it by Macaulay's very famous
essay, and she mentions a fact concern
ing the greatest of English philosophi-
acl statesmen that we do not remember
to have met with before. In one of her
letters she wrote:
Poor Hastings, sitting and looking
so meek, to hear himself called villain
and 'c%ut-throat' - = = The orator
Edmund Burke) was seized with a
spasm y y and l did not know
whether he might not have to died in
the exertion of his powers like Chat
ham,
If you have never read Burke's great
masterpiece in that trial do so. You
will see how the greatest man in public
life in the eighteenth century could
speak. Also read his "Nabob of Ar
cots Debts speech, the greatest, the
most splendid, the richest speech of
which we have knowledge. They do
not speak that way now, and they could
not if they would. There has been but
one Edmund Burke.
In a very clever series published in
the London Cornhill Magazine, (Thack-
eray's old monthly entitled, THE
Buckingham Letters there is this bit
of criticism of one of Tennyson's latest
poems, that is both just and apprecia-
tive:
Il have just made him admit that
one of Tennyson's later minor poems,
a pretty late one, which 1 fancy the
general public never cared for, is as alb
solute a piece of workmanship as can
be found in any modern author for
language, verse, and felicity, and that
no other man could have done it."
We haxe written in this column be-
fore that no poet of modern times has
produced as high, as perfect poetry in
Laureate.