New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-04

sometimes affected that small householo, ~
evening he came TO her and SAID tna' no n
written something which he wished 10 reau
aloud: II was worth very little nut j. W. LII
ished. he might as well read H. lie r'au a' W.
all that evening. but as the romance was 'V,
unfinished when they went to bed not a worn
was said about IL on either size. ne hi""S
disllked she said. to have anything CT
until the whole had been heard he reHu d $50
o,d evening and the concentrated excitement
had grown so great that she could scarcely '''l
IL At last il grew unenduraple' anu ]" '
midst Of the scene near the enu 81 I, W., ord
where Arthur pmmesdale meets tieS''' 81,
her child in the forest. Mrs. hawthorne sum
from her low stool upon the floor presseu III,
hands upon her ears. and SAID tha' Sn' '''''
Hawthorne put down the manuscript ana
looked at her in perfect amazement -" , sru
really feel it SO much ne SAID H."
must be something in It,
Colonel Higginson we'll says How much II
would delight us all n the Shakespeare societies
were to bring to light a description IKE th'S vi
the very first reading Of Macbeth or OF Ham
let"" We arc surely delighted that the author
~ this book has preserved the record Of the IN
cident He seems we may add to have got
groat deal Of pleasure from the various celeb
rifles he commentaries. and even )m those
who were not celebrities 1T had been my PRIV
ieee 9" h.. saws TO live in the first society All
nv Ufc namely that Of prohibltionists ana
fugitive slaves I had seen the most eminent
norsons Of the age: several men on whose hcadS
tens Of thousands Of dollars had been SET d
black woman who after escaping from slavery
herself had gone back secretly eight times INTO
the Jaws Of death TO bring out persons WhoW
she had never seen. and a white man Who aiter
assisting away fugitives by the thousand IA"
twice been stripped Of every dollar OF MS prop
erty in fines and. when tainted ny the 'ou'"
had mildly said: Friend if thee knows any
poor fugitive in need Of breakfast SEND MIN
to Thomas Carrots door / had known THESE
and such as these. but I had not known the
Browns Nothing short Of knowing them can
be called a liberal education. Lord Byron could
not helm clinglng TO Shelley. because he said he
was the only person In whom he saw anything
Ike disinterested benevolence. He really be-
lleved that Shelley would give his life for an
other Poor Byron, He might we'll have eX-
changed his wealth his peerage and his genius
FOR brief training at North Elba'
There is a touch Of hyperbole here. but tax
ing az a whole the paper on John Brown ana his
household. we must confess that the author
iustihes his enthusiasm. Accepting his high
estimate Of Brown, properly gre tilted TO
find Colonel Hissinson writing Of Walt Whit
man with eminent good sense. Starting from
Lanier's definition Of the poet as a dandy" he
really the least simple. the most meretricous.
and this Is the reason why the honest sent-
men.s Of the classes which he most celebrates
the drovcr, the teamster. the soder-have never
been reached by his songs. He talks Of labor
as one who has never really labored. his Drum
TAPS proceed from one who has never per-
sonally responded to the tap Of the drum Adj
hitting that Whitman has in fragmentary
and disappointing way" some Of the elements
Of a poets nature he concludes that. setting
aside all other grounds Of criticism he has
phrase but not and without form there
is no Immortality" While he was talking about
phrases the author Of this book might have
turned his attention to a little error OF his own.
To say Of Sidney I.anier that his work Will
long live as that Of the Sir Galahad among our
American poets" is to utter dubious criticism
and a sentimental phrase. Though Colonel Hlg-
ginson has confined himself largely 10 portal
turo. skctching Emerson. Acott Whittier and
Helen Jackson. Wendell Phillips and Charles
Sumner. Grant and Theodore Parker he has
also included one or two papers Of more gen
eral character. The "Eccentricties Of Reform
ers" and The Road 10 England" contain some
Of the most amusing talk I'm the book.