The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-12

~ WndlGNCI AQlIlIEdllOh Ills FOEIIf
may inspire, we cannot forget that he
reviled his murthered King. He died
with q~uerulols Complaints about evil
Times and evil Tongues, unrepentent
Of his own Wickedness, full Of envy
and Malice at the Restoration OF that
national Happiness which his scurvy
Soul could not share"
Well may the New Tor Saturday
Review say of this slanderous diatribe:
Unfortunately for The Rambler.
there was another side to the author OF
Paradise Lost" than that perpetual
ed by his enemies, and it is To be hoped
that he will not, at this late day, lack
defenders, even though their pens may
not find ii convenient to adopt the
pseudo eighteenth century style affected
by the contributors TO The Rambler.
The closing passage Of the TRADE is
sufficient to set these pens IN motion"
We invite the reader to turn to Lord
Macaulay's splendid paper on John Mil
ton and enjoy what this learned, mas
ish genius In the realm of fction-the
| English poets in 1925. We could gather
innumerable tributes If the game were
worth the candle.
Another silly opinion that ives is by
Mr.. w. D. Howells the American novel;
list. He has denied to the greatest Brit
ish genius in the-realm of lction-the
most original, the most creative, the
most inspiring, the most fascinating,
the teacher OF scores of English fctive
writer's, and Americans too and of four
of the greatest of French novelists-he
has denied that Walter Scott was a
nnIro1icf Of tho fret rCnk IVORY voor
sees one or more new editions of Scott
published, and now, ID show his unfail-
ing popularity, a ten volume edition Of
Lockhart's Life of Scott" IS to be is
sued in England, illustrated by seventy
photographers which will be mostly
from reproductions of oil paintings by
celebrated artists. ,Tohn G. Lockhart
a distinguished essayist n critic, and
the author of the bes. biography in the
English language next to BoswelPs
Life of DR.. Johnson n who was an
other great blographer of Scottish ma
tivity. 1t will take a regiment of How
ellis to write Scott into the second rank.
By the way, while it is the vogue now
among ]atter-day critics to ridicule
SCOTS delightful poems, we maxi bold
to say that they are full of life, vigor,
passion, richness of description, elo-
duence, noble genius, sentiment, inspir-
alton, dash, Homeric fire, and poetic
grace. OF course the minute, careful,
error seeking critic can find carelessness
in the poetry as in the magnificent
novels, and he can 1idicule imperfect
lines and perhaps some startling ca
cophany, and declare it is lot poetry,
but ten thousand men and women of
genuine culture through more than
eighty years have read them with al
most unqualified delight, and have
found in the great and cunning Mag1-
clan more of sanity and real greatness,
more of music from his deity handled
harp than has been seen even among
poets Of greater names.
We may note that Kipling's last book,
a novel called Kim is much praised
in England and in the north. Most
English criticism is highly favorable.
There are three exceptions, however,
among London dailies. The Chronicle,
a. very able paper, is decidedly severe.
w. L. Alden, an American CORE
spondent in London, writes to the New
York Saturday Review of the adverse
Opinions and says: The Daily Chron-
icle under it's present management |
aims at absolute fairness. But there
are papers which do not like Mr.. Kip
ling's work and can never see any merit
in it. Doubtless they are entirely hon
est, and their persistent dislike of
everything that Mr.. Kipling writes is
due to some c~ongenital inability to ap-
preciate."
He has lauded it very much from the
start. Mrs. Amelia E. Barr, an Eng
lish woman living in the north, is an
exceptionally good novel writer, and is
moral, healthful and strong. Her last
is a story of Cromwell's time and and is
called The Lions Whelp.' She is
really suggestive of the late Mrs. Oil
plant. and to us more virile. The New
York Saturday Review, says in a notice
of this ook
One has a sensation of surprise in
reading a half-forgotten tale by Mrs.
Oliphant, and in recognizing that it
head and shoulders above much of the
most exploited fiction of these noisy
days; n we may say the same thing
of Mrs. Barr. She is sure of a public,
but her readers are not ~claqueurs.
The Lions Whelp'' is a historical ro-
nance of interest and value. Such
Al book as THE Lions Whelp" has,
then, a distinct ethical value in adjust
ing the mind of hat public to historic
truth and in helping it to admire what
is admirable and not merely to fiutter
| around an ignis fatuus.
Moreover, Mrs. Barr has made her
boo interesting. 1t is never heavy
with its history"
She is not n of the popular writ
ers." put one of the vigorous, healthful.
pure writer's endowed with a vigorous
style and rare powers for thinning.
MIRSIMG MGTL. EDS