The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-21
SOME RECENT BOOKS.
Maurice Thompson's Volume of Es-
says, "My Winter Garden


In the thirteen exquisite essays comprised
In that late publication, issued by the
Century Company my Winter Gar
den," Maurice Thompson impresses the
reader with two facts; that he is sue
cessful woer of nature and that he Is
master of English style. Though prose
in form, the work is a vertable poem.
Astounding in all those subtle fancies and
delightful conceits characteristic of our
best singers On every page there are sur
prises in beautiful thought and felicitous
expressions that make the very blood
Jingle. In these pages Apollo and Diana
have been married and happy pair they
make-the soft music of the Tyre harmon
In the forests of Arcadia.
In the preface the author modestly says:
"a lover of nature and books may feel
while reading these pages some watts of
freshness not mine, out of which I hope
to get the credit for what have not done'
Indeed, whether the freshness be of the
writer or not, it is there in abundance and
so what difference is that? If 1.-THE next
thing after doing deed is to tell about
it so that 1t shall not lose the smack
of native distinction" Mr.. Thompson has
succeeded admirably in chronicling those
wholesome thoughts and deeds which he
speaks of as idle though not trivial The
book deals with the authors annual out
ings in the South, where, with Horace.
Theocritus, Montague or some other boon
companion, under the shade of a live oak
or dogwood tree, his bow at his side. he
gets very close to nature and jots in
his note book the record of her heart
throbs.
Is not this companionship with nature.
this lneffable freshness of spirit, born of
Mr. Thompson's communion with those old
bards or wnom he tells us so delightfully."-?
There are dozens of men, such as Ches-
terrified, Wordsworth, Gibbon, Gladstone,
who carried with them their well-thumbed
volumes OF Horace, but here is one who
drinks at multiple fountains of ancient
song and story. He tells us OF reading
from the Greek of Theocritus the Latin
OF Horace. and the French OF Montaigne
and heaven knows how many others are
not mentioned. We are made to believe
with the author, after reading his book
that 'the wild flowers grow thickest and
most luxuriant on spots where many gem
erations of flowers have fallen down and
decayed, and that ''out OF the old Greek
mold Iresh lie bursts when the true poet
stirs it."
II wonder If am the only person in
the world Mr. Thompson asks, who finds
haunting, wavering, elusive something
In certain strokes of Greek poetry COM
parable to no other impression save that
made by bird phrases in lonely wood?''
Perhaps many have known something of
the evanescent beauty of Grecian song
tand especially translators), but who ever
thought OF putting 1T that way? In his
ability TO see clearly and to express what
ne sees VIII. sincerity and beauty, Mr.
Thompson is consummate artist
But not alone from books can we believe
that the author OF MY Winter Garden
draws all OF his inspiration. Take from the
writer side the inevitable bow and he
would perhaps feel quite as powerless to
capture our hearts as TO bag bird when
he has discharged his last arrow. He does
not carry bow TO bag bird, however
but merely for the pleasure of shooting as
he states. Speaking of a bowshot in a
lonely forest when the wind is still he
says: You may think Ii would not i'm
press you, but tell you that few natures
are proof against il. 1t is as elementary
an aboriginal voice. with singular power
in it,. Indeed. there must be a subtle
power in this primitive weapon, for the
reader feels It's spell. Whenever the syl-
van archer takes from his CULVER feather
tipped arrow and adjusts Ii, ready for a
shot at heron or some other denizen OF
forest or swamp, we hold our breath and
listen for the whish-h of the missile. Mr.
| Thompson, in his fascinating way. tells OF
a number OF fine shots-as well as a num-
Der of misses-and when the difficulties OF
archery are considered. we feel that he Is
| a superior bowman and that he would have
been worth much at Crecy or Poitiers.
| But aside from following this man with
| the bow and arrow (as his old friend Jarvis
| did. to the annoyance of the archer), we
| love TO be near him when he sits on
| messy bank, gazing at some new bird which
| he prefers 10 study at a distance rather
! than shoot. He Is one OF the few who have
| studied thoroughly the song and habits OF
| the mocking-bird and in the essay "Whers
| the Mocking- bird Sings" tells us many new
| things about this sweet musician. The
| famous dropping song" OF this bird Is de-
| scribed at some length and with an &C
| curacy of detail characteristic OF the pains
| taking student of ornithology that tn.
writer proves himself to be- Many othel