The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-12-12
I review and index of the Engineer

c- 1 ing Press.
 The publishers of the Book World feature for December Romance anG Royalty" by Miles Bradford; Some American Peeresses, by Frederique | Seeger; a study of Brownings My Last Duchess,' and Max Pemberton' | new serial, "The Giants Gate.' An at tractive issue, with just the right words on many current books.
 | Besides its usual instructive reviews
 the Bookman for December has | translation from Zola, In the Days oi | My Youth" more about Boston in F'ic- tion," a song translated from Maeter- linck by the late Richard Hovey, the conclusion of "Warwick of the Knobs and a fresh poem, "The Holy Place, by Zona Gale.
 The artistic features of the Christmas number of Scribner's include an eiab- crate colored cover by Maxfield Parrish and a frontispiece in color by the same artist, drawings by Castaigne and Jes- sic Wilcox Smith, reproduced in their original colors, and snow scenes in the Adirondacks by Guerin, printed in tlnts which suggest the winter landscape Another notable art feature is the collection of portraits of American children from paintings by Sargent Miss Beaux, Kendall Alexander, Chase Miss Cassatt, Thayer Brush, Lockwood and others.
 Walt Whitman's Poetry: Study and a Selection" published by John Lane, New York, comes as a highly welcome addition to the new books of the season. Its author, Edmond Holmes. is the we'll known poet and critic, and his judgment of Whitman s poetry has therefore special interest. His verdict will be found satisfactory to most admirers of the sturdy and democratic author of Leaves of Gray" and will confirm the views of many who accord to Whitman the true poetic fire, yet find much dross mingled with the pure gold in his work. The New York Evening Post remarks of MT. Holmes book:
 "The introductory essay is an analy- sis of Whitmans theory of democracy and of comradeship, doctrines which the critic has no difficulty in disposing of as self contradictory, and as not even consistently held by Whitman himself. For Whitman's poetical gift, MT. Holmes has the heartiest admiration, and the second part of the book is made up of selections from Leaves of Grass which the compiler hopes are not the less representative of Whit mans genius because they happen to possess poetic charm The book is in small quarto form, and prettily made. The logical reason for Whitman's law less form is thus expressed by MT. Holiness"
 "As Whitman sees the whole of hu- manity in each individual man, so he sees the whole of nature in each indi- vidual thing; and he seriously believes that in crowding his pages with lists of material things he is representing re- ality in all it's splendor and beauty. The form of his poetry has to adapt It. self to his conception of nature and of art. I have elsewhere pointed out that if he is to give utterance to all the feel ings that reveal themselves in the fierce light of his extreme f-consciousness. if he is to pour them all out as he feels or seems to feel them, he must free
 
 and metre. There is another reason, as we can now see, why he should discard all conventional restrictions. If poe try is to be used for purposes which are frankly. and even grossly, prosaic. its outward form must be able and ready to sink, at moments notice, to the level of ordinary prose. Whitman's ''recitative" admirably fulfils this re- auirement At its best 1t is singularly impressive. There are certain mex pressible feellngs-large, stormy, dreamy feelings, that can never quite come to the birth-which 1t expresses eff may be allowed the paradox with marvellous power and effect. For this particular purpose it has no rival. h. deed. after reading some of Whitman's inspired passages, I feel for the mo- ment as if all forms of metrical verse were by comparison cold, tame and formal. But there is no other medium of expression in which the transition from poetry to prose is so rapidly or so easily made Sometimes we find our selves in the middle of plain, inoffen- sive prose without quite knowing how we got there, sometimes there IS d sudden descent from lofty heights to ignominious depths. Sometimes mo- mentary plunge into the commonplace or the grotesque mars the movement of an otherwise beautiful passage But through all it's ups and downs the form of Whitman's poetry suits Itself admir- ably to the matter, or rather to the spirit The want of harmony and rhythm is quite as much inward as out ward A chaotic philosophy-a philoso- phy which does it's best to give back to the void and formless infinite all that time has won from it'-is fitly mirrored in formless outward form"
 'Lauriel" the love letters of an American girl; edited by A. H. with portrait frontispiece in photogravure; published by l.. c. Page & Co, Boston. The love story of an American girl is charmingly told in these letters, which reveal culture and enchain the atten- tion of the reader. The spice of New port season enters into the story and a visiting crown prince figures in it. The transition of cultivated young lady given to Irritation into her true charac ter, that of a noble hearted woman, is In1i iOn fII1l