The sun., 1904-12-17
Ssme Poets.

, dge RldQ 70 MAKE tnelT dCQudlItdHCt.
! ssme Poets.
In the towering pile of volumes Of verst
that this season is responsible for we have
found any amount of thoroughly respect.
able work, rhythndcal, with correct ideas
in English usually good; but have looked
In vain for some new note. something that
stood out above the rest or had any other
warrant for its appearance except the
authors desire to write. Even OF the
authors whose names are familiar to readers
Of magazines, there is little to say. Their
names indicate to their readers the quality
Of their goods. and they take care not to
belle their names.
The serious poems Of the late Guy Wet
more Carryl have been gathered under
! the title, The Garden Of Years, and Other
Poems C.. P. Putnam's Sons) with an
introduction by Mr.. E. c. Stedman. They
read smoothly; they are distinctly liter
ary and reminiscent Of other poets; the
workmanship is more than respectable
usually. but over and again. when we oil
most believe that the author is really car
ried away by his theme jarring or prosaic
line or image brings us down to earth once
more.
Mr.. Bliss Carman supplies fourth in
stallment Of 'Pipes Of Pan q. G. Page
Il Co.. Boston,. Thee are Songs from
Northern Garden" which means with a
Canadian setting. Eminently respectable
verse.
Every one knows the command Mr. .
Frank pempster Sherman has Of the teoh-
nicalities OF his art, for long ago he showed
what he could do with the artificial forms
OF verse. That may have checked his
own individual note or else 1t is only a
mild ons. The poems in Lyrics OF joy
Houghton. Mifflin 4 Coz are all pleasing
and graceful, but Mr.. Sherman seems to
take his joy rather sadly.
1t is pleasant to 60 back to an older day
with Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge's two little
volumes. The sane point OF view, the
healthy sentiment, the spontaneously sound
English. stand out strangely against the
latter day preoiosity. In Rhymes and
Jingles' Charles Scribner's Sons), a new
edition, admirably illustrated by Sarah
s. Stilwel. Of a book thirty years old, we
have simple poems, intended for children
comprehensive by them, and thoroughly
appreciated as experience has shown, and
not travesties on grown up slang and
jests, often not over refined and aimed
chiefly at adults. which real children, It Is
to be hoped, do not understand. Poems
and Verses" CThe Century Company, is
also a reprint Of a book a quarter Of a oen-
tury old, but with many additions. These
are Mrs, Dodge's contributions for older
people, though many Of the ohildrens
poems are included.
A real poet, II minor one-but where are
the great poets to-day7-is Mr.. Clinton Soo-
lard. III Lyrics and Legends Of Christmas
tide" George William Browning. Clinton,
N. ", he offers thirty-odd poems in all
keys, grave and gay, ballads and lyrics
turning upon the Christmas season. The
little volume is gotten up with simple
elegance In harmony with the contents.
The characteristic Christmas poem of
Santa Claus CThe Bobbs- Merrill Company,
replete with proper domestic sentiment.
1t is illustrated with many pictures from
photographs.
We have wondered what the develop
ment Of Mr.. Frank L. Stanton's poetic gift
would have been II he had not chosen to
turn out poem a day for 30 many years.
He has not lost that painful facility, and
easily az the verse glides In 'Little Folks
Down South (Appletons), little restraint
might give more distinction to the thought.
Dialect and plain English alternate In his
verse; and he seems to be better in the for
mr.. perhaps because dialect hides in some
degree what might otherwise seem plati-
tudes
A little Christmas anthology Of religious
verse, Songs Of the Birth Of Our Lord
Jesus Christ" is published by the Monad-
mock Press, Nelson, N. H., in a charming
little volume illustrated with woodcuts
after Albrecht D1rer.
Another anthology selected With great
taste is Songs OF Motherhood,T by Eliza
beth johnson Huokel (Maomillans). II
will appeal to all women and TO every one
who loves babies. II shows, too, what
a wonderful medium the English language
Ia for rendering strong emotion. In a
different way 1t reveals again, a. Palgrave's
Golden Treasury" does. the marvellous
richness In poetry Of the feelings Of our
literature
Poems In Canadian French dialect and
prose sketches make up THE Dance at Joe
Chevalier, and Other Poems, by wilmot A.
Ketcham CThe Franklin Printing and En-
craving Company, Toledo, 0hio). While
much inferior to DR.. Drummond's remark
able poems, the dialect pieces are well done,
In some cases very good. and the prose
episodes are interesting. The illustrations