The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-24


The trembling hearted fain would rest
N0 0pate like e book, that charms,
b. its deep spell. the minds alarms
The most recent event Of literary i'm
portance and one that has attracted the
attention, as we'll as the sympathy Of the
civilized world. IS the death of SignoT
Giosue Carducci the Italian poet and
critic, who died at Bologna on February
L. The Italians have sorrowed over the
loss OF their poet, whom they compare
with Dante, with a great sorrow; the fu-
neral was conducted at the expense Of the
state and the poets body was buried in
the famous church Of Santa Croce, Flor
ence. II is proposed, also. to erect a
monument TO his memory at Bologna.
GiOsue Carducci was born az Val-di-
Castillo. in Tuscany, July 2. 1886. He
began life as a public teacher. but in 1860
was appointed TO a chair in the Univer-
sity OF Bologna which he held all his
life. except for d brief period In 1867, when
he was suspended for having signed his
name 20 an address to Mazzini. When
Carducci entered the field of literature,
and this was before his thirueth year.
he declared himself anti-romantic and
anti-ChTlstian, and his earlier poems, 'Ju-
venillia" and 'Levia Gravia." were writ
ten in imitation of Mazz0ui and AlfieTi.
These fell cold upon the world; they were
artificial and stilted, and gave little hint
of the powers that were afteTwaTd to De
so strikingly developed. His first fame
came with the publication of his 'ImmO
a Satana," which was an enthusiastic
aposJrophe to liberty and progress.
He wrote a great deal. however. and
waited many years before he attained
the high position which was his at the
hour Of his death There was "a marked
change in the sentiments of his poetry
when his "Decennalia. dealing with the
stirring events of 1S60-7O. appeared. and
the change was even more marked on the
publication of his Move Poesie" in 1873.
Here It was plain that Carducci was TAX
ing Hugo rather than Manzoni for his
master, and these poems advanced the
most striking political views. Tt was these
poems that put Carducci at the head of
the new school of Italian poets He again
attracted attention with the "Odi Bar
bare" which ran from 1877 to 1893. They
were written in Horatian meters. and Car
ducci was freely criticised for having
abandoned rhyme, but che poems excited
the admiration of many Italians. Since
that time Carducci published many poems
and during his whole career he was dis
tinguished as a writer of polished and
virile prose. In Italy Carducci was rank
ed as one of her greatest poets: i'm truth
he was counted second only 10 Dante.
CarducCi was never, perhaps appTe-
ciated by the world outside of Italy as
he was at home, and this lack of appre-
citation came not from any inherent faults
I'm his work or himself, but because his
poems suit no other tongue but the Ital-
ian. Il is said, indeed. that Carducci suf-
fers as Dante suffered, from the very
majesty and immensely of his verse.
Frcnchmen Of letters who had read and
loved CardGcci's poetry tried time and
again to translate it for the benefit of
their countrymen. but all failed though
CardUcci drew much of his inspiration
from French history. and the French
revolution I'm particular. That noted
critic Jean Carrere writing of him some
time ago said: But If we French may
be pardOned for not knowing all the lyri-
cal trills of Carduccis odes, there Is one
thing we can no longer ignore. and that
Is the great role played by CarduCci in
the evOlution' of his country and in the
eXaltatiOu of the Latin race. What Dante
was to an Italy. conquered and trampled
under foot by the barbarian. Carducci is
10 an Italy regenerated and free. What
CaVour did as "a statesman and Garibaldi
as a warrior Carducci has done as a poet
Diplomacy. the sword, the lyre-these
were the three forms of the Italian genius
that achieved the RisOrgimento. It is
impossible to separate them"
And yet in spite of the difficulties of
translation il was evident that TccOgui-
tiou of Carducci's genius and talent eX-
tended far beyond the confines OF his own
beloved Italy. Last December he was
the recipient Of the Nobel prize but
even then he was too feeble 20 comply
with the terms of the prize. and present !
himself at Stockholm TO answer the
eulogy that goes with the award. Nor
had ne any use for the money of the
prize, but directed that it be used I'm the
education of his grandchildren. and in
making easier the somewhat hard life Of
his sons and daughters Carducci is dead /
but thinking OF the work he has left the
world, of the glory he has won, one re-
calls Shakespeares words:
Death makes uo conquest Of this confuerur:
Fol now be lives In fame though not In life.
one of the recent candidates for posi- |
tion Of librarian i'm the New York Pub /
lie Library wrote ON her examination /
paper. in answer to a question as to the /
most popular novel of Gen. Wallace. that |
IL was Her Ben"
This is the record of the most popular /
books at the Public Library during the |
week past: Nou-fction. Hudson's /
Psychic Phenomena" and Bisland's Life /
and Letters Of Lafcadio Hearn." In flc- /
ton. Alexandra Dumas Count of Monte /
Cristo" and his THE Threa Musketcers." /
in juveniles. the books most called for 1
We're Lang's Violet Fairy Book and ST. |
for February. If one is aston /
ished at the fact that Dumas is beating
in popularity some Of the modern fiction 1
writer's, IL may be stated that Public Lii /
brarian Bowerman determined some time
ago TO make a special effort in what /
might be called classic fiction. and for
that purpose has secured enough copies /
TO amply supply the demand, and then
pushed the books forward. The result has
justified his expectations. Last week the .
circulation Of Monte Cristo" was fifty
one, and that of The Three Musketeers"
was thirty-eight. The two highest Of the
modern popular favo-ites We're Margaret
Delands THE Awakening of Helena
Richie for which there We're thirty-six
calls. and McCutcbeon's Jane Cable"
which was called for thirty-one times.
BY ancestry and temperament a COS
Robert Hichens is naturally as