New-York tribune., 1907-04-30

II is not easy 10 account for this book OF
course. there is the convenient hypothesis that
A. Huchon IS just a man with hobby, who has
loasautly occupied his leisure with the study
Of n minor English poet. I8ut at the most one
,vould only expect. from enthusiasm OF the
.ort. an essay in some literary journal or a
b-sef monograph. "Crabbe's is a mind" says
,b,s French professor. which can be explored
,ritbout much difficulty" and then he proceeds
IN explore il in n volume running TO more than
Eve hundred closely printed pages In an Eng
usbman this would be astonishing enough. In
a Frenchnan it is almost incomprehensible Yet
n Huchon IS not alone in his devotion 20
crahbe. Readers Of Omar FITZGERALD well
remember the zeal with which, in his quiet way,
he strove te promote the fame Of the poet and
Il Is plain from the photography given at the
hack of the present volume that Crabbe has ap-
pealed 70 many writing men. His influence has
travelled as far as Russia. where a book about
him was published fifty years ago. and both in
France and Germany he has been read and dis
oussed. Nevertheless, NJ. Huchon's book re-
MAINS as we have said. something of a rnys-
terry and this for the excellent reason that an
heroic monument 10 unheroc figure can
never be explained on rational grounds. That
this enthusiast of Nancy should have taken SO
keen an interest in Crabbe. and that he should
have expended such vast amount Of care upon
the preparation Of a critical biography of his
hero, must insure his book a courteous recep-
lion. But, the other hand, il is not to be
denied that the book, il stands. seems a little
absurd. 1t suggests a profound lack OF the
sense Of proportion.
George Crabbe was born IN a cottage on the
Suffolk shore. the of a petty official, who
gave hiiG. be by and by wrote 10 Burke, "a
better education than his broken fortune would
have allowed: and a bet than was necessary,
as he could give me that only" Early in life
he began u write verses. but. naturally he had
to seek a livelihood. AT first he thought that
he might succeed as a physician. The efforts
he made were fruitless. whereupon he went up
10 London with thoughts Of a literary career
H nearly starved N. Huchon makes him. at
this time, the central figure IN an interesting
sketch of eighteenth century authorship as IL
was related u the Patron" Crabbe sought aid
from Burke, and was fortunate enough 10 en-
gage the syInpathes Of the great man. His
debts were paid he was put in the way Of get
ting "The Library printed. and. in due course
through tl.- influence Of his powerful friend he
was enabled TO find employment in the church
r-10 curacy at Aldborough he passed to a
aincy I'm the household of the Duke OF
R1,and. and after a period Of service under that
Gmiable nobenan he took up the life of coun-
goyed fair prosperity. with abundant time for the
writing Of his long descriptive poems These
won the respect and admiration Of his con-
temporaries. His vogue to-day. such as Il is
Is IN the hands Of a cult Those who are not
sealed Of this cult necessarily find II little diff
fcult To understand the fervOr Of the elect for.
as NJ. Huchon himself admits. Crabbe's life his
experience his ideas. without being exactly mar
row, move ia a limited circle" and there is moth
ing IN the least esoteric or obscure about his
verse. HIS qualities He upon the surface. Il
Is ridiculous tell the reader who finds him a
bore that there IS something he has missed,
something strangely and sublirnely poetic about.
say. a passage like the following:
The shutters half unclosed, the curtain fell
Half down and rested on the window sill
Some tetale tokens OF the night before:
There were strange sights and scents about the
of food high seasoned, and Of strong perfume;
Two unmatcHd sofas ample rents displayd,
Carpet and curtains were alike decayd
4 large old mirror with once-giided frame.
1Tls vne e.neers yer We're sleeping IN the crate
The chairs in haste seemd whirled about the room.
There are two ways Of regarding verae like
ths-of which Crabbe wrote miles. If you are
partisan Of his you can IL poetry. and you draw
parallel between It and the art OF the little
old masters" Of the Netherlands. II you are not
partisan. bur simply care for poetry and have
some solicitude for critical ideals. you take the
stun as tolerable. in small Quantities on a
rainy day, but not otherwise TO be considered.
of course N. Huchon says the best he can FOR
MS poet He talks Of Crabbe's getting into
touch with concrete reality, and then Of his
becoming, with the aid Of his pathos and his
humor the greatest realistic poet that has ap-
pearea in England" NJ Huchon viii tell you
also how Crabbe paints the outside world as a
psychologist even more than as a man OF sci
ence" and. indeed. he win talk around and
around the subject until, vaguely he creates an
impression that there must after all. have been
something IN Crabbe He viii observe that
Crabbe prepared the way for a poet like
Wordsworth who endowed with a keener sen
siblity, added lyrisn 20 realism" It would be
Fery Interesting 10 know how, as a matter of
iact' Crabbe prepared the way for Wordsworth.
The truth is that such remarks as this one of
a. Huchon's go perilously near to nonsense.
He became but was not born a poet" He
never became more than a skilful writer Of
smooth. sentimental. descriptive verse His
Aenslbiity, although lively and fairly keen, IS
not vibrant; his senses are far from having the
subtle penetration Of shelley's." Why drag IN
Shelley? His austere temperament, in youth
ane middle age at least lacks the softness. the
nchness, OF those happy and slightly voluptu-
Gus minds from which poetry gushes forth
Without effort" IN other words, the fat robin
4acks some, II not ALL OF the attributes OF the
eagle He does not fall into ecstasy over the
haimonies' of nature" We should think not.
But Il would be unlzind TO pursue the matter.
"e can only thank ~. Huchon for his good VIII
ala regret that he should have given SO much
md