New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-27

popular pieces, Excelsior" THE
Psalm of Life" and the like, are not
thought his best, Lang sums up:
HE wrote for a young people, in the
boyhood Of his own literature, and
opened for it the magical volume Of old
romance. and his hold on those who
read him in youth can never be
shaken, being strengthened by all
happy and tender memories"
Not one Of the poems printed by En-
erson in his "Parnassus" as represent
alive of Longfellow does Lang men
ton; not even The Warden Of the
Cirque Ports" with its noble Yelling
ton threnody.
From Longfellow to Poe is a long
leap. and Lang takes it with his
wonted smiling indifference to dangers;
and arrives breathless. On what he
thinks firm ground he describes Poe as
not great but a haunting poet.
! For poetry deals with life, with &C
ton, with passion, with duty, and with
the whole Of the great spectacle OF
Nature. To the Muse Of Poe these
things are Indifferent"
That is denying to the poet the right
to choose his subjects, and excludes
from the domain Of poetry matter the
claim of which other poets than Poe
have indicated. Is not Coleridge'S
"Kubla Khari" poetry? And does not
Poe's verse meet Coleridge's definition
Of poetry: THE best words in the best
order? However, Lang admits that
ito the singing Of dreams he brings
such originality of tone and touch as is
rare indeed in the poetry of any peo-
pie" He thinks Poe has not much
honor in his own country; cor, at least,
has more honor in countries not his
own" Not, / should say in England,
! but certainly in France, where Baude-
laire's translation of him is a classic.
Lang defends him against Lowells
| "three-ffths Of him's genius" and
asks: Where, except in Poe and Haw-
thorne was the man with even two
! fifths OF genius?"
For Lowell Lang had personal re-
gard, and thought him as a speaker on
| literature and art without a rival;
while "in conversation his humor'
wit vast knowledge OF men and OF
books. and his simple, spontaneous
kindness, endeared him 10 all And
/ he quotes Tacitus: GUAM melius tut
meminisse guam cum cateris versari'
c'Memory Of him is dearer than life
with others"). OF Lowell's poetry as
whole Lang is critical, yet comedies
| that "ln satiric and humorous poetry,
in dialect, he was supreme from the
| first"
think we may all agree that with
| the spirit Of this treatment of Ameri-
can authors we have, as Americans, no
quarrel; remote as Lang's opinions
sometimes are from ours. OF his His
tory as a whole we and the English
may say the same thing. It IS a de-
lghtful book. It is the best book of
the kind there is: far more Illuminating
and stimulating than Mr.. Gosse's four
volumes Of English literature. Lang
does not always lift himself to the
height Of his subject. He IL too often
| fippant. He lacks reverence. His tone
10 men like Burke. the greatest OF Eng
fish prose writers-it is Matthew Ar
mold who says SOS unworthy. To
Arnold himself ne is, II not unjust, un-
sympathetic and undutiful, for to Ar
mold he owed much. But In learning.
in catholcity, in lightness of touch, In
real seriousness disguised often by
playfulness Of mind and temper: In his
sincere devotion 10 literature and In
his capacity for presenting TO readers,
skilled and unskilled, a clear survey OF
field too vast for any one explorer he
has come as near as a mortal may TO a
just. If not always critical, account OF
English literature. II at the end he
lays down a weary pen, It Is only at
the end His History is and will long
remain a thing apart; a gift for which
the truest lovers Of books will offer the
amplest homage. q. w. 5.