The sun., 1912-08-04

Hymns" and Homer and HIS Age. Wnat-
ever professed scholars may have had
to say about these. We believe that they
have not found then, tainted with Jour
nalisn." Besides the indirect benefit
which Mr.. Lang has Acknowledged in
the passage quoted that he derived from,
Greek literature. he found his classic
studies available for some very delightful
copy making in such skits as "The End Of
PhBa cia" and -ln the Wrong Paradise. -"
These are almost his only experiments
In fiction and are successful enough to
induce the reader to wish that he had
made more. Nothing could be happier
than the notion In "The End OF PhHacia"
Of shipwrecking q Jealous evangelical
missionary upon the ahores Of Greek
colony surviving out OF due time. except
the hilarious manner In which the notion
10 carried out. and the two hostile civil
lixations confronted. There Is good criti-
cism In Stevenson's rhyming epistle to
Dear Andrew. with the brindled hair:
so went the nat forth. and 50
Gsrruious like . brook you 60
With sound Of happy mir,h and sheen
OF daylight whether By the green
You fare that moment. or the gray:
Whether you dwell iu March or May.
Or whether treat OF reels and rods
Or Of the old unhappy gods:
Stii like brook your page has shone
And your Ink sings Of Helicon.'
Another considerable repository Of tho
results Of Andrew Lang's literary activity.
- might he expected from 90 tremendous
u journalist. Ia the collections Of fugitive
pieces in newspapers and magazines.
especially IN the magazines. Of which IL,
the days OF the -syndicate' hardly one
WAS complete without an article signed
by him. Among these collections are
Letters TO Dead Authors and ESSAYS
in Little" In the latter volume ia a nota-
ble and enthusiastic paper on that great
est Of improvisatores. Alexandra Dumas,
Of which the author says. quite accurately.
that it is rather eulogy than criticism '
II 10 especially notable by its difference
from the grudging and superior tone
which English critics commonly feel
bound TO take with reference TO the great
French romancer. possibly in order to
maintain the superiority a. well as the
priority of Sir Walter. Nobody. no pro-
fessional Scotchman. could find fault
with Lang's appreciation Of the Scottish
novelist upon the ground Of it's made
quacy. He even devoted one Of bis latest
volumes to = defence Of sir Walter Scott
and the Border Minstrelsy But that
appreciation by no means interferes with
the enthusiasm OF Dumas. the hesrtiness
of which il is = pleasure to encounter.
Apparently Mr.. Lang among his herculean
labors came - near a. 10 given to mort2ls
TO reading the voluminous Alexapdre
Through" Ono Of the most amusing Of
the ESSAYS in Little which ore all anus
ing 10 that Upon Thomas Haynes Bayly.
which il 10 interesting here to remark
appeared in THE NIw YORK SrN and was
suggested by Mr.. Dana. the editor Of that
Journal II may not be clear to readers
Of 1912 why anybod, should have been
moved to inspire or to execute an article
on q writer Of vers de societ<. who may be
called q miniature copy Of Praed or Locker
or Peacock. All the same the result is
worth the trouble In this essay Lang
exercises that gift OF literary mimicry.
which was one Of the most marked Of his
endowments. to q very diverting extent.
The article is . revel Of high spirits. After
one piece Of jingling nonsense the paro-
dist stops to inquire. Did Bayly write
that ditty or did I? Upon my word. I
can hardy tell. ! am being hypnotized
by Bayly. I lisp in numbers, and the
numbers come like mad"
Several times it il ~ hard for the reader
- for the writer to tell whether he il read
ing Bsyly or Lang. but the reader ought
not 10 forget that the fun has serious and
valuable aspect: that. as = recent English
writer has put il. parody il u branch Of
criticism." Parody. indeed. is OF the es-
sence Of Lang's own verse -The Bal
lsds in Blue China. The Ballads and
Verses Vain. The Rhymes a Ia Mode. "
The Ballads OF Books. owe most Of their
pleasant effect TO their recall. not neces-
sarily Of individual poets. but oil fashion,
able Or old fashioned forms OF vers,. No.
body would think OF calling them poetry
or their author q p ct, but on the other
hand nobody can deny that their author
works with very unusual skill and 10 very
entertaining purpose in his trite and un.
pretending genre. Once. indeed. their
authors genuine Homeric enthusiasm
raised him 80 much abo himself that
the predatory sonnet to his TRANSLATE ion Of
the Odyssey may properly be described
As poetry. and properly quoted in full.
A. one ihs: for weary space has lain.
Lullea by the soES Of Circe and her vin-
In gardens near the pale Of Proserpine
Where that Eaesn Isle forge,s The main
Anu only the low Intes of love complain.
And only shadows OF wan lovers pine.
As such al one vr,c g!s. 20 know the b.in,
Salt on MS lips. and the large air again
SA .iahl, fr.,s, Ia -
Men turn, and see tue stars. and feel The free
ShYiu Wind beyond the close OF heavy flowers
And through the music Of the languid hourA
They hear. like ocean on 4 western beach.
The surge and thunder OF the Odyssey.
The tale of this enormous production
would not be complete il it did not include
sOme works that were in Charles Lamb q
Catalogue Of books which are no books
bibliA biblis." There il even an official
biography. the Life. Letters and Diaries
of Sir Stafford Northcots." which doubt
less attracted its due share Of attention
in 1900. when Il was published. but TO which
only y morbid curiosity could lead any
body in 1912. In fact the British Official
biography is solemn kind Of journalism,
tho weightiest Of all the ephemerides
~ far more pretension 10 4 History OF
| Scotland from the Roman OCCUPATION.
These four stout volumes must daunt
anybody but Scot or a specialist. bur
- . proof OF industry they are conyin-
cling Two or three works Of this clsss