The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-13
SOME NEW BOOKS.
The British Laureates.

How many students Of English lit
crature could name I'm the order OF
their succession the poets laureate or
u,ngland, asks w. FORBES GRAY In his
volume The Poets Laureate Of Eng
bNd, Their History aud Their Odes
tE. =. Dutton and Company. The
answer Is more likely to shame the
laureateship han the students OF
poetry. for Of the sixteen WORTHLESS
who held the post from the time OF
Ben Jonson, the first official laureate.
to the present day there have been
but three great poets. Jonson, Words
worth and T%ennyson: three minor
poets, Dryden, Southey and the pres
-nt Incumbent. The rest were mere
versihers.
II poetry, indeed. he that fine parti-
Gle within us that expands. rarefes.
%refnes, raises our whole being the
stun Of which our life Is made" the
language of the Imagination and the
passions which alone drive home ito
the bosoms and businesses OF men,"
as Hazlitt says. hen indeed the very
method of appointment and those to
wlu,n the selection Is entrusted would
quite naturally cut of the official lau-
reates from being poets. Chosen as
these officials were for their political
leanings. or for the momentary APP
plause Of the ignorant. for their purely
negative qualities or their facility at
f~unkeyism, IL Is hardly surprising
that four Of them fail to receive even
n casual mention in so detailed a work
as ~Courthope's six volumes on THE
History of English Poetry and hat
ax ~ tkAN, fgu o., ,,u - lNFa.l'S
"English Poets
Even In the student Of English
poetry had once memorized the list.
what else is there but contemptuous
pity to accor such names as ~Shadwcll,
Nahum Tate. Laurence Eusden. Will
am Whitehead, Henry James Pye?
AS the history. however. If a ma
tional office and commentary on the
times and Mr.. Forbes Gray's
volume is both valuable and divertinG.
IT is a distinct contribution to that
part of English literature which dealr
with character and custom rather
than with production.
What I have aimed at" says the
author, us not an elaborate treatise
buttressed by reconcile footnotes, but
q concise and trustworthy narrative
that shall include what is likely to
instruct. interest n even amuse the
reader who is DESTROYS OF making tho
acquaintance of those wearcrs of the
laurel who have well nigh been eclipsed
by the full orbed splendor of Tennyson.
Consouusntv I have ,risd bv moan.
81, ,ronJo,a ,rd o,,orui.o % ooncor-
,ra,a a,,on,ion mon ,ha ~nors,naii,i,s
-, ,ho ,ar,,or ,a,,o,,os mo, ,ha,-
friends ,hoir literary feuds tho con.
ara, condi,i,rs ,rd.r uhich ,ha,,
nrn,o Tha ,r,,,bod ,5os ,,hic, the.
,s,o,, ,amnasas .ro sa,o,a,r.
Ic.c,,irg ,s rn,,rovertIh rho
,or,.,,,, ,,,,on.hIa i.r,r,,on ~ ,r,o
,t,or,r, s,,Jor, a, 70 ,hos. iny,,rious
,a,.,s a., 80, ,a Ill - -
,aw a., a.. ordar ~, ,hoir acoossio,
Dr.. 10, Io,.on ,oad.d m. lin. ,,I.
i,,a, la, ST. yy,i;.m D,yor,n, ,o,,
nr,dsn Thom.s h
,ra,o Ni,h,I,. Uovo Iaurorc. Eus.
don coIioy cihhor wi,,iam whi,oho,a
-ha,a, var,., H., Lr,a, 49,.
=, 49,, son,ha,, u,;ii;an U-n,L.uor,
-, 49,. IL >n.,t. a.,
~, pri,..s rha s,x,o.n a, han
49,. g., ,s,s :. ,ha nrosan, a..
or ,boso w~ordswor,b viii mn
.,,nch indenendence n, cbaracter
49," -.
-, ST.,
-. -.
[ - =, a,,un oIoa. 81, III
-. 80, ~ .a...a WI. ~
,'r ~. cLa.n.na.
,,a.,L.i1n. I.,i,ars,,,, III. %,
~ - - nS
wy W -
'o'nie' al Nv ""u
""'n .o"e'',u al Nv ' NV ~ y,
"a uauS"'e. 80 ""s ~
'n' 'ne poe. ueeppS 'epieu' ;" Nv
Ianueu wv ~ '"SN W us '""""'
ru"''" Vu''lm"h, M"ose p'e"'
seq ny M"rus"'r,ns nepnr",
,nriS'opher WORDSWORTH "i.e'"aru
''lshop Oh i.incolh' passed az 'ne
Aureate = IN sucn matters 100
Nords"orth e'iuehceu MS sturdy hon-
thalance as TO OUTSIDE opinion an ~
ocpehuence when caused some one 10
mat ne wrote an Que u"
CUT! ana then let IL go AT thi'' am
~ MIN W MlLte "''"sehi W '""s
beaumont IN ioV' anen' ms 'FNie"e,S
MY ears are stone ueao 10 'h's iu'e
nzl ana my nesn as ihsehs'o'e as iron
u these pe''S s,'nSs.
vi Tue 'auIea,es iehhSson mas no.
WHY the IIlbSl Sltll Jus ful tIt otlkts