New-York tribune., 1920-07-04

stretched out my hand, took the book
and carried it to the window. The
leaves were open at the pages 172 and
173. had only read as far as page
1877.
Il scanned them eagerly and at once
discovered that mark had been made
on the margin of page 172. A long
cross had been placed against para
graph. The mark was such as might
have been made with a sharp finger
nail. The words marked were:
"T want to make the distinct as
sertion that really existing thing
never perishes, but only changes its
form"
We have wondered if this is an opin-
ion that Mr. Mordell, inviting trouble
for Lowell, calls old-fa shioned.
We do not pretend to know how cor
rect was Mr.. Charles Eliot Norton in
his Introductory note to tire second
essay here, when he said, There is but
little in manuscript which he (Lowelll
would himself, believe, have been in
clined to print without substantial
change" We do feel. however, that
Of literature will be in
creased in a great many people by
their reading "Humor, Wit, Fun ard
Satire" in which Lowell says: "As
grew older and looked on the two heads
as types, they gave rise to many reAec-
tions, raising question perhaps i'm
possible to solve-whether the vices
and follies of men were to he washed
away (by the tears of Heraclitus) or
exploded by a broadside of honest
laughter from Democritus), bur
doubt whether We are to be saved
by any amount of vicarious salt water
Lowell's five indispensable authors
are Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Goethe
and Shakespeare, because they are
equally true in all languages" 'The
problem for the scholar was lin the
early days),' Lowell says in reducing
himself to these five authors, "how to
acquire books; for US it is how to ge,
rid of them"
Lowell deeply admired, easily per
ceived and we'll understood the com
pound of imagination, as his essays or
imagination show US. His praise o.
Henry James, Of interest to-day. in
view Of the recent appearance Of James,
letters, was unqualified, just as it was
for another great writer of passing
generation, w. D. Howells. With the
publication of Mr.. Howells's early work
Lowell predicted for him great success.
Both James and Howells he considered
rare artists and essentially gentlemen
He thought that LongfelIow's "chief
fault is too great tendency TO moral
lze, or rather, distrust of his readers,
which leads him to point out the moral
which he wishes TO be drawn from anv
special poem" Notwith standing. he saws
Longfellow "has the secret OF all tn
great poets-the power Of expressing
universal sentiments simply and natur-
ally" Whittier, he says, "makes broad
rhyme with God, law with war, Us with
curse, scorner with honor, been with
men, beard with shared But he calls
Whittier's poetry lyrical, and says:
There is a true fire in the heart o.
the man, and his eye is the eye Of the
poet" On poetry Lowell also expresses
here his balief that we can never expect
IL to be national speaking Of one
John James piatt, much heralded noe+
Of the day, born in the West,l bu.
that internationally. whether we like
{ or not, the costume of mind and BODY
s gradually becoming of one cvt.p
Poe he catches in a breath by saying
hat his "analyzing tendency Of mind
balances the poetical and, by giving him
the patience to be minute, enables him
to throw wonderful reality into MS
most unreal fancies.' He thinks: As
a critic Mr.. Poe was asthetically def
,ien%" Lowell says tina. "Thackeray's
personages are all mer, those Of Dickens
personified oddities. The one was All (
artist, the other carica.urist; the one
pathetic, the other sentimental" And
though Mr.. Mordell's preface facetiouslv
informs US that this IS "a judgment in
which many people to-day no longer
agree with" Lowell, we still remain
inclined to believe it rather dificul.
20 prove anything to the contrary of
what Lowell has said of these contem
ooraries in his comparative criticism
If them.
What he says of Swift and Piuta-ch
We leave 10 your Judgment as 10
by Inspecting nationally, as he
Toes, such remote authors, Lowell was
we'll versed in literature, even though
Professor Reilly does not think 80.
And though we like it we cannot feel
agreeable that the final essay in this
'oume is sample of what Mr.. Mordell
;alls "Lowell's satirical powers at Their
pest, and We refer those Interested to
Lowell own remarks on satire in the
second essay. In fact, we have won
tered why the editor included this
essay IN this particular collection.
While the world talks vainly about
he absolute degree of Lowells worth
md the worth Of other great writers.
With its petty propensity for pigeon
noling people in proper places. we
mink you can find in these ESSAYS by
snoring what the world says many
good thing.