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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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ICifenrim
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There is now a lull in the war , and , In consequence , literature begins to raise Its head again . The advertising columns of the newspapers begin once more to have > a good show ia the literary department—publishers reminding the public of their old , as well as announcing new , books ; and , more symptomatic still , the daily papers have again had a spare column or two for literary notices . Probably Parliament , with its storms , -will eut short this period of revived leisure , so dear to publishers -and authors . On the whole , however , we expect that the coming season , let the war rage on as it may , will not be one of comparative literary fertility . Should this Treaty with Austria , and the " Pour Points'" negotiation which it is to set on foot again , lead to peace—that is -to say , should the Emperor of Russia , finding Europe too strong for him at present , see fit to draw back , and wait
some years till he can renew his great game with less hindrance—of course , we shall be able to fall back on our literature , and other things . Or , should the war go on in -this strait and -narrow groove to -which the Austrian alliance , if undisturbed , will tend to confine it , then * also , as all profounder European interest will be taken out of £ he war—as it will stir no topics of novel interest , and move no man ' s . heart to its depths—we shall not be so engrossed but that we shall have a -moderate disposition for ' anything that may be offered in the -way of literature . We have already fathomed the war to this extent , and we know all that can . be got out © f it . There is a chance , indeed—more than a chance—that , in spite of all the efforts of official politicians , the war-will not go on long in this groove ; there is a chance—more than a chance—either that the
democracies and nationalities of . Hungary , Poland , and Italy , which have been waiting to see how this matter of the Austrian alliance would : turn out , will , now that they find France and Great Britain in concert -with Austria , proceed to act for themselves witiout any regard ( why should they have any regard ?) for our policy , or tliat the Gzar himself , driven to bis last resource , will try whether he cannot use the democracies and ? nationalities on his side , and sway them in the service of St . Petersburg . In either case , the war will he . interesting enough ; and , engrossed -with , its topics , r ? e shall have to forego Literature . Such a tremendous enlargement of the Avar , however , is still only prospective ; and . the "book-market may have a brisk interval . We are glad to think that during this interval , long or short as it may chance to be , we shall have a return to " legitimate "
literature . The cheap rubbish system—which has of late been ruling the market— 'has fortunately proved a failure ; and out publishers are returning to their senses . Not only are we once more having handsome and wellprinted volumes from the superior firms ; there is even a tendency to the artistic embellishment of books . Mr . Euskin ' s advice the other day to our artists to revive , in a fashion suited to the time , the old art of illuminating valuable books , is a suggestion which will gradually meet with more and more acceptance . To us there is no minor form of art more pleasing than a beautifully-ornamented book . We hear , therefore , with interest , that an edition of Tjknnysom ' s Collected Poems is in preparation , with illustrative designs by Eastlake , Mijlxms , Rossetti , and other artists . We cannot fancy a finer examples of the kind of art Mr . Kuskin recommends than such a volume is likely to be .
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The fourth volume of Sir William Hamilton ' s edition of Dugai-d Stewart ' s Works has just been published by Messrs . Constable and Co . This volume completes the " Elements of the Philosophy of the Human Mind . " There arc to be five or six more volumes , making nine or ten in all . The fifth is to contain Stewabt's " Philosophical Essays ; " the sixth and seventh arc to contain the " Philosophy of the Active and Moral Powers ; " the eighth is to consist of Stjhwawt'b Lectures on " Political . Economy , " novor boforc published ; and , as at present arranged , the ninth volume is to contain the Biographical Memoirs of Smith , Rohektson , and Heid , wifch an Original Memoir of Duqatjd Stewakt himself by Sir William
HAMTivroK . Altogether , the work will bo as perfect an edition of a philosophical author as wo havo in our language . In noticing the former volumes of this reissue , along with Professor Fjgkkjkr ' s Institutes of Mctaphysio , we alluded to the fact that there begin to be symptoms of a revived interest in philosophical and metaphysical literature—particularly in Scotland . Various philosophical works by now Scottish authors have recently been published or announced ; and wo hoar that one work of this kind , long in preparation , and of which those who know tlie author huvo formed very high expectations , is now nil but ready—an original work on Psychology by Mr . Alexander Bain , already author of various loss cxtenaivo AvritingH in tliis department , and in that of physical science .
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Tt is always interesting to hoar a poet tboorising on poetry ; and the following extract from a report of n looturu on Buknh , delivered la « t week by Mr . Ai . BXANjmau Smith , at a provincial MculumicB Institute , is more especially interesting , us it shows in wlint attitude Mr . Smith , as a ohiof among
the new poets , himself stands towards the Criticism which he arid otters have educed : — The old poetry of incident and action , of inen in collision with these fellows and the forces of nature , seems to have fled from England . The heroes of modern poems are generall y students ; instead of action there is conversation on all manner If abstruse and metaphysical subjects . Soliloquy is immensely employed . Its woes are mental its despair w philosophic . Certain alarmed critics are crying out that poets narr-a-daya are altogether wrong , -that they have strayed from the paths of thtSrr f « TlV ilpOefa 7 W 0 Tdd aSain be ^ ro ^ and healthy , she must , like Antartjs , touch the earth , * nd dra-w from thence . a new supply of strength and beauty . It seems to us that this outcry is in a great measure useless—no oilier ikind of poefry could be -written at present : it was sown in the pastitis thenecessary product of oar
, circumstances—in a rich , civilised , and luxurious country , where men have aot ^ asia . earlier days , to contend for very life with the blind forces of nature , when-the passions , tuose wild beasts of the heart , are so far tamed and domesticated , where struggles are ¦ chiefly mental , and energetic action next to impossible , where men are thrown , if they ¦ would escape ennui , into politics , literature , and science , where science is only advanced far enough to see discordance and discrepancy , not harmony and completeness . OP ¦ such circumstances the style of poetry of which we have . been speaking is an inevitable product , ihose who thini it an evil may comfort themselves with the thought that ¦ every evil rights itself at length . Nothing expires sooner than a worthless hook . How qui etly the Delia Cruscans died ! Gently as a sigh the Minerva novels , anl ( noiselessly as ghosts , however trumpeted and applauded , will the army which no man . ¦ can number of stupid authors walk into oblivion , each happily with his books under ihis - ** --
arm . „ This passage shows that Mr . Smith . can give and take with , -tfae critics ; that , tested eveu in the element of doctrine about 'his own craft , 'he is tio weakling ; and that , in fact , he knows what ixe is about , as well as . most of bis critics can tell him . Is was ( thought that Mr . -Lqckkabt ' s death would leave a valuable ap - : pointment to be filled up by -some other literary man ; 'but it turns out thai the Auditorship was vacated some time ago by Mr . "Lockeust , and that a Mr . Bertoxacci got it . People of course are asking , " Who is Mr . BERTOivAeci ? " Two M . P ' s have books forthcoRiing- —Mr . Maskby , a book ion English -History ; and Mr . Stirling , a book on Spain . There is ti story of a new Jtnanuscript novel of Scott's having turned . up in France * . 'Scoti , it is said , made a present of the MS . to , somebody or other , on eonidition that it ehould not appear with his name , as "lie did not tbitfk it good . enough . Lord Cockburn of Edinburgh , besides his numerous Marginalia ! has left , it is reported , several complete manuscript volumes , entrusted to
the editorial care of Lord RuraBBFOBD , formerly Lord-Advocate . Two »» f the volumes are said to consist of " Notes of ihe Circuit . " They-would be doubtless , a rich treat to those who are fond of books of historical gossi p * and . characteristic of social incident .
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STORIES OE THE WAR . ' Our Camp in Turkey , and the Way to It . By Mrs . Young . Author of " Cutch , " •' Western India , " " Pacts and Fiction , " &c . Ben-fley . 'Mrs . Yocng's memoranda remind us a little of the energetic preparations of our Government for the prosecution of the war—they are just too late . JBut the Government retains this advantage : reinforcements are always better Jate than never ; whereas . in this dreary December , while all eyes and ears are intent upon the crisis of events in the Crimea , we are not at all persuaded that we have any retrospective attention to spare for the diary of a lively and intrepid lady , who shared the ennui and discomfort of Gallipoli , and the disastrous inaction of Varna , while the war , like our Minister of War was in its infancy ; an infancy of indecision and delusion in the council , of chafing impatience and fretting disease in the camp .
In war time we live in the present and in the future , but as the tide of action sweeps us on , "we take little thought of the past , with all its errors-and deceptions . We therefore beg respectfully to warn Mrs . Young that her graphic and animated journal , which bears -the date of only last spring , may prove to readers in this present December an unwelcome revival of a wornout story of which wo had hoped we were well quit . We might suppose that Mrs . Young had , like many other hasty bookmakers , taken unnecessary trouble to appear unseasonably and out of place . It will bo almost oflbnsive , certainly irritating , to the taste and feelings of many , to bo assailed with
pages of smart rattle and frivolous vivacity at a inomont of devouring national anxiety , when the very existence of our lieroic Spartans is at Htuke . We havo road this clever book , let us confess , with a vexation rather sharpened than , appeased by the cleverness . The authoress , if we are not much mistaken , will come to acknowledge the sin of mal-h-projios 3 he has no doubt unreflectingly committed 5 we regret it for the sake of a book ao genial and entertaining , for the sake of a lndy whose society is so agreeable , whose intelligence is so bright and poneti'ating , whose humour is generally so happy and refined , above all , whose heart is so kind and so true .
One more reservation and the disagreeable part of our task is performed-Mrs . Young ' s experiences ashore ( she is a little too often at hou in the course-of her narrative ) are limited to the allied < campH nt fck'Uturi , GiilJipoh " , and Varna . Surely we havo read all this before in the coltuaiifl of" Our own Correspondents , " who , wo c . innot doubt , had as good opportunities of observing , if not as good a faculty of describing , as Mrs . Young . Wo do not moan to imply that Mrs . Young ban borrowed from " Our own Correspondents , " nor do wo deny hor the merit of * seeing "with her own eyosnnd writing -with her own pen ; what we complain of is a certain unintentional affectation of novelty in presenting rcminifluenccs which are , we fear inevitably , too recent to be historical , too old to be iiitoreating , and too puiniul to be considered worth repetition . When the war shall bo happily over , the spring ut Scutari and I ho summer at Varna in 1854 will form , chapters of a stirring history : to tho present moment that epoch Bocma flat und unprofitable . Now , having cleared our conscience of an unplcosing duty , lot us , in justice to tlio authoress , and to roudci-H avIio do not upprcciuto our suficonti-
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Critics are not the legislators , bTifc the judges ana police of literature . They do not make laws— -theyinterpret and try to enforce th . exn . —dEd-in&ur 07 t Review .
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December 9 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER , if g
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 9, 1854, page 1167, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2068/page/15/
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