Show A FINE diio E a few ilcin s ago 10 ferrod U the fact ii iu iima dar hiir tn bolida bo lidi 0 F admy wo i ok form ti i f f ic ns tiie iau i roil iy ay take nn neuil giving it the custom professional rt biow BISHOP WHIT ahr mb P y very modept apology in his preface ur publishing publish ins is inseal of his many famous writ luga iro at various during tuo past dozen yeara or more tho period covered by my efforts in alio literary held I 1 have been ad even importuner importuned by well meaning friends to gather up the scattered and ast fear withered leaves that have fallen from my tree of and weave them into a gar laud in other words to publish my poems in a book wore tho author never to lay his pen on paper again this sweet little treasure troye of literature would justly entitle him to more than the humblest nook in the poets corner of public opinion as he so modestly expresses it it has some of the truest gems of poetry and we not but that others whose opinions are of more value than ours into choso whoso hands this work will fall will bear us out in this assertion ser tion the authors idea of true poetry may ako barue with moro than ordinary dorco all poetry is religious bays ho whether eacret or secular saud whatsoever is irreligious unchaste unjust untrue in spirit is not a d cannot be true poetry god is love lovo is poetry and poetry is religion this is a kind of analogy that will appear rather novel tc acme in a chapter on poets and poetry in this volume the writer still further bays the poetic sentiment or faculty I 1 have said is the power to fuel intensely either pleasure or pain it does not always find expression iu words there are joy that are auie there are sorrows that never sigh or weep but are eloquent in their stillness and all the more powerful for their imprisonment how strangely consistent is this with bis poem A silent sorrow alie streams that run ith loudest ripple aio not alie deepest streams that flow as or trickling eyes nor lips eliat murmur feel always what they faaiu would show is a grief that cliones expression sad eyes whence tears may never fall god pity him elioso grief inward for this the greatest grief of all A valuable addition to american literature is this collection of poetry by 0 F WHIT nry and us such we trust it may ba justly recognized and as such be welcomed into the homes of tho authors people in whose behalf and in whose defense his harp has bieu divinely tuned |