Слике страница
PDF
ePub
[graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Roberts fall into three groups—poetry, short stories and novels. The fact that he attained prominence first as a poet may account in part for the singularly fine quality of his prose style. His first book-Orion and other Poems-appeared in 1880, being published by no less considerable a firm than Lippincotts, of Philadelphia. Orion was remarkable for a first volume, and won its author the recognition of competent critics. And the little book is important in another way. It practically marks the beginning of Canadian poetry —or at least of the school which has done the best work in that department. During its author's very successful career as Professor he put forth the following books of verse: In Divers Tones, 1887; Ave, an ode to commemorate the centenary of Shelley's birth, 1892; Songs of the Common Day, 1893. Since 1895 he has given more attention to prose. But 1896 saw the publication of his best volume of poetry-The Book of the Native. This well represents the range of his work, his strong, sane point of view, his faultless expression. Two years later appeared New York Nocturnes, which touched with unsuspected beauty some of the scenes and phases of city life.

In the short story, so widely cultivated at the century's end, Professor Robers takes exceptional rank. The following collections comprise his output so far: Earth's Enigmas, and Around the Camp-fire, 1896; By the Marshes of Minas, 1900. The last of these is concerned with the exciting period of the French wars, and is on the whole the best. The novels treat of the same fascinating theme. They are two in number: The Forge in the Forest, 1897, and A Sister to Evange line, 1898, romances of a high and virile type. More serious but scarcely

less interesting is the scholarly History of Canada (1897). Nor should I omit his excellent translation of de Gaspé's Les Canadiens Anciens.

The importance of Professor Roberts' work is very great in the present stage of Canadian letters. His books cover a remarkably wide range, and do it in a

remarkably excellent way. And his personal influence is a valuable factor. By example and by stimulating advice he has done probably more than any single man for the advancement of his country's literature. A good example

of his manner is

A Child's Prayer at Evening:

Father, Who keepest

The stars in Thy care,
Me, too, Thy little one,
Childish in prayer,
Keep, as Thou keepest
The soft night through,
Thy long, white lilies
Asleep in Thy dew.

Turning now to the other members of the family, we come first to Elizabeth Roberts Macdonald, born at Westcock in 1864. She was educated at the Grammar School in Fredericton, under Mr. G. R. Parkin, and took a partial University course. During 1891-2 she taught in the School for the Blind, Halifax, N.S. Her work (chiefly poetry) has appeared in the leading magazines (Century, Harper's, Independent, Canadian), and its best is contained in a little volume of Northland Lyrics, of which more anon. From it we may take

The Bugle Call.

The night loomed black with coming storm,
The narrow pass was iron-walled,
And through the dark profound and grim
A solitary bugle called.

Its voice from cloudy heights unseen

With sudden summoning sweetness spoke, And in the heavy heart of time Eternity's desire awoke.

Blow loud and clear from height to height,
O bugle, bid the dark be gone;
Call out across the stormy hills

The gold and azure wings of dawn!

Goodridge Bliss Roberts showed high promise during a life that was sadly short

he died in 1892, at the age of twentytwo years. He had graduated from King's College in 1890, and was studying for the Church at the time of his death. His literary work comprised journalism and miscellaneous writing. Perhaps the best of his prose was a short story called Garry of Garmitch Bridge,

[blocks in formation]

The hills are sweet with the breath of June,
Buttercups, roses, and clover stretch,
Laughing and glad, where the bees commune
Droning their runes in the clinging vetch.

We two roam in the sun together

Roam in the sun and are content;
Now in this dreamful summer weather
Life and Love must needs be blent. .

And in the evening we rest together
There on the hill where the shade is deep,
And out before us the day's short tether
Is tense, and the valley falls asleep.

Softly, deliciously, warmly creeping,

Night comes up from the slumbering vale, Finds us and takes us to her keeping,

Spreads herself over our mountain trail.

Would that to-night might out live to-morrow!
To-night we are here with our love, alone-
The morn will bring parting, doubting, sor-

row;

Will open the gate of the All Unknown.

Inscrutable.

Her gold hair, fallen about her face,
Made light within that shadowy place,
But on her garments lay the dust
Of many a vanished race.

Her deep eyes, gazing straight ahead,
Saw years and days and hours long dead,
While strange gems glimmered at her feet,
Yellow, and green, and red.

And ever from the shadows came
Voices to pierce her heart like flame;

The great bats fanned her with their wings,
The voices called her name.

But yet her look turned not aside
From the black deep where dreams abide,
Where worlds and pageantries lay dead
Beneath that viewless tide.

Her elbow on her knee was set,
Her strong hand propped her chin, and yet
No man might name that look she wore,
Nor any man forget.

Theodore Roberts is three years
younger than his brother. His boy-
hood was spent chiefly in his native
town of Fredericton. During the win-
ter of 1897-8, he was on the staff of
the Independent (N.Y.), and when the
Spanish-American war broke out went
to Tampa as special correspondent for
that paper.
His experience was some-
thing less than pleasant. He crossed
to Cuba with Shafter's army, and at
Baiquiri, in the Province of Santiago,
was brought down with fever. Not
until late autumn could he return north.
During this time he had written arti-
cles for his paper and a good deal of
war fiction and poetry. In May, 1899,
he went to Newfoundland. Here,
after a time, he conceived the idea of
founding a periodical, and The New-

The two youngest members of the family, William Carman Roberts and Theodore Roberts, have seen more of the literary world than most men of their years. The former was born in Fredericton in 1874. He matriculated into the University of New Brunswick, but was compelled to leave when nearing the end of his course, owing to ill-foundland Magazine is the result. The health. Voyaging south to Washington, he completely regained his strength, and in 1897 took up journalism in New York. For a time he was on the staff of the Illustrated American, and afterwards Associate Editor of the Literary Digest. Since May, 1899, he has been in England, engaged on literary work of importance. Like the others, he has had access to the best domestic and foreign periodicals. I quote a typical poem

plan is to produce "a first-class illustrated monthly, to represent England's oldest colony in the magazine world." It promises well, as it is run on sound business principles, and with decided literary and artistic taste. Theodore Roberts' work-fiction and poetryhas appeared in The Century, Independent, Canadian, etc. He has written a short historical romance-The House of Osstens. The poem called Harold is

characteristic:

[blocks in formation]

bound, it contains good poetry by those who have better yet to come. There is a Foreword by Professor Roberts, which was published originally in the 1898 Christmas number of The Canadian Magazine.

Sister and brothers, not by blood alone, Kinship inalienably dear we own;

But also by the fellowship of song ;

and an Epilogue by Mr. Bliss Carman that notes the atmosphere of the little volume, about which there clings

Some glamour of the darling land
Of purple hill and scarlet tree,
Of tidal rivers and tall ships,

And green-diked orchards by the sea.

Northland Lyrics has its faults, as all first ventures must have. But it shows throughout the right poetic touch-the singing quality that covers a multitude of sins.

The point that is perhaps most interesting in the work of the Roberts family-especially in the case of Professor Roberts-is their artistic treatment of Canadian scenes and doings. We have so much that is beautiful within the sweep of our mountains and rivers, that it is pleasant to see these things receiving literary interpretation.

Of course, no one would argue that national literature must confine itself to national themes. Nor is this the case with the work in question. But it is satisfactory and a hopeful presage to find the picturesque aspects of our history and life touched upon by those who can treat them fittingly. For thus is our literature winning recognition in the outside world.

A. B. de Mille.

[graphic][graphic]

WILLIAM MCKINLEY, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR WILLIAM J. BRYAN, DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR
THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.
THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES.

ΟΝΕ

MCKINLEY AND BRYAN.

By Professor Simon J. McLean.

NE of the most momentous facts in the history of the United States is the Louisiana Purchase. By it the great Mississippi valley, which alone is capable of supporting a population in excess of one hundred millions, was acquired. New economic problems have faced the United States as a consequence of the acquisition of this territory. The centre of political gravity has also moved towards the West. In this newer section we find the aspirations and enthusiasms of that newer life we differentiate as American. The East is going through a process of stratification which leaves it but an extension of the land that earlier Americans regarded as effete. Where the West begins no man can tell-it always lies further on and nearer to the pot of money that may be found by him who adventurously digs at the foot of the rainbow. All that can be said is that there is a Central West, and that there is also a trans-Mississippi West whose ways of thought and of action are

newer and fuller of the enthusiasms of youth.

The history of the United States, since the Civil War, has been the record of the increasing importance of the West. Ohio, as well as Virginia, is now the mother of Presidents. The chances of an Easterner becoming President are more and more remote. In the election of 1900, as in the election of 1896, this importance of the West is forced to the front. President McKinley comes from the Central West, from the sturdy Scotch-Irish stock, the record of whose deeds makes up the history of what was once the further West. William Jennings Bryan unites in his personality the East and the West. His ancestors came to Illinois from Virginia, the Old Dominion; he moved in the flush of young manhood from Illinois to Nebraska-a State the history of whose development is part and parcel of the newer wonder-workings of the West.

We are prone at times, in a spirit of

« ПретходнаНастави »