REVIEWS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 459, 2 April 1890, Page 3

REVIEWS.

“MY LYRICAL LlFE.”— Poems Old and New, by Gerald Massey. —Kegan, Paul, Trench, and Co.

The publication of Gerald Massey’s poetry in collected form is like the appearance of a new star in the literary firmament. The author himself appositely remarks : “ Possibly the fact of my breaking off midvyay in life may be thought to give me a kind of right to rank with those poets who died young, and thus invited gentler judgment fortheirveree.” Those whotwenty odd years aero were captivated by the lyrics oi this sweet singer have never ceased to reeretthat any change in opinion or conception of duty should have led him to neglect rich natural gifts which had brought so much of pleasure and of comfort to many a troubled heart. Rather would they have deemed the poet’s truer mission fulfilled m the realisation of his own prayer : If Thou hast touched me with thy loftier li jht, Lord, let me turn to those that walk in night And climb with more at heart than, they can Though°but a twinkle throug their cloud of cave. , , Only a grain of sand my life may be. But let it sparkle, Lord, with light of Tliee. I ask not that my verso should break ir. bloom. With flowers to crown my love or wreath my tomb: Nor do I seek the laurel for my brew. But only that above my grave may grow -„ -Some sunny. grains of Thine immortal seed That may be garnered up for human need, The Bread of Life on which poor souls can feed! Colonial readers will nob have forgotten Mr Massey’s appearance here a few years ago as a lecturer upon the Spiritualistic platform. In an explanatory preface to the two little volumes in which his poems have now been collected, and which bears date July, 1889, the author refers to the change in the character of his life’s work with satisfaction rather than regret, and hopes to fully justify it before his “ day’s darg is done.” It may be so ; but very much will be required to justify to the reader of “Babe Christabel,” and other gems, the act of allowing powers of so rich and rave an order to fall into total disuse. The prominent features in Massey’s poetry are its wonderful wealth of imagery and deep human sympathy. In reading his verse, new beauties ever and anon break in npon one like glimpses of superb scenery, charming touches of sunlight and shadow, in a journey through the woodland. \\ here shall we find anything more exquisitely sweet than this: In this dim w orld of clouding cares, We rarely know, till wildered eyes See white wings lessening up the skies, The angels with us unawares. And thou has stolen a jewel, Death! Shall light thy dark up like a star, A beacon kindling from afar _ Our light of love, and fainting faith. Through tears it streams perpetually. And glitters through the thickest glooms, Till the eternal morning comes To light us o’er the Jasper Sea. With our best branch in tenderest leaf We’vo strewn the way our Lord doth come; And ready for the harvest home, His reapers bind our ripest sheaf. Our beautiful Bird of light hath fled. Awhile she sat with folded wings— Sang round us a few lioverings— Then straightway into glory sped. Her wave of life hath backward rolled To the great ocean, on whose shore We wander up and down to store Some treasures of the times of old.

And aye we seek and hunger on For precious pearls and rubies rare, Strewn on the sands for us to wear At heart for love of her that's gone. Strange glory runs down Life’s cloud-rents. And through the open door of Deatli We see the hand that bcckonetli To the beloved going hence. We know of nothing among what Mr Massey is pleased to term “the larger, more objective outlook of my later life, which will more fully realise his desire to become a light to “ those that walk in night ” than these deep spiritual breathings. We venture to predict that their light will shine with undimmed brilliancy long after the “ big books to stand on library shelves,” which he claims as the children of his later years, have been utterly forgotten. The appreciative reader into whose hands these treasures come for the first time will scarcely suppress a feeling of indignation at Mr Massey’s confession that he deliberately stifled this marvellous power within him' although he had not felt “ the fount and source of song had dried up within or without.” Still very much will be forgiven in the enjoyment of what has been produced and preserved, and the reader may . be disposed to accept the resolution of the author to collect and publish “ My Lyrical Life ” as some atonement for the burial of his treasures during a period of twenty years. “ PRAYERS FOR SOCIAL AND FAMILY WORSHIP.” Prepared by a Special Committee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London. Two extremely neat and cheap little volumes, careful revisions of former publications. The Committee of the Church of Scotland on Aids to Devotion, with Dr. McGregor, whose eloquent words stirring our hearts, as Honorary Convener, affirm concerning them : “ What was best in former editions has been carefully preserved. The prayers have been rearranged and shortened, many of the best prayers, both ancient and modern, which form the devotional heritage of the Church of Christ, have been incorporated, so that variety of devotional expression may give truer utterance to the varied feelings, and may better meet the varying spiritual wants of those who will use these volumes in many lands.” The Committee have shown a fine catholicity of spirit in this revision. They have consulted authors representing all sections of the Christian Church, as Leighton, A. Kempis, Toplady, Baxter, Doddridge, and Matthew Henry. The liturgies, ancient and modern, of all the onurchea have been put under contribution. The result may show a certain want of freshness and spontaneity, but this may be atoned for by hallowed expressions of devotion, dear to the heart and familiar to the ear of many. The larger volume includes the smaller, and has in addition a series of well-arranged morning and evening services for all who may be deprived of the ordinary services ■of a Christian ministry. It contains also suitable services for use in hospitals for the eick, for burial, and for children at home and in the Sunday-school. The special prayers that may be used in these services, ■ for soldiers, sailors, fishermen, emigrants, colonists, travellers, sojourners in India, and in all foreign countries,- seem well 1 adapted to express special wants and desires. As, for example, in the first prayer ' for'the use of colonists “ O Lord, who hast been our dwellingplace in all generations, and bast said that -Thou' will never leave us nor forsake us, -enable us to put our trust in Thee. Though jfac from the land in which our fathers wor-

shipped Thee, suffer us not to be forgetful of Thy service. Teach us still to acknowledge Thee in all our wafs, honouring Thy name, searching Thy Word, hallowing Thy Sabbaths, and keeping Thy Commandments. Help us to lead a life of faith in Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who loved us and gave Himself for us. . . . . . Strengthen us for our daily work, keep us from worldly anxieties and cares, and amidst all our toils and wanderings dispose us to seek our strength and rest in Thee.”

The prayers and thanksgivings for particular occasions, as in spring, summer, autumn, winter, for rain, for fair weather, for harvest, for deliverance in a storm, etc., etc., are often beautifully expressed, enabling the worshipper to rise in thought and desire from the temporal, and passing to the spiritual and eternal in the most simple way. But we miss a clear and proper expression of enlightened Christian knowledge and feeling in the prayer “ For a time of great sickness and mortality,” and in the “thanksgiving for the removal of pestilence.” We desiderate something more The confession of sin in general, and the recognition of the displeasure of Heaven. The special sin and folly of a wilful breaking of God’s sanitary laws, ordained as truly as the laws of Sinai for our health and happiness, should be clearly recognised. And the earnest desire, “Lord, help us. under Thy favour, to purify our bodies, our homes, our churches, our villages and cities, by accepting freely Thy loving gifts of pure air and pure water, so that sickness and mortality may be lessened, and pestilencekeptfar from us,’’should certainlyhave been expressed. The separation of religion from physical as well as moral impurity, is an Old Testament lesson, enforced in the Epistle to the Hebrews, which Christians are very' slow to learn. They admit that “ Cleanliness is next to godliness," as the distant spring of water seldom visited may be next to the moorland dwelling. _ They require to learn that it is an essential part of godliness—next to it as seemly garments to the body, or as the purified body to the pious spirit. The separation of religion from dirt in every pious circle is a reformation devoutly to be prayed for. A useful table of portions of Holy Scripture, suitable for special cases and occasions, is found at the end of the volume. To some Christians, familiar with their Bibles and with the use of extempore prayer, a volume of this kind may offer little help in Christian effort. Aet even.the wisest and most earnest may obtain hints and suggestions that may make their efforts more acceptable to others. And to not a few Presbyterians and others anxious to uphold the worship of God in isolated places, and kept back from doing so by a humble sense of unfitness to lead in extempore prayer, these aids to social worship may become of real service. In this way, instead of fostering formality and lifeless routine, they may remove difficulties from the path of Christian duty, and become an aid and stimulus to social worship. “PRAYERS FOR FAMILY WORSHIP.”

The smaller volume is intended for use round the family altar.

About the period of the second reformation in Scotland, family worship was almost universal through the land. From the home of the city burgher, and from distant castle, farm, and peasant’s hub, praise and prayer ascended as the morning and evening incense. These pious Scottish souls would have looked with horror upon this prayer book as an innovation of black prelacy. The spirit of Jenny Geddes would have flashed from their eyes. But times have changed. Presbyterians have discovered no absolute connection between persecution and a prayer-book, or between a prayerbook and Popery and prelacy. They remember that John Knox himself prepared a liturgy for Scotland, “To help those unfit to engage in extempore prayer.” And perhaps the long prayers of our fathers, who felt fit tor the duty of family worship, as well as in church services, like the prayers of the Puritans, have done much to bring about a change of feeling. Some distaste of family worship may, without doubt, be traced to the lengthy and weary nature of the service in many Scottish homes of past days. _ Instead of the home being brightened by it, in the eyes of the children the hour of worship became a terror. The shadow of a great and sanctimonious gloom fell upon the whole household. This fact may account for much disuse of family worship in Scotland and elsewhere, as much as any godlessness or disregard of true religion. Still, many parents, who have given up the habit of family worship for years, have felt compelled, for the sake of their children, to return to it, as the best and wisest means, when properly conducted, of preserving the pure and peaceable atmosphere of the love and fear of God within the home. Portions of Bible history, song, prophecy, gospel and epistle, so superior to the finest literature of earth, reach the heart and linger in the memory amidst the endearmentsof homelife, hallowed by devotion, far more effectively than when read in the secular, or even in the Sunday-school. For without doubt the father or head of the family is the true priest of the household, and it would bo well for the family life of the colony if this simple Scriptural fact could be realised through the land.

If a volume of family prayers like this, so carefully prepared and so perfectly trustworthy in the expression of the faith, hope, and love of Christians everywhere, would aid in kindling the fire of devotion to God and duty in the homes of our people, every true-hearted citizen should have reason to rejoice.