40 



ened and the impediments to their good working removed, the 

 necessity for interference by the Central Authority would be 

 diminished. 



An interesting discussion followed, and in replying to the 

 observations made, Mr. Horn sketched out his ideas of the main 

 lines on which a future system of County Government should be 

 constructed. He was certain that under the present method they 

 had economy and freedom from jobbery. 



Printed particulars relating to the various authorities, scale of 

 voting, tenure of office, &c., drawn up by Mr. Horn, had been 

 provided for members. 



REVIEWS OF BOOKS. 



March 23rd, 1886. 



TENNYSON'S " TIRESIAS AND OTHER POEMS." 

 (1.) By FRED. H. HILL. 



If Alfred — Lord Tennyson had given us no other evidence 

 than that contained in this little volume, we have sufficient to 

 discern the master hand of a true artist and a great poet, and a 

 fitting final triumph of the promise of his early years. 



Taken in its widest sense, Poetry means that combination of 

 natural aptitudes which gives birth to artistic creations. It 

 places a poet before certain aspects of life as if he were looking 

 at them through a magnifying glass. Absolute darkness is 

 hateful to us because it is the utter negation of light and life. 

 Full sunlight also by bringing everything into evidence acts as a 

 check, but twilight is poetic, because it gives us the opportunity 

 to fill up and complete at will, — objects which are half buried in 

 shade. Our soul at such a moment is able to spread its wings, 

 to float from object to object divining, creating, and reconstruct- 

 ing the scene according to its own poetic fancy. Yet a poet 

 whose meaning is obscure, and hard to understand, does not give 

 the necessary stimulus to our sensil)ilities. On the other hand 

 should he say everything, describe with complacent care and 

 completeness every object, every detail, and leave us notlimg 

 to find out for ourselves, we become fatigued and worried and 

 throw down the book. 



That Lord Tennyson in these new poems has fulfilled these 

 and other necessary conditions of a great poet and a true artist 

 would not be difficult to shew. That he possesses the imagina- 

 tion to create, along with the fancy to embellish ; the power to 

 articulate with the sympathy which conveys is evident through- 



