among them The Fall of the House of Usher, The Gold Bug, and The Murders of the Rue Morgue—and a number of poems, the most remarkable of which are The Raven and The Bells. Both of these poems are wonderful productions,-the first for its beauty of rhythm and its almost unearthly sadness; the second for the perfection of its harmony,-its exquisite adaptation of sound to sense. EXTRACTS. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, II. The Romans worshipped their standard, and the Roman standard happened to be an eagle. Our standard is only one-tenth of an eagle, a dollar,—and we make all even by loving it with tenfold devotion. SAXE. 1816-1887. John Godfrey Saxe, one of the best of our humorous poets, was born in Vermont in 1816, and graduated at Middlebury College. He studied law, but devoted most of his life to literary pursuits. He died in Albany, N. Y., in 1887. As a humorist he resembles Hood, being remarkably quick in seeing the ludicrous side of things, and very felicitous in the use of puns and other oddities of speech. His wit is not of so high a kind as that of Lowell and Holmes, but it certainly is very excellent of its kind. As examples of his style we may mention The Briefless Barrister, The Proud Miss MacBride, and his travesties on Orpheus and Eurydice, Pyramus and Thisbe, etc. EXTRACTS. In battle or business, whatever the game, In law or in love, it is ever the same; In the struggle for power, or the scramble for pelf, The victor is he who can "go it alone." The Game of Life. II. Depend upon it, my snobbish friend, Proud Miss MacBride. READ. 1822-1872. Thomas Buchanan Read, poet and artist, was born in Chester County, Pa., in 1822. At the age of fourteen he went to Cincinnati to study sculpture, but soon turned his attention to painting and poetry, and won fame in both. Much of his life was spent in Italy. He died in New York in 1872, just after his return from Rome. Among his most important poems are- The New Pastoral, The House by the Sea, The Wagoner of the Alleghenies, Drifting, and Sheridan's Ride. Of these, Drifting is the most beautiful, Sheridan's Ride the most popular. EXTRACT. The maid who binds her warrior's sash, One starry tear-drop hangs and trembles; The Brave at Home. 1 BOKER. 1824-1890. George H. Boker, a dramatic and lyric poet of great excellence, was born in Philadelphia in 1824, and spent most of his life in that city. In 1871 he was appointed United States Minister to Con. stantinople, and was afterwards transferred to St. Petersburg. Among his regular dramas are- —Calaynos, Leonor de Guzman, Ann Boleyn, and The Betrothed. They are conceived in the highest style of dramatic art, and rise almost to the dignity of classics. Among the best of his other works are- -The Ivory Carver, The Podesta's Daughter, The Black Regiment, and The Ballad of Sir John Franklin, all of which are excellent of their kind. EXTRACT. Close his eyes, his work is done; Rise of moon or set of sun, Hand of man or kiss of woman? Lay him low. Dirge for a Soldier. TAYLOR. 1825-1878. Bayard Taylor, an eminent traveller, poet, and novelist, was born at Kennet Square, Chester county, Pa., in 1825, and died in Berlin in 1878, while serving as United States Minister to Germany. At the age of nineteen he set out for a European tour with only $140 in his pocket. The result was a volume entitled Views Afoot. Subsequently he travelled in Africa, China, Japan, and many other countries, and published his observations in a long series of entertaining volumes. Not only was Mr. Taylor one of the greatest of modern travellers, but he also attained a high rank as a poet and a novelist His principal poetical works are the following: Poems of Home and Travel, Poems of the Orient, The Picture of St. John, The Poet's Journal, Lars, The Masque of the Gods, Home Pastorals, and Prince Deukalion. To these original works should be added his excellent translation of Goethe's Faust. His principal novels are-Hannah Thurston, The Story of Kennett, John Godfrey's Fortunes, and Joseph and his Friend. Mr. Taylor achieved brilliant success in various lines of au thorship; but his fame will rest chiefly upon his poetry, some of which is of a high order. Perhaps the climax of his poetical career was reached in his Centennial Ode, which he recited in Philadelphia, July 4, 1876. It is certainly a noble production, honorable alike to his patriotism and to his genius. EXTRACTS. Only a woman knows a woman's need. II. The healing of the world III. Sleep, soldiers! still in honored rest The bravest are the tenderest, The loving are the daring. Lars. Lars. The Song of the Camp. ALICE CARY. 1820-1871. Miss Alice Cary, the best poetess that this country has produced, was born near Cincinnati in 1820, and died at her home in New York city in 1871. She used her pen as a means of support; and notwithstanding her delicate health, she made large and important contributions to the literature of our country. Among her prose works are Clovernook, a volume of sketches; Married, not Mated, and Hollywood, novels; and Pictures of Country Life. Her poems, together with her sister Phoebe's, fill several volumes. Among the best of her separate poems are— - Thanksgiving (a long poem not unworthy of Wordsworth), Pictures of Memory, Order for a Picture, The Bridal Veil, Krumley, Here and There, The Poet to the Painter, etc. Alice Cary is the Jean Ingelow of America. Her poems are thoughtful, graceful, full of religious feeling, and everywhere sparkling with poetic beauties. EXTRACTS. I. 'T is not a wild chorus of praises, Nor chance, nor yet fate; 'T is the greatness born with him and in him, That makes the man great. II. The Measure of Time. PHOEBE CARY.-Phoebe Cary, who died a few months after her sister Alice, was also richly endowed with poetic genius. She was exceedingly witty, and loved to amuse herself by writing parodies and other amusing things. But she also wrote some beautiful serious pieces, among them Field Preaching, and the popular hymn beginning— "One sweetly solemn thought Comes to me o'er and o'er, |