overestimating the
ascendancy and stability of Reason, for it is in reality the most
fragile and rudimentary element in our mortal fabric. A heavy blow on
certain parts of the skull, or a bullet in certain parts of the brain,
can destroy in an instant all the accumulated intellect which aeons of
heredity have bestowed, depressing the victim from the zenith of culture
and refinement to a condition separated only by colour and contour from
that of the negro or the gorilla; yet not all the edicts of the
lawgiver, devices of the educator, measures of the reformer, or skill of
the surgeon, can extirpate the ingrained instincts and seated
superstitions of the average human animal.

The poetry of Mr. Campbell is represented in =Invictus= by three
specimens, whose merit speaks well for the author's progress in the art.
"The Sunshine Girl" is an amatory panegyric of no small skill and
polish, though not strikingly novel in sentiment or expression. "German
Kultur" is a scathing and virile indictment of the present enemies of
humanity. The versification is bold, and in places rugged, whilst the
imagery is appropriately grim and sardonic. Points which we might
criticise are the repeated use of "=civilization=" as a word of only
four syllables, and the archaic pronunciation of "=drown-ed=" as a
dissyllable. This latter usage would be objectionable in verse of
stately or conservative cast, but here grates upon the ear as an
anachronism. The trenchant wit of the piece is well sustained, and
brought out with particular force in the second and fourth stanzas. "The
Major Strain" is without doubt the foremost verse of the issue. This is
real poetry. The sustained rhyming, whereby each stanza contains only
one rhyming sound, is pleasing and unusual. Mr. Campbell's comment on
"Amateur Affairs" really deserves to be classed as an essay, for its
thoughtful conclusions and intelligent analyses of human nature
certainly draw it within the pale of true literature. The broad
comprehension and continued love of amateur journalism here exhibited,
are potent justifications of the author's practically unanimous election
to the Presidency of the United. =Invictus= is one of the very foremost
journals of the amateur world, and the only possible objection which can
be raised against it, is its infrequency of appearance. It is the voice
of a virile and vibrant personality who unites vigour of thought with
urbanity of expression.

* *