Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-11-30
The Poetry Of the war.

Ine Foetfy OI INC WaEs
Professor Oliver Wendell Helmes, deliver.
ed lecture at Irving Hall, N. Y. in behalf
of the Mercantile Library Association on
Friday evening last, on Tho Poetry of the
War;" of which the following is synopsis
Dr. Holmes referred to Boswelps Lite Of
johnson, wherein, speaking Of Ireland, one
chapter on snakes is as follows: There are
no snakes in this Island" and said that
many persons could say SO Of the poetry of
the war. He was disposed too look kindly
upon the meanest efforts TO embellish the
literature Of the war. He was going to
search flowers in this garden, net weeds
He would leave earping snd critisism to
Rebels, critics, and Sunday papers. Horace
said there was no such thing az a noder.
ately good poet" but do not believe it.
Poems were among the staples Of eur daily
existence. Nearly every young man or wo-
man had tried their hands at rhyming. 1t
hurts nobody, and fills ups corner Of the
paper. The war had hardly begun when
the lips of thousands were turned to an un-
finished doggeral
"John Browns body ses n.oniie dug. ~ We grsia,
His soul is ma rching on.s
John Brown still swings in the air. His
triumph was to be sung at the head of half q
million of armed men. The attempt has
been made since to complete. the song, but
every fresh attempt bears evidences of hard
squeezing. 1t ought to have been finished
as 1t was bugun spoataneous, scrptural,
grand and sonerous.
Maryland my Maryland" is said to be
o Northern air. Read it and hear it sung
and it has the ring of feeling in it. 1t is
typical of the Southern people, full Of de-
fects, yet fine, passionate utterancs. Its
influence in proloDging the war is uncount-
ed. These are the two poems characteristic
of the strife. The Southern poetry soon
became hysterical. A poem called "Stone-
wall Jackson's Grave" had some merit.
Albert Pike did write vile song, although
born in Boston. l look in vain for any YER
ses beside these bearing evidence of artistic
power. Perhaps SONS Of Punch squibs
might be called relict verses, but he subse-
quently eat plentiful meal of dirt. The
London Times called US, early in the war;
"a great Empire which threatens to over
awe mankind" Most of the leading writers
in England looked on in silence while the
great struggle of freedom was going on
Carlyle and Upper did squeak, but we were
too busy to heed them. The laureate might
Byron's ode to Greece might have found q
repetition somewhere.
First in order of our War-Poets should be
mentioned those who wrote sword in hand
Gen. Lander and Fitz James O'Brien
among the dead; and Miles O'Reilly, o
former officer 10 Stuart's Engineer regiment,
who is the author Of THE Countersign."
of these who remain to US. Then comes the
unwarlike sex. Fifty women might be
named, but he would select only halfa dozen
whose war lyrics were memorable-Mrs.
Howe. Mrs. Whitney, Miss L. ID. Proctor,
Rose Terry, Miss Nancy Briest, and mum
ber who have either provoking mons de
plume or simple initials. OF 81 camp songs
before him, IA contain the inspiration Of
mother, showing that the heroes of this war
land the same is true ofthe Revol ution) are
boys. The echo OF a mothers heart goes
out to nearly every shot. Of anonymous
poems, STAND by the Flag" was too good
for the author to remain So. Another,
Mature Knows no Strife" he bad but just
discovered, was written by Mrs. Paul Akers
There were three claimants for the song,
ITO Canaan" one lady; but the truth is
wrote it myself anonymously for the Bos-
ton Transcript OF the older poets, John
Pierpont, Bryant, Emerson and Fields had
all renewed their youthful fire in the war;
Lopgfelew, the sympathetic contralto OF
poets, had contributed Paul Revere's
Ride and "The Cumberland" j. g.
Whittier might be called the High Priest
of our poetic temple; though Quaker, he
had to sing the p@ans of the battle for the
right. American Art was feminine in its
tendencies and character, as witness the
greatest statues and poems; but of j. R.
Lowell it must be said he was thoroughly
masculine. The Bigelow Papers, although
covered over with the rough burr Of an un-
couth dialect, were crammed full of mean,
ing. T. Buchanan Read had written one
of the five great equestrian poems in "Sherl-
dams Ride" MIR. Boxers "Dirge for a
Soldier" Mr.. Leland's "Nertherners Come
Out" Mr.. Taylor's ITO Baltimore" and
John Meals Battle Ode" were successive
ly commended and quoted. Messrs. Stod-
dard. Story, DR.. Lieber, DR.. Bethaue, g..
p. Morris and Mrs. Sigoursey were also
complimented Lieut.. H. II. Bromwell
had written several very delightful war
poems-"Let Us Alene," ''The Fall of Al
atoona." ''The River Fight" "The Bay
Fight" and one on abraham Lincoln" "
Theodore Tilton had also written some
things which the world would not willingly
let die-"Bell Roland. &c. A. Townsend was
hard to place, and should beware Of the
temptations of the market. y. J. Cutter
had some fine verses in ''The Rising of the
People" A poem which had most endear
ed itself to him was written tor the Louis
isville Journal by G. Forsyth Wilson. which
was recited with excellent power--"The Olc
Sergeant. But there were poems In pros
abundant, as also poems in single sentence
or even a word, at the fitting time eolone
Stetson, though perhaps discaliming tn
name OF poet, had all its best essence in hi
dispatch to Gen. Butler--''The Astor Hous
makes no charge for feeding Massachu usett
soldiers"