The Portland daily press., 1874-01-21
TERMS $500 PER ANNUMIN ADVANCE
What Poetry is and Isn't.

=
The editor said, that Bret Harte once told
him, that in his experience of editing ''The
Overland Monthly" in California, he found
nnety-five per ccut of the "poetry" was sen-
timental, and that nine-tenths Of this was Of
sentiment which 1t was impossible the
authors should bave felt themselves. 1t was
sentiment OF which they had read other peo-
pies descriptions; and those subscriptions
had fired them 10 attempt their own. -
81 Told Mr. Fart,," said til editor. s'tbat
our proportion on the Atlantic coast was
about the same" All of you have observed
how many poems we have about the death
Ct little children, and the agony and the
faith OF their mothers. Has it occurred to
to you to notice that none of these poems
are written by mothers, and that most of
them are written by young girls VITO have
no knowledge OF their own of what they de-
scribe? -
Mr.. Carter said, that If the verse makers
could be kept down to writing only of emo
tions they had felt, or on subjects which they
understood, or OF scenes which they had
looked upon, the moth when you read the
poems would be the easiest month OF all.
but there Is r perfect fascination about the
unsnown," he said, ''and the unknowabse.
What was that you wrote to the boy who
wanted to know why you returned his love
story?o
II told him that had never known lady
who dragged her only daughter to The by
meneal altar tU mary Polish count whom
they both despised, simply because he had q
title. said l had read of many such in
Graham and Cooley but never had seen
one; that, therefore, in my own stories, I
had never described such characters. told
him, that, as he was not half my age, id
not believe he had ever seen such a mother
or daughter, and tiat, therefore. would sd-
wise him not to attempt the d. scription."
Mrs. Hackmatack muttered, that the ed
ltOr was always sad fealst, end that that
was the reason some people thought his
stories were prosy.
True enough" said Mr.. Ingham boldly.
but still the editors advice vas good ad-
vice for the boy; and, ii had to draw
circular which should be sent with returned
| poetry to the authors. the first requisite /
wou!dlmake should be, that they should not
| write about such things they knew nothing
about. l do not think they ought to say
| 'palm-tree,' unless they have travelled as far
as Norfolk"
They laughed at this pure Inghamism; and
somebody asked Mr.. Carter what he would
put into such circular.
Il think" he said, "that / would begin
somewhat as Ingham does: but would lay
more stress on their not sendiug us their
cakes before they are baked.-Fausta, give
me my portiolio.' And he turned hastily
| over pile OF notes which had accompanied
verses, and read scraps from them:-
| g. As went TO bed, this idea flashed up
on me; and have dashed off some lines,
| which / send to Old and Ne,c'"
| "'Returning from the eupiands Of the Sierra
this afternoon, these lines formed themselves
in my brain, and, ssit the jolt Of my horse has
| not made them too rough &c.
''The invaluable paper by DIR, Toomston in
the July Old and New, which we lave just
received. suggests to me tie verses which are
! enclosed, &c,
90 Don't think I can do no better than
| this. send this because &c.
| "Thele are foity such phrases" said he
sadly, ''in this pile of forty-two letters. Do
I they really think that we have any right to
give the readers what they know themselves
is nor their best work ? Do they really think
that anybody ever 'dashes' off poems, which
can be printed for eternity? Do they think
| that Tennyson. or Lowell, or Holmes, or
| Longiellow, or Alfred de Musset, or :'eranger
or Christina Rosetti, or any other writer Of
| lyrics whom they ever loved or valued,
'dashes off things and sends the dashed
thing to the printer? | do not suppose that
one of them ever read Horace. ! suppose"
he added cynically, that half of them never
heard OF him; but l did suppose that The
| poetdrum lime labor had worked itself into
| the provcrbal philosophy of the world, aud
| that even the poets in the corner If The
Buncombe Eagle knew that nothing could
be polished that was not somehow filed, and
that fling took time.-Mr. Hale In Old and
| Neu for February.