The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-23
POETS ~ ENGIfND.


cIdnHu.
LONDON, July Sit may be true hat n
poet s born aud not made but 1t Is quite cer-
tain that there nre many who make themselves
poets, probably for the Kihcdom 81 Heavens
sake, a. u Il clear that thcv crn get notA,n, bv
1t IN an earthl, point Of viow. "In the soriag.n
says the JSure etc, "a Young man's fancy lightly
turus to thoughts Of love- aud a. love t.. the
theme par excellence Of poets. this may be tho
feas On WHY at this time OF y,tr, patiicul srlv.
various young men, and old mrn, too, Tor that
matter, turn what they would perh lps call theis
fancy to thoughts OF verses, which they rour
forth to the world. 1t mu be admitted that
there is not much lightnoss ia this turniOg It, 10
la many cases the result OF evident labor evil
IDENTIFY misplaced. In others the production il
"a collection of fugitive pieces thrown of on
various occasions, which the solicitations o. my
friends have induced me to publish, and when
1t is hoped may meet with the same favor
abroad that it has found at home" Alas tor
tho baselessnsss Of human hopes ! Again, there
Ia your young man OF fashion and pri yate for
tune who. secure in the possession OF his dinners,
his country house visits, bis wine, his cigars,
and such other things delight his sodl on
body, says to himself that nan does not live
by bread alone, aud that as he ~ not In any want
OF bread, It nehooyes him to give forth from Ills
store Of spiritual possessions certain benefits to
tbose ptuilH VINO. ~ tbcN irlt ~ inclined, would
have to think whether such giving forth were
profitable or not. Consequently, precious thiugs,
clothed In the form OF verse aud bound in deli-
II" green ana gold are filtered on drnwing room
tables, 'Dd spoken OF IN TIL few tines given to
them In reviews ~ e pooms " considerable force
and nucnCb,' Nr verses marked by tue ustlaL
initiative and Incompetent qualities OF amateur
poets" according u the temper 81 the revi wer
or Ills icquaintance with the person whose work
The authors friends are. Of course. profusc in
compliments when they seo bin, and ne is per-
4 "a tn mn In ham
uien Of work aud not of leisure. their work
would have been Of the higDcst order. There
are, Agetn, men Of undoubted mental powers
which necessity has compelled them TO employ
III some prosaic fashion VINO have a fixed
delusion thut they tfe poets aud employ what
eve tiuie they can IN attempting to prove H.
Jnero Is one such man, a wliter Of great ability
WAC makes good income 10y producing leaders
Tor dUily PAPER. aud nHs beyond tns found
time To write Large quantity of verse, al OF
wIlcu IA careful, honest work. but not "A line oi
winch ~ De called poetry. OF course tins
writer, II any KIND friend told him he was vast.
Inc uis time might reply, How can gu tell
tbatf Mr. Back was a leader writer; he wrote
novels which di1 not succe q; nut he perse-
veted, aud you cannot say that lie Was not
right However, 1 cannot remember any III
Stance oi poet attaining real deserved fame,
after failure. oy mere industrious working al
his cruft n would seem that TIE poetic la pulse
Is In truth thing OF inspiratiOn, 10 use a h.ck-
neyed worJ. 4 he craft, the power Of dealing
with words 40 rs TO join them In happy marriage,
must be studied; but the mere desire for tins
power aud effort 10 acquire 1t, however rue,
aud application, the forces which viii
make anvtning else. VIII not make this ons
thug that ,,e call a poet. For tn 1t there must
be tOdcn Of the DIVINE madness, Just such
touch as Victor Hugo has. ana just short OF
That ~hich afflicted his poor trVther Ernest.
who. III his lucid M efVals. had all The lre. The
passion, tue splendid msstcrS OF I4ngu .gc thai
a great y e. ne, and woo diou IN a ..Isuu lie
Sante. Something ui M duess may be di-cov-
ctrd III the poetic squuhle winch has jas, teen
agitating the literary wOril here. but there Is
not much that Is divine 10 b. fOtlnu IA II. ba
dishl'y ot poesrN has Indeed bern severely IN
Jared 10y the quarrel between Messis. swino Irne
aud Buchanan. whicn resulted In the cise
OF buchanen AFT. Taylor. need not reOeat ~
you "A story which YOU ALREADY know from
the newspapers, but would like to
call your attention TO one or two thirgs
which did not come out with sufficient
strength m tne trial. You learned from hat
that Mr. Buchanan has FOL 'weu literature
Profession, Hud you niHy nave guessed that his
method Of following / Is not yer, creGitaDe.
He appears to Rave been born, " nos a 10 I, ~
least with the conviction tnat he was one, and
In his IN ture years he has ptrei 'tenty attempts
ed 10 grove that Robert Buchanan Is a great
poet, by detrHcting whenever ava wherever he
could frum the fame OF other poets. The literary
world has not taken hun entirely at ms own
yalu alton, aud assuming this IL spring fiOm a
defect Ia - unders an1ine, lie his tnuugIt, 10y
force ot reiterated sn Ring at others and lauda-
ton OF himself, 10 correct TINS toolisnness.
You Will remember that IA his " Session OF the
roe he made er,ssly VULGAR and
described ~s beilR taken away In a cab
upsy. Now, II Is very well known that Mr..
Swiuburuf. ike Cassie, mas very poor aud un-
happv BRAINS for drnhlni; nd nous exsg-
gerated stories Of the results Of this wedAness
OF heau nave often Drcu circulated, ana no
doubt have reached Mr.. Buclauan. MIR. HUI
chan0n. having taken a titIiul advantage Of this
Tact, had the enroutcry to Say In the witness
UOA tnat when he call d lir. SwIuburne iipsy,
lac ue~ut tIit lac WAS tipsv IN a literary sense.
Aguh, MI. b. h man, Ia nj, now notorious ar.
ucie IN the Flrshly >cnpoi Of Poetry" at.
tackled certain writers Tor Bringing into isht
THINKS wuich are usually hidden and while com.
vi ing a parcntiy ot tntlr ,uruces. dl.uied
tie uhcnce against dec-tcy by ine laug.r-ei
wttcu he cuuc tel hi ou-l ,ugnt And i MOI
strange tnat thcre suOuitl ue etniup ct the
an ~ ri t.t.sa IA
himself, WAC adore, tue " = iiucn eagle, a. ne
called hiu, " al " nj IN IN. what h str u-eM
that Mr.. buchanan snOuld he iu rercit Of
Government pension. There Is ,tr.aiI
sun, tnis-ract fuiiy stnai) Of puullc mu.,N Sc
apart To te Oestowed on Iber~ VINO nav ZONE
goou wurN III science, art, rr literature, ana VINO
staiid IN neeu Of assistance. La the nrst rilce.
Il may uc doubted II al. buchanan h.s come
good WORK: IN the second, IL l. clear trut he
ought not TO be In any want Of assistance. Tie
mas, believe, Iine private means; ana uc has
al ANY rate yOuta, heath, ana Ills peu. There
Is no penny "A liner VINO has not as good a c..lim
u pension rs Mr. Buchanan. Ine face e I'M
having one proves. II any proof were nee led.
the little attentio pad 10y puOlc men "uaeI
our glorious Constitution 10 the ham iic RS.
aud sIows ia I Mr. Gi dstonr. who bestowed
the GIT upon NJ. Buchanan, Is not muca more
ntted 10 deal with such matters than was the
Mini.ter tine late Lur Drrny | think /. MAsr
who, wnen II was pro oscu to d v sonrtiln- fnr
F4rad vs. widow, asked: "AuG VINO, ur ). was
f"radsyF As 10 the quarrel between Ats-rs.
SwinOutnc and buchanan, IL WIS on Uutu eidcs
Il wretchrd cxulhluOn of petty malice. ti.i
NAV DC happh 10 nave neard The last OF II uut
ar. Bdcnan IA may possibly have uone = nI -
the worl ana prupnrtioulte BARN 10 hla-,'
bi dragging tue story OF IN, So called MS,
ana with IL tue story Ot certain Of Ills eu.A.s,
lnto pubic.