The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1877-12-22
UNIVERSITY ITEMS.
[Bv our Special Reporter. !

inst, on "Poetry-the True Reflex of
the Age" In introducing the lect-
nrer, Mr.. Thompson said, This age
has been reproached for its utilita-
rianism, its sacrifice to the practical +;
with all our advancement in science,
there still remain some who are ar
IDENTIFY devoted to the study of htera-
ture and poetry. This evening we
are to be entertained by a talented
son of the Emerald Isle and graduate
of Trinity College, Dublin"
BY w.y ofintroduction Mr.. Davies
said:
| appear before you with timidity.
l have heard of your literary tastes
and of your devotion to literature and
poetry. The study of literature is one
of the most delightful themes in the
whole range of study, and its history
is immense. / shall not attempt it.
A gentleman in Baltimore last winter
gave a series of ten lectures on Eng
fish literature, and then had to give
eleven more to round off the subject.
Hence you will see what inadequate
justice | can do the subject in a lect-
ure of little more than an hour.
People will listen with rapt atten,
ton for hours to lawyer who is try
ing to clear thief and rob the wild
ow of her mite, but think it a great
task to listen an hour to one who
speaks to them the truths of science
or literature. Ancient Greece and
Rome, modern France and England,
are the only nations that give suffi-
cient materials for literature. An
occasional blaze is not sufficient to
make literature.
Literature and poetry, poetry es-
pecially, give us the truest history of
a people. Hume, Rollin and Gibbon
tell us of battles, but we want more,
we want the manners, the psychology
of a people.
A hundred years to come the New
York Tribune and Whittier's poems
will be a better index to the history
of the present age than all the histo-
ries that might be written.
Here the speaker related the anec-
dote Of McCready, the famous TRACE
dian, to illustrate how much a manu-
script embarrassed him in making a
speech. What the nail in the floor
was to MeCready, his manuscript
was to him.
Now we come to the lecture proper.
The life of a nation is the life OF
man. AS we advance in life, our
habits and thoughts change In
youth we like books that harmonic
with our youthful aspirations, in ma
tire age we change them. Let us 60
back to early English literature, to
the old Saxon times. Then men low
ed their homes and their wives,
Americans do not love women as the
Saxons did, but they love their wives
Here the gentleman read descrip-
ton of wife written in Saxon Eng.
land, several hundred years ago.
Nothing from Virgil 70 Homer
equals it. The poet has been but the
uninspired agent of God to hand
down to later generations the times
of Saxon England. To the poetry OF
King Alfred and his contemporaries we
are indebted for all our knowledge of
Saxon life. fastening on we come
to the Norman invasion. The Sax
ons held out nobly. Among the ia
nous outlaws were little John and
"Robin Hood, a prince ofoutlaws and
a most gentle thief" The Robin
Hood ballads and Chevy Chase give a
better idea Of England at this time
than all the histories upon it. Before
Chaucer, appeared Piers the Plow-
man, written in pure old Saxon.
Prior to the fourteenth century Eng
land had no literature. Chaucer
wrote its opening chapters. If you
would know the effect of Norman
French on Saxon English, read
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the re-
suit of pilgrimage to the tomb OF
Thomas Beckett. At this point the
gentleman gave the plan of the Tales
and vivid DIES cription of the charac-
tiers. Among the characters was a
parson. Chaucer, Dryden and Gold
smith have each given a description
of parson, and non surpasses this
ale was good man and added many
members to the church.
But this is no impro vement upon
that of st. Luke. No nation ever
achieved it's own freedom. 1t is not
best to always stay at home, The
most worthy who returned after this
to his country was Lord
Surrey. Spencer lived at the time
of Queen Elizabeth. You cannot
know all unless you read the "Faery
Queen" of which, Prince Arthur is
the hero. You must also read the
adventure of Una with the lion, which
shows,
How can beauty master the strong
And simple truth avenge the frowning
wrong
We cannot stop here to relate the
speakers anecdote concerning the
al Trish womon who oo1lod of bic