Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-06
The Prize Odes.
From the New York Times l

 Tomorrow the prize is 10 be awarded to the writer of the best ode to the sacred white elephant. When MT. Barnum offered the five hundred dollar prize to poets of all nations he had little idea of the enormous quantity of verse that it would call forth. There is scarcely single living Engli or American poet of any celsblity who has not made an attempt to win the prize, and 1 the number of verse writers unknown to fame who have written odes to Toung Ia long and sent them to Mir. Barnum cannot be less than seventy-twe thousand. Although the winner of the prize has not 1 yet been announced, the committee last l night permitted namber of prominent eI- l ports in poetry fo read a few of the odes sent | in by men of established fame. It is pleas l ing to find that such men as Tennyson, Swim burne and Whittier have been inspired by l their pachydermstous theme to write with more than their usual vigor and beauty. l Swishurne has fully eclipsed his finest previ- ous efforts, for, while the music of his. verse | cannot be denied, it must be confessed that l at times his poetry has been more attractive 1 to the ear than to the intellect. His elephant 1 ode is, however, wonderfully clear in its 1 meaning, and his bitterest enemy cannot ac- l cuse him. in this instance, of having subor- ] dinated sense to sound. It opens as follows: s.Erom the purple and passion of rivers Fnle1 full with briehs psnthsrs ana priests;
 From jungles where juniper quivers With the sound end the shudder of tresses, With the silence and phtmmer of song; Thou art come to our clasp and eareeses, Our Toung Talong."
 It is probable that Mr. Tennyson will be accused of having in some measure repeated himself in his lode to Fair Elephants" It certainly does recall a previous poem of de- served popularity. It Is only fair to say, however, that MT. Tennyson explained in 8 note to Mr Barnum that at present his time is closely occupied with the composition of eight poems in honor Of the late John Brown, which he has been requested to write by the Queen, and that in addition to this work he has to be present every evening in his seat in the House of Lords. In these circumstances we may excuse the apparent lack of fresh ness in his prize ode, especially as it is upde- niably pathetic and beautifaL Permission has been given to the Times to quote the fol- lowing lines:
 "I could not trumpet thick my voice with siahs
 As in dream Dimly then deserted
 Ths Baa 6hAkespearean clowns with weary eyes,
 Waiting to see me dyed.
 The ehowmen gathered by tue electric light.
 The D ight brush hoysred OCT the victim 6 hids
 Touched-audn ny Hanks were white"
 It is remarkable that the whiteyash brusb haa attracted the attention of Mir Whittier ss we'll as MT. Tennyson. The former poet, however treats it in g very characteristic way. To his mind the brush is of far less consequence than the colored man who yields It, and the veteran abolitionist does not fail to honor the colored race while professedly houoring the white elephant. He exclaims : ttNot Raered thou because the Burmese priests Bow down before thy tusks with soleo1n hush, But sacred since thy dark and heathen hide Was touched by our black brothers whitewasn | brush"
 To the mind of the Quaker poet the wor-
 ship of an elephant by the beniehted Bur
 nsse must be particularly repuisives but holding that the beast has been consecrated by the coIorsd kalsominer, MT. Whittier