The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-05-27
THE OLD AND THE NEW.
DR.. HOLMES CRITICISES THE VERSE
MIXERS OF THE PERIOD.

The Genial AutocraU Discusses the Old
and the New Schools of Literature
With His Old Time Brilliancy He
Still Holds That Boston is the Hub
II. B. Aldrich and His Work.
Copyright 1881
Boston, MASS, May 25.-'Do you think
that New York is drawing upol the li.era-
ry talent of Bostonp l asked DR.. Holmes
the other day.
Il d. not see IN what way" replied the
lutocrat. II feel that Boston continues to
maintain her literary supremacy, though it
nay not always be 50. TIE literary ce ter
of this country, if there be a literary CEN
ter, may be Milwaukee soma day. Such a
thing is possible.
The question is, will this country ever
see another sucl group of remarkable men
as Boston has produced. In history, there
are Prescott, Motley, and Parkman, in
the 'logy, Theodore Parker and Dr.
3artol; in oratory, Wendell Phillips; in
PHILOSOPHY, Emerson; in poetry, Longfel-
low and Whittier, for the latter, if not an
actual resident of Boston, must be re-
,arded, nevertheless, as belonging to the
Boston literary guild. There is Lowell also.
Others might be mentlO led in addition to
5Aoss already ma neil. For real intellectual
force axe the o G estnut rect club, or
the Radical club. as 50 ne lose to call it.
Where will you find its eqIali We have
never had anything like it in this country
since. indie d the literary on look seems
hardly encourage e. s)meti mes ell that
poetry will become a lost art with us. 70
be sure we have large number Of writer's
f verse; refer to the risi g ge Ieration
of writers-and it is very good verse too,
but very little-very little of it rises to III
scale Of real p eJry 1t is not sufficiently
striking 20 impress itself upon the world to
endure. The dlsp sitlon is tol dulge in the
( nclful form, of erse, sucl as the sonnet
ne triolet, aud the rondeau, all pretty
enough n thei way; but verY few poems
If this character have ever become immor-
al FIR example the son ct is one of the
most mocha Iical and artificial forms OF
verse there is. To be sure Shakespeare's
sonnets are excellent, yet they a.e not,
strictly spea iny, 50 lneUs, as they do not
form to the established rules governing
the construction of the sonnet. If one is to
succeed IN poe ~ he must give free rein to
ais sentiment and imagi alton in the more
,lmDle ana natural TO ms of verse. Take
for instance Tenays)n's In MemOriam;"
the form is simple and easy. This is a great
poem and will live. Still, from these OBJ
ervaions, | would not seek to discourage
lnv young man from seeking to be a p et
If he really feels the divine instinct within
him.
But I would urge him by al means to
Adolf the most natural way of wri ing, and
lot by any means depend on poetry, o.
literature in any ense, for his b cad and
bl-ter Let him have 5 meth ng e.ss for a
staff; it is absolute necessary, u less one
oe a genius, AMI even then it is far safer
- l.
prove a war ing 70 all who as ire in litera-
ture In my owl case | have had pro-
f.ssorship, t4e work Of which has not al
ways been congo nal, nevertheless it has
proved a good staff,
did you ever meet POe.'
Not that rem ember l believe I saw
aim once. Poe was very fond of my Last
Leaf aud in bis beautiful clirography he
ppiei it. and | nave tue copy
"What nave you to say respecting the
,clools of fcVion which have, of late, come
lt) 'gIe in tuis country; l refer to tie
ealistic and that which, if nothing more,
IS the &c 10 OF lola"
Really, Ia - nothing to say. / rarely
sad work of fiction now-a-ia s; in fac |
| ili little t.m3 to real anything. / mt
,lwayS ge5 line 70 look ln-o the Atlantic
,ucl a would like 10, though my secre-
.lry cuts the leaves for me-
Would you aIvISe young writer, just
lagi lng, to seek the magazines at first as
! Jas mel um Of bringing his work befo. e
| .le world.
YES, if he feels his work is good euoug (;
nut until one bas made a. ieas5 50 ue5lllg
f a reputation, | tlilk there is another
gay t. brl 2 his wares before tie world
Tow, | dJA't know whether th re Is S lah
ZAP in existence as the 0sh6os Gazette,
not" SAID tle Doctor, smiling. put ii
| acre is, if . young ma Who a pires u be
poet contributes ais poems over his me e
I initials - even 80 mod st a leeC as this, II
ey have the real ring to them they VIII Id
| eir way into other papers, near and far,
and in time he will have reDu alton. Years
ago there was a raDer published mere il
| 80 ton called the Recorder, ald a yonng
nan, the sol of a p IblI,her, CONNIE Ice1 t.
write for it over the name of Roy 1t
was not long eff re his sketches a ID poem
began to attract attention, and N the d ne
mad no little to do in the making Of Nath-
aniei ?. Willis.
'Oue Of the finest blliads I know of is
# o Ola Sergeant written, as you perhaps
know d. Loveystte Wis N. 1t was first
published in O western ne @spaper, but it
vas speedily pied everywhere i'd made
4 fine re uy4tIol for IT. author som ait =
Ne appearance Of this poem, Wilson came
lst, 20 Cambridge, and re lded for a time.
Is va, gifted fellow. | knew uin."
JON.pts ~AA-A = ~ AO~SA'S E@J ADA Jul
irst pJemT
why. o. first wrote for the college
1aper. but it was pretty poor stuff; bI tle
cOnd year my cOntrl uti ms grsw better
al tracJel some little a.Jelt,ol."
Were was the old Ironsides' first pub
hs1e p
In the Advertiser, and few years ago
[ went do yn % tns Office and 10 ted over
ne Did dies, and founi tue nunbs Of the
,aper in wulch it origi lally appeared. l
made a memorandum Of the d te, blC ii
some way have lost 1t. Ny im9rs sion is,
however, iha. lie poem vas first p intel
som tune IN lSoU.
among your own poems, doctor, which
is yolr fayorte|
If I have ny favorits, l think The
Cha.nbered Nautilus is tne one. Wnica
do you ike best"
THE Ch ,moered Nautilu',' unless l ex-
cept r e Y ice IS. Bl- tae fact IS, .oc-
tor, YOU have written So may beautiful
poems it is not easy to say which Is the
fay rlteW
Eyes, have written a good many poems,
ut there are oliy very Isw wnlcA VIII Dc
re mem cred, tnlIk."
In speakln OF tns "AItJcrat OF the
Bregklast fable the doc or re ma '6ei
tuat he hal been sIrp rise on he whole at
its s4cce :, and SAID that i. sill continued
10 have a large ale.
De- 4 ! al fr u ga tHrF