Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-01-26
ADVICE 70 POETS.



Duggestlons Ef0nI y Writer Who kfArtft
His Own Theories
n I should be asked 10 give advice
TO young poets. ] would say TO them.
do not travel, but remain here in
America. the most poetical country o.
the face OF the earth. Do not 60 tQ
Europe to discover rivers that roll
majestically along to the sea, nor. IS
Bill Nye said, TO hunt up the Alps for
climbing purposes, but remain heres
where nature Is just as beautiful and
Inspiring. True, our country is not ns
old as Europe, has no moss-coverod
castles where valiant knights once
punched each other il sportlve iouale
and crowned some lady fair, but We
have more modern and better postlcai
subjects. The poetry Of the future in
my opinion. will celebrate the deeds
that are not ancient, but happen daily,
and will be truly Of to-day, Our
country is great and stretches over an
immense territory. What types, what
local customs and traits, what scenery,
what bravery, what romantic episodes
daily chronicled nv the papers can
furnish themes for poetsl They have
but to reach forth and glSspit and not
hunt for it in foreign lands The most
essential thing to qualify yourg poet
for success in this country is proper
discernment. They naturally imagine
that the place of their birth Is the
last place to find inspiration or subjects.
But you may notice that, as arule, .
man may leave his place Of birth and
remain away for yeaGs, but a time will
come when he wishes to go back and
see the familiar country again. II q
man 10 raised in a prairie country he
never feels satisfied living III hilly
section. Yet he never sees at first any
poetry in the prairies, except when
the longing to go back overtalkes him,
and then he only feels it. And SO We
live, come and go, and never realize
the beautiful poetry that sur
rounds us on every side. The
far-off, the unattainable, is the
poetry that the poet who never
sings is always signing for and never
reaches. Longfellow retells the story
in verse of carver in wood that illus
trates what have said. There was
carver Of wood who felt the inspiration
to do great work, but he delayed and
lived on the Hattering anticipationsof
the future. From day to day he
dallied perfunctorily with the grand
feeling within him. until finally it be-
gan to grow less strong Despair be-
gan to settle down on him, and he
grew more disheartened and less Capar
BILE of executing any great conception
because he did not have the material
as he fancied, worthy OF his theme.
He was imbued with the erroneous
idea that retards many people OF
genius to-day, that the material must
be found in foreign lands. The wood
carver imagined that he muss get his
wood from some source that would at
once stamp it as the material for great
artistic work. He doubtless thoughts
in order to succeed, he must pay q
fabulous price for the sacred wood
that was to receive the impress Of his
genius. He was laboring under q
common delusion. One night he awoke
suddenly and heard the voice Of in
spiration bidding him TO arise and go
to work, that the material was at
hand. He could not resist the voice,
and arose hastily in the dead of night.
But he had nothing to work on and his
great conception might die before
morning In this dilemma he happened
to gaze at the fireplace. In an instant
he seized the back log, and bringing it
forth he went to work There he had
found at his feet the material he
sought, and so it will be for young
poets when they recognize that Amer
lea is prodigal with offerings for the
muse.-JameS WhitcOnsb Riley, in N
Y. Tribune.
s-a -