Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-04-17
TnE RHYMlNo MANIA.
Oh. Holmes Gives Good Advice to Thoao
Who Are AFFLICTED with 1t.

W. 1401u10N Nt1Vo0 GOOD ADVICE to Th0l0
Who Are AFFLICTED with 1t.
Poetry is commonly thought to be tho
language Of emotion. On the contrary,
most Of what is SO called proves the alb
sence OF sn passionate excitement. It
Is cold-blooded, haggard, anxious wor-
rying hunt after rhymes which can be
made sc:viceable, after images which
will be effective, after phrases which
are sonorous-all this under limitations
which restrict the natural movements
OF fancy and imagination. There Is
secondary excitement in overcoming
the difficulties of rhythm and rhyme,
no doubt, but this is not the
emotional heat excited by the subject
OF the poets" treatment. True poetry,
the best of it, is but the ashes of
burnt-out passion. The fame was in
the eye and in the cheek, the Goals may
be still burning in the heart, but when
we come to the words it leaves behind
1t, little warmth, a cinder or two just
glimmering under the dead ashes-that
is all we can look for. When it comes
to the manufactured article, one is sur.
prised to find how we'll the metrical
artisans have learned to initiate the real
thing. They catch all the purchases OF
the true poet. They initiate his metrical
forms as mimic copies the gait of the
person he is representing.
Now am not going to abuse ''these
same meter ballad-mongers," for the
obvious reason that as all The Teacups
know, I myself belong to the fraternity
I don't think that this reason should
hinder my having my say about the bal
lad-mongering business. For the las,
hi ~kx 7 4
receiving q volume Of poems or poem,
printed or manuscript will not say
daily. though sometimes receive more
than one in day, but at very short in.
| tervals. l have been consulted by hum
| dreds OF writer's of verse as to the merit
of their performances, and have often
advised the writer's to the best of my
ability. OF late have found it impos
| sible to attempt to read critically all the
| literary productions, in verse and in
prose, which have heaped themselves
on every exposed surface of my library,
like snow-drifts along the railroad
tracks-blocking my literary pathway,
so that can hardly find my daily pa
pers.
What is the meaning Of this rush into
rhyming of such multitude of people,
Of all ages, from the infant phenomenon
TO the oldest inhabitane?
| Many Of my young correspondents
have told me in so many words, II want
to be famous" Now it is true that OF
all the short cuts to fame, in time OF
peace, there is mono shorter than the
road paved with rhymes. Byron woke
up one morning and found himself IA
nous. Still more notably did Rouget de
t1sle fill the air of France, nay the
whole atmosphere Of freedom all the
world over, with his name waited on the
wings of the Marseillaisc, the work of q
single night. But if by fame tho aspi-
rane means having his name brought be-
fore and kept before the public, there is
much cheaper way of acquiring that
kind Of notoriety. Have your portrait
taken as Wonderful Cure of Des-
perate Disease given up by all the doc
tors" You will get fair likeness OF
yourself and partial biographical no-
tice, and have the satisfaction, if not OF
promoting the welfare of the COMMUNE
ty, at least that Of advancing the fnan-
cial interests of the benefactor whose
enterprise has given you your coveted
notoriety. If man wants to be famous,
he had much better try the advertising
| doctor; than the terrible editors, whose
ste-basket is as Unsuitable as the tenn
porarY stomach of Jack the Giant
killer.
"You must not talk so, said Number
Five. 81 know you don't mean any
wrong to the true poets, but you might
be thought to hold them cheap, whereas
you value the gift in others-i9 your:
self too, l rather think: There are 2
great many wonderland some meR-
| who write in verse from a natural ia-
| stinct which leads them to that form Of
expression. If you could peep into the
portfolio of all the cultivated women
among your acquaintance, you would be
surprised, believe, to see how many Of
them trust their thoughts and feelings
to verso which they never think Of pub
fishing. and much Of which never meets
| any eyes but their own. Don't be cruel
to tho sensitive natures who find a
music in the harmonies Of rhythm ana
rhyme which soothes their own souls, II
it reaches no farther. "-Oliver Wendell
holmes, in Atlantic.