Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1890-03-12
The Closing OF an Epoch.


Lord 1ennyson's Latest volume of verse
and Browning's last have an interest that
appeals 10 the critical habit and eniorces
a re respect and prospect rich with sug-
geStions. Looking back over sixty years
between 1880 and the present moment,
how many commanding poets do we see.
The inquiry gives rise to an examination
into the proofs of what constitutes the
gift or quality of command. Many charm-
ing poets have scarcely a trace OF the
controlling power that has always charac-
terized the few great masters of song.
To write verses in the best form OF art,
and to flood the lines with bewitchlng
music and exquisite coloring, and to en-
rich them with fine grouping of imagery
NAV satisfy mere critical tests but to be
able TO make poetry through which
great personality molds the thought. tho
taste, or he aspiration of a period IS not
to be a mere singer; there comes III
force that no critic may gauge win hl'
song-meter. When Tennyson's star began
to rise above the chalk cliffs of England,
Goethes wonderful orb was sinking be-
hind the vine-clad hills of Germany.
Just then there was a lull; the zenith
was the darkest part of the sky; morn
ing and evening smiled at each other
across he world The period of the old
romance force was closing, the era of The
new was opening. Hugo and Tennyson'
the two incompatible lyrists, were the
stars that sang together over the fresh
ly re-created world. Hist ry alone can
tell US how the epochs wear themselves
out by grinding an old order OF things
into chaos upon whose formless face
Creator shall come to walk. to say, Let
there be light, to recast the substance
of things, to speak into life new ana
universal idea, to give fresh significance
TO the ancient, indestructible materials
of civilization, and 10 flood the whole
sphe c of experience with a fascination
yer before dreamed of. But we all
deride history and fall in with the petty
currants that blow this way and that
between the great regulating and trans
forming gales of the equinoxes. The COM
mandng genius comes with his season,
does his appointed work, and withdraws
he is like he storm ofsp ing and autumn,
whisks us as he wills while he lives but
no sooner does his power begin TO wane
than we set our faces TO welcome a
weaker and milder--a less eXacung-h
not positively enervating influence
At this moment the hyslerical purveyors
of iconoca,m are getting ready to belittle
Tennyson. Tney have already howled
themselves hoarse in derision of Hugo.
In our country we could scarcely wait
for the coffin of Longfellow to be covered
before attempting t. reverse our opinion
of his poetry. The experience of Robert
Browning while he Ii ed will probably
always consist well with that of his fame
after death. for his faults set him Outside
the well-delnei bounIa Iaries of art. But,
after all, is there not a precious les on
inclosed in the history of poetry during
the past sixty years: Wat if we are
forced to admit that of all the poets who
began singing about the year 1880 but
two have been great: What if we must
go further and say that Browning and
Walt Whitman are ella isifiable only rs
errdllCSs we sun nave tilc IpIiilblb
Afforded by the fact that in no Qeriol of
the worlds history was there ever sixty
year space into which so many notable
poets were crowded? In France, Eng
land, and America, if the lists were made
up, no perfectly sincere critic could fail
to find a surprising catalogue of lyrical
poetry, all of it produced since 1880, AMI,
in its volume, variety. artistic finish,
wealth of color, and picturesqueness Of
imagery, unrivalel by the song of any
sixty years of the worlds history. We may
say that we are too near it to judge, and
doubtless we are, but certainly we can
count names and NAL. 5 inventories
The contemplation of the task Of merely
numLeri the noteworthy cOntempOr-
aneous poets and their notable works Is
of i,sef enough to impress any fairly
in tcial mind with a sense Of the injus-
tice we are doing ours Ives by overlooking
the tremendous lyrical fecundity of the
present time Il Pubic Opinion.