New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-13
BEAUTY IN POETRY.
tR sTEDMAN's FIFTH LECTURE.

p.r,moro March delivering Hall again
crowded this afternoon upon the occasion OF MI oeu
mans fifth lecture before the students and faculty OF
Johns Hopkins. This lecture on Beauty In Poetry
was perhaps the most eloquent OF the series tus ia'
gwen BY the poet and critic
al take endurance" said Mr.. Stedman, TO be the
+est NJ art Beauty partakes Of eternal youth and con
VOWS its own immortality Thus creative taste holds
tho tev IN the future and art for arts sake sound
motto in so far beauty is legitimate end OF art
az concrete beauty is not the greatest thing In
poetry II is the thing Indispensable and 1t so de-
pends on the elements OF emotion and truth that when
these are not expressed poem you may suspect the
beauty 10 defective and your sense OF II mistaken
The young poet nstinCtively, as a plant seeks tl'
light feels that he must worship aud express inc
beautiful His passion for it. both In his life ana IN
his art is his greatest strength danger II is that
which must distinguish him from other men Tor many
win have more wisdom, more virtue than himself
while only he WIZ can inform these with beauty by
that token IS the poet"
II was the lecturers conviction that all ire poetry
that has deserved to live has been preserved that 10y
every poet whose works have reached us score nave
passed into obscurty and their writings were lost ana
that In spIte of the burning the Acxandran Library
little has been lost since the time OF lier0d0tn' oS
the masterpieces large and small copied ana re
copied and treasured in mems hearts and homes III
dealing with beauty Of construction OF si"pi'S, Va
suggestion and detail, he drew some Keen olS'ho
tions SIMPLICITY above ALL he declared ciHIdCtfI%V9
alike the nohest and the loveest poems-smpllcl'y Oh
art and of feeling and in Illustration OF this ne hade
striking com parison between some ancient ana mooeri
works aNon-creatve writer's he SAID iniVher'
0hvsh all their ingenuity upon decoration until IL
becomes a vice You cannot long disguise lack
~ native viror by ornament and novel effects over
decoration of late the symptom OF overprolohEea
devotion to the technical side Of poetry. All OF the
countless effects OF technique nothing without uat
psychical beauty impaired by the true poetic vltaiV-
are OF less value than faith and works without love
The .vox humana' must be heard. That alone can
give onalty to a poem; the most refined and artistic
ver@ Is cold and forcelcss without II. souicSS poem
10 stained glass window with the light shining on and
not through it. ,.
"Rare poetic types. whether of the chiseied CLASSIC
verse or of the song and lvrc have grace mat j III
taneibIe-an impalpablc attribute light as thi9te-down
notent as the breath OF spirit divine gift unaaii-
able nv will or study and this is in one word hafi
charts Grace herself Iesows it, blending perfect taoue
inexplcable beauty OF thought WIN perfect tio'-r
sprItes minister with melody and fragrance, WIN IN
ex pectedne>s and surprises. freedom III anu "ut
Of law DaiVete aristoCratc pOise. HEhthes>, pa's
raptre-nll that COnscCrac me magic louCh'
However skilled the singer the quality ana charIh arc
inhOrn one suggested feeling which more IMAM
Others seems allied with Charm and hKeN TO per
petuate its expression Is cvanesCence; inc cC,'"liC
charm of Nature lies in her cvanshmentsD Ana set
fling forth many beautiful Illustrations OF TINS decdH
strain of beauty in EIgsh sOhG the lecturer coCuuCu
q discourse which Will long be renemocIcd u! It's
hearers.