New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-30
AMERICA IN THE ABBEY-TIIE COMPETITION
FOR TIE LAUREATESIIiP.
London. oct. ~

FOR TIE LATREATESIilf
London. OFT. II.
Something Inns lrrn said-not 100 much-o' TIE
nroscncc of tho representative of the United Ht''"'
ot Jennvsor's funeral. Mr.. Lincoln WAS Es.
! named as n pallhcarer then IT was r''oi""'"
that the American Minister had sailed Tor no''
on the previous SATURDAY,. and Mr. Henry "hFe.
acting Minister in his chiefs alb enc" was invNc
~ take the place. aud did HI was 'hcr"'
s1ys the leading journal in the name OF 'hc
NO aplc which cIcrislrs Tcnnyn'n only Joss ""'rN
Than ourselves. America has right T." Sh'r'
Erc!ands grief for tn" supreme Ma>t-r OF or
common tongue, and two great "afi'.'' VIII '"
gratilir1 that the Republic waa not nnrrp'c-
scntcl Ivy his grave 1t is very well sa' an"
this sentiment of unity in letters is ore viii III
mos. of the hcst pcopl" in England share l""'e
gre others. not the best who do no:-tsc may
&c left to themselves and their paltry animoSficS
Mr.. White is 50 we'll known here that his pres
cncc was a kind OF living t"stiron: TO the good
feeling which made the tive countries mourncr'
by the same grave
II might have seemed fitting moment, while
every English pen was doing honor to Tc"nv-on
10 remember the kind OF homage America had paid
him during his life Net merely The homag" OF
admiration, or the kind OF reverence II wa 80
long our custom 10 display in r"prntinc his poems
without recognition Of the authors right in then.
But mauinc that the critical studs Of Tenn. son
was carried further in America than here. There
were no Tcnryson societies that evc- heard Of
no companies Of cranks such a. thosc. or some
of those. which borrowed Browning's name As d
reason for their existence a. if their exstrn"c
were any necessary part OF the schcm" Of the
world in tho laet half Of the nineteenth century.
No parasite fastened upon him. whether In rlish
or American; no Furnival and no Theodore Wits
But lie was honestly studied and intrlligenty
discussed without adulatOn and without pcdan-
try There is no English book which does for
the whole body OF Nictoiiln Poets what Nlr
Edmund Clarence S.edn,an's book has done for
them. And thrrc are in all Mr.. Strd'nuns rag.
of sound anil 'clic c ctitci-m non" more lmirab,"
or moro sympathetic than those he has de-. o.cd
to 1cnnyson. The English admirers Of Tcany-
son miyht have remembered this ard other Amer
can tokens of respect for him at such q time az
this: the more so. az Mr.. Stcdnan's book is known
in England and has furnished moro English
writer's than one with critical material Of which
they have male Use. sometimes forgetting to
acknowledge their obligations 70 the Ancrc IN
author.
Those who take cynical views Of things-and
the cynical view is commonly shallow view
lc%A than it seems. One of these o,nniscient per
sons 40 far to Use the word hyppcritica
Of the expressions and demonstr itors Of sorrow
which the last few days have witnessed. 1t is
"A matter Of opinion. RS well ~ Of evidence and
there is no use In dosmatizing on cilc. side.
But there is | think, almost no evidence for
this unamiabe theory Those who care little
for poetry or for literature in any form may be-
numerical majority, bn: IL ~ seldom "A MI
mcrcial mcjority by which the final opinion on
any great subject is formed Ilolgr never read
TcnnySon, ard tho Prince OF Wales perhaps. never
read him. Neither OF them is n reading man,
and tn" verdict Of neither is decisive. Neither
troubles himself 10 Civ" any. IN the interval
which separates these two representative char.
| actcrs, thcr" is, OF courr, mass II persons who
are equally indifferent. They may all b" lef,
ont Of account. Tlr" are certain well kiowr
ard generally accepted standards Of fame il: this
| world Tried By them. Tcnnyson's reputation Is
tina, o; the frs: poet in the victolaa era. and
the regard for him il. if submitted to the same
| tests general and genuine. II yon want n peg.
sonal witness 10 the sympathy OF the iras~,
WAS not Mr.. John Burns present. in Westminster
Abbey?
Singular, indeed, il tie competition for the
IAureatesllp which TennyS,u's dea. leaves
vacant. lie Hrst erect is 10 make clear the
poetic poverty Of the English world the poet
leaves behind him. No name stn".l. ont: no ono
writer Of verse Is clearly designated us his ,nc.
| cessor in the vacant official post. Mr. Swinbnrne
in the critical opinion Of the day. stands easily
first among survivors. but il IL not certain that
Mr.. Swnburne IL competitor. lie has rot
rushed into newspaper print with II tribute 10
tn" dead. lie has not announced himself IA n
candidate. lie has respected the open grave
II his name has been ces discussed than somc
| others, il is partly because there Rave been cir
cumstanc~s in his private life which were thought
to make him unacceptable. The Queen has n
voice, ord II is said, strong opinion about
the appointment Of n Poet Laureate Her TO-
gard for the one who las Just gone hos bccn
expressed ny messages OF touching affection: and
by the two wrraths-on" from the friend and ono
from the soyereign-aid on his grave She will
not lightly consent TO see his place filled by one
in whom she has not full confidence Indeed. il
is not supposed that Mr.. Swinbnrnes name will
lie put before her. Her alleged dislike 10 him
may may not find a source In his repmbli
canism. It would be hard to blame a Queen for
Withholding her regard from a singer who says
she has no right TO he a Queen. And Il IL said
that Mr. Swinburnc has ceased, or almost ceased TO
write. Once TO poet poured forth verses in such
profusion. Bnt of late he and his muse have
seemed on but i'll tcsms.
II is seriously believed that out OF the half
dozen who present themselves to the public W
suitable succeesors 70 Tennyson, two regarded
with peculiar favor In the two highest quarters
Mr. lewis Morris d said to 10 regarded with