The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-30

Thomas S!adwcll being appointed in his
place. If DR.. Dix should be turned out of
the Trinity rectorshp to make room for
Bob Ingersoll, there would be some fun in
the performance, as both are talented, but
Sh3dwcll after Dryden was quite as alb
surl, without being amusing. AS II dram
atist Shadwell really had some talent; as
poet laureate he was ridiculous
Nahum Tate succeeded and wrote some
poetry so bad that it was good" He had
previously been almost an average poet,
but writing to order spoiled him, as il is
likely to do with genius. Colley Cibbcr
came next, and though Il dramatist of
ability was totally unfit for poet laureate
And so the line of succession went on
among the mediocres till in 1913 Robert
Southcy was appointed. This remarkable
genius had swept around the whole circle
of beliefs-religous and political. He he
gan life as II radical democrat and semi
socialist; ut the age of thirty-two-in lS;,;
he had become a high churchmnn and
extreme monarchist. When he left col
lee he entered into IL scheme to establish
'pantisocracy" i'll Pennsylvania, where
men should live on terms OF equality
Byron refers to this in satirical ded ica-
ton, thus:
Bob Southey, you're poet-poct laureate
And representative of all the race;
And though it's true you turned out Tory at
Last, yours Is 10y no means an uncommon case.
And nov, my epic renegade, what are we at,
With al the Lokcrs in and OFT OF place?
a neat of tuncful persons, TO my eye,
Like four and twenty blackbrds in pic!
He was succeeded in 1913 by William
Wordsworth, who also began life as rad
lcal democrat, but maintained his views
much longer than did Southey, and never
bccai..e SO intensely conservative He left
Frlnce lust i'll time to escape the guilo-
tine" as he said in giving account of his
travels there, and vigorously opposed the
action taken by England against the revo-
lutionary movement In Europe. In 1900 he
began to be known as a Conservative or
Tory. He died April 30 1850 and on the
2ist of November following the appoint
ment was conferred on Alfred Tennyson.
Enough has been presented in this his.
torical sketch to show that the politics of
the candidate are all important. There is
therefore n deal of inquiry into the exact
views of Algernon Charles Swinburne
William Morris and Lewis Morris-the
three chiefly spoken of. The first two are
as the current phrase is, tainted with so
cialistic ideas" and it is no secret that
Queen Victoria is very much opposed To
both. Swinburne she thoroughly detests.
Her fav Orite is the second Morris-Lewis-
hbo 10 iio ar III W w llllilli, anu III II w eISn
gentleman of severe morals equally in life
and i'll verse. AS To Swinburnc she Is
said to give her opinion of him in the
coarse but expressive English phrase
'beastly."
Forty years ago Swinburne's claus
Nencris" would not have been allowed
circulation. Indeed the first edition
issued in the United States was for awhile
suppressed by law. The poet was well
born, being a son of Admiral Swnburnc,
and had fine social and educational advan.
tages, but kicked against ali convention
alties from the start. Born April 5, 1897,
his school studies We're very Irregular, and
he left Oxford without taking Il de.
gree. He went to Florence, associat ed
With Walter Savage Landor and avowcd
the most inurderously revolutionary scnti-
ments. His "a Song in Time of Order"
ayowed these sentiments, and quite re-
Gently he wrote Il similar one in which he
urged the nihilists TO kill the carl