The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-06-04

wIrH E q srrnWAN
zone breath OF truc poetry is worth
whole breeze of comment" said Mr. Sted-
man, while speaking at his ease and az
some length 40 his home
His house on Stvonty-cichth street OK
presses him In his double character Of
banker and poct-for surely every body
knows that he is both poet and banker.
which is perhaps somewhat like saving
that king is also a man. Here the poet
Is expressed i'm that easy distinction Of
his house. You know what mean; that
sort Of unconventiOuaiity which goes with
real cminence of any kind, whetherof birth
or of talent And the banker is not less
clearly expressed in the bigness of his
house, and its elegance. The banker is
also expressed in an anxious and over
worked showing in the man who has
kept steadily and uSefully at the post
through the recent Wall street panic;
and yet, listen; while he chooses a small
cigar for himself and offers choice Of big
'perfectosN to his guest his complaint
is all about, and solely about. the lack of
time to devote TO original composition
And in this he is but one of great many
who hope that he may find quiet hours
for the work he does so delightfully."-.
"Ruskin has been called prospect. 4"
says Mr.. Stedman; but that is a vile
phrase. The opposite of poetry is not
prose; the opposite of poetry is science.
Poetry is form or mode of expression,
and beautiful melodious expression-the
most beautiful mode of expression-is
essential to true poetry.
"Of course don't refer to formal and
artificial modes of expression. Ruskin,
himself has established a correct rule in
his Modern Painters where he says:
Rhythm, melody precision and force are,
In the words of the orator and poet, nee
essary to their greatness, but not the tests
of their greatness. 1t is not by the mode
of representing and saying, but by what
is represented and said, that the respect
i've greatness either of the painter or
writer is to be finally determined.
The highest thoughts are those which
are least dependent on language Rus
kin's own rhetorical gifts are so eminent,
formerly leading him into word painting
for their display, that he pronounces de-
cisively on this point, as one who does
penanCe for beSetting fault. He might
have added that the highest thought nat
urally finds noble vehicle of expression.
CHOW, while Ruskin's prose certainly
has much of the poetic quality-the
imaginative and descriptive quality-and
shows a subordination of exact express
sion to beautiful expression, it is not as
for his verses, they are scarcely worth
talking about-they are ordinary Any
clever boy could make as good, and it Is
ridiculous to print them as evidences of
his talent. as has been done recently in
the newspapers. But as a great man who
has disseminated sweetness as Light as
a splendid figure in contemporary life; it
seems a graceful thing for Mr. Gladstone
to place the laurel crown upon his head
Ffaf, 10 4 = = a1-a
il easier for the SucCessOrS-fOr Glad
stones successor and for Ruskin's.
"For my own part, I think the English
laureate should be not didactic descrip-
tive or narrative poet, but a lyrist, and
that of course means the next English
laureate should be Algernon Charles
Swinburne. It is out of my own personal
knowledge of the man and acquaintance
with him that | speak, when | say that
certain objections which have been urged
against him-chiefy touching his Charac-
ter and opiniOns-are not valid, or, at
least, are no longer valid objections. We
must bethink ourselves that his brain is a
big brain and his body a slight body. He
has, therefore, not the physical ballast
that you or ] have, and indulgences that
might be quite harmless for one of us will
simply deprive him of self-coutrol.
He has no measure for his enthusiasm
which will take control of him and
make a very eXtravagant showing,
when there has been, as a matter of
fact. only such an experience as we are
all familiar with and pay no attention to-,
You might think he was intoxicated, when
in reality he had taken but a single glass
of wine; and you might fancy him slave
to another form of debauchery when he
was merely in love, and telling about it.
His life has been like the lives of other
men; only his emotional nature-his ex-
cessively emotional nature-make more
display of the common experiences. He
is demonstrative; that's the amount of it,
Moreover, Swinburne is no longer so radi-
cal as formerly, but is quite fit to hold
Office under the crown, owing to changes
in his sentiments during the last five years,
in which respect he is unlike William
Morris, who stands committed to oppOsi-
ton to the monarchy.
"If not Swinburne then Austin Dobson
would be a worthy choice. In the whole
history of English poetry no poet has
written more delicately and deiciOusly
than he. His best is as good as Sir John
Stockings best, and then his average is
higher"
Mr. Stedman spoke strongly in favor
of the continuance of the laureateShip,
comparing it with the French academy
and saying that it had never been so i'm
portant as at the present time. we
hardly talk about Colley Cibber and Tate
and those last century fellows he said
but the Office has been cnnObled by the
strong men who have held it in this cen
tury. and it ought to be perpetuated.
Formerly the Office was often-indeed
one might say, was usually-bestOwed as
a reward for services, to please some fac
ton or other insufficient reason; but now
the question has become, who is the best
MANI"
At this point Mr. Stedman took from
the book shelves a volume of his ''Vic-
torian Poets" and called attention to
what he had written regarding his favor
ite-of which the following passages
are of especial interest at the present
time;
II wish to speak upon the one. faculty
in which Swinburne eXcels any living
English poet; in which / doubt if his
equal has existed among recent poets of
any tongue, unless Shelley be excepted,
or. possibly, some lyrist of the modern
French school This is his miraculous
gift of rhythm, his command over the I'M
suspected resources of language. Be
fore the advent of Swinburne we did not
realize the full scope of English verse In
his hands it is like the violin Of Paganini.
The range of his fantasias, roUlades,
arias. new effects of measure and sound,
is uncomfortable with anything hitherto
known. He was born tanner Of words,
a subduer of this most stubborn, yet most
copious of the literary tongues In his