Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-06-17

handy for making many miles upon.
~.
It is the policy Of the English govern
ing class to maintain sristocracy by
drawing to its support ability OF all
kinds, and it recognized In Tennyson
kind Of ability calliRg for recognition
as prompt as that accorded to success
full brewers and eminent money lenders,
who are converted into knights, oAro-
nets, barons or lords as soon as 1t ap-
pears that II left among the Common s
their influence might tend towards
democracy. Being lord already,
Byron had been fercely Independent OF
all such considerations, and he haa
cared so little for money that he ala
not care whether or not his poems
brought himany money return. Shelley
burned the bridges behind him at the
start, making it Impossible ifor the
governing class to placs or use him'
and, as in the first quarter OF the CEN
tury, the genius Of England had thrown
itself on the side of Increased popular
liberty, the Government was the more
alert to preVeat rising men whose
brains would probably make them
great power from escaping TO the
ranks of the Radicals, who were de-
claring that no man is born saddled
for another toIride. 1t happened thus
that Sir Robert Peel in 1S45 put
Tennyson's name on the pension list for
g2OO a wear. This was advocated by
the poet Rogers in a curious letter 10
DR.. Mackey, in which he says:
"Tenuyson is,by many thought TO Do
unfit for a pension. but he has many
inhrmities such as to you, l hope, VIII
ever be unknown and such as make him
utterly incapable Of supporting himself.
OF his genius l need say nothing and
have only to wish / could always I'M
derstand him."
Tenayson was fiercely attacked for
thus "billeting himself upon the public
and it was such an attack that resulted
in the Quarrel with Bulwer Lytton, In
which both were considerably worsted.
Doubtless these attacks were largely
due TO jealously, which did not vanish
when, in 1S50g-the year OF his marrl-
age TO Miss Emily SsllwoOd, solicit
tors i daughter-Tennyson was made
laureate. But in spite Of joalosy and In
spite of court patronage, ne convinced
England that he was easily first among
It's living poets and one of the greatest
among it's artists, living or dead.
No one who knows Tennyson by
what he has written can fail 10 see that
this is true Of him. He has such genius
that he is almost the greatest poet OF
the century. Saner than Hugo, he is
more human than Goethe, more intelil-
gible taan Shelley, pnrer, sweeter and
more fit 10 be read than Byron.
If, being all this and more, ne failed
! to do his best, the failure must be
! sought for, not in his ability, but In MS
| life. And his life shows Enthusiastically
WHY he did not become the poet OF
universal humanity. He had the I'M
pulse strong in him at "a. At "A it had
| faded out and he was writing verses to
| be read at court. No man can DO his
| greatest work for humanity when he
writes for an audience. OF royal Ouch
esses. They may be admirable, but
they are so far in the minority that
| they never can be typical.
Tennyson was born into world ana
in to country where power was held by
the tradition and heredity OF force, and
often by the actuality OF fraud. 1t is
true that In England the chivalry of the
Normans, who took with the high hand
and held by dint OF sword and shackle,
was so dead that there was hardly
enough OF It 10 make decsnt false
pretense, but the people were not the
freer for it, except as the extorted
freedom by their force or the threat OF
Lit The chivalry of the sword and the
scafPod had given away for a new chiv-
airy of the bank and counting. house
and brewery, and this new aristocracy,
with lying heraldic devices on its car
riages panels, was essaying at any cost
te control the world. BY force when
force was convenient; by fraud when
fraud was easy, the two or three dozon
money lords. who are the power behind
the throne and the peerage OF England,
were esSaylng- TO rule hundreds or
millions of men in and out OF England,
and when they called out to Tennyson
for help he went over to help them. He
declined baronetage when baronetages
were being given to every maker OF a
but tho smiles and clapped hands OF the
admirable ladies Of the royal family
who listened so graClously when he
read them his poems, won him. And
whom would they not win among men
to whom praise and honors are dear
enough to be the masters OF destinyP
Out OF the habit OF thought thus
bred in Tennyson came contempt for
the struggling and ignorant masses OF
men he saw around him. The millions
for whom as be heard so often In the
established churches of the realm
Christ died, became to him "a many
headed monster" He looked at the
clerks and small tradesmen swarming
in London, made note OF the unloVely-
ness Of their faces and wondered II it
would not be a good thing for foreign
man of war TO drop q bomb down among
them, merely to see the pug nosed"
shopman forced to drop his yard-stick
and get himself a musket. Becoming
not merely a supporter OF existing con-
ditious in England, but an imperialist,
a believer in the supremacy OF force,
Tebnyson when he mode his great fast
denied q place at ais table TO those 1ko
most needed his hospitality. He left
the manned, the halt and the blind in
by-ways and hedges and called as his
guests only those who could come in
the purple and fine linen Of caste and
culture.
No sane man who can see moro than
most others of his generation will at
tempt the immediate realization OF the
ideals which If be be an honest man be
must form. But he will not do his
duty to himself or to his race unless ne
does the best that is in him TO see the
ride n WhathaF