The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-09
ALL ABOUT POET LAUREATEs.

With no pretension to the literary, the
Eagle is nevertheless just at this juno
ture alive to every interest pertaining
to the English, you know" as must
be all our readers, many of whom, in
a modest way, incline to the dilettanti,
or other cult. The British ministry
having named a successor to Tenny-
son and bestowed her poet laureate
laurel to satisfy the moOnShee element
among our suburban homes, likewise
those along the border and the Strip,
we have been looking up this success
sor to rare old Ben JOnsOn," his poet
icaI pedigree and other claims to fame
and to this romantic office which Eng
land bestows. Alfred Austin does not
seem to be a poet at all or the descend
amt of singers. Even as q verse writ
er he can hardly boast more than n
local fame. In discovering this fact
it is also found that as rule the real
poets Of England have not been go
honored. William Shakespeare was
living while Edmund Spenser and Sam
uel Daniel wore the laureate's bays;
John Milton was living while Sir Will
lam Davenant wore them; and Byron.
Burns and Scout (who was offered the
poSn were all alive while Robert
SoJIthey served as the poet royal IL
would not be in accordance with pre-
cedent, therefore. if Mr.. Alfred Aus
tins greater contemporaries, among
whom must be reckoned William Nor
ris and AlgeTnon Swinburne certainly.
and we think some others also, had
not been passed over in his favor.
In England as in America, every
thing runs, nowadays, 10 either
money or politics. This new poet
laureate is a political writer who in
contributing TO the aScendancy Of Sal
isbury was prominent in relegatfng
England's grand old man" Gladstone.
He is a Tory of Tories and has the
same love for America as that enter
tanned by Lord Dunraven- That Is
about all there is TO say Of the new
poet laureate He is simply high
class political heeler. and as such Is IN
the push. as we Americans would put
ii. lin a primary or ward meeting
But poets. real poets have borne this
honor in the past, As we shall See.
The line of laureates appointed by
royal letters patent began with rare
Ben JoIlSUn" though there was long
line of earlier volunteer laureate=s- y
as they have been called from Chauoer
20 Sameul Daniel. ChauceT was l2ur-
cate in 1865 and died in 400: his sue
cesscrS We're Sir John Cover, l4pl
14029 Henry Scogan. laureate 10 He'll
y ": John Kay. Laureate 10 Edward
": Andrew Bernard. 14S6. died 1873
John Skelron. ti4S9. died 1923: Robert
Wilmington. 15l2. died 1893 Rich
ard Edwards. 1J61-1J66: Edmund
SguanSer. 1590-15999 Sameul Daniel.
159S-I6l9l From time immemori3l
there had been Z dependent IN The
royal household called "rhe king :
poet - whom one hundred shiHinSs
were paid as an annual stipend; but
nothing SURVIVES 70 show when OF how
VliaE title commenced. or whether tnAt
officer WIS ever Solernnly crUwned with
Laurel 81 his first inyesIi1Ire. Tbey
wrote their poems IN Lain ChaucsT
and Cover were but self-sIyled laur-
ears Kay WIS The firsE officially APP
pointed. bJII II sens doubtful whether
his sPPoirlmeut was lot also uIli-
versiIy degree. Whl-lingron. hgaored
with ne university laurel in 1872, was
Tia is>s recipient OF n rhetorical d.
gree-pOsSa iaurearus-as oxford bOs
il Is yezy doubtful whether DC was ever