The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-01-09
HENRY j. -STOCKARD.
A:TALENTED NORTH CAROLINA POET
AND HIS POEMS.
Merited Tribute to His Genius and
Ability by Three Capable Critics
His Poems to be Published in Book
Form If There is Sufficient Encour-
agement to Do So.
lReidsvilie RevieW.l

Form If There is Sufficient Encour-
agement to Do So.
! Reidsvilie Review.]
Our distinguished friend, DR.. Kings
berry, of the Wilmington Messenger,
who is one Of the most busy and pro-
ductlve writer's in America, excellng
in all styles, yet notably one of he
ablest and most conscientious of lit
erary critics, has the following to say
of our friend, Mr.. Henry Jerome Stock
ard:
"If North Cardinians who have any
real taste for poetry-not merely for
the flowing, jingling, sprightly and
pleasant rhymes and thoughts that are
thin and OF light weight, but for poetry
of the noble sort-poetry with proper
ton, with high inspiration, with lofty
lines, with noble thoughts clothed in
richly appropriate language, in felicities
of phrasing, in artistic use of words
right words, will turn to the Ceufurv
Magazine for December, and will read
that superb sonnet entitled "Shakespere'
they will be charmed. 1t is a fit
ting companion to another most excel
lent sonnet that appeared year or SO
since in the same monthly on "Ho-
mer," which was cordially praised by
US at the time. They are both from
the same cunning hand and POLITICALLY
endowed brain, North Carolnian by
nativity-Mr. Henry Jerome Stockard,
now teaching school at Monroe. If
these two sonnets are not noble-are
not fine specimens of this difficult kind
of verse-if they are not also among
the very best of their kind on this side
of the Atlantic-then our critical judg
ment is detective, and our poetic in
sight is blinded by undue partiality of
triendship.'
MIR. Stockard has been the recipient
! of the highest praise from such men as
Mr.. Edmond Clarence Stedman, the
banker, poet, critic, editor and litera-
teur, whose judgment on literary stan
dards is worth, perhaps, as mnch as
that OF any other man in the country.
The sonnet on SHAKESPEARE, which has
elicted such enthusiastic recognition
from DR.. Kingsbury, is flower OF poesy
which would grace any anthology of
verse. Mr.. Stockard could we'll afford
to allow his reputation as one of the
master sonneteers of the country to rest
upon such an ideal sonnet, in rhyme,
rhythm, sentiment, expression and cor
rect sonnet versfication. Yetthis latest
production, IN our opinion, does not
show him at his hest-in the exercise
and display Of his highest attributes as
poet. Great as he may be in the
construction of the sonnet, the rondeau
or any peculiar metrical form of verse,
we think his future fame will have for
its strongest foundation the fact that
he is the leader (if not the pioneer) in
a school OF poetry distinctively Amer
ican-uot so much IN reforming mod
els OF construction as in the creation of
newer and nobler ideals Of inspiration,
infusing as an atmosphere all of his
lines. He understands fully the econ
omy and philosophy of verse construc-
tion-the arrangement of rhyme and
rhythm, vowels and consonants, liquid
syllables and limpid words which run
together and melt and merge into
perfect whole. He possesses in a
marked degree that highest order Of
intellectually which the poet must
have. He knows the use and value of
Fictitious methods in his art. These
are in a large measure the products of
culture-the resultants of artificial ac-
quisition and development. But above
facility and felicity in pleasing phrase
in vocal surprises beyond super
intellectuality-is that even finer con-
sciousness which enables him to recog-
nize the higher harmonies-the magic
music of the universe. 1t is this intu-
ition-intangible and impalpable-of
genius, which dehes analysis and re-
mains an unknown quantity, justifying
the assertion that, after all, the poet is
born, and not made, since there enters
as an essential element into his lite and
work great underlying creative prin-
ciple which culture cannot develop
or criticism destroy. which has nothing
to do with literary atmosphere or STAN
dards, When one refers 10 him as
clever stylist in verse-as one who
knows that sound and sense in all true
poetic conception must go together in
the dual relation Of soul and body
when one thus speaks of him-he pays
hing just compliment. Yet in falling
short OF that larger and truer estimate
Of the deepest meaning of his poetic
power one does him, after all, an unin-
territorial injustice. Mr.. Stockard is
an interpreter of nature as poet. His
poems are pictures reflected in a 1air-
ror held up to nature. There is that
invisible somethicss about everything
he writes. always suggestive and never
expressive (even genius is denied the
power to fully express what the world
would never understandl Of the varied
phenomena Of nature-rushing wind
and falling rain, with their insistent
voices; the vast songs of river and ocean,
as they roll along forever; the lustre of
day in its pagentry aud the spiritual,
supernatural splendor of night; the
march Of the seasons and the succession
OF their ever-varyins, yet ever-repeated
beauties. These are the manifestations
which are part of the movement OF
Mr.. stockard's verse, The music in
him-,oo elusive for its harmonies to
strike the common ears that of. an