The times., 1898-06-12

anxious about the way in which 1t shall
be said Every poem, whether rhythmi-
cal or unrhythmical, daintily formed or
as rugged as Browning at his worst has
its idea, and, whatever may be said of
the meter and rhyme, this idea is usu-
ally better expressed than 1t could have
been in prose. Moreover, the form of the
verse, while irregular and sometimes In
artistic. is always chosen with a view to
its fitness to the subject When
thought is most intense most likely to
be hampered by set forms of meter and
rhyme, the author drifts into blank
verse as naturally as Il mocking-bird
sings. When the poem is merely piece
of gag raillery or a half-cynical refiec-
tion, the rhythmical quality becomes
more pronounced. Both in style and SEN
timent the book is clearly the work of
a woman who Is resolved TO speak her
own thoughts in her own way, unham-
pered by any small considerations of
precedent or prejudice. and the result is
bundle of verses which, if they can
not be called poetry. are eminently quo
table, thoroughly entertaining. and some
times lofty in thought and essentially
poetic and beautiful in expression. Per-
haps the best example of Mrs. Stetsons
work, as poetry, is
A COMMON INFERENCE
night; mysterious tender quiet. deep;
Heavy with flowers; full of life asleep;
Thrilling with insect voices: thick with stars;
The small earth whirling softly on her way;
The moonbeams and the waterfalls at play;
million million worlds that move in peace;
million mighty laws that never cease;
And one small ant heap, hidden by small weeds
Rich with eggs. slaves and store of millet Seeds
They sleep beneath the sod
And trust in God
day; all glorious, royal, blazing. bright;
Heavy with flowers; ful of life and light;
Great fields OF corn and sunshine courteous trees;
Snow -sainted mountains; eaTth-embracing seas;
Wide golden deserts; slender silver streams;
Clear rainbows where the tossing fountain CLEANS;
And everywhere in happiness and peace,
A million forms Of life that never cease;
And one small heap, crushed by passing tread,
Hath scarce enough alive TO mourn the dead.
They shrek beneath the sod,
There is no God!'
Another quality of the book which is es-
pecally noteworthy is its wide outlook
and breadth of charity Many people can
be original; not all can be courageous.
Freedom and courage are the recurrent
ideas in this little volume-freedom to
work out ones own salvation according
TO natural law, courage to accept the
freedom and recognize the law Several
of the poems which have been widely
quoted are shrewd and humorous parallels
along this line. Perhaps the best of these
course of evolution in rather an original
fashion. 1t cites the probable experience
OF the Eohippus and other prehistoric
types in attempting to rise to a higher
plane of living. and the arguments of
their companions who did not believe in
progress. Two verses of this may serve
as specimen of this type of Mrs. Stet-
sons verse:
Said the little Eohippus.
'I'm going 10 be horse!
And on my middle fugernails
To my earthly course
I'm going to have flowing tail
I'm going to have a nanei
I'm going TO stand fourteen hands high
On the psychozoic plain!"
The Coryphodon was horrifed,
The DinOceras was shocked
And they chased young Eohippus.
But he skipped away and me cked
Then they laughed enormous laughter
And they groaned enormous groans
And they bade Young Eohippus
Go view his fathers bones.
Said they, You always We're as small
And mean, now see,
And that's conclusive evidence
That you're always going TO be.
What, BE great, tan, handsome beast,
With hoots to gallng. on?Aa4I,u.....
Why! You'd have to change your nature''
Said the Loxolophodon.
They considered him disposed Of
And retired with gait serene;
That was the way they argued
In the early EOeene."
Some people viii say that this sort of
thing is not poetry. They will be exactly
right. 1t is not poetry; but 1t is clever.
and the force of the argument is stunning
Moreover, there is solid biz of truth in
II, which many people would do well to
consider. Mrs. Stetson is a complete con-
trast to the lackadaisicaI dreamy. over
sensitiZed poets with whom the reading
public has had to bear for some time Her
verse is not indefinite. it is not shadowy,
it IS not morbid. 1t is the direct opposite
OF all these. Neither is It fippant as
some of the eXquisitely finished verses of
the day are apt to be. One feels that she
writes because she has truths to present
to the world, and that If she were not
convinced of the worth of her work she
something else The book is so saturat-
ed with the personality of the author that
II affects one like actual contact with a
person of intense and magnetic tempera-
ment. Therefore, some people will take
a dislike to the writing and To the writer.
simultaneously, while TO others it will
come like breeze from the western sea
on a hot Summer day in the city. Those
who care for the book will read IL. and re-
read it. and quote il, and look for more
work by the same author and those who
do not like 1t viii let Il alone 1t is one
of those books on which it is impossible
to form a neutral opinion.
(Boston: Small. Maynard & Co. Wash
ington: All booksellers. $l.25.)
A Welsh Romance.