The times., 1898-10-16
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poems there is just one stanza too many.
This is true OF THE Pulling-Through of
Todlum"-an atrocious title, by the way.
Mr.. Foss spoils his dramatic effect in
the beginning by informing us that in
spite of the cross ways of that old bear,
Dr. Bronx. Todlum's family love him
because "he pulled Todlum through" +"
! And after Todlum was pulled through Mr.
! Foss, pleased with his dramatic effect
tacks on just one more stanza, which is
utterly superfluous. A good managing
editor with blue pencil ought to go
through these poems and cut them and
compress them aNo"t ora-third "Our
Lutte Back Star is another rhyme
which would suffer severely in that case
The idea Of
The little back star
The world in the suburbs Of space,
Is rather good one. and there is an
other idea in the poem, and that. is that
the little back star is still in the max
ing, so that people must be patient with
its deficiencies. But these two ideas to-
gether are not worth more than two
eisht-line stanzas. and Mr.. Foss gives
them five.
Here and there are lines with a ring
ing music which is fit for war songs, or
a depth of thought which is impressive,
but the next is as likely as not to be
meaningless iteration or ill-expressed SEN
timent. Perhaps the best of the thought
full poems is:
THE BLOSSoMING OF IGDRASU.
Why ended not the world when Shakespeare died?
When the old world-Tree's topmost bloom up
And shows the perfect flower that hath no
peers,
Slow Fate's consummate bloom and darling pride,
Why longer should its fowerless trunk abideR
Why lengthen out, sport OF the high gods
jeCrs.
The anti-climax of its afteryears.
In bloomless barenuess uniustifed?
All, ME, the World-Tree's root strikes very deep
Down TO the midmost core of central strength,
And draws its iiie-sap through long winding
ways;
New life some day shall through its branches
creep,
And on its topmost bough shall bloom at length
Another shakespcaFe-after many days.
OF the comic poems there is a wider
choice. One which has been much quoted
is "A Recipe for Success a part of
which runs as follows:
How is it have prospered so? How is it l have
struck
Throughout the hull of my kareer Just one long
streak of luck?
Intellijunce, Young man; that's all. reason an
rehec-
T is jest intelliiunce an brains an straighout
Wen git up I'm always sure to dress me right
foot first
Or put nv drawers on wrong side out, or hev my
For them are signs you'll hev good luck; an ed
dcated man
Knows all them signs, and shapes his life on
consistent plan.
There is third variety of poems in this
book and that is the war song. The me-
e. unfinished, and the thought imperfect
ly worked out but they have the spirit
and vigor of movement which seems to
.e characteristic of much poetry in the
last decade one which is fairly
good example of Mr. Foss' skill in this
line is
THE SONG OF DEwEY'S GUNS.
What is this thunder-music from the other side
of the world!
That pulses through the seycring seas and
round the planet runs?
'Tis the death-song Of old Spain floating from the
Asian main:
There's tale of crumbling empire in the song
of Dewey's guns!
The hand that held the sceptre once of all the
great world-sess
And paved lis march with dead mems bones
meath all the cTcling suns,
Grew faint with deadly fear when that thunder
song drew near,
For the dirge Of Spain was sounded by the song
OF Dewey's guns
There is music in a cannon yet for all the Sons
of Peace
Yea, the por; holes belching anthem is soft
music TO her sons
When the iron thunder-song sings the death of
ancient wrong,
And diving wrong was cfanted by the song OF
Dewey's guns.
The last verse of this thing is also a
very good example of Mr.. Foss propen-
sity for continuing to sing when he has
exhausted his material and his voice. 1t
reads almost like a parody on the first
part of the poem, and anything much
worse than the second line has rarely been
seen in print. The idea of a 'belching an
them is peculiar, to say the least, and
that a cannon's roar could be soft mu-
sic under any circumstances is notion
equally quaint AS for the last two lines,
they do not need any comment.
If Mr. Foss understood how to curb
his Pegasus he might be a poet; as it Is,
one is doubtful if he ever will be any
thing but cross between Carleton and
Coogler. (Boston: Lee & Shepard)