The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-30
Is EDWARD nAnkHAn 4 PoErs

bGxcFe 1ne AafxH2m craze De0WS over,
or entirely dies out. ~ II II bound to do
soon, even on this coast. We wish to put
ourselves on record as denying that he
has yet proved bis title clear to the name
OF poet, or that his natuhnt, commonplace
compositions even deserve the name Of lit
erature. OF all his contributions 10 tho
pubi.c press The Man With the Hoe Is
easily the best. 10 that We should be more
than fair Gas the contractor boosted that
his wall was "a feerle more than plumb
IL We judged him by that alone; but We
win be Hseral with him. and also refer TO
several others OF his composition which
have been much admired by some. In
the first place. The Man with the Hoe.
although immeasurahly superior 10 any Of
the others. merely recounts old truths and
does not even cIothe them In new or
beautiful dress. Setting ASIDE the charge
OF plagiarism. which was abundantly
made out against II ian Oakland school,
gtrl wrote almost the same thing some
years aso,. poem. a has been before
remarked In these columns. implies origi-
naaty and invention-which this compost
ton lamentably lacks. 1t does not pretend
10 be anything but description, tnterprs-
tatIoa or translation Of celebrated work
Of art. and IL IL, besides. misdeseription.
misinterpretnsion. mistranslation of the
original. The man who handled the brush
ard the man who welded the hoe Doubt
less id good. honest work. the one as an
artist. the other as q laborer: but what
can be said OF the man who willfully mis-
represents and blackguaris both? How
could one who Processes such unbounded
sympathy with the poor iaborer make such
a cowardiy assault upon the dignity OF
manhood and OF labory There is certainly
no such stun In the painting. A great art
ist knows better than 10 even try to per-
vert the truth. IL is incontestable that
neither a hoe. nor an ak. nor a plow, can
prevent a man from working out his own
destiny unto honor or unto dishonor. He
may even distinguish himself ami become
the .'p.liar of peoples hope" Cincinna-
tus was y pIowman. Lincoln. the greatest
man and the best president this country
ever produced, was rain splitter. The
masters. lords and rulers In oil lands" do
not have the making. unmaklng. or even
making over, Of men. Whatever his circun-
stances, "a mans man for a. that" and
10 a considerable degree the architect OF
his own fortunes. Especially Is this true
in this age and country. whatever 1t might
have been In Egypt in the time Of the py-
ramids- Man Is not the creature Of cir
cumstanees. circumstances are the crea-
lures of men" And he who will not use
"taat ca. ability and godIiKe reason that
were given him, cannot blame the mas
tiers. lords and rulers of the world for
his own folly and degradation. There's a
saying that In some verses there's more
truth than poetry. In none OF the verses
which tbs author has yet ground out Is
there either truth or poetry. All his verses
display the grossest ignorance o. or In
ability 10 master. the mere grammar OF the
art OF poetry. II he had any high thoughts
like those
.sOiympiam hards who sung
Divine ideas below
Which always ind ia young
And always keep e so.''
he could not express them In fitting words
and measures, True poetry almost sings IL
SELF Much OF Mr.. Markham's so-eailed
poetry Ii would shatser a croeodiie's teeth
% read.
And for the lofty thought, divine ideas"
the same mndertone of exsggerasion OF all
the niseries OF life. hopeless pesslmlsrn.
runs through them all. And ''of all the
eanss whseh are can,ea In this cantsng
world is not that the worst?
One enthusiastic aimirer says these
poems fall naturally into two classes,
those Of humanity and these OF nature.
but his very examples fail To distinguish
evan these tao classes Prot. Markham
could not help dragging Into his 10y az
the Hills even these same miserable feel
Ingx OF his, The second and bes; verse OF
this rhapsody OF words runs:
II ride on the hills forgive, forget
IAtr's heard % regret.
All the terror and pain
OF the chaSng chain,
Grind On. O cities, grind
leave sau a blur behind.
arm lifted eAase~she skies sxpand:
Here the. woria's heapea sold = a Hill Of
sand
Let them weary and work in thess narrow
ride vita the voices Of waterfalls"
What Is sisfs aus variation upon his "a.
yergfe taerne. the theme III ssT~se Man vi,h
The Hoe The Man Under the Stone. :.
The Tuiiers' etc. etc. IT'S che same
gaasTn. And does ar rot harp upon this
same string until II gets rsenetonoes. even
naaswoass Old fssutareA. n the first eea-
,ury os eur era. laid down this canan o.
criticism.
.TTa sing the same tune. - the SAYING
IS - IN everything cfnygng and offensive .
Tsa prove ttss: ssts Aashar's @o-eslles poe
try Is osSiY esar prose-. that be sAs no rev
esatsaE b ntake "a as and taai kis organ,
i nases" are enss false notes. we need onYy
asase shoss very vsrses which TIE sra:.,xass-
aa; alrealis referred 70 7uossss with such
susSorae approval His Instructions 20 the
poets OF TIRE new axe esgsm.
let tsss1zg pipe be ysuse.
Films ~ sss EaagGsa l8Ec'' etc
Isstss aog in an safaas class sels a.s
teacher - was gussg 70 write poe-, 20.
a esxrzsf~ssstte- When, loasinw over RS
saea}ssr as tsaehvr &Aw ~ eoais ros go,
arg farther snan -. rasz1'' be ksnaiv
advised hina 70 SIX 10 prose n pros.
Markham bad aas snSA . sensas1e s~a~s
er ~yAe wavss wogasa a~ ire segssr .sr - e.
Nsstssre tells ss W mar who saa ts~n
taskzDs prose- al hts EEe wsshs,sst ssssnz
aware % IL Pref Marshasa r.xernss thss
Eycge1xns He has s-re- wysssrw -r~s~ ~,