The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1899-10-05
MARKHAM'S "DREYFUS.v


Prof. Edwin Markham, the author
OF the "Man with the Hoe" has
lapsed into poetry again. This time
the subject of his muse is Dreyfus.
The "Man with the Hoe" produced
wonderful sensation in the literary
world; it has been discussed at the
Lyceums, Pink Teas and College Com
mencements, and criticisms favorable
and unfavorable to it have appeared
in many periodicals.
The latest effusion from the pen
OF Prof. Markham is not long; but
in its small compass it contains as
many inaccuracies, solecism, and in
elegancies as any one hundred line
poem with which we are acquainted.
We reproduce the poem in its en-
tirety:
A MAN stood stained: France was one Alp
of hate,
Pressing upon him with the whole world S
weight.
In all the circle of the ancient sun
There was no voice to speak for him--not
one.
In all the world of men there was no
sound
But OF sword flung broken to the gound
He'll laughed its little hour and then be.
hold,
How one by one the guarded gates unfold!
Gxxtiff y 1.
And now man rising against the world
H.
Oh, import deep rs life is, deep as timpl
There is something sacred and sublime
Moving behind the worlds, beyond our ken,
Weighing the stars, weighing the dreds
OF men.
Take heart 0 soul OF sorrow, and be
strong!
There is One greater than the whole
worlds wrong.
Be hushed before the high Benignant
Power
That moves wool-shod through sepulcher
and towerl
No truth so low but. II will give it crown:
No wrong so high but He will hurl it down
0 men that forge the fetter. it is vain
There is Still Hand stronger than your
chain.
IT'S no avail to bargain, sneer and nod
And shrug the shoulder for reply to God
In his opening line Prof. Markham
says:
ga man stood stained. y"
We maintain that Col. Dreyfus
was not stained. He was presumed
to be guilty but the world at large
believes and did believe in his inno-
cence. II che author instead of u.s.
ing the expression stained, had EN-
poyed some such phrase as che stood
in the shadow of crime, etc, he
would have correctly defined the posi-
ton of his hero.
The line Sin all the circle of the
ancient sun" Is totally devoid of
meaning, and even il there was any
sense in it, it would be pleonastic
as the following lines convey the idea
of vastness.
Prof. Markham when he penned
the line.
"There was no voice to speak for
him-not one, had evidently for
gotten the untiring efforts OF Emile
lola on behalf of Dreyfus. The au-
thor OF Mana and i Assomoir found
time to leave his desk and champion
his cause with an eloquence which
set France in an uproar.
Can it be possible that the Profess
sor has forgotten this?
But here is gem:
"Take heart D soul OF sorrow and
be strongl'
Can Prof. Markham explain to
wondering world the exact way in
which the Soul of Sorrow" is to
take heart
The last ten lines are unique for
metaphor mixing; it is very Cor
dian knot, but we will not go futher.
THIS poem consists of twenty-four
lines Of which twenty two are, if not
rot, at least not poetry, and the re-
naming two are pretty decent
They are:
mo truth so low but He will give
t crown
No wrong so high but He will
iurl it down"
The difference in quality between
he couplet and the balance OF the
'oem excitcs natural suspicion in
'ur minds.
We ask: care they orignal?n
nd echo answers, ''are they?'
We impaticntly await the the next