The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-17
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
Mr.. Edmund Clarence Stedman's
american Anthology

Mr.. Edmund Clarence Stedman's critical
studies of English and American poetry and
his Victorian Anthology put the literary
world greatly in his debt. He has increased
this obligation by the presentation of an
American Anthology-a work which COM
pletes a series of volumes dealing ex-
haustiveiy with poetry written in the Eng
fish tongue. These studies and compila-
tions have been achieved in the leisure in
tervals of a life occupied for the most part
with interests far removed from the
writer's calling; they have involved much
and long-continued investigation and labor,
but the labor has been one of love. Only a
genuine lover Of poetry, only one who Is
himself a poet, could thus patiently delve
into the almost %boundless mine OF verse
produced in England during the Victorian
era and in this country during the century
just ending and sift and measure with the
care necessary to make a volume repre-
sentative of the output of the respective
periods. Moreover, only a scholar and a
critic of high attachments could make a
truly representative collection Of verse-a
collection covering the many phases OF de-
velopment of the national life and speaking
the changing character of thought as the
times progressed. This American Anthology
is far more than a mere compilation OF the
best work Of ~best-known verse writers. In
the course of a long introduction setting
forth his purpose and his methods Mr.. Sted-
man says: II have not hesitated to use any
fortunate poem, howsoever unpromising its
source. A ruby is a ruby. on the forehead
or a Joss or found in the m or a
pilgrim. Here and there are included verses
by masterful personages not writer's by
profession, and the texts of hymns, patrl-
otto lyrics and other memorabilia that have
quality" But he does not undertake TO
make a collection Of "rubies.;" 1t Is not a
treasury of imperishable poems. What he
has tried to do is, as he says, Ito AFFORD
a view of the successive lyrical motives and
results of our first hundred years of song,
from which the critic or historian may de-
rive conclusions and possibly extend his
lines into the future The plan of this
work is similar to that followed in his
Victorian Anthology, but 1t became neces-
sary to adopt a different system of class1f-
cation. 1t was found impossible TO divide
the matter into groups dependent on the
similarity of methods and motives, as in
the earlier work. In the first half of the
century, at least, a common inspiration was
wanting. Poetry led other forms of litera-
ture in America for forty years, but the
| writer's were influenced by the phenomena
of nature, by religion, patriotism or senti-
ment, Independently of each other, and
were not drawn together by a general
movement affecting their thought. Mr..
Stedman has arranged his material upon
time divisions, therefore. The first covers
the quarter century preceding Bryant and
his contemporaries 1t includes such writer's
as Philip Freneau, Timothy Dwight. john
Quincy Adams, Francis Scott Key. Richard
Henry Dana and Sarah Josepha Hale. The
second and third divisions deal with the
lyrical periods, and each has three sub
divisions. The latter represent literary gen.
| prqtj0nS COVERING &C 10 tho first npriOd
three terms of about fifteen years each, and
as to the second, three of ten years each.
The fourth period is devoted to typical
poets and poetry of the final years of the
century.
1t is impossible in the space at command
to touch in any detail upon the special
characteristics of the book; ii Is enough to
say that il is all that ii undertakes to be-
a representative collection of the verse of
the century. In its pages may be reviewed
the various stages of aesthetic and emo
tional expressions; in its pages are found.
along with much verse that is merely
typical and not especially admirable, many
lyrical gems, many old favorites and much
that is significant of something better yet
TO come in our national literature. Mr..
Stedman's introduction is a critical essay,
adding greatly to the interest and value of
the book. incidentally he discusses the
question of whether our poetry has de-
Perforated in quality. On the whole he
thinks not. America" he thinks, lis only
1LANC AAo aIOh IN OOh5s 49, - -
of minor poets imply that she has passed a
climacteric. 1t will be long before our
people need fear even the springtime ener-
walton of their instructive sense of beauty,
now more in evidence with every year.
This Anthology is a book which belongs
in every library. As a work OF reference
it is extremely satisfactory, not only for
the material it contains, but for the COM
pleteness of the other features of the vol
ume-the double index, making ii easy to
find any desired poem; the classified table
OF contents, and the biographical notes
concerning the authors whose work is
quoted. Two editions of the Anthology
have been issued by MessrS- Houghton,
Mifiin & Co., the publishers; one a single
volume of $50 pages, uniform with the Vic
torian Anthology" which will be sold at
So; the other a large paper edition of 300
copies which has for frontkpiece a photo
gravure portrait of Mr.. Stedman, each
copy bearing his autograph. Both editor
and publishers are to be congratulated On
the production in such admirable form of a
work so much needed.