The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-11-18
THE POETS AND POETRY.
The Subject of Fine Lecture at St Mary's
Last Night.

The young ladies of ST. Mary's
School mad rare intellectual treat
last night in the lecture of Rev. Rob-
ert +. Barnwell, of South Carolina.
He talked about 1.-The poets" and
discussed them in manner that
showed close and sympathetic study
of the grand masters.
THAT which causes the poets to be
ranked in order is their power" he
said, and using this standard he
placed Milton hrst and Shakespeare
second.
Milton trandscenrs Shakespeare, !"
he added, IN power and sustained
thought. He has all the requirements
of the great poet. He took the great
est theme man has ever known and in
his treatment and development of it
he rose TO the very zenith of fame
and desert.
"Of all women who have ever writ
ten, Mrs. Browning eXcels in power
and is therefore the greatest"
The lecturer then discussed the ele-
ments of poetry and its structure, call
ing attention 10 the arts used by the
great poets in choosing their themes,
finding the meter and finding the
rhythm ,
MANY q drama is ruined he adj
ded, because the subject was not
properly located. Let me illustrates:
Take Shakespeare 'Othello.' His
subject is jealousy. Why? Because
it is the most powerful of human pas
sions. 1t is located in the breast of a
Moor. Again why? Because Othello,
the Moor, is civilized barbarian. But
when this powerful and brutal pas
sion is aroused the veneer of clvlllza7
ton is brushed away and the barbar-
ian comes out in all his startling hid
eousness. Then follows the murders
and the smothering of Desdemona
with pillow when she cries out. This
in European would have been I'M
natural and therefore revolving. The
drama would have been robbed of its
power.
80 also with the passion of love in
Romeo and Juliet Notice with what
consummate skill two families are Sc
Iected between whom there is dead
ly fued; or the treatment of the pas
sion of ambition in Julius Caesar
Milton and Shakespeare the speaker
called the two great poets of power;
because they combine in their work all
the elements of poetry-thought and
music, fancy and art
Browning was used as an illustra-
ton of the poet having vigCr of
thought, but utterly lacking in mu-
sic.
Here and there you will find a
little beauty, but to most people he
is barbarous. Despite this fault he
has thought and power and he Will al
WAYS rank among our first poets"
Selections from Browning and Mrs.
Browning were read; also from Ten
nyson, whom the speaker used as an
illustration of the poet of music.
''Tennyson can't be translated into
other languages, for in the translation
much of the beauty of his verses is
| lost; but in the English language he is
infinitely superior to all poets in the
music of his lines. He is essentially
| the lyric poet--the master of music. y
Byron he classed as a great thinker,
but not as a master poet.
Shelley he called '',The Poet of Beau
ty.'', He said his verses were full of
rich music, but the thoughts is not
true He is not prophet or seer, but
the sweet singer.
And as for Wordsworth, if he had
only aimed high we know not what he
might have done for the world. Into
his limitations of immortality he
has thrown a mighty power. Its lines
grow on you, and grow, and as long as
You live they keep coming back to
YOU, reaching up to glory and the
splendor of vision of God"
Mr.. Barnwell discussed the differ
ence between the master and mod