The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-11-28
DOES POETRY PAY?

DOES POETRY PAY?
A writer in London Literature seriously
discusses the question as to whether or not
a poet can earn his living by the exercise
of his heavenly gift. The conclusion is that
there is mo money in poetry except for
men ~ genius who happen also to be men
of business. When the verse writer has
finished his work "he must step down into
the trade arena and be a tradesman with
the rest" In short. his books must be
doomed" and brought to the notice Of the
public just as in the case of other mer-
chandise. On the whole, however, the
writer decides that verse writing is a very
poor profession, considered from a financial
standpoint.
He is undoubtedly correct in this last con-
c~lusion, but not so surely right in regard
to the poet who is also a genius. 1t may
reasonably be doubted whether a genuine
genius has great need of the advertisers
art. 1t is hardly probable that any genius
of this class ever pinned away unknown and
unrecognized. In several cases that might
be named there was, perhaps, little money
reward for the poets work, but there was
the ecompense of praise and admiration
from those who could best appreciate it.
The public may seem dull at times, but let
a genius appear and it is not slow to dis
cover him. Possibly it's apparent dullness
arises from the fact that genius is a rare
gift, and few, even of those who are on the
sharpest lookout for it, have the oppor-
tunity for such recognition more than once
or twice in a lifetime.
OF real poets whose books have sold TO a
profitable extent the Journal does not recall
one who went into the market place and
did his own booming. Alfred Tennyson's
books, for instance, were in pretty general
demand during his lifetime, but certainly
not through his efforts at self-advertise-
ment. Perhaps the contributor to Litera-
ture may have been looking toward Amer
lea with an eye fixed upon Edward Mark
ham; but Markham is not a genius, even
though he be in the market place.
Truly enough, though, as every book
seller and publisher knows, there is mo
money in poetry for the average verse
writer. 1t is not quite clear why this is
so, for a vast number Of people like to read
verse and are not by any means particular
as to whether or not the verse is poetry.
1t is enough that it jingles and has a pretty
sentiment. The great mass of the verse
produces is of mediocre quality, not ex-
cepting that which finds a place in the best
magazines; but this fact is not explanatory
OF its neglect when it gets into book form,
since mediocre prose is also the order of the
day, and the public buys 1t enormously
and indiscriminately. Perhaps the common
disinclination to buy volumes OF poems
grows out Of a feeling that poetry is a
sweet which is cloying in large quantity.
The average man or woman who buys a
book wants TO read it through at a sitting.
and to read a volume OF contemporary
verse in this way is likely to be exhausting.
The current historical novel can be read at
a gulp-if the reader do not perish In the
a~ttempt-but verse. even real poetry, must
be taken by the normal person on the in
stallment plan. He cannot rise to the
heights that the lofty thoughts would bear
him. and remain there; nor can he accent
with entire freedom and without effort the
continued expression of thought In the
artificial form of verse.
No; poetry is a luxury of which a little at
a time satisfies most readers. They find a
stray poem-it may be a classic, it may be
contributed by a local amateur versiher-in
their favorite newspaper which recalls
some memory or experience of their own;
they read it, cut it out and lay 1t carefully
away with others obtained in the same
manner, and TO be followed by more OF the
sort from time to time. They fatter them
selves that they are appreciative Of poetry
but they never buy books Of verse nor
dream of doing so. Before there is money
in poetry the public must somehow be per-
suaded that 1T is as entertaining as fiction.
either in large doses or small.