The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-12-23

did. The truth Is he has great and is
tiuguished qualities rs 4 poet. bus ne Is
%lrcadfuny obscure. and much Of his
writings j. harsh and indcpend ut II
poetic rules anI linguistic clarity. some
OF his poetry Is most noble and uplifting.
lie VAS no sceptic a. some have thought.
but he believed IN the CAris' Not IorE
since sir Edward Clarke delivered an
address on Victorian !itcratur" before =
London "WorkinCmru's Club. Thc
speaker Is a man 81 sjfts. AMI hi view
~ tho two poets ! have indicated ~
1cars 20 ne 70 In correct ana vital with
genuine appreciation ! quote a pas
sage.
"Thc two great poets were AlfTci Ten
ryson and Robert Bros Ming The FIRST
named would always stand az the head
o. the Ntcrature 81 tho Victorian period
1t Was difficult 10 oNerrat~ the enormous
influence for good that his splendid in
~tellect and true and clear conscience cx-
orCiscd over this country. There Vas
no poet in the Whole course OF our his
tory whose works We're more likely 10
live as 4 complete whole than he. and
there Was not a line which his friends
would Wish 10 see blotted put. Robert
Browning Was a poet or strange IN
equality and OF extraordinary and fan
tastic methods in his composition. How
ever much one could enjoy some Of hts
works. one could only hops that two
thirds OF them would be As promptly
as possible forgotten-not. however. from
any moral objection 70 What he wrote.
That is sane criticism ana just Ten
nyson IS indeed a very great poet. For
thirty-two years or more, l have been n
diligcnt student Of this finished AMI
richly endowed poetic ]scauius. For ten
or fifteen years | have read every line Of
his writings at least every TWO or three
years. / am again reading my favorttc
of all poets after Shakespeare. and find
the JOY and satisfaction and admiration
undiminishcd Whenever | read an at
tempt to lower the standing Of tho
greatest poet OF the last sixty years. |
feel sure that the writer is deficient IN
true poetic taste and sympathy IN q
proper apprehension OF the reti9cd. deli
cate chiselling. the intense realism. the
deep. unvarying ruth. the exquisite
polish and marvellous powers % express
sion. the deepest thought. the beauty
and perfection OF form, and the most
facilc and exquisite harmony. Educated.
refined minds that glory in tho purcst
and highest poetry, VIII always love and
admire the poems or Alfred Tcnnyson.
for his writings arc 'thc ultimate suhli-
nation OF thought and beauty and arc
"the most refined expression Of the most
rcfncd civilization that ever dawned
upon the world" and as a result his
works must continue 10 exercise a
mighty influence upon the leading in
tellccts OF those nations that lead the
world So held and wrote a superior
Scotch critic about 1896, and 1t is true in
1902.
| find that | made n singular omission
in my imperfect list OF North Carolina
books. ! failed TO mention one OF the
most intcresting-Creccy's Tales of a
Grandfather" Let me add a few others.
of all OF which | had some knowledge.
save the last | Will name: 'Wallanah. a
Colonial Romance by William Lotion
Hargrave. "Saltcd With Fire" by Miss
Cameron. Standardization" by Rev. John
r. Brooks, a work OF real merit-calm
conservative, clear: Sermons by Roy. Or.
Jarvis Buxton. Sermons and Speeches"
by Rev. Numa +. Reid, u. D.: North
Carolina (MethodisD sermons; \
church History, by Bishop Cheshire,
and others; \ volume of Poems. entitled
Songs From the Carolina Hills,' 10y
Lucille Armfield. Of High Point; a vol
ume of verse. entitled Heart Throbs
From the Mountains" GS&1), by tho late
Brigadior General Robert Il. Vance,
brother Of Senator Vance; In Che Coal
and Iron Counties OF North Carolina.
compiled by Peter NJ. Hale, published
by r. j. Hale & Son, 1888. 425 pages, with
map; Solution of the Race Problem.
by Enoch Spencer Simmons, OF the North
Carolina Bar, 1898; 9TH Story Of Pot
Hooks: or Society as Seen by a Back
woods Philosopher" by &. A. Jenkins,
1892, 37S pages; wei Nigh Recon
structed. Political Novel" by Brinsl"y
Matthews; Village Lawyer. published in
1882, by +. j. Hale 81 Son, New York;
The North Carolina Speaker" composed
by Eugene CT. Harrell and John u.
Neathcry, Raleigh. 1887.
looking over my library ] found the
above books. with one exception. ] may
have overlooked others. | may refer
hereafter TO the poems by Miss Armfcld.
Gen. Vance, and TO the poem entitled
"Hatteras," by Joseph w. Holden, a man
of nnc parts.
THEODORE BRYANT KINGSBURY.
Wilmington, N. C, Dec. 10, 1902.