The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-06
Feet.

Does the Hon. ROBERT j. WYNNE ap-
preciatc with due gratitude what the
vcrsemakcrs are doing to increase the
receipts OF the Post Office Department?
| The men. women and children in the
poetry business are using acres of stamps
and stamped envelopes. This economic
effect of the bloomin' Tyre has been too
little regarded, and the economic equiva-
lent of songs and sonnets in beefsteak
and bacon is set down in no treatise.
Some illustrlous producer, some VAN
DYKE or ELLA WHEELER WILCOX. may
yet marry the Dismal Science TO the Gay
Science, amid the applause and wonder
of the world.
More poets YETI sings Mr.. DoBsoN;
and we have reason TO believe him.
Forty or fifty copies of verse fly into this
shop every day: quatrains, epigrams,
sonnets, ballads, love songs, bits OF
comic genre, "limercks,' narrative
poems, didactio poems, nature poems
star on star, who knows your names2
If available, please send check at usual
rates. If not, stamp or Stamped
envelope is enclosed The choir OF
poets is singing for money, not for love
or for delight in it's voices. The volun-
teer is become or is trying to become n
regular That is right If verse is
worth printing, it is worth paying for.
But the harvest is great, the poetry
bin of the kindest newspaper exceeding
small
Distributions New England is no longer
the centre of versification Doubtless, she
still can show more feet to the square
foot. more poets to population, than any
other region of the country, but the West
and the South are sending us full lines
of rhymed goods and orr Lady of the
Shows exports large quantities.
in the cause OF truth and justice we
are not afraid to say that Pennsylvania
seems TO put less capital and energy than
any Of her sister States into this industry
What sort of stuff is it. this verse
that blazes on MS With sorried columns?
Well, most of it seerls to belong to the
correspondence school OF poetry. APP
narently singular illusion or delusion
has spread over a wide area. Many
worthy souls seem to imagine-and it
is the sole spark OF imagination some of
them have-that verse has ahigh COM
mercial value; also that anybody can
write verse for which newspapers yearn
Like the hart for the water brooks.
In most of the multitude OF poems
dumped upon us we look in vain not
merely for originality and distinction,
but for competent workmanship. II is
always interesting TO trace in the verso
of young men and women of cultivation
echoes and reflections Of their reading.
"reminiscences of KEATS. SHELLEY,
SwINBURNR, the BRowNINGs, the Ros-
sETTIs, KIPLGNG, conscious or uncon-
scious limitations OF this or that author,
betray course of study and show us
the models which Young writer has
followed Most of our makers of serious
verse seem never to have read poetry
of the first or even second order.
Most of our daily grist is meant to be
humorous Here there should be rich
or tolerable comic force: or if only
slight comic force, the want Of it should
De Nlaub ROOu bN auinlI dblt lAttHtnlCS
of the verse Most of our customers have
neither humor nor artistic workmanship.
They seem to follow some homely or
trivial masters unknown TO rs. They
emit commonplaces about children, old
bachelors and so on. Their "limericks"
have no grace, dexterity or surprise.
Their funny poems pierce our ven
cradle heart with memories OF BAILEY
of Danbury and other ancients We
don't expect to find CALyERLEY' an
OWEN SEAMAN, but surely
Liberdrimus amman nostrGm We
don't want to hurt anybodys feelings.
We know that it does us good to read
verses. They are profitable for pa
thence, If not always for edifcation.
But their greatest use and value is
the good they do to the makers This
is. however, seldom material. If we
wanted to get rich We should prefer to
lay the foundations of a fortune by pick
ing up pins in the street, after the manner
OF Mr. GIRARD, rather than to keep a
versesnliths shop.
Reform in China Taught by ,JaDan