The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-05-28

singer" He makes one remark that i
accurate / know. He speaks OF the ex-
ceilence of Morris as living lin MS
clear vision and exquisite directness Of
speech" which are excellent qualities
surely for any writer Of verse who
aspires to high achievement That
statement is manifest to any inter-
prefer or reader of Morris'S verse. He
was indeed an admirably gifted %reciter
or restorer of forgotten incidents and
stories and traditions, and had the
high art of a true poet who possessed
in splendid development the power of
expression, Of rare technical skill. and
with mastery over pure and vigorous
English. | cannot follow the critic
much farther in his deliverances. He
says Morris had something of fatal
ism. that his "personages are phan-
tasmal," and he did not believe in i'm
mortality" This is g%rievous error. and
to be Stunned. He thinks Morris's
poetry SIS sweet end wholesome but
not so surely when he is filled with
Plagiarism and dreadful negation and
darkness, and the critic says farther
that his poetry has much of beauty
and 1.-The choicest Of romantic narra-
tive verse" He also holds that his
imagination was clear but not lofty
which is doubtless correct. and thinks
him destitute of passion. faith and
high i~magininGs," which greatly de-
tracts from MN IDI THEY L &c
rious defects. The critic is himself a
poet of some genuine gifts, but not a
popular poet.
An English critic of much capacity
and insight, but not of poetic ndow-
ment but of real common sense and
acuteness, has written judiciously, ad-
mirably and penetratingly of Morris.
In Prof George Sa.ntsbury's Correct
ed Impressions" he takes a higher
view of Morris than that 20 Ion NV Mr.
Stedman years before. and holds that
he deserves a more exalted rank as
poet than the critical public has been
disposed to assign him" lie thinks
Scott and Tennyson to reviyffy the
past and "re-create the tone and sense
of MEDIEVAL romance" He holds that
the lattenrday Morris is the very en-
bodiment of medieval poetry" He
did not know him in the flesh. but
Il know no man of letters of my time
who has been so thoroughly Satisfac-
tory all through to the critical lover
of letters" He thinks 1t is mot the
ordinary critic who shall do Mr.. Nor
ris full Justice" He praises his
Jason" very highly. and SAYS "it is
it is a long poem like The Earthly
Paradise" and "Sigurd." I may add.
OF The Earthly Paradise" the acute
critic and learned professor writes; 1
really do not know that anything COM
bining bulk n excellence to The
den's Tables. and they are small in
bulk compared to "ParadiSe.' He
thinks it is not too long. and hat "a
Paradise it certainly is and marks
the apogee of its writer's talent
He thinks we'll and wisely of "Sigurd,"
that came several years later. That
poem is surely full of power and orr
ginality, and found it most enjoyable
and stirring. He says the poet at
tempted a new and very dangerous
metre with much extraordinary sue
cess" He claims for him "a purely
lyrical gift which even Chaucer did
not show" and that he possessed in
exhaustible fertility and owe IN
weaving the verse and prose of ro-
nance" That Morris a rare and
rich gifts must be plain to any one
who has read even a small portion of
his ,-oluminous writings. There is
more to say. but my space warns me,
and I would give a list Of his writings
if space permitted. He was saturatea
with the medieval world, lived much
in the past. and knew no" TO ceie-
hrate and recreate it. He was really
q born. genuine Troubadour, II Eng
land ever produced one. tie was 10
seer no of his own time
like the great TennEson was lie was
a romanticist. pure and simple, IL
verse, and he knew now 10 weave as
in tanestry into his fluent and melo-
dio,s verse the magical scenes and at
fractions and endless professions OF
the distant past. so full of glamour ana
mist and beauty.
The most unique and Immortal Sir
Walter Scott. who worked such Won
ders with his magical productive pen,
taught the world of authors which
they have not forgotten or neglected.
HE fYSt fold uvaC his own ScOt1and.i
with its traditions and romance. The
vivid traditions, the beliefs, the de-
the characteristics of the
people,; the marvellous legends, the
ballads and rhapsodies of the anti
quities Of his land with which he was
so familiar, led to the unwilling OF
great and enhancing wonders IN the
world Of romance. Morris WORKED
later and in other fields. but ne no
doubt caught much of the spirit OF
originality, of power and ehectlVe GID
mour and art from the most orlglnal,
of all ~ScOtchmen, the Greal
and Ike him he vivified the
past with its pageantries and slorleS
and traditions, but in another land and
sphere, and ever more ancient. But
both worked wonders with thelr
genius, and often you find. to use
Shakespeare'S responsive words-A
fearful faith rendered you in music
the time of Morris's death there was
q great deal written concerning MN
in his own land. 1 failed to preserve
any of the newspaper and review no
tees or discussions. l do not recall
He was thought to have re-
sembled the great poet, GeoIIrey
Chaucer, of the thirteenth century. he
was a student and lover Of the hrst
high poet of England, but he does not
suggest to me any very special SINH
I think he was more OF a
of the Middle Ages, and
cared but little for his particular
noe and surroundings. He was, as
said no Interpreter Of his time ana
for he lived too much IN the
past. and dwelt too much upon us IRA
ditions, to become fully lden'liieu VIZ
nu.n from and it's material
istic conceptions and progress. A
Western newspaper said of MN Wnen
he passed away: Love LOT me 20
and u~nconcealed dislike of the spirit
of progress hat has characterized the
age were, however. part of his coup.
,nent as a poet; and, while ne hilsn.
-,ootnr nnpt had he Detli |