The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-19
az ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

1UtFFlN
The Spell Of the Yukon and Other
Verses" IS a small volume issued by
Edward Stern and Company, of Phila-
delphia, and Is written by Robert w.
Service.
This is the sort of supposed poetic
utterance that men like
Because, presumably, it tells the
truth about themselves
And. if it is the truth. and there is
no one TO say that it is not, since they
themselves admit it. men will not only
tolerate it, but quote it deHghtedly,
This is because it was written by a
man. One of themselves.
II is said that no woman novelist ev-
er created real man Only the things
women think are men,
This is possibly said by masculine
book reviewers and essavists, or even
by those astute critics who are to be
| found on every other block in any
town
No more realistic pictures OF men
were ever painted than by Jane Aus
ten, a genius Of a microscopic sub
{
cial values that has never been sur
passed among the creators Of fiction.
Her men characters were absolutely
| life-like.
Men do not, as rule. like Jane Aus
! ten. And for the reason that they do
not like to be shown up" by a wom-
an.
Men will forgive every crime in the
! calendar and every committed and I'M
committed sin, save one-to be found
out by woman and have it published
! to the world.
| The average masculine animal is
| the most supreme expression of ego
! tism emanating from the origin of
things. Nature is a blind egotist Man
a conscious one. Vain-glorious, I'M
ashamed and absolutely brazen
| "Oh, tut, TUT says the man at the
/ next desk
We'll. you're just as good an illus
tration as any"
! is this an appreciation Of Poetry"
asked the man at the next desk sheer
ingly.
| (Which means that I couldn't if l
/ tried?"
: Go on and write" replied the man
at the next desk.
| While Services poetic gifts are I'M
doubted. it is still true that his pro
duct might be classified, oftener than
not, as rhythmic prose rather than po
! etry-if judged by hard and fast aes
thetic canons.
Any subject, and Services repertoire
covers many not mentioned in what
has been curiously termed polite soci
ety." is fit and legitimate for artistic
treatment. Filtered through the allen
bic of the poets or painters or musi
clans art, it takes on that glamour
which alone is its excuse for being.
Whether or not the glamour is rec
tognized it nonetheless exists. And il
it does not, then the art is non-existent
and the creation not to be ranked
Service is safely on the other side
of the line but he is more deft and
felicitous versifier than a poet. For as
has been we'll said by some one else
he lacks imagination.
He sees wildly, almost uncannily
but not POLITICALLY. His is not the pas
sionate revealmcnt of art, but its
sharply defined accentuations
He has been called the Canadian
Kipling"
Kipling has suffered long and ha:
not always been kind.
But. after all is said. Kipling is a &c
MUS Of a sort and does not deserve hi!
imitators. Anybody who writes abou
blood and Drawn in the ringing, jing
ling measure affected by the grea
English writer is put down as sec
ond kipling."
Service has frankly adopted thi.
mode of poetic expression and has al
frankly formed himself on the create
mans mold, but Service has a valu,
of his own.