The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-03-05
KING ALFRED AND
MR..
Nu ambitious Poem about Alfrcd ana
the Danes by h Original ana
interchangeable G.. Il. I.

~ made the declaration, There IS no
rev tlir@ urder the eGn, he Aad
not. Of cours". had tn" opportunity "i
showing such q person a. the indie
ratigablc Mr.. Chcsterton. Il. h 6. -
always neW-almost startllnSiy so
and there can be no doubt THAT Ihe
very newest thing he has done. both
from a chronological and from an
original standpoint, Is his ambitious
poem, The Ballad Of the White
Horse." Indeed, whether W. choose
10 regard Mr.. chcsterton as a super
fcia! dabbler or not, we must ADMIT
that We are continually gettfng
stronger apd stronger proofs Of his
versatility, and We must refuse to be
SURPRISED if In the future he brings
out an Oscar Wilde Comedy, d l1nero
problem-play, q blank-verse tragedy,
OF a book or me
But TO come back to The Ballad
of the White Horse'-the poem ~
founded upon the tradition which as
sociates King Alfrcd's last great VIC
tory with the Berkshire valley known
AS the Vale Of the White Horse. AS
might be taken for granted from the
title. the form used for the telling OF
the story is a variation or q common
old ballad measure. an Irregular COM
bination of tetrameters and trlmeters.
King Alfred Is, of course, the hero
of the ballad. but his three chief fol-
lowers, Eldred the Saxon, Mark the
onan and Colan the Celt, stand out
almost as wildly az does he.
A writer in the london Nation has
declared unreserredly that The Bal
lad Of the White Horse is the best
thing Mr.. Chesterton has yet done.
and he does not seem to be alone in
this opinion; but when one stops TO
consider the excellence Of 'Heretlcs.
ORTHODOXY" and The Innocence OF
Father Brown" as well as Mr.. Ches-
terton's delightful studies Of Dickens
and Bernard Shaw. one hesitates TO
give first place to the ballad. 1t is.
however. safe to say that with the
single shining exception OF Alfred
Noyes'S Incompatible Drake. the
last decade has seen no better Eng
itsh narrative poem than Mr.. Ches-
terton's newest effort.
Turning from general comments to
more specific. We should not neglect
making a few remarks anent the
technical side Of Mr.. Chesterton's
poem. Many rough places and q lev
liInping lines are 10 be found In the
piece: but these. it must be remem
bered, are due to no lack or skill on
the part OF Mr.. Chesterton, but to
his endeavOT to initiate as closely as
possible the of the old ballad
writer's. This manner as we'll as the
general spirit of the old minStrels. he
succeeds admirably in getting; and al
In all the imitation would be we'll nigh
perfect, were it not for the fact that
occasionally tho philosophy OF the
poem becomes too mature, too so
phisticated. too Notwithstanding.
The following StanZaa will give the
reader 4 fair idea Of Mr.. Chesterton'
verses;
And as he Wept for the woman
He let her business be,
And like his royal oath and rash
Thc good food fell Don the ash
And blackened instantly.
Screaming, the woman caught q cake
Yet burning from the bar,
And struck him suddenly on the face
Leaving y scarlet scar.
King Alfred stood up wordleSs,
A man dead with surprise.
And torture stood and the evil thing
That are In the childish hearts Q
An instant in his eyes.
Aud the earth shook and the Kin
stood still
Under the greenwood Dough.
And the smoking cake Law at his fee
And the blow was on his brow.
Nov here is Il good warrant"
Cried Alfred. "by nay sword;
Eor he that Is struck for IN i
Should be q sind lord.
lie that has been a servant
Knows more than priests and king