University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1913-03-12
THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF POETRY
Thesis Developed in Doctor Fairchild' S Book
Has Caused Wide and Generally Favor
able Comment by the Reviewers.

shows Just where the charm lies In
"Sing a Song Of Sixpence" and "a
Frogee Would a-Wooing Co." Speak
ing of this, the Literary World OF
London says:
Doctor Fairchild has a delightful
and imaginative chapter on the sound
value of nursery rhymes. A child's
fancy, he asserts, is tickled by sound
and he will often laugh at verse when
he has no clear sense at all Of its
meaning. The Cat and the Fiddle
is analyzed in an altogether charm
ing way, and no one who reads this
page of the book will ever again re-
cite that historic nursery rhyme with
out putting into it some of Professor
Fairchild's enthusiasm"
Further in its review, the Literary
World gives summary of Doctor
Fairchilds novel way of dissecting
poetry. 1t says:
He declares that apart from
rhythm and rhymes, two great pro-
cesses underlie all poetry. The first
of these is 'personalizing'; the second,
imaging.' BY 'personalizing.' he
means the poets power of project
ing himself into the things about
which he sings; by imaging," he i'm
plies the power of calling up in the
readers mind succession of images,
so grouped and handled that they will
excite i'm the reader sensations such
as the poet himself feels. In the first
of these connections Professor Fair
child gives an extremely clever list
of words showing how common it is
for people to read themselves into
what is around them and so make in
animate objects seem personal.
THE sun and moon rise and set!
waves rise and fall, strike and toss!
the wind blows, sighs, murmurs,
laments! These tendencies
were strongly felt by the romantic
poets, who deliberately encouraged !,
the feeling. IT. says Keats, "a spar
row comes before my window 1 take |
part in it's existence and pick about |
The gravel"
Some American Reviews.
Doctor Fairchild's book has been re-
riewed in all of tho LEADING America n |
periodicals and magazines. A few
Of the opinions follow:
The Outlook: Dealing with poetry
both in it's primitive and it's modern
forms, it is richly suggestive to teach
ers and students, and likely to lead
to a large and more intelligent read
ing of the poets. How poetry 's made.
its material, its nature. its -alue in
Tally life, are we'll set forth"
New York Sun: 'He leads his read
fIs through a delightful. review of
real poetry; he thinks for himself
and starts them thinking, too; lie
writes excellent and clear English, SO
that his book is thoroughly enjoyable
as literature"
The Dial: THE strength of the
method lies in it's strict logic and
clear outlines. The author has evolv-
ed a system that is undeniably self
consistent and everywhere luminous;
in particular the chapter on personal
izing' and the chapter OH versifying
are admirably done. The value Of the
book resides in the thoughtful frame
of mind that it induces in the reader"
The New York Times: Contrib
rtes another important study to the
subject. His purpose is 4 strict an
aiysis of poetry; disenta1glement!
Of its primary qualities, by which |
poetry is reduced from achievement
to the materials that compose it."
NJ. L.