Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-11-05
THE GREATEST POEM
The Makers of Poetry-Every Man
May be Poet The Meaning of
This-The Plain and Simple Things
of Life-The Greatest of all Poems
The Beginning of The Beautiful.
w. T. Williams.

w. T. Williams.
What is the greatest poem? Who
wrote it? Where may it be found?
We closed a previous article by say-
ing thatsacrifice is the ruling factor of
the home that grows in accordance
with the original design. If the image
In which it was planned is going to be
developed, it must be developed
through the channels of sacrifice. This
is the principle on which it must be
built if its going to harmonic I'M the
great consummation at the end of
time. 1t was founded for this pur-
pose, and this purpose was to produce,
The Beautiful. The Beautiful we say,
because it was instituted to be Tbs
Beautiful amid ten thousand beaui 8
full things. Underneath the home u j
find this motive. 1t was designed, and
man at the center of it, to rise to
these attitudes where communion with
The Invisible becomes natural. Be-
fore man was formed it was planned
for him to have a part in producing
The Beautiful. This has been placed
at the bottom of his being, and when
he is at his best, he is dissatisfied with
anything that has the. least tendency
to dim the luster of this splendid en-
dowment. Whatever comes to pass,
when he is at his best, this he guards
with unwearied care. He rejects every
theory that is contrary to this without
hesitation. When he realizes the
honor that has been conferred on him,
with determination he brushes aside
all things which are not in keeping
with it. When he becomes conscious
that he is partner with God in MAX
ing The Beautiful, there is little dam
ger that he will be led ,astray. He
will cling to his moorings against
many assaults. The home has been
planned from eternity to be The
Beautiful.
More than once we have heard that
every man can be poet. In fact, this
has been so frequently uttered in our
hearning that we have become curious.
We are anxious to know what is meant
by such statement, and this is not
to be wondered at, because poets to
US are men who have been endowed
with rare abilities. They have been
made recipients of large favors. They
have eyes to see what no other eyes
can see, and minds to form and ex-
press what they see in manner which
IS beyond the reach of other minds.
Surely, poets are men who have been
richly endowed. They have been
planted in rich soil, evenly the streams
Of water and it seems that whatso-
ever they take in hand prosper. But
xxyr, 1ox,a hoox, <o1I ~onoo+n11x, kIc4 I'll
men can be poets, and therefore all
men have been richly endowed. They
have been nobly and splendidly made.
This is almost too much for us to be-
lieve, for we are like other men feel
ing our deficiencies. We fail SO Of
ten on so many points that we wonder
how it can be said that all men can be
poets. This strains our belief. We
have our various conceptions Of poetry
and our high regard for poets that, if
we all can be poets, we are not aware
of it. We are not cognizant of the
fact that our capacities are so wide,
profound and excellent. But we have
been told too often to name the num-
Der that we all can be poets, and ther
there must be some truth in the affir-
nation.
1t must be that we have misunder-
stood poetry, or it might be that oul
understanding of it is not broad
enough to cover the whole meaning
IF it. When we talk about poetry, we
have in mind some expressions made
within the bounds of certain meters
and, which have a pleasant tinklt
every second or third line as the cast
may be. But, the question is, is thi.
all of poetry? Are there not poem!
which are not written after the fash
ION of our understanding? Are there
not poems which are composed day b!
day in the hard experiences Of life
which find no expression in physica
meters and rimes? 1t might be, i.
we should take time to gaze Ions
enough that we would discover tina
the best poems have never found thei
way into words and melodious ter
minal sounds. They are too sublim
for utterance. They have been forg
ed in the agonies of the spirit. The,
are the ineffable bloom of experience
and to be able to read them we mus
have ourselves elevated to thei
realm, where the .unspoken desires o
God are made known in love. Al
poems are not written in the languag
of our mouths, and the best poem
come into being in communion o
spirit with spirit.
Then, when we are told that all me-
can be poets, what are we to under
stand? What is the meaning of sue
saving? The meaning of it is tina
all men have capacity for the beau
tiful, and all men as we have sal
have a capacity for this whether the
know it or not. They have been en-
dowed with a capacity by which the
This is the way they have been Great
ed. We have been made for the pun
are able to apprehend the unutterablt
pose of expressing in some form tn
inexpressible beauty of the nature O
our Maker. This is the motive ths
is underneath our beings. It is ther
in all reality, and all we need to do t
become conscious of it is to give it
chance to work itself through every
thing we do and think. It is alway
in readiness to do our bidding, an
with the least encouragement it wi
serve us gladly. Wherefore, all me
are poets to the extent that the
develop the beautiful, the beauty G
their natures, which is the image {
the Most High. This is what is NEAR
when we are told that all men can b
poets-all men can develop and e,
press in some form the beauty of thei
natures. They can become the friend
| of God.
Lest we forget let US say that til
grand and beautiful things of life al
all plain and simple. In themselve
they are clear; so clear that we, witt
| out our learning can see them throug
and through without any troubl
| whatsoever. 1t is when we add OF
| learning to them that they becom
dark and obscure. Naturally the
are not so. Philosophy is as clear q
the heavens when we do not cloud
| with our vaporings. The way to tn
core of life, the source of all joys, il
| spiration and growth, is well know
to all when we do not try to e!
Il