The farmer and mechanic., 1915-06-29
With the Southern Poets
Tn Nashville Christian Advocate.
By WILL T. HALE,
(By Will T. Hale in Nashville Chris
tian Advocate.)

(By Will T. Hale in Nashville Chris
tian Advocate)
II has not been long since local |
writer OF books said to me: Il nave |
very little patience with the average !
Southern man who attempts to dis
cuss the poets Of the South; he has
not made them a study and can only
refer as usual thing, to Hayne, |
Timrod. and Lanier." | am disposed
to indorse this And if Southern men
fail in that respect, how can we cr1-
ticize those of the North who exhibit
ignorance and lack of interest? A
few words aptly spoken can do much
to perpetuate a name and force upon
the public a knowledge Of and ad-
miration for some gem that would be
lost One of the best-knOWn Ameri-
can lyrics is Edward COate Pinkneys
"A Health" 1t was made immortal
through Poe's brief reference to it in
q discussion of the poetic principle.
The papers of the South could ac-
compIish a great work in this prOpa-
ganda if they would; but they too
are derelict. There is one exception,
as | now recall: the Progressive
Farmer. an agricultural journal edit
ed with good taste. does not seem to
miss an opportunity for quoting the
poems of North Carolina writer's.
What il the editors of each State
should follow it's example? The re-
suit would not only be the rendering
OF justice to our singers, but giving
the public some excellent verse.
I propose in this brief paper to call
attention to a few of our poets not so
we'll known as Hayne. Timrod, La
ner Poe. Randall, and Ryan. and
may we'll begin with a short reference
To Pinkney. The lyric just mentioned
is not the only poem in which he ex-
ceiled. His Picture Song" is a
Quotable lines. This from ITALY is
an especially fine bit of imagery:
''The winds are awed, nor dare to
breathe aloud:
The air seems never to have borne a
cloud.
Save where volcanoes send to heaven
And solemn smokes, like affairs Of the
world"
1t was a misfortune to letters that
ne died so young. Even as it was
when in the first quarter Of the last
biographical sketches of the five
greatest poets of America, with theil
portraits, he was to be represented
I'm the volume-which. however, wa:
never published.
It was not until close to the end O.
the nineteenth century that Frank O
TiCknOr'S name appeared in any cy
clopedia Of American poetry. At las
Little Giffin Of Tennessee" fell int
the hands OF a discerning critic VIII,
was not averse to exploiting his dis
covery. and the Georgian's reputation
is now in sense national Tickno
was born in 1922 and was a countr.
nj hA ~ N11Nyos 81
Little Gifin" and "Virginians Of tn
Valley" are his best known produc
tons. but he was the author Of
number as excellent in their way Tn
two lines from the tribute to Lee
Whose touch was the foe undone
Whose name was a nations cheer
put before us truthfully and dl anna
ticaily the skill and the popularity
the great chieftain. This in contra.
is as true and beautiful; it is or
aspect Of an April morning, hauntin
In its suggestions:
Mansions of mist and silver, whi
and slender,
The shy wood spider weaves;
Swingeth the swallow to his old hon
under
The unforgotten caves"
1 call attention to the grace al
strength and spirit of Under WI
lows in concluding this brief noti
OF Ticknor:
Brave ends may consecrate a cru
story
And crown a bastard deed
Brave hearts are laureled with etern
glory
That held another creed
Who knows the end or in what reco
written
The crowned results abide?
The volume closed not with an AL
smitten
Or Christ the crucified
How poor and pale from yonl
heights Of heaven
GtIr nnnn