New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-16

young men and women are devoting a.V
selves to poetry. And here "deyot;,~sa.
not figure of speech; it is fact. FL,
poorly paid work. poetry is surely the so,,
paid.
In recent interview in THE New v.
Tines ] am quoted as saying that I WI.
that no man could expect to make a liv;,.
literature, that | wished our magazines Gs
pay for contributions. Now, did say ~,
these things, but in the cold impersonali,S ',
print without explanatory phrases. thew s.',
quite differently from what intended n.
moment ! regret that poetry is unde,,.,,
the next | desire that it be not paid :, ~
How reconcile these two propositions, n.
reconciliation is not so far to seek. af,e. ~
There are plenty Of analogies to be drawn t,.~
life. lying to our hand.
If | say: 1t is undesirable that arv
should spend his life as jailer to criminal.
the proposition obtains immediate conser, !,
| say: 1t is most desirable that the grad. =,
iailers be raised 50 that only men Of NJ.
quality hold these responsible positions M.
proposition also admits Of no adverse onino,
The reconciliation lies in the qualifying adm,
sion that circumstances being as they a.,
some modifying of each proposition has On. :,
be made. Again. most of us abhor militarsr
but most of us believe in the necessity Of M,
paredncss.
Ny statement about the payment Of poets l.
quite simple of application regret the ,,
cessty of art trafcking itself for dollars A.
cents. | regret that the world misconc.ic,.
the value of art so greatly as universally q
underpay it. Other arts eventually beor,
self-supporting; poetry practically never to..
And here my strange paradox brings me t,,,
again, for to this failure Of the golden lv,
believe we owe it that poetry is so srg..
minded, so prone to follow out its own dream.
unhindered by public opinion.
Also. | am not aware that have said sny.
thing against the poet earning his living By
some other work than that Of poetry. Histoy
has shown Us many examples Of poets Of "a,
first rank filling practical positions at the san,
time. Chaucer was a hard-worked magistrate
Shakespeare was an actor and mack playwrgt,
to a popular theatre; Spenser was secretsr
to the Lord Deputy Of Ireland Mallarme wa,
professor OF English in boys school; Samsh
was d government functonary; could 90 or
enumeratng such cases.
To take momentary glance at other arts
we have only to remember that Pierre Lei
and Rimsky- korsakoff were naval officers, an.
that other great Russian composer, Borodim
was a physician and of unusual eminence
his profession.
No. it is only the mino- poets who are .'
impractical TO do anything else we'll | am cor.
WINGED. When | suggested that poetry should
not be paid had no such idea as that pOss
should starye in garnet on a crust Of bread
expected them, rather, to make a living
some other way which should remove ther
from the necessity Of lowering their art to ths
tastes Of that part of the public which pay
well for its pleasures. But. indeed, so esyy
have poets flung aside Ibis temptation that
can hardly be considered as such at ALL They
have certainly earned the right to better psy.
ment. if strenuous, self-sacrificing endeaw
constitutes a right.
But how shall they get this pay' What vii
make the public read poetry and care for 1t as
they do for fiction? Perhaps it Is a beautiful
dream to suppose that they will ever care for u
as much as that, the great mass OF peoPe
But one way to bring about o more ntellger'
attitude toward il and a more lively lniereS
in it is by a serious body Of criticism deyollng
Itself to it. can hardly speak too stronsy
on this subject | can hardly urge upon yo1
too mistakenly the great need that America hs
for trained criticism. The so-called review
in our newspapers doubtlcss serve some geo
purpose. but il is the purpose OF the publisher
and the booksellers. not OF the poet or Of i'''S
turc. The poet seeking to learn his art ln''
not one hint in the various discussions Of @.
temporary verse to help him on his way ~
Is treated as news item. or he IS not ueSs'
at all. Of course. there are exceptions 70 ~,
but will name no names; you can al thlnA
them for yourselves. On the other hano, VI
few trained and eager critics that We d"
devote themselves almost exclusively ~
works of authors dead and Of assured fsne
They order this matter better % ffS'Vs
indeed When | was preparing my BOOK 0' -
French poets | read some twenty OF '"'|
volumes of criticism all dealing WIN y"
temporary French poetry The fed Of n'r y.
is full to overlooking. the field Of poetry +" =
ing rapidly, but the field Of criticism ns' :.
many corners to Offer 1t is along TINS 0I a.,
that want TO see our literature grow
the poets need the critics as encourageiS
rectors and middlemen; we, the puo'"' -,
the critics to point out to Us what We 'ns
otherwise miss. or seeing, fail to understand
II used to be said that no artist eouiu :"
in America. DO not believe that this y y.
to-day. But America will be more s!"f.