New-York tribune., 1918-02-23
The Clories Of America
New York in Classic Verse
Bards of Manhattan
\ knickerbocker Anthology.
Old and New
rIIE BOOK OLE NEW Ynp1, un,,Sn. n,..., :.

TIE BOOK OF NEW YORK VERSE rdi,ed no
'nmHa st,. F,n A!m,,tons qsSlated ,u svc pp. py
New York was a most amiable spot
IN It's palmy Knickerbocker davs be-
torc the war. 1t was rich and we'll
ied and rarely entertained. But it
was not inspiring. to judge bv its
artist'c product. The dividing point
at which it began to change from
prosperous case to its modern ma
Jcsuc stir is made oddly clear in a
ne" and Interesting anthology, "Thc
Book of New York Verse" nut to-
gether by H. hamilton Fish Armstronr
lhat is tho way of anthologies. How
ever limited their aim, they seldom
1ail to shed new light simply by virtue
ol tneir new JuXtapositions and as
senolings and cheek by cheek con-
trasts.
Walt Whitman with his Mannahatta
is that dividing point, roughly speak
ing. There was much good wit and
some MINOR poetry in the wears when
i -Greenc Halleck and Joseph Rod
man Drake were rhyming about The
Bronx and Weehawken and Tammanv
Hail. There was little poignant emo
ton OF any sort. There was appar
entity nothing to feel deep emotion
about 1t remained for Brooklyn
printer wandering along the streets
ana wharves of Manhattan, to catch
ana report the first glimpse of New
YORK the magnificent, the new riant
OF the West lifting toward the clouds:
City OF hurried and sparkling waters,
CITY OF spires and masts,
o'ty nestcd in bays! My city.
Ihat was before 1860, and whole
oattallons of poets have taken their
shot at New York since. 1t is Mr..
Arnstrong's success that he has as
Sempled real hymn to modern New
lork out OF the manytoned poems
avaiiaole: here is wide variety
and 1t all helps. Yet there is no mis-.
taking the fact that it is the lvrica,
poet whose word counts most. The
phllosophic catalogues of peoples and
smells by the James Oppenheims are
confused and clashing background
against which such personal lyrics as
IRON the Woolworth Tower.' bv
sara Teasdale, arise, 4 clear and por
traying voice. 1t is, in short, ONLY bv
looking within that poet can paint
great pageant without.
The book is weakest on the histori-
cal side. The few large themes avail
able, Nathan Hale, for example. have
no worthy setting. Best in this field
"''N q Niedi SCilIluT lNrlc Is Nh. Arm
sstrong's own "Golden hill" Perhaps
1t IS the lack of stirring events on
which The blame should rest. 1t is
hard to write immortal stuff about the
Arrival OF Croton Water or the Pres
entat'on of an Obelisk. There is a
long gap in historical interest be-
tween Peter Stuyvesant's pear tree
and, let us say. Concord Bridge.
Mr. Armstrong has decorated his
VOLUME with charming old prints that
do much to supplement the short
comings Of the early verse. There are
omissions; but what anthology has
not. The only real flaws arc in the
matter of facts. Ny. Armstrong is too
c.hary of dates. Each poem should
have been located either by tho dates
of birth and death of the 2uthor or
the date Of the writing. Aud an IN
deS of first lines is at least as i'm
portant as thc index OF authors given
No doubt Mr.. Armstrong can rcmcd,.
these minor defects in a new edition
Wher the war releases him and he is
once moro nearer library than in
his army camp.