Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-23
LITERARY NEW YORK
Most Of the Poets Who Write About the
City Were Born Elsewhere

TNHE literary barreuuess Of the city OF Now
l. York Is notorious. What? You CAV. tho
city is full OF men and women producing IN.
erature' Yes, and II Is filed with great f7nan-
cIerS and captains Of industry. But New
YORK did not produce them. They have gone
there as to market place to sell their wares,
Plerpont Morgan, the elder: John D. Rookie
felIei Frank Vanderlip and Charles Schwab
were all born outside of New York. And so
WAS william Dean Howels, HamIin Garland.
Edith N, Thomas. Richard Watson Glider.
Don Marquis Franklin Z. Adams, Edmund
Clarence Stedman. Edwin Arlington Robinson
ana nearly all Of the living and dead men and
women OF letters who have been associated
with that city in their later years
The Putnams, who have been publishing
books in New York for several generations.
have just issued "The Book Of New York
Verse" containing more than 225 poems about
the city written by 1913 different poets, But
only eleven Of the poets are native New York
ers' To make the book typical OF literary
New York it should have borne the imprint
OF Philadelphia publishing house; then ve
should have had volume Of verse about
New York by poets native Of other places
issued from the press of another city offered
to the public Of the nation. This wider pub
lie will doubtless purchase more copies of
the book than VIII be sold i'm the city with
which it deals.
But to return to the nativity of the poets
There are seven selections from the writings
of Sara Teasdale and Clinton Scolard, a
greater number than from any other poets
sara Teasdale was born and lives IN St.
Louis, and Clinton Scollard is the son Of n
country physician OF Clinton, ~ y and still
lives in the little village where lie was born.
lie writes about the great city when he gets
tired OF writing about,the country, lie is no
more Of a New Yorker than is Austin Dobson
or Pierre Jean de Beranger, each of whom is
represented by single poem.
New England. whose population is about
that Of the city of New York, Is represented
by fifteen poets, or four more than the city
itself Included among them are Edwin Ar
lngton Robinson John Greenleaf whittier
William Cullen Bryant, r. B, Aldrich N p
Willis, Robert Grant. Edmund Clarence Sted-
man and Fitz-Greene HallecS There are
eight Pennsylvania a-born poets from whose
tributes to the city selections are made
This is a large number when one considers
that they have u great city within their own
State about which TO write. Among them are
Henry van DYKE. born I'm Germantown
George b. Norris whom New York usually
claims one of its own Lloyd Mif1in. a dis
tinguished sonneteer; Florence Earle Coates
Marian G. Smith, Harvey ". Watts Margaret
Widdemer and Robert Bridges not the Brit
ish laureate, but the editor of Scribner's
Magazine.
New Workers. are now claiming Don Mar
quis and Franklin r. Adams as the best
poetic interpreters Of the spirit of the town
but both Marquis and Adams were born in
Illinois and did not go to New York till they
were grown men. Even the late Richard
Watson Glider was not New Yorker, uut
first saw the light I'm Bordentown, n. j., much
nearer Philadelphia than New York. lie
studied law In Philadelphia and did not 60
to New York at all until after he had served
his apprenticeship in journalism in Newark
| Indiana, which began producing literature
| when New York was more than 2N1 years
| old, has produced three poets to write about
| the metropolis who loom larger in American
| literature than the total eleven native New
| Workers included in the volume, They are
| Joaquin Miller William Vaughn Moody and
| Meredith Nicholson.
Who are the native New Yorkers? Among
! them are Edgar Fawcett. now almost forgot
| ten; GUY Wetmore Carrvll, remembered by
| only a few; Emma Lazarus whose poetry
| was a fad for a while; Helen Hay Whitney
| who amuses herself writing verse, and Joseph
| Rodman Drake, who Is never classified any
| where save as a minor poet He Is renem-
bered because of his "Amrlcan Flag" the
| last stanza Of which. the best OF the whole
| poem was written by Fitz-Greene HalleclS, a
New Englander.
There Is evidently something in the atmos-
| phere OF New York which prevents the native
| from cultivatlng his literary gifts, II he be
| born with them The city has to depend on
| men born elsewhere TO describe and interpret
| her c. w. d.