Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-23

THE TRAGEDY
OF TWO BOYS
They Both Died Trying to
Fight the Germans Before
They Learned Hon.

Jack Wright and Richard Mansfield
"a. were friends Of about the same age
wright was brought up In France and
loVed II. When the war broke out he
ehhsted In an ambulance corps made
UP or students Of Phillips Andover Acad-
emy and went abroad. He got into
,ne transport service, and finally was
.ransferred to the aviation branch. He
Nas Killed while still In training. When
young Mansfield learned OF his friends
death he enlisted in the aviation serv-
ice. and while In training in Texas ne
also was killed.
wright sent frequent letters to his
,nother and his friends. These have
Seeh collected into book, and reveal
nun as one Of the most gifted youths
OF mis- generation. He was only nine
Teen when he died. but he writes with a
maturity and an Imagination which
make II almost incredible that a boy SO
young could have produced his letters.
ae is poet in prose. For example
IN letter to an Andover classmate he
says: Some day you will live a while
IN the land where came to walk a mo-
ment with my soul, and then YOU shall
thlnk that for one vague dream sec.
ono you Shall have caught a glimpse
OF what my hearts Paradise is-a
snmpse only. though; an unperfumed,
uhtelt glimpse" Again, to his mother
ne wrote: III the idealism of life in its
iuinilinent and perfectionment demand
that l give UP my life for Il, mother.
your soul should be 30 filled with the
grandeur of 1t that the smile OF the
soos should dawn across a heart where
human tears were meant. II I could
give my life to make a bit Of idealism.
perfect Itself and live immortal in a
mortal world. 1t would be the highest
nope I could attain and the greatest
happiness 1 could enjoy. If l were 70
i've lukewnrmly and die weakly II
would be the greatest tragedy 1 or any
human could suffer-"
The letters are filled with passages
ike these. The boy wanted to serve
France. which he loved, and he wanted
to be the poet Of the air, as there have
oeen poets Of the sea and of the land
or the city and Of the country. There
Is no doubt that II he had lived he
would have produced poetry even finer
than that which he has embalmed in
MS prose. The world is richer because
this youth lived.
Young Mansfield wrote considerable
verse before he died. The best of this
has been collected by Witter Bynner
and arranged in the order in which he
would have preferred. 1t Is no dis
paragement OF 1t to say that Wright's
prose Is much more poetic than Mans
held's verse. for Wright had unusual
gifts. The best of the poems is "A
Song of Vengeance" doubtless written
after Mansfield learned of his friend s
death. 1t ends with these thrilling
lines:
Those murdered babes Of wrongly sunken
Those crucined Of Belgium and France
TheY shall have vengeance.
Goldly. quietly, almost with half a smile
We come. youths OF the New World eager for
They shall have vengeance
And We've youths Of the New World-we
shall give II them!
| These two youths were among those
who felt that at such a time ito be
young were very heaven"
A POET OF THE AIR. Letters of Jack
wTsrd1sht. Boston: Houxhton Mifflln Co
| COURAGE. BY Richard Mansfield, Cd, New
| York: Moffat. Yard & Co. 81.