The Washington herald., 1920-10-03

time tried to find it-because / had for
gotten the number and because there is no
emolazoned sign outside to draw you to it.
And no one in the neishborhood of few
dcsty apartment houses seems ever to have
heard Of it.
Yet that little Office has an attraction for
literary folk the world over-in the United
States, Canada, England, Australia,
France, Scandinavia, Russia 1t is the
birthplace and the home of a little gray
covered magazine which has been called by
Sara Teasdale the greatest single factor in
the rebirth Of poetry in America 1t is the
workshop of Harriet Monroe, poet and
founder Of Poetry"
Miss Monroe was pasting up "a dummy
for next months issue" when / entered
the office at SAB Cass street. / had ex-
pected to hsd some one rather formidable,
with terrible black trimmed spectacles-one,
indeed, who would look the part of being
accustomed to use an ineXorable iron hand
With temperamental, wild-eyed poets. As it
was, met a slim little woman, little enough
TO fit comfortably into her immaculate little
office, who made me feel Immediately at
home; so much at ease, in fact, that
had willed me to fall occasionally into verse
that 1 might be able now to submit some
to her.
Her desk was in a smother Of papers
and volumes of poetry-one of the neatest
smothers l have ever seen. Over in one
corner was an informal gallery of poets
portraits-Tagore, Yeats, Sandburg, Xii.
mer and many others-and a case full Of
new books still in their jackets. Marian
Strobel, poet and associate editor, and Mia
StraCb, business manager of the monthly,
sat working at two small desks. 1t wasn't
long, however, in that atmosphere of neigh
borliness, before Miss Strobel, chatting
with US, was seated gracefully with her
feet tucked under her in a great chair
my impression is, this chair is the only
large thing in the ofhce-and Miss Straub
was reaching from this corner to that OF
the room gathering evidence" in the form
OF editorials and poems to supplement Miss
Monroe's conversation.
Everybody is writing verse of one sort
or another and it is the borderland between
prose and poetry that youth is exploring
today" said Miss Monroe in her soft voice.
after the talk had ceased to become general
A fresh spirit stirs the so-caIled new
movement in poetry. The poetry today is
not so different in detail, form or dictio3
from the older poetry ; it were better to saw.
1t simply has less Of the rhetorical excessas
OF Victorian poetry; it is less vague, less
verbose. 1t is being written by the youtb
OF America In unstereotyped diction and
rhythm 1t follows the great traditions
out Is made suitable to the modern day."
ENOR eight years Miss Monroe has received
from the four corners of the bsbitahIe
earth' the raw outpOurings of beleappred
hearts-of poets, of poets not at all .nd
OF halfway folks who have little of ~
and bit Of t'other. Each month 90 49,
year thousands of poems settle down unor
the little othce-'co comically pstbatioanu
Dad verse; is Miss Monroe's pbras. e..
some Of it; some of it "commonnIsco -
Ver' and some of it the very best noot--
that is being written. f''
Miss Monroe can therefore ol.;.. ~,
all modesty, a discriminating taste .nI
Judgment born Of experience tbot
authentic as any lyric crv from, 81.
OF true poet. Her advice-tbouvh 81
n, n si'ateS 10 give any-must be Significant
nu' sne admits to being 'stumped',-bor
Word-When asked to tell young Amario,a
writers straining to express themselves how
to learn to do it in a richer msnns,
Us a question that finds me boI,l.
l Kno" OF poWhere young poet can o. -
improve his art: He must only u,rita ~,
Keep on writing, read and keep on readinr
the very best verse he can find
80 many OF the young poets ara r;L,,
10 De poor. The occasional poem 3 moot
may sell can't keep him alive vorv e..
OF the best poets are making monav rri.L
their verse. For eight years bou. 49,
hghtlng to secure a travelling sco1orsbi. -
Poe% l think that in short while I NAV
w aOie 10 point to one" she smiled over
her secret. 1T is really deplorsbIe that
no provision is made for poor poets.
colleges have every assortment of scboI
arSnlps and prizes amounting to tbopsan5.
OF dollars for architects, engineers sorIn
tors painters; but none for poets-and ~.
poetry Is fast growing to be an art ~ .,
more and more universal appeal Poa,v
need the cosmopolitan touch. A trsvsI;rv
scholarship, 1 believe, would be of 90 mucb
help to them.
ST SHOULD advise young poets to write
L constantly. But to those who feel tbe
urge such advice is scarcely necessary. Bur
they do need to be told most especially to
ky their poems on editors Let the noets
see what happens when the editors get hold
Of them"
1.-The poet who writes in secret and
broods over his unappreciated manuscripts
Usually e1aggerates their Importance Self
training in solitude is the worst kind Of
training in the world. The poet should
know his world; and, so far as his art is
concerned, any kind of battering from the
world is better than his own self -indulgent
brooding. Let him join, or organize. a
poetry club in his school, college or neigh