The Washington times., 1921-04-03

.sFrs. Ver.o"
TvERY romantic girl knows that In the
r. age Of chivalry the troubadour sang
love ditties under his fair lady's win
dow and won his suit by his poetic rhap-
sodies.
But now we are living in an age of prac.
teal things and the modern girl is likely
to interrupt the soulful. ng-haired poet in
the middle Of his love song to ask how
much a week he is making.
So the recent romance of Miss Winifred
Ellerman and Robert Menzies McAlmon, q
poor poet Of New Yorks Bohemian section,
comes as delightful breath of the age of
romance Of long ago. But in this case the
bride who was won by this modern trouba-
dour is the daughter of an enormously rich
English ship owner and capitalist. In this
instance fair Juliet did not have to inter.
rupt the poets rondelets by asking II he
was among those whose income required
him to file an income tax report
1t is quite an interesting romance, and
the long-haired artists and poets and the
5uOTt-udlTcu WOucu WuO uldh0 w tuo dTI-
list and poet life of New York's famous
Greenwich Village section talk Of nothing
else just now. Young McAlmon was quite
a figure in the life of the colony. As poe
try Is difficult to market the income from
the poets pen was very meagre. or course.
pay for his occasional meals this young
troubadour earned dollar or two now and
then posing as male model at forty cents
an hour.
OF course, carpenters get a dollar an
hour. and some bricklayers get even more
But they are not poets. Carpenters and
bricklayers are a necessity. but we can
struggle along without poets. Not every
body appreciates poet If they did per-
haps Mr.. McAlmon would have been get
ting at least as much as a bricklayer for
his rondelets. prose poems, sonnets, blank
verse and "vers libre"
But there was in store for the poor poet
of Greenwich Village greater financial re-
ward than anybody dreamed Of. Who
would have supposed that his free verse
was to catch the eye and entrance the soul
Of one Of the richest girls in Great Britain?
Miss Ellerman by accident read his
prose poem to the Blue Mandrill in that
modest poetical publication called "Con-
tact"-she was spellbound. What revela.
tion of insight and depth of soul this little
masterpiece of genius portrayed. All! II
she could only meet and sit at the feet of
genius who could write with such inspira-
ton!
And this is Mr.. McAlmon's prose poem
entitled
THE BLUE MANDRILL.
"The Blue Mandrill is high color, harsh
blue. vermillion, with liquid fireball eyes.
He does not know Dada, but Dada should
take up with him Without doubt his
grrrhs and gnashings wouldehave greater
value recorded, as art, than anybody's
intellectual sterilities. He is full OF pas
sion, rage, rebellion! Faint instinct and
forest memories, lightning nights, tree
tops, battles, savage warfare for preser-
walton of self, paint kaleidoscope half
images in the evanescent shadows that
the light of brute intelligence casts upon
his subconscious. Poor brute Poor
Dada. He cannot rebel against the ra-
tional, cannot be tired-minded, and know
that he is weary Of the tyranny of forms
in nature Poor brute! should he attempt
to record his emotions he would become
awkward and seifaware! The medium
Of conveyance would force him to selec-
tion-destroy the primal urge Of vicious
resentment-cripple his vigor-My God!
My God! Poor brute. Poor Dada. Ugh!
Ack! Ack! Grrrrh! Ugh! Huh! o
hell! Foor Dada! %
II her poet-hero could write so feelingly
on one of natures most fantastic circus
animals, what heights would his genius
reach II he wrote on woman? These
thoughts fascinated the Imagination of the
wealthy heiress and soon she came across
another poem by Mr. McAlmon entitled
"Superwoman." Here at last she would
find the play Of his genius around a topic
which might well inspire the loftiest and
the deepest thoughts of his soul.
And this is the poem, "Superwoman,"
which Miss Ellerman read with pulsating
heart:
SUPERwOMAN.
"She lives at least by God, she lives at
least, she has experience, goes out and