New Britain herald., 1922-11-10
ABHORS
 MODERN SCRIBBLING
Librarian to Crown Sees Little
 Merit to Postwar Poetry

New York, Nov. 10.-Despite the great deluge of writing In English whNh has flooded the market since the war. there are but few fragments that are likely to survive the test of the ages, in the view of the Hon, John w.. Fortescue, librarian to the crown, who Is paying his first to the United States.
 Admitting that his duties as libra riar in charge of the kings library of 13o,000 books not to mention tho work of writing the history of the British army in 15 volumes, leave him little time to scan the pages of the latest best seller, Mir tFortescue went on to point out that the craving for originality among the present day writers Is the thing which is likely to cause their work to sink into ob- livion with the passing of the years.
 "I believe that you are suffering from 1t in America, too" he said. Our own modern writers seem to have mania for selecting peculiar words, peculiar phrases and manner of writing through which they lose the charm to be found in the old standard Ot Wrltlng
 'I doubt if of all the war poems which flooded England after the late war, more than few pieces will live Rupert Brooke wrote several heautiful lines, Julian Greenville will probably survive and of course the poem of 'Flanders Field" writ | ten by a Canadian whose name l can't recall just now, will go down | in history of our war literature. out side of those, however, cannot think Of any others. Certainly there is nothing 10 l compare with what followed the 1 Napoleonic war, with It's Shelley and 1 Wordsworth and Byron. And you recall those wonderful lines writ l fen by a minister. the Rev. Charles Wolfe. l believe, on the burial of Sir John Moore, who was killed in 1909 at Coruna. That poem will I've for all time
 'Jt is so with the modern poets as ! well as writers of prose- this seeking I Ter originality at the expense of the simplicity of the poets of the early l 18th century. Personally l am quite a stickler for form in writing of any kind I can see nothing in the flaming lines, the complicated phrases employed by our present writers to impress the most simple l thoughts.
 That is why I say the poem Elan ders Field will live. Written as it is, in rondeau form, it has besides a beautiful sentiment a beautiful form of expression."
 The poem referred to was written by a Lieut.. McCrao of the Canadian forces, who was later mortally wounded in action.
 The library of which MT. Fortescue I is the head is the third of its kind to be collected at Windsor Castle. The first was presented to the British Museum in 1753, the second in 1923 .during the life of King Georges " which is known as the Kings Li- brary," and which contained an origi- nal Greek version of the Bible, also given to the nation. In the present collection the most valuable piece is said to be a Xtminez Psalter bear ing the date of 1457. @ f Besides the library Mir. Fortescue T is in charge of the collection of Il drawings of the castle. in which | there are 80 of Holbein's and a num- Der by Leonardo da Vinci.
 4 Since arriving in New York a week ago Mir. Fortescue has spent virtually aIl of his time in the public library and the library of John Pier f pont Morgan, said to be the most E valuable private collection of books in America.
 "They are wonderful collections, he said, land in such tip-top order, most beautifully cared for! And what a beautiful building is the public library! | have enjoyed them so much, but of course, have seen lit tie besides for like the busman-you know busman is the driver, of a bus
 who, when he goes on vacation, takes a ride on the other busman's bus, so have I been spending all my time in the other fellows library"
 Which would lead one to believe by the explanation of "busman" that MT. Fortescue has not even seen our mayors beautiful collection of | busSes
 l Mir. Fortescue, who is accompanied by his wife, is stopping with MT. and l Mrs. Francis Rogers of IA East l Sixty-second street. They are mem bers of the English Speaking Union which has q British branch in Lon Al. l.