Evening star., 1923-07-07
The Library Table
BY THE BoOKLOvER


sometimes tempted to believe 1t, but
the facts that volumes Of poetry con-
tinue TO be published and that many
magazines carry larger or smaller
numbers of poems. seem to indicate
that there are some people who
still read poetry. Though many of
them never turn to anything later
than Tennyson and Browning, prob
ably the majority are readers of
of very modern verse. in one volume.
is furnished by new edition of
work which first appeared in 1917
Twentieth Century Verse in English"
edited by Harriet Monroe, editor OF
Poetry, q magazine Of verse, and by
Alice Corbin Henderson.
The introductions to the two edi-
tions. which begin the volume, are
two excellent critical essays on the
new poetry and give much useful
preliminary information to q reader
Of tho book. A glance over the
names in the table Of contents seems
to indicate that few English or Amer
lean poets Of note have been omitted.
One defect Is that there Is no indica-
tion. for the benefit of the incom-
pletely informed reader, of the ma
tionality of the poets. whether Brit
ish or American. The larger share
of the volume is given to American
poets.
Among the English poets. Rupert
Brooke. who was killed in the war.
is represented by Retrospect" and
group of five sonnets, entitled
Nineteen Fourteen John Drink
water has three poems. including a
wordsworth-like description, Sun
rise on Rydal Water" Six poems are
quoted from Thomas Hardy, probably
tho oldest writer included In the
volume. "A Woman and Her Dead
Husband" and "A Baby Asleep After
Pain" are two Of a number of strik-
ing poems by D. H Lawrence. John
Masefield's "Cargoes." ships and
selected from his works, Walter de
Ia Mare also furnishes six poems.
From the Irish poets the editors
have chosen Yeats, OF course, and
give ten of his poems, two OF which
are The Collar-Bone of a Hare and
to Nothing" Padriac Colum, Seumas
O'Sullivan and Padraic Pearse are
also represented. Two selections are
given from "Gitanjali" and THE Gar
dener," by Rabindranath Tagore.
The work OF many American poets
appears in the volume. Sherwood An
derson, Witter Bynner, VILLA Gather,
II Nd
Mackaye. James Oppenheim. Lew
Sarett and Louis Unterneyer furnish
few poems each. and the three
stanzas of Alan Seegers. "I Have a
Rendezvous With Death" which fore
shadowed his own death in the war.
stand alone on a page. The following
P9s he soems are ror the
part. well selected: John Gould
Fletcher. Robert Frost. vachel Lind
say. Amy Lowell, Edgar Lee Masters.
Edna st. Vincent Millag, Ezra Pound.
and Sara Teasdale.
"a
In a recent number Of the Inde-
pendent, an editorial entitled "Con-
cerning American History" which
condemns the wrong -headedness of
the report Of David Hirshfleld on
American history text books, closes
with a word Of caution on the in
expediency Of introducing into school
text books the mooted questions as to
whether the American revolution
was right or wrong, wise or unwise.
beneficial or harmful to the world
of today and to posterity tomorrow"
The historian" the article concludes,
should not impose his answer, how
ever convinced of its truth he may
be. upon immature minds. -. Let
his findings for consideration by ma,
texts should treat the revolution as
a fact accomplished, and explain fully
why the colonists thought It right.
and why later generations of Ameri-
cans have continued to think that 1t
was right Above all, the school
texts should not disparage the men
who risked lives and fortunes, and
fought heroicaiIy in desperate cause.
There is no reason in historic fact
or in morals why we should not con-
tinue to revere them"
1t gives one a shock of surprise to
find a modern Michael Sadleir writ
ing an old-fashioned guardian-ward
story. as he has done in "Desolate
Splendour" The somewhat elaborate
plot of melodramatic intrigue does
not disguise the type. which. with all
its modern touches. Is that OF the
days Of Augusta Evans Wilson and
"st. Elmo" The Identification marks
Of the old guardian-ward novel are
all there: Ward, a beautiful young
girl, blonde of course, with unhappy
parentage; guardian a world-wea
tn rryyt n q -
rifice for guardian; guardian re-
claimed to quiet domestic life by
ward; ward nursing a secret love for
guardian for some time before
guardian awakens to his love Tor her;
anal marriage. There is one situ-
alton which is not true to type nor.
II seems to me. true to life. even that
of the twentieth century. The charm
ing ward OF twenty-one travels about
Europe and sojourns in Paris and
Rome alone with her guardian of the
recent unsavory past. and all TINS
without arousing the least surprise
or criticism from the Victorian ma
irons who form the social back
ground and support OF their Engish
life. a..
Readers who have been following
the Amherst College case and who
would like to get at first hand the
IDEAS of Alexander Meiklejohn, who
was forced out Of the presidency,
should read DR.. Meiklejohn's ''The
Liberal College," published two or
three years ago. The challenging at
[titude of the author ts shown by the
fact that he says In his preface that
he would have preferred the title to
be Making Minds''-"and that large
Nv because 1t invites misunderstood
ing" These sentences perhaps best
give the purpose Of the book: Men
Everywhere are making human life.
ore making mankind to be a stronger,