Evening star., 1926-04-27

One Of the interesting letters OF
literary history Is that written by
Sidney Lanier, the Southern poet. to
his father, telling of his determine
ton to devote the rest Of his life to
literature and music.
He had tried being a soldier, hotel
clerk and lawyer, but all the time the
longing for IL literary career assailed
him-his soul. as he said. had been
cutting swiftly into the great space
OF the subtle, unspeakable deep, driv-
en- by wind after wind of heavenly
melody"
Those Of today who do one thing
to earn a living. and In the secret re-
cesses OF their being long to devote
their life to another calling, ought to
take heart at the history of Lanier.
He was early taught music, and
could play upon almost any instru.
ment. He grew so fond Of the violin.
and so capable a player thereon. that
his father became alarmed. and In.
duced him to take up the flute.
Perhaps Thomas Lanier had an
idea that Sidney. when he grew up,
would regard a flute as a minor in.
strument, and thus give up music as
a pursuit. II so, he reckoned with
out his son.
Lanier (Sidnev OF course--he is the
one who will be remembered) finally
gave over the struggle to earn his
living through means not to his In
ner liking, and cut loose. once and for
Ill. from the parental wishes,
In 1873 he accepted position as
first fiautist with the Peabody SYM
phony Orchestra of Baltimore. AS
49, I.k.. l. t.
in protest. The letter to which we
referred was Lanier's reply.
y + Il
"11y dear father" he wrote, think
how, for 20 years. through poverty,
through pain, through WEAKNESS,
through sickness, through the uncon-
genial atmosphere Of a farcical college
and u bare army, and, then OF an cX
acting business life, through all the
encouragement Of being wholly I'M
acquainted with literary people and
literary ways-I say, think how. In
spite Of all these depressing circum-
stances. and of q thousand more
which I could enumerate, these two
figures Of music and poetry have
steadily kept in my heart so that
could not Danish them.
docs 1t not seem to you, as to me,
that I begin to have the right to
enroll myself among the devotees OF
these two sublime arts, after having
followed them so long and so humbly,
and through so much bitterness?"
It would seem that he had; and so
his father thought. to his eternal
credit, who afterward helped him
In every way to realize his ambitions.
1t must not be imagined that Lanier
jumped Immediately to fame and for
tune, however.
He wrote and published some poems,
but poetry Is a precarious calling at
best, as far as material rewards are
concerned. In those days press agent
methods" were unknown. The pub.
fishers did not know how to boost"
a book to fame.
II they had, they scarcely could
have achieved their purpose with
Sidney Lanier's first poems. for they
were not of the popular variety. 1t is
a question whether they can be so
termed even today.
OF all OF Americas standard poets,
IL one may call them that, Lanier Is
perhaps the least read, and by the
mass of persons, even poetry readers,
the least appreciated. He built upon
the musical theories Of Poe and Swim
burne, and achieved results entirely
new, but somehow his poems have
failed to work themselves into the
general consciousness of the people.
X x X X
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