The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1955-05-24

- III FiIbGF IildI itAGtRr Il T
realization Of her dreams She
must have felt. IN the European
manner that no sacrifice vas too
great 70 help hin with his poetic
endeapOr Feeling this way, in an
age 81 shrinking moral courage.
Miss Mary Is more 70 be saluted
than censured for having re-
nounced. as circumstances ap-
parently made it necessary. every
thing most Of her contenl pora les
considered !mnorf -h@r ROSES
SONS and her social standing for
something she believed fervently
worthy CT her fun support
Gould died in 1910. and he vas
followed 70 the grave one year
later by Miss Mary Shortly there
after all visible evidence Of his
twenty years In Farmville Was de-
stfoyed by her family
Honors Paper
Mrs F'oards research paper
written TO fulfill requirements for
an honors course in English is the
first such study made on Wallace
Could The Job took her some
eighteen months TO complete. and
required an extensive amount OF
correspondence with q 0 u d S
friends in Maine for biogra phical
and photographed material plus
other correspondence and personal
interviews 10 substant.ate the facts
Of his life She quotes widely from
his poetry both 20 show his style
ard significance as poet and
also to indicate the processes Of
his mind She lists IN her hiollo-
graphy interviews with II Farm :
vile residents and three out-of-
state persons. Her source material
includes Gould's two volumes Of
published verse. five magazines
and five anthologies containing
his poems. seven critical studies Of
Wallace Gould. six book reviews
OF Gould "Aphrodite and Other
Poems, "a letters written To his
friend William Dixon Of Maine 20
letters from Miss Mary 70 Mr..
Dixop and others
Too Early
II is yet too early to say
whether or not Gould VIII be re-
cognized as poet Of lasting skin
in the annals Of American poetry
Bach. after all. was unappreclated
during his lifetime and for the IS
years following his death His
success came later TOO late. and
he Is considered today one Of the
true geniuses of music This may
not 10 be so Gould poetry but 1t
is important to realize that a
Of critics who were his
contemporaries did praise some Of
his work and did include IL in
anthologies. The fact that Dr
himself a poet Of re-
nown, openly admired the Maine
period OF Gould S poetry for It's
romantic tenor" the firmneSS Of
its images" and its 'smoOthnesS Of
diction" should be borne IN mind
Later. the same Dr. Williams de-
cried Gould S near obSeSSlon with
Greek themes during his years in
feeling that Gould S
true forte lay in capturing the
imagery Of Maine landscape and
character. but the poets second
book, "Aphrodlte and o h c T
Poems" published in 1928. and
using Greek subjects received
Of optimistic reviews.
II and when there should be a
revived interest in Wallace Gould,
Mrs. Foard's paper VIII be Of in
estimable value. Biographical
material was hard enough to To-
cate IS years after his death
without her research efforts. the
publication Of her
paper and the microfllming Of all
available letters. such an under
taking would be Well-nigh impos-
sible IN fifty years
A Stranger
Gould moved as a stranger
among US To quote Mrs. Foard
where She likens hun to the Aug
ust flower he called himself .
Wallace Gould sprang up as an
alien August floWer-for what We
SOW III August bears not much
a child Of the sun and peltipg rain.
He lived out his days untanaed and
unchecked by the boundaries Of
cultivation Like a Wild vine IN
soctcty's formal garden a lonely
thing OF nature, he bore few
small. delicate blue flowers smell
ing like geranium but leaving no
seed
He might still be there, for his
legend lives among US
Miss Mamie Scott