Year: 1874

Ihe effect illustrates the admirable
adoption of this noble art to eluci-
! dating productions of the humblest
| character. Readers who carefully
| follow this master in the analysis of
"Jack and Gill; will readily perceive
what a wonderful thing modern
"criticism" is:


Jack and Gill went up the hill,
To gcta pail of water.


Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Gill came tumbling after.
In conducting a criticism of this
beautiful poem, we shall first attend
to what may be called the rythmical
and dynamical qualities of the verse.
Observe the perfect measure:


Jack-and Gil-went up the hill.


The first part of tho first foot is
lacking but that is fully compensa-
ted in the next verse, which is hy-
percatalectic: "


To get--a pail-of wafer.


The Ell, in this instance, would
exactly fill the incomplete foot Of the
first verse, thus producing a grand
iambie diamer, and leaving the sec
ond verse delightful tripody.


The next two verses display the
same wonderful poetic structure:


Jack fell-down-and broke-his crown,


And Gill-came tumb-ling after.
! Observe the pleasing and highly
musical effect produced by the ad-
dition of the fractional foot, er:
And Gill-came tumb-ling after.


Let us now turn our attention to
what are really the essential ele-
ments OF poetry-the nature of the
thought and the quality of the SEN
timent. First, the thought. All
true poetry is highly imaginative
This is highly imaginative:


Jack and Gill went up the hill
To get pail Of water.


The poet imagined that they did,
and in this consist, very largely, it's
poetry. Again, Jack didn't fall
down and break his crown, and Gill
didn't come tumbling after. The
poet simply imagined all this, and
hence it is all the more poetic. A
gain. this is an upward flight of
imagination. Jack and Gill wentup
the hill. They also went up to get
water, which makes the conception
still more striking. 1t would have
been commonplace and matter Of
fact to go down the hill for water.


Notice that in the next line it is
not the imagination that falls, but
Jack-Jack fell down. Notice, too,
the result. He did not break the
connection Of the story; he did not
even break the flight Of the poets
fancy; he simply broke his crown.
We may suppose it was afterward
repaired. We have as good right to
suppose this as the poet had to i'm
| aeine it all all. And now the final
catastrophe:


And Gill came tumbing after
This is perfectly harmonious
We should naturally have expect
ed it. We may suppose that Gill
was leaning on Jack, and that there
fore, when Jack fell, Gill, by neces-
sity went tumbling after; or we may
suppose that Gill loved Jack more
than we can tell, and that, when she
saw him fall back and break his crown
in a fit of sheer desperation she
threw herself after him. Either hy-
pothesis would fully account for the
facts, but I am inclined to accept the
la tier, it being the more poetic and
thoroughly conson&nt with the pa
thetic nature of the scene.


Lastly, let us study the sentiment.
Jack and Gill went up the hill.


Here, we see that Jack and Gill
were industrious. Itrequires an ef-
fort to go up hill. This was proba-
bly, long, steep hill. At any rate
we may suppose it was. If it was,
it would require all the more effort
to go up it. We have no evidence
that Jack and Gill repined- It is
not said that they went up the hill
underprotest. They appearto have
gone up cheerfllly and what a les
son of cheerful industry is here
taught us! The object of their 60
ing up the hill to geta pail of water
is a matter Of mere conjecture. l
have sometimes thought that they
wanted it to drink, and have again
supposed they were getting it for a
sick companion.


Either purpose would have been
praiseworthy. It is not stated
what became of the water when they
fell down. Perhaps it is not known.
Possibly in the general overturn it
was spilled-but this would detract
nothing from the honor due to them
for going after it.


The misfortune which overlook
Jack and Gill is singularly impres,
sive. It shows the uncertainty OF
all things earthly. Quietly return