Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922
by H. P. Lovecraft · English · Gutenberg #30637 · 634,627 chars · public domain (US)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Writings in the United Amateur, 1915-1922
Author: H. P. Lovecraft
Contributor: Rheinhart Kleiner
Andrew Francis Lockhart
Frank Belknap Long
Release date: December 9, 2009 [eBook #30637]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2021
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30637
Credits: David Starner, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WRITINGS IN THE UNITED AMATEUR, 1915-1922 ***
Transcriber's Note:
Italic text has been marked by _underscores_, whilst bold text
appears as =bold=. The following table of contents has been added
for convenience:
United Amateur Press Association:
Exponent of Amateur Journalism 4
The United Amateur, January 1915
Department of Public Criticism 7
The United Amateur, March 1915
Department of Public Criticism 10
March 14
The United Amateur, May 1915
Department of Public Criticism 15
The United Amateur, September 1915
Department of Public Criticism 21
Little Journeys to the Homes of Prominent Amateurs 31
The United Amateur, February 1916
The Teuton's Battle-Song 33
The United Amateur, April 1916
Department of Public Criticism 35
The United Amateur, June 1916
Department of Public Criticism 42
The Poetry of the Month: Content 49
The United Amateur, August 1916
Department of Public Criticism 50
The United Amateur, September 1916
Department of Public Criticism 54
The United Amateur, November 1916
The Alchemist 61
The United Amateur, March 1917
Department of Public Criticism 65
The United Amateur, May 1917
Department of Public Criticism 71
The United Amateur, July 1917
Ode for July Fourth, 1917 80
Department of Public Criticism 81
News Notes: To M. W. M. 84
The United Amateur, November 1917
A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson 84
Department of Public Criticism 87
Reports of Officers: President's Message 90
The United Amateur, January 1918
Reports of Officers: President's Message 91
The United Amateur, March 1918
Reports of Officers: President's Message 92
The United Amateur, May 1918
Sunset 92
Department of Public Criticism 93
Reports of Officers: President's Message 98
The United Amateur, June 1918
Astrophobos 99
The United Amateur, July 1918
At the Root 100
Reports of Officers: President's Message 101
The United Amateur, November 1918
Department of Literature: The Literature of Rome 102
To Alan Seeger 106
The United Amateur, January 1919
Theodore Roosevelt 107
The United Amateur, March 1919
A Note on Howard P. Lovecraft's Verse 108
Official Reports: Department of Public Criticism 109
The United Amateur, May 1919
Helene Hoffman Cole--Litterateur 113
The United Amateur, July 1919
Americanism 114
The United Amateur, November 1919
The White Ship 115
To Mistress Sophia Simple, Queen of the Cinema 118
The United Amateur, January 1920
Literary Composition 119
The United Amateur, May 1920
For What Does the United Stand? 123
The United Amateur, September 1920
Poetry and the Gods 124
The United Amateur, November 1920
Nyarlathotep 128
Editorial 129
Official Organ Fund 130
The United Amateur, January 1921
Official Organ Fund 130
The United Amateur, March 1921
Winifred Virginia Jackson: A "Different" Poetess 130
Ex Oblivione 134
Official Organ Fund 134
The United Amateur, September 1921
The United Amateur 135
Editorial 136
The United Amateur, November 1921
The United Amateur 138
Official Organ Fund 138
The United Amateur, January 1922
The United Amateur 139
Editorial 139
The United Amateur, March 1922
Official Organ Fund 140
The United Amateur, May 1922
Official Organ Fund 140
At the Home of Poe 140
THE
UNITED AMATEUR
SEPTEMBER 1915
[Illustration: HOWARD P. LOVECRAFT
First Vice-President U. A. P. A.]
United Amateur Press Association
EXPONENT OF AMATEUR JOURNALISM
ITS OBJECT
The desire to write for publication is one which inheres strongly in
every human breast. From the proficient college graduate, storming the
gates of the high-grade literary magazines, to the raw schoolboy, vainly
endeavoring to place his first crude compositions in the local
newspapers, the whole intelligent public are today seeking expression
through the printed page, and yearning to behold their thoughts and
ideals permanently crystallized in the magic medium of type. But while a
few persons of exceptional talent manage eventually to gain a foothold
in the professional world of letters rising to celebrity through the
wide diffusion of their art, ideals, or opinions; the vast majority,
unless aided in their education by certain especial advantages, are
doomed to confine their expression to the necessarily restricted sphere
of ordinary conversation. To supply these especial educational
advantages which may enable the general public to achieve the
distinction of print, and which may prevent the talented but unknown
author from remaining forever in obscurity, has arisen that largest and
foremost of societies for literary education =The United Amateur Press
Association=.
ITS ORIGIN
Amateur journalism, or the composition and circulation of small,
privately printed magazines, is an instructive diversion which has
existed in the United States for over half a century. In the decade of
1866-1876 this practice first became an organized institution; a
short-lived society of amateur journalists, including the now famous
publisher, Charles Scribner, having existed from 1869 to 1874. In 1876 a
more lasting society was formed, which exists to this day as an exponent
of light dilettantism. Not until 1895, however, was amateur journalism
established as a serious branch of educational endeavour. On September
2nd of that year, Mr. William H. Greenfield, a gifted professional
author, of Philadelphia, founded =The United Amateur Press Association=,
which has grown to be the leader of its kind, and the representative of
amateur journalism in its best phases throughout the English-speaking
world.
ITS NATURE
In many respects the word "amateur" fails to do full credit to amateur
journalism and the association which best represents it. To some minds
the term conveys an idea of crudity and immaturity, yet the =United= can
boast of members and publications whose polish and scholarship are
well-nigh impeccable. In considering the adjective "amateur" as applied
to the press association, we must adhere to the more basic
interpretation, regarding the word as indicating the non-mercenary
nature of the membership. Our amateurs write purely for love of their
art, without the stultifying influence of commercialism. Many of them
are prominent professional authors in the outside world, but their
professionalism never creeps into their association work. The atmosphere
is wholly fraternal, and courtesy takes the place of currency.
The real essential of amateur journalism and =The United Amateur Press
Association= is the amateur paper or magazine, which somewhat resembles
the average high-school or college publication. These journals, varying
greatly in size and character, are issued by various members at their
own expense, and contain, besides the literary work of their several
editors or publishers, contributions from all the many members who do
not publish papers of their own. Their columns are open to every person
in the association, and it may be said with justice that no one will
find it impossible to secure the publication of any literary composition
of reasonable brevity. The papers thus published are sent free to all
our many members, who constitute a select and highly appreciative
reading public. Since each member receives the published work of every
other member, many active and brilliant minds are brought into close
contact, and questions of every sort, literary, historical, and
scientific, are debated both in the press and in personal
correspondence. The correspondence of members is one of the most
valuable features of the =United=, for through this medium a great
intellectual stimulus, friendly and informal in nature, is afforded.
Congenial members are in this way brought together in a lettered
companionship, which often grows into life-long friendship, while
persons of opposed ideas may mutually gain much breadth of mind by
hearing the other side of their respective opinions discussed in a
genial manner. In short, the =United= offers an exceptionally
well-proportioned mixture of instruction and fraternal cheer. There are
no limits of age, sex, education, position, or locality in this most
complete of democracies. Boys and girls of twelve and men and women of
sixty, parents and their sons and daughters, college professors and
grammar-school pupils, aristocrats and intelligent labourers, Easterners
and Westerners, are here given equal advantages, those of greater
education helping their cruder brethren until the common fund of culture
is as nearly level as it can be in any human organization. Members are
classified according to age; "A" meaning under sixteen, "B" from 16 to
21, and "C" over 21. The advantages offered to those of limited
acquirements are immense, many persons having gained practically all
their literary polish through membership in the =United=. A much
cherished goal is professional authorship or editorship, and numerous
indeed are the =United= members who have now become recognized authors,
poets, editors, and publishers. True, though trite, is the saying that
amateur journalism is an actual training school for professional
journalism.
ITS PUBLISHING ACTIVITIES
Members of the =United= may or may not publish little papers of their
own. This is a matter of choice, for there are always enough journals to
print the work of the non-publishing members. Youths who possess
printing presses will find publishing an immense but inexpensive
pleasure, whilst other publishers may have their printing done at very
reasonable rates by those who do own presses. The favorite size for
amateur papers is 5◊7 inches, which can be printed at 55 or 60 cents per
page, each page containing about 250 words. Thus a four-page issue
containing 1000 words can be published for less than $2.50, if
arrangements are made, as is often the case, for its free mailing with
any other paper. Certain of the more pretentious journals affect the
7◊10 size, which costs about $1.60 for each page of 700 words. These
figures allow for 250 copies, the most usual number to be mailed. Mr.
E. E. Ericson of Elroy, Wisconsin, is our Official Printer, and his work
is all that the most fastidious could demand. Other printers may be
found amongst the young men who print their own papers. In many cases
they can quote very satisfactory prices. Two or more members may issue a
paper co-operatively, the individual expense then being very slight.
ITS CONTRIBUTED LITERATURE
The =United= welcomes all literary contributions; poems, stories, and
essays, which the various members may submit. However, contribution is
by no means compulsory, and in case a member finds himself too busy for
activity, he may merely enjoy the free papers which reach him, without
taxing himself with literary labour. For those anxious to contribute,
every facility is provided. In some cases negotiations are made directly
between publisher and contributor, but the majority are accommodated by
the two Manuscript Bureaus, Eastern and Western, which receive
contributions in any quantity from the non-publishing members, and are
drawn upon for material by those who issue papers. These bureaus
practically guarantee on the one hand to find a place for each member's
manuscript, and on the other hand to keep each publisher well supplied
with matter for his journal.
ITS CRITICAL DEPARTMENTS
The two critical departments of the =United= are at present the most
substantial of its various educational advantages. The Department of
Private Criticism is composed exclusively of highly cultured members,
usually professors or teachers of English, who practically mould the
taste of the whole association, receiving and revising before
publication the work of all who choose to submit it to them. The service
furnished free by this department is in every way equal to that for
which professional critical bureaus charge about two dollars.
Manuscripts are carefully corrected and criticised in every detail, and
authors are given comprehensive advice designed to elevate their taste,
style, and grammar. Many a crude but naturally gifted writer has been
developed to polished fluency and set on the road to professional
authorship through the =United's= Department of Private Criticism.
The Department of Public Criticism reviews thoroughly and impartially
the various printed papers and their contents, offering precepts and
suggestions for improvement. Its reports are printed in the official
organ of the association, and serve as a record of our literary
achievement.
ITS LITERARY AWARDS
To encourage excellence amongst the members of the =United=, annual
honours or "laureateships" are awarded the authors of the best poems,
stories, essays, or editorials. Participation in these competitions is
not compulsory, since they apply only to pieces which have been
especially "entered for laureateship." The entries are judged not by the
members of the association, but by highly distinguished litterateurs of
the professional world, selected particularly for the occasion. Our
latest innovation is a laureateship for the best home-printed paper,
which will excite keen rivalry among our younger members, and bring out
some careful specimens of the typographical art. Besides the
laureateships there are other honours and prizes awarded by individual
publishers within the =United=, many of the amateur journals offering
excellent books for the best stories, reviews, or reports submitted to
them.
ITS OFFICIAL ORGAN
The association, as a whole, publishes a voluminous 7◊10 monthly
magazine called =The United Amateur=, which serves as the official
organ. In this magazine may be found the complete revised list of
members, the reports of officers and committees, the ample reviews
issued by the Department of Public Criticism, a selection of the best
contemporary amateur literature, together with the latest news of
amateur journalists and their local clubs from all over the Anglo-Saxon
world. =The United Amateur= is published by an annually elected Official
Editor, and printed by the Official Publisher. It is sent free to all
members of the association.
ITS GOVERNMENT
=The United Amateur Press Association= is governed by a board of
officers elected by popular vote. The elections take place at the annual
conventions, where amateurs from all sections meet and fraternize. Those
who attend vote in person, whilst all others send in proxy ballots.
There is much friendly rivalry between cities concerning the selection
of the convention seat each year. The principal elective officers of the
=United= are the President, two Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer, the
Official Editor and the three members of the Board of Directors. There
are also a Historian, a Laureate Recorder, and two Manuscript Managers.
Appointed by the President are the members of the two Departments of
Criticism, the Supervisor of Amendments, the Official Publisher, and the
Secretary of the association. All save Secretary and Official Publisher,
serve without remuneration. The basic law of the =United= comprises an
excellent Constitution and By-Laws.
ITS LOCAL CLUBS
The =United= encourages the formation of local literary or press clubs
in cities or towns containing several members. These clubs generally
publish papers, and hold meetings wherein the pleasures of literature
are enlivened by those of the society. The most desirable form of club
activity is that in which a high-school instructor forms a literary
society of the more enthusiastic members of his class.
ITS PLACE IN EDUCATION
During the past two years, as it has approached and passed its twentieth
birthday, the =United= has been endeavoring more strongly than ever to
find and occupy its true place amongst the many and varied phases of
education. That it discharges an unique function in literary culture is
certain, and its members have of late been trying very actively to
establish and define its relation to the high-school and the university.
Mr. Maurice Winter Moe, Instructor of English at the Appleton High
School, Appleton, Wisconsin, and one of our very ablest members, took
the first decisive step by organizing his pupils into an amateur press
club, using the =United= to supplement his regular class-room work. The
scholars were delighted, and many have acquired a love of good
literature which will never leave them. Three or four, in particular,
have become prominent in the affairs of the =United=. After
demonstrating the success of his innovation, Mr. Moe described it in
=The English Journal=, his article arousing much interest in educational
circles, and being widely reprinted by other papers. In November, 1914,
Mr. Moe addressed an assemblage of English teachers in Chicago, and
there created so much enthusiasm for the =United=, that scores of
instructors have subsequently joined our ranks, many of them forming
school clubs on the model of the original club at Appleton. Here, then,
is one definite destiny for our association: to assist the teaching of
advanced English in the high-school. We are especially eager for
high-school material, teachers and pupils alike.
But there still remain a numerous class, who, though not connected with
school or college, have none the less sincere literary aspirations. At
present they are benefited immensely through mental contact with our
more polished members, yet for the future we plan still greater aids for
their development, by the creation of a systematic "Department of
Instruction," which will, if successfully established, amount
practically to a free correspondence school, and an "Authors' Placing
Bureau," which will help amateurs in entering the professional field.
Our prime endeavor is at present to secure members of high mental and
scholastic quality, in order that the =United= may be strengthened for
its increasing responsibility. Professors, teachers, clergymen, and
authors have already responded in gratifying numbers to our wholly
altruistic plea for their presence among us. The reason for the
=United's= success as an educational factor seems to lie principally in
the splendid loyalty and enthusiasm which all the members somehow
acquire upon joining. Every individual is alert for the welfare of the
association, and its activities form the subject of many of the current
essays and editorials. The ceaseless writing in which most of the
members indulge is in itself an aid to fluency, while the mutual
examples and criticisms help on still further the pleasantly unconscious
acquisition of a good literary style. When regular courses of
instruction shall have been superimposed upon these things, the
association can indeed afford to claim a place of honour in the world of
education.
ITS ENTRANCE CONDITIONS
The only requirement for admission to the =United= is earnest literary
aspiration. Any member will furnish the candidate for admission with an
application blank, signed in recommendation. This application, filled
out and forwarded to the Secretary of the association with the sum of
fifty cents as dues for the first year, and accompanied by a
"credential," or sample of the candidate's original literary work, will
be acted upon with due consideration by the proper official. No
candidate of real sincerity will be denied admittance, and the applicant
will generally be soon rewarded by his certificate of membership, signed
by the President and Secretary. Papers, letters, and postal cards of
welcome will almost immediately pour in upon him, and he will in due
time behold his credential in print. (Unless it be something already
printed.) Once a member, his dues will be one dollar yearly, and if he
should ever leave the =United=, later desiring to join again, his
reinstatement fee will be one dollar.
ITS REPRESENTATIVES
=The United Amateur Press Association= is anything but local in its
personnel. Its active American membership extends from Boston to Los
Angeles, and from Milwaukee to Tampa, thus bringing all sections in
contact, and representing every phase of American thought. Its English
membership extends as far north as Newcastle-on-Tyne. Typical papers are
published in England, California, Kansas, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois,
Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, District of Columbia, New York,
and Rhode Island.
In writing for entrance blanks or for further information concerning the
=United=, the applicant may address any one of the following officers,
who will gladly give details, and samples of amateur papers: Leo
Fritter, President, 503 Central National Bank Bldg., Columbus, Ohio;
H. P. Lovecraft, Vice-President, 598 Angell St., Providence, R. I.; Mrs.
J. W. Renshaw, Second Vice-President, Coffeeville, Miss.; William J.
Dowdell, Secretary, 2428 East 66th St., Cleveland, Ohio; or Edward F.
Daas, Official Editor, 1717 Cherry St., Milwaukee, Wis. Professional
authors interested in our work are recommended to communicate with the
Second Vice-President, while English teachers may derive expert
information from Maurice W. Moe, 658 Atlantic St., Appleton, Wis. Youths
who possess printing-presses are referred to the Secretary, who is
himself a young typographer.
ITS PROVINCE SUMMARIZED
=If you are= a student of elementary English desirous of attaining
literary polish in an enjoyable manner,
=If you are= an ordinary citizen, burning with the ambition to
become an author,
=If you are= a solitary individual wishing for a better chance to
express yourself,
=If you own= a printing-press and would like to learn how to issue a
high-grade paper,
=If you are= a mature person eager to make up for a youthful lack of
culture,
=If you are= a professor or teacher seeking a new method of
interesting your English class, or
=If you are= an author or person of ripe scholarship, anxious to aid
your cruder brothers on their way, then
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE UNITED AMATEUR
PRESS ASSOCIATION.
H. P. LOVECRAFT,
Vice-President.
THE UNITED AMATEUR
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE UNITED AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
VOLUME XIV GEORGETOWN, ILL., JANUARY, 1915. NUMBER 3
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC CRITICISM
THE BADGER for January is the first number of a strikingly meritorious
and serious paper published by George S. Schilling. We here behold none
of the frivolity which spoils the writings of those who view amateur
journalism merely as a passing amusement. The Badger shows evidence of
careful and tasteful editorship, combined with a commendable artistic
sense in choice of paper and cover.
The leading article, an essay on the minimum wage, is from the pen of
the editor, and shows both literary ability and a sound knowledge of
economics. "Sister to the Ox", by A. W. Ashby, is an excellent short
story whose strength is rather in its moral than in its plot. The
editorials are certainly not lacking in force, and seem well calculated
to stir the average amateur from his torpor of triteness and inanity.
THE INSPIRATION for November is an "Official Number", containing the
work of none but titled authors. Rheinhart Kleiner contributes the
single piece of verse, a smooth and pleasing lyric entitled "Love
Again", which is not unlike his previous poem, "Love, Come Again". As an
amatory poet, Mr. Kleiner shows much delicacy of sentiment, refinement
of language, and appreciation of metrical values; his efforts in this
direction entitle him to a high place among amateur bards.
One of the truly notable prose features of the magazine is Walter John
Held's delightful sketch of Joaquin Miller's home and haunts. This
artistic picture of Californian scenery exhibits a real comprehension of
the beauties of Nature, and stirs to an unusual degree the imagination
of the reader. Mr. Held's prose possesses a fluency and grace that bring
it close to the professional quality, and its few faults are far less
considerable than might be expected from the pen of a young author.
However, we must remark some rather awkward examples of grammatical
construction. The correct plural of "eucalyptus" is "eucalypti", without
any final "s", the name being treated as a Latin noun of the second
declension. "Slowly and dignified--it pursues its way" is hardly a
permissible clause; the adjective "dignified" must be exchanged for an
adverb. Perhaps Mr. Held sought to employ poetical enallage, but even
so, the adjective does not correspond with "slowly"; besides, the use of
enallage in prose is at best highly questionable. "This free and rank
flowers and brush" is another bad clause. But it is not well to dissect
the sketch too minutely. A youth of Mr. Held's ability needs only time
and continued practice to raise him to the highest rank in prose
composition.
INVICTUS for January, the first number of Mr. Paul J. Campbell's new
individual paper, is one of those rare journals concerning which it is
almost impossible to speak without enthusiasm. Not one of its twenty-six
pages fails to delight us. Foremost in merit, and most aptly suited to
Mr. Campbell's particular type of genius, are the three inspiring
essays, "The Impost of the Future", "The Sublime Ideal", and "Whom God
Hath Put Asunder". Therein appears to great advantage the keen reasoning
and sound materialistic philosophy of the author. "The Sublime Ideal" is
especially absorbing, tracing as it does the expansion of the human mind
from a state of the narrowest and most violent bigotry to its present
moderate breadth.
The three pieces of verse, "Inspiration", "The Larger Life", and "Down
in Mexico", are all of smooth construction and musical metre, though
not exhibiting their author's powers as well as his essays. "Down in
Mexico", a virile poem in Kipling's style, is unquestionably the best of
the three.
Mr. Campbell's comments on amateur affairs are well-written and
entertaining, especially his reminiscent article entitled "After Seven
Years".
OUTWARD BOUND for January is an excellent journal edited by George
William Stokes of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. It is gratifying to behold
such a paper as this, one of the links between America and the parent
country which the United is helping to forge.
Herbert B. Darrow opens the issue with a short story entitled "A
Lesson". The tale is of conventional pattern, containing a sound though
not strikingly original moral. The language is generally good, except in
one sentence where the author speaks of "the vehicles in the street and
buildings about him". Surely he does not mean that the vehicles were in
the buildings as well as in the street. The use of the definite article
before the word "buildings" would do much toward dispelling the
ambiguous effect.
"The Haunted Forest", a poem by J. H. Fowler, is almost Poe-like in its
grimly fantastic quality. We can excuse rather indefinite metre when we
consider the admirably created atmosphere, the weird harmony of the
lines, the judicious use of alliteration, and the apt selection of
words. "Bird-shunned", as applied to the thickets of the forest, is a
particularly graphic epithet. Mr. Fowler is to be congratulated upon his
glowing imagination and poetical powers.
"A Bit o' Purple Heather", by Edna von der Heide, is a delightful piece
of verse in modified Scottish dialect, which well justifies the
dedication of the magazine to this poetess.
Mr. Stokes' editorial, headed "Ships that Pass", sustains the nautical
atmosphere of his periodical. We wish he had given his thoughts a larger
space for expression.
THE PIPER for December comes as a surprise to those who have known
Rheinhart Kleiner only as a master of metre, for he is here displayed as
the possessor of a pure and vigorous prose style as well. In this, the
opening number of his individual journal, Mr. Kleiner provides us with a
pleasing variety of literary matter; two serious poems, two rhymes of
lighter character, an essay on the inevitable topic of Consolidation,
and a brilliant collection of short editorials and criticisms.
"A Carnation", which begins the issue, is an exquisite piece of
sentiment couched in faultless verse. The odd measure of the poem is one
peculiarly suited to the author's delicate type of genius; an iambic
line of only three feet. The other lyric, "Heart, Do Not Wake", is
likewise of excellent quality, though the succession of "again" and
"pain" in the first line might suggest to some ears an unnecessary
internal rhyme.
"The Rhyme of the Hapless Poet" is very clever, and can be truly
appreciated by every author of printed matter. Perhaps the misfortune of
which the poet complains is the cause of the extra syllable in the first
line of the second stanza; we hope that the following is what Mr.
Kleiner intended:
"I wrote a poem, 'twas a prize".
Otherwise we are forced to believe that he pronounces "poem" as a
monosyllable, "pome". "My Favorite Amateur" is a good specimen of light,
imitative verse.
The article on Consolidation is cynical in tone, but eminently sensible.
It is only too true that our greatest intellectual stimulus is found in
controversy and antagonism; we are really quite bellicose in our
instincts, despite the utterances of the peace advocates.
Mr. Kleiner concludes his journal with a sparkling epigram on a rather
obvious though regrettable tendency in amateur circles.
The Piper is in general a paper of satisfying merit, to whose future
issues we shall look forward with eagerness.
THE RECRUITING FEMININE for 1914-1915 is a publication of unusual worth.
"The Rose Supreme," by Coralie Austin, is a delicate little poem in
which we regret the presence of one inexcusably bad rhyme. To rhyme the
words "rose" and "unclosed" is to exceed the utmost limits of poetic
license. It is true that considerable variations in vowel sounds have
been permitted; "come" makes, or at least used to make, an allowable
rhyme with "home", "clock" with "look", or "grass" with "place"; but a
final consonant attached to one of two otherwise rhyming syllables
positively destroys the rhyme.
Mrs. Myra Cole's essay on "The Little Things of Life" is well written
and instructive.
"The Dirge of the Great Atlantic", by Anne Vyne Tillery Renshaw, is a
grim and moving bit of verse, cast in the same primitively stirring
metre which this author used in her professionally published poem, "The
Chant of Iron". Mrs. Renshaw possesses an enviable power to reach the
emotions through the medium of written words.
"Two Octobers--A Contrast", by Eloise N. Griffith, is a meritorious
sketch ending with the usual appeal for the cessation of the European
war. We fear that the author cannot quite realize the ambitious
passions, essential ingredients of human nature, which render necessary
a final decision.
Miss Edna von der Heide, in an able article, rallies to the defense of
Mr. W. E. Griffin's now famous "Favorite Pastime". The Modern Lothario
is fortunate in having so competent and experienced a champion. However,
we cannot wholly endorse the sentiments of these excellent writers. The
statement that "all amateur journalists are flirts, more or less", is a
base and unwarranted libel which we are prepared completely to refute.
"The Audience", by Mrs. Florence Shepphird, is a masterly defense of
those inactive amateurs whom we are all too prone to consider as
delinquent. It is indeed true that authors would be useless were it not
for some sort of a reading public.
TOLEDO AMATEUR for December is a wholesome juvenile product. The
typography still leaves something to be desired, but the evidences of
care are everywhere visible, and we may reasonably expect to see it
improve from month to month, into one of the leading amateur papers.
Credentials form the keynote of the current issue, and a very promising
assortment of recruits are here introduced to the members of the United.
Miss Sandborn, who is fortunate enough to be one of Mr. Moe's pupils at
Appleton, contributes an interesting school anecdote, narrated in simple
fashion. Miss Thie gives information concerning the "Campfire Girls".
Some new members of adult years are also represented in this number. Mr.
Jenkins shows an admirable command of light prose, and will undoubtedly
prove one of the United's most entertaining writers. Misses Kline and
McGeoch both exhibit marked poetical tendencies in prose, the latter
writer having something of Mr. Fritter's facility in the use of
metaphor. Mr. Porter's editorials are refreshingly naive and unaffected.
His grammar is generally good, except in the one sentence where he
speaks of the Toledo Times. He should say, "the newspaper which has
given me much experience, and to whose publishers I owe a great deal of
experience gained."
THE UNITED OFFICIAL QUARTERLY for November marks the beginning of a
laudable enterprise on the part of the official board. The magazine is
of artistic appearance in cover, paper, and typography alike, while the
contents show considerable care in preparation.
Ira A. Cole's essay on "The Gods of Our Fathers" is the leading feature
and, though not of perfect perspicuity nor faultless unity, is none the
less noteworthy as a sincere expression of Pantheism. Mr. Cole keenly
feels the incongruity of our devotion to Semitic theological ideals,
when as a matter of fact we are descended from Aryan polytheists, and
his personification of the Grecian deities in the men of today is a
pleasing and ingenious conception. We are inclined to wonder whether the
author or the printer is to blame for rendering the poet Hesiod's name
as "Hesoid".
The metric art is represented by three contributions. Paul J. Campbell's
lines on "The Heritage of Life" are smooth in construction and proper in
sentiment, though they are far from showing their author at his best.
Mr. Campbell is a supreme master of the philosophical essay and of
pointed, satirical prose, being a very "Junius" in bold, biting
invective; but is placed at something of a disadvantage in the domain of
conventional poetry. Rheinhart Kleiner and ourselves revel in heroic
couplets of widely differing nature. Our own masterpiece is in full
Queen Anne style with carefully balanced lines and strictly measured
quantities. We have succeeded in producing eighteen lines without a
single original sentiment or truly poetical image. Rev. Mr. Pyke, the
object of the verses, deserves a better encomiast. Mr. Kleiner, on the
other hand, uses an heroic metre of that softened type which was
evolved at the close of the eighteenth century from the disruption of
the more formal style. In this sort of verse the stiff, classic
expressions are discarded, and the sense frequently overflows from
couplet to couplet, giving the romantic poet a greater latitude for
expression than was possible in the old models. "Vacation" is not
distinguished by any strikingly novel idea, but is in general a very
clever piece of light work. The only substantial defect is in the eighth
line, where the word "resort" is so placed, that the accent must fall
wrongfully upon the first syllable.
Leo Fritter's article on criticism is timely and sensible. As he justly
contends, some authorized amateur critics deal far too roughly with the
half-formed products of the young author, while most unofficial and
inexperienced reviewers fairly run mad with promiscuous condemnation.
The fancied brilliancy of the critic is always greatest when he censures
most, so that the temptations of the tribe are many. We are at best but
literary parasites, and need now and then just such a restraining word
as our counter-critic gives us. Mr. Fritter's style is here, as usual,
highly ornamented with metaphor. One slight defect strikes the
fastidious eye, but since split infinitives are becoming so common in
these days, we shall attend the author's plea for gentleness, and remain
silent.
H. P. LOVECRAFT,
Chairman, Department of Public Criticism.
THE UNITED AMATEUR MARCH 1915
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC CRITICISM
THE BLARNEY STONE for November-December is dedicated to its contributors
and wholly given over to their work. "Did You Ever Go A-Fishin'?," by
Olive G. Owen, is a vivid poetical portrayal of that peculiar attraction
which the angler's art exerts on its devotees. While the whole is of
high and pleasing quality, exception must be taken to the rhyming of
"low" with itself at the very beginning of the poem. It may be that the
second "low" is a misprint for "slow", yet even in that case, the rhyme
is scarcely allowable, since the dominant rhyming sound would still be
"low". Miss Edna von der Heide, in "The Christmas of Delsato's Maria",
tells how an Italian thief utilized his questionable art to replace a
loss in his family. "To General Villa" is a peculiar piece of verse
written last summer for the purpose of defying those who had charged its
author with pedantry and pomposity. It has suffered somewhat at the
hands of the printer; "Intrepido" being spelled "Intrepedo", and the
word "own" being dropped from the clause "your own name can't write" in
the third line of the second stanza. Also, the first of the Spanish
double exclamation marks around the oath "Santa Maria" is right side up
instead of inverted according to Castilian custom. Having been hastily
written, the piece is wholly without merit. "Senor", in the second line
of the third stanza is placed so that the accent must fall erroneously
on the first syllable. The changes of time and revolutions have rendered
the last stanza sadly out of date.
The issue is concluded with a beautiful editorial on "The Service With
Love", wherein is described the ideal spirit of brotherhood which should
pervade amateur journalism. We regret the two blank pages at the back of
the magazine, and wish that some talented Blarney had seen fit to adorn
them with his work.
THE BROOKLYNITE for January is of unusual merit, fairly teeming with
features of a well-written and substantial character.
The short story by Mrs. Carson is developed with admirable simplicity
and ease; the plot not too strained, and the moral not too pragmatically
forced upon the reader. The conversation, always a difficult point with
amateur authors, is surprisingly natural.
Mrs. Adams' essay on ghosts displays considerable literary knowledge,
though the anecdote at the end is rather ancient for use today. We last
heard it about ten years ago, with a Scotchman instead of a negro
preacher as the narrator, and with the word "miracle" instead of
"phenomena" as the subject.
Mr. Goodwin's "Cinigrams" are delightful, and we expect soon to hear the
author heralded as the Martial of amateur journalism. "Ford, Do Not
Shake", Mr. Goodwin's parody on Kleiner's "Heart, Do Not Wake", is
actually side-splitting. The metre is handled to perfection, and the
humor is extremely clever.
"Consolidation", by George Julian Houtain, is a fair example of the
manner in which some of the less dignified National politicians try to
cast silly aspersions on the United. The elaborately sarcastic phrase:
"United boys and girls", seems to please its author, since he uses it
twice. There is unconscious irony in the spectacle of a National man,
once a member of the notorious old Gotham ring, preaching virtuously
against the "unenviable record" of the United.
Mr. Stoddard's brief essay, composed at a meeting of the Blue Pencil
Club, is excellent, and his concluding quatrain regular and melodious.
We wish, however, that he would give us some more of the serious fiction
that he can write so splendidly, and which used several years ago to
appear in the amateur press.
"Music Moods", by Charles D. Isaacson, is an emotional sketch of great
power and delicate artistry. Mr. Isaacson has an active imagination and
a literary ability which makes his readers see very vividly the images
he creates.
Mrs. Houtain's poem shows great but as yet undeveloped talent. The
repeated use of the expletive "do" in such phrases as "I do sigh", or "I
pray and do pine", mars the verse somewhat. As Pope remarked and
humorously illustrated in his Essay on Criticism:
"Expletives their feeble aid DO join."
Mr. Ayres' jocose epic is clever and tuneful. The climax, or rather
anticlimax, comes quite effectively.
Mr. Adams, in his brilliant verses entitled "Gentlemen, Please Desist",
exposes in a masterly way the fatuity of our loud-mouthed peace workers.
Miss Silverman's lines on the same subject are very good, but scarcely
equal in keenness of wit. It is all very well to "keep industry
booming", but industry cannot take the place of military efficiency in
protecting a nation against foreign aggression.
As a whole, the January Brooklynite is the best number we have yet seen.
THE COYOTE for March is not a revival of Ex-President Brechler's
well-known amateur journal of that name, but a semi-professional leaflet
edited by Mr. William T. Harrington, a rather new recruit. The leading
feature is a sensational short story by the editor, entitled "What
Gambling Did". In this tale, Mr. Harrington exhibits at least a strong
ambition to write, and such energy, if well directed, may eventually
make of him one of our leading authors of fiction. Just now, however, we
must protest against his taste in subject and technique. His models are
obviously not of the classical order, and his ideas of probability are
far from unexceptionable. In developing the power of narration, it is
generally best, as one of our leading amateurs lately reiterated, to
discard the thought of elaborate plots and thrilling climaxes, and to
begin instead with the plain and simple description of actual incidents
with which the author is familiar. Likewise, the young author may avoid
improbability by composing his earliest efforts in the first person. He
knows what he himself would do in certain circumstances, but he does not
always know very exactly what some others might do in similar cases.
Meanwhile, above all things he should read classic fiction, abstaining
entirely from "Wild West Weeklies" and the like. Mr. Harrington has a
taste for excitement, and would probably thrive on Scott, Cooper, or
Poe. Let him read the Leather Stocking Tales if he loves pioneers and
frontier life. Not until after he has acquired a familiarity with the
methods of the best authors, and refined his imagination by a perusal of
their works, should he make attempts at writing outside his own
experience. He will then be able to produce work of a quality which
would surprise him now.
We are sorry to note that the Coyote's editorial columns are occupied by
a mere condensed copy of the United's standard recruiting circular. This
space might have been filled much more profitably with brief original
comments by the editor on the numerous exchanges which are listed in
another part of his paper. The paid advertising and subscription price
are not to be commended. Such things have no place in a truly amateur
paper. But continued membership in the United will doubtless fill Mr.
Harrington with the genuine amateur spirit, and cause The Coyote to
become a worthy successor to its older namesake.
DOWDELL'S BEARCAT for October is a modest but very promising little
paper, mostly composed of amateur notes and brief reviews. The editor
has interest in his work, and fluency in his language, foundations on
which a more elaborate structure may some day be erected. One feature
open to criticism is Mr. Dowdell's sudden change in his editorial column
from the usual first person plural to the third person singular. It
would be better to save "The Old Bear" and his interesting chat, for a
separate column. The typography of Dowdell's Bearcat is not perfect, but
may be expected to improve from issue to issue.
THE EMISSARY for July is a National paper, but contains the work of
several United members. Of the publication itself we need not stop to
speak. Mr. Reading, though only eighteen years of age, is an editor and
printer of the highest grade, and has produced an issue which will be
long remembered in the amateur world.
"Ausonius, the Nature-Lover", by Edward H. Cole, is a pleasing and
judicious appreciation of a later Latin poet, showing how a bard of the
decaying Roman Empire approached in certain passages the spirit of
modern romanticism. Mr. Cole's translated extracts are beautifully
phrased, and his comment upon the subject well exhibits his wide and
careful scholarship. Articles of this quality are rarely found in the
amateur press, and it will be interesting to note what effect their more
frequent appearance would have upon the literary tone of the
associations.
"To Sappho", by Olive G. Owen, is a lyrical poem of much merit, yet
having a defective line. Why, we wonder, did the author see fit to leave
two necessary syllables out of the third line of the opening verse?
"Lamb o' Mine", by Dora M. Hepner, is probably the most attractive bit
of verse in the magazine. The negro dialect is inimitable, and the
consoling spirit of the old black "mammy" fairly radiates from the
lines. Metrically, the piece is faultless, and we wish its author were a
more frequent contributor to the amateur journals.
Miss von der Heide's two poems, "The Mill Mother", and "Greeting",
express admirably the sentiments of pathos and natural beauty,
respectively. Personally, we prefer "Greeting".
Mr. Campbell's lines on "Huerta's Finish" are distinctly below the usual
standard of this talented writer's work. The metre is satisfactory, but
the humor is somewhat strained, and the pun in the last line based on a
mispronunciation of the old Indian's name. "Wehr-ta" is probably the
correct sound, rather than "Hurt-a".
THE INSPIRATION for January must be judged strictly by its quality; not
its quantity. Pinkney C. Grissom, a very young amateur, cheers us
greatly with his article on "Smiles", while Miss von der Heide's
microscopic story, "A Real Victory", is indeed a literary treat. We
trust that the editor's threat of discontinuance may not be realized.
THE KANSAN for July reaches us at a late date through the kindness of
Mr. Daas. In this magazine the Sunflower Club of Bazine makes its formal
debut, being ushered into amateur society by means of a pleasing and
well-written article from the pen of Miss Hoffman. The informal
"Exchange Comment" is a charitable and generally delightful department,
whose anonymity we rather regret. The Editorial pages are brilliant in
their justification of the United's sunny spirit, as contrasted with the
National's forbidding frigidity.
THE OLYMPIAN for September-February well sustains the lofty traditions
of that magazine. Mr. Cole defines with considerable precision his
latest editorial policy and his true attitude toward the United,
revealing only the more strongly, however, his remarkable and
ineradicable prejudice against our association in favor of the National.
"Evening Prayer", by Rheinhart Kleiner, is a poem of great beauty and
real worth, couched in the alternating iambic pentameter and trimeter
which this poet seems to have made his own particular medium of
expression. Mr. Kleiner is rapidly assuming a very high rank among
amateur poets.
"The Public Library", by Eloise N. Griffith, is a delightful and
appreciative reminiscence of quiet hours of lettered joy.
"The Play Hour", consisting of two clever bits of metre dedicated to a
very young amateur, appears in a collection of short and sprightly
pieces signed by the Senior Editor himself. It is difficult,
nevertheless, to imagine the dignified Olympian Zeus as the author.
Though the second of these tuneful rhymes is apparently written in the
"simplified" spelling now so popular among certain amateur editors, a
closer inspection reveals the fact that the spelling is merely made
juvenile to suit the subject. After all, however, simplified spelling
and baby-talk are but little removed from each other. The Reviewers'
Club is in this issue represented by both editors, whose criticisms are
as usual just and illuminating.
PROMETHEUS for September-November is a journal of unusual literary and
artistic value, edited by our poet-laureate, Miss Olive G. Owen. The
paper well lives up to its sub-title, "A Magazine of Aspirations Dreamed
into Reality". Mr. William H. Greenfield, the honored founder of the
United, claims the first page with a graceful Pindaric ode, "To My
Friend". "The Weaver of Dreams", by Edna G. Thorne, is a strikingly
well-written short story pervaded with a delicate pathos and expressing
a beautiful Christian philosophy. George W. Macauley, continuing to
concentrate his narrative powers on the Oriental tale, presents a
pleasing fable of old Moorish Spain, entitled "Ali Ahmed and the
Aqueduct". "The Ethics of Stimulation", by Maurice W. Moe, is an
eminently sound exposition of the relative evil of coffee and alcoholic
liquor as stimulants. "Partners", by H. A. Reading, exhibits great
ability on the part of its author, and is well calculated to arouse the
emotions of affectionate fathers and sons.
Miss Owen's work, scattered here and there throughout the magazine, is
naturally of the very first quality. It is hard to choose between the
two poems "Atthis, I Love Thee", and "To Elizabeth Knopf", but we
incline slightly toward the former. The sketches "The Visitor" and "Some
Things I Like in New York" are both delightful in their artistic
simplicity.
Critically analyzed, Prometheus may be classed as one of the most varied
and generally readable magazines of the season.
RED LETTER DAYS for October is the first of an informal individual paper
by George W. Macauley, representing the most purely personal phase of
amateur journalism. This issue is almost completely devoted to an
animated account of the "Red Letter Days" spent by Mr. Macauley last
summer with the amateurs who stopped to see him while on their way to
the various conventions. The author's style is familiar and pleasing,
though rather careless, and slightly marred by defects in spelling and
grammar. For instance, we are told of the caution which he and Mr.
Stoddard exercised in changing seats in a boat, since neither "could
swim, had the boat DID the usual thing." We are sorry that Mr. Macauley
has adopted "simplified" spelling, but it is an evil in which he is by
no means alone.
Red Letter Days, broadly considered, is a highly commendable paper; its
simplicity and lack of affectation are alone sufficient to win general
approval.
STRAY LEAVES for May-June is another paper which has arrived late and
indirectly. In this publication we note with disapproval some evidence
of pseudo-professionalism, such as a subscription rate and
advertisements, but we trust that Miss Draper will ere long acquire the
perfect amateur spirit. "Love Proved To Be the Master of Hate", a short
story by Frances Wood, is handicapped by its unwieldy title. "The
Triumph of Love", or some heading of equal brevity, would better suit
it. Indications of immaturity are here and there perceptible, and at the
very beginning there is an inexplicable mass of hyphenation. However,
the tale is undeniably of considerable merit, conveying a pleasing
picture of jealousy overcome.
The Editorial department might be improved by a judicious copying of the
best amateur models. The reference to anti-Suffrage and Suffrage as "two
vital questions" is hardly permissible; these are the two sides of only
one question.
"Thinkers", by G. D., is really excellent as an essay, despite the
awkwardness of style.
The Bermuda letter is highly interesting in its descriptions, but
painfully unscholarly in its phraseology. We here behold a case of real
talent obscured by want of literary polish, and hope that F. A. B.,
whoever he or she may be, will profit by his or her connection with the
United.
Stray Leaves has great possibilities, and will doubtless prove one of
the leading papers of amateur journalism in times to come.
THE UNITED OFFICIAL QUARTERLY for January hardly lives up to the
artistic standard set by the first number, though it contains much
valuable matter. Herbert B. Darrow pleads very ably for the personal
acknowledgement of amateur papers received, while Paul J. Campbell
writes convincingly on the true value of amateur journalism. Pres.
Hepner, in the concluding article, opposes with considerable vigor the
Hoffman policy of issuing co-operative magazines. We are not, however,
inclined entirely to agree with our executive's conclusions. The
co-operative journal is practically the only adequate medium of
expression for the amateur of limited means, and most of the later
journals of this class, of which the Official Quarterly is itself an
example, have been of excellent quality. It is perhaps too much to
expect the average President, encumbered with a host of other duties, to
conduct this work, but in any event some suitable official should be
delegated for that purpose. The association should not lightly abandon a
policy which made the preceding administration one of the most brilliant
and successful in years.
THE WOODBEE for January exhibits amateur journalism at its best. Mrs.
Anne Tillery Renshaw opens the magazine with a pleasing poem, dedicated
to the Woodbees, which combines simplicity of diction with regularity of
metre. Those decasyllabic quatrains are a decided departure from Mrs.
Renshaw's usual style, which explains the slight lack of fluency. The
last line of the third stanza contains a redundant syllable, a defect
which might be corrected by the removal of the article before the word
"louder", or by the poetical contraction of "sympathy" into "symp'thy".
The third line of the fourth stanza possesses only four feet. This may
be an intentional shortening to give rhetorical effect, yet it mars none
the less the symmetry of the verse.
"The Spiritual Significance of the Stars", by Leo Fritter, is the
leading feature of the issue. The inspiring influence of astronomical
study on the cultivated intellect is here shown to best advantage. Mr.
Fritter traces the slow unfolding of celestial knowledge to the world,
and points out the divinity of that mental power which enables man to
discern the vastness of the universe, and to comprehend the complex
principles by which it is governed. In the laws of the heavens he finds
the prototype of all human laws, and the one perfect model for human
institutions. Mr. Fritter's essay is eminently worthy of a place among
the classics of amateur journalism.
"A Morn in June", by Harriet E. Daily, is a short and dainty poem of
excellent quality, though marred by a reprehensible attempt to rhyme
"grass" with "task". As we mentioned in connection with another amateur
poem, a final consonant on one of two otherwise rhyming syllables
utterly destroys the rhyme. "We Are Builders All", by Elizabeth M.
Ballou, is a graceful allegory based on the temple of Solomon. Edna
Mitchell Haughton's character sketch, "The Family Doctor", is just and
well drawn.
"A Dog for Comfort", by Edna von der Heide, is a meritorious poem of
gloomy impressiveness. We cannot quite account for the defective second
line of the fourth stanza, since Miss von der Heide is so able a
poetess. Perhaps it is intentional, but we wish the line were of normal
decasyllabic length. "My Grandmother's Garden", by Ida Cochran Haughton,
is a truly delightful bit of reminiscent description which deserves more
than one reading. "A Little Girl's Three Wishes", by Mrs. R. M. Moody,
is entertaining in quality and correct in metre. It is a relief to
behold amidst the formless cacophony of modern poetry such a regular,
old-fashioned specimen of the octosyllabic couplet. "Two Little
Waterwheels", by Dora M. Hepner, is an exquisite idyllic sketch. In the
second paragraph we read of a channel "damned" up by a projecting root
of a tree; which somewhat surprises us, since we did not know that
tree-roots are accustomed to use profane language. Perhaps the author
intended to write "dammed".
The editorials are brief. In one of them it is stated that the paper is
submitted without fear to the critics AND Eddie Cole. In view of Mr.
Cole's scholarly and conscientious critical work, we hope that no
reflection upon him is there intended.
H. P. LOVECRAFT,
Chairman, Department of Public Criticism.
MARCH
Let other bards with nobler talents sing
The beauties of the mild, maturer spring.
My rustic Muse on bleaker times must dwell,
When Earth, but new-escap'd from winter's spell,
Uncloth'd, unshelter'd, unadorn'd, is seen;
Stript of white robes, nor yet array'd in green.
Hard blows the breeze, but with a warmer force.
The melting ground, the brimming watercourse,
The wak'ning air, the birds' returning flight,
The longer sunshine, and the shorter night,
Arcturus' beams, and Corvus' glitt'ring rays,
Diffuse a promise of the genial days.
Yon muddy remnant of the winter snow
Shrinks humbly in the equinoctial glow,
Whilst in the fields precocious grass-blades peep
Above the earth so lately wrapt in sleep.
What sweet, elusive odor fills the soil,
To rouse the farmer to his yearly toil!
Though thick the clouds, and bare the maple bough,
With what gay song he guides the cumbrous plough!
In him there stirs, like sap within the tree,
The joyous call to new activity:
The outward scene, however dull and drear,
Takes on a splendor from the inward cheer.
Prophetic month! Would that I might rehearse
Thy hidden beauties in sublimer verse:
Thy glorious youth, thy vigor all unspent,
Thy stirring winds, of spring and winter blent.
Summer brings blessings of enervate kind;
Thy joys, O March, are ecstasies of mind.
In June we revel in the bees' soft hum,
But March exalts us with the bliss to come.
--H. P. LOVECRAFT.
THE UNITED AMATEUR
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE UNITED AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
VOLUME XIV GEORGETOWN, ILL., MAY, 1915. NUMBER 5
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC CRITICISM
THE BLARNEY STONE for January-February is replete with good literature,
amidst which may particularly be mentioned Arthur Goodenough's
harmonious poem, "God Made Us All of Clay". The theme is not new, but
appears advantageously under Mr. Goodenough's delicate treatment.
M. W. Hart's short story, "The Redemption", is intended to portray a
righteous transformation from conventional false morality to true
Christian life, but in reality presents a very repulsive picture of
bestial atavism. The meaner character was not "reformed by mercy", but
merely withheld from wholesale vice by isolation. Mr. Hart is so plainly
in earnest when he relates this dismal tale as a sermon, that we must
not be too harsh in questioning his taste or condemning his free
standards of civilized morality; yet we doubt seriously if stories or
essays of this type should appear in the press, and especially in the
amateur press. Two or three technical points demand attention. The word
"diversified" on page 2 might better be "diverse", while "environment"
on page 4, could well be replaced by "condition" or "state". On page 5
occurs the sentence "All intelligence ... were ... instinct". Obviously
the verb should be in the singular number to correspond with its
subject. Mr. Hart is developing a prose style of commendable dignity,
unusually free from the jarring touch of modern frivolity.
H. B. Scott is proving himself a finished scholar and a thoughtful
editor in his conduct of The Blarney Stone; his able essay on
"Personality" is eminently worthy of more than one perusal.
THE BOYS' HERALD for May presents us with a highly interesting account
of Robert Louis Stevenson's career as an amateur journalist, together
with a facsimile reproduction of the cover of "The Sunbeam Magazine",
Stevenson's hand-written periodical. The column of reminiscences,
containing letters from various old-time amateurs, is extremely
inspiring to the younger members, showing how persistently the amateur
spirit adheres to all who have truly acquired it. "Nita at the Passing
Show" is a witty and entertaining parody by Mr. Smith, illustrating the
theatrical hobby of Miss Gerner; one of the latest United recruits. The
Boys' Herald discharges a peculiar and important function in the life of
the associations, connecting the present with the past, and furnishing
us with just standards for comparison.
DOWDELL'S BEARCAT for December opens with a Christmas poem of great
beauty and harmonious construction from the pen of Dora M. Hepner. The
thoughts and images are without exception lofty and well selected, and
the only possible defect is the attempt to rhyme "come" with "run" in
the last stanza. Edward H. Cole's review of a recent booklet in memory
of Miss Susan Brown Robbins, a former amateur, is more than a criticism.
It is a rare appreciation of the bonds of mutual esteem and respect
which grow up amongst the congenial members of the press associations.
Mr. Cole is peculiarly well fitted to deal with his subject, and no
praise is needed beyond the statement that the review is characteristic
of him.
DOWDELL'S BEARCAT for January marks the metamorphosis of that periodical
into a newspaper. With youthful ambition, Mr. Dowdell is resolved to
furnish the United with the latest items of interest concerning
amateurs. While the general style of the paper is fluent and pleasing,
we believe that "Bruno" might gain much force of expression through the
exercise of a little more care and dignity in his prose. For instance,
many colloquial contractions like "don't", "won't", or "can't" might be
eliminated, while such slang phrases as "neck of the woods", "make
good", "somewhat off", or "bunch of yellow-backs" were better omitted.
DOWDELL'S BEARCAT for March is notable for an increase in size. "A Visit
to Niagara Falls", by Andrew R. Koller, is an intelligent and animated
piece of description, which promises well for the development of its
author. What looseness of construction exists may be charged to youth.
"An Ambition and a Vision", by Nettie A. Hartman, is a neat and
grammatically written little sketch, probably autobiographical,
describing the evolution of an amateur. Greater cultivation of
rhetorical taste would improve Miss Hartman's style, and we are certain
that it possesses a fundamental merit which will make improvement an
easy matter. With the usual regret we observe an instance of "simple
spelling", which Mr. Dowdell, who does not fall into this vice himself,
has evidently overlooked in editing. The news items this month are
timely and vivacious, exhibiting "Bruno" at his best.
THE LAKE BREEZE for March inaugurates a very welcome revival of the
United's foremost news sheet, now to be issued monthly. Mr. Daas is so
active an amateur, and so closely connected with the development of the
association, that his ably edited journal has almost the authority of an
official organ.
The editorial entitled "Ashes and Roses" is a powerful and convincing
reply to a rather weak attack lately made on the United by a member of a
less active association. Mr. Daas uses both sense and sarcasm to great
advantage, leaving but little ground for his opponent to occupy.
"The Amateur Press" is a well conducted column of contributed reviews,
among which Mrs. A. M. Adams' eulogy of Mrs. Griffith's essay in Outward
Bound is perhaps the best. "What is Amateur Journalism?", by "El
Imparcial", is a sketch of the various types of amateurs, with a
suggestion of the ideal type. While free from glaring defects, the essay
gives no really new information, and brings out no strikingly original
ideas. "Some Objections to Moving Pictures", by Edmund L. Shehan,
presents a strong array of evidence against one of the most popular and
instructive amusements of today. We do not believe, however, that the
objections here offered are vital. The moving picture has infinite
possibilities for literary and artistic good when rightly presented, and
having achieved a permanent place, seems destined eventually to convey
the liberal arts to multitudes hitherto denied their enjoyment. Mr.
Shehan's prose style is clear and forceful, capable of highly
advantageous development.
LITERARY BUDS for April is the first number of a paper issued by the new
Athenaeum Club of Journalism, Harvey, Ill. Though the text of most of
the contributions has suffered somewhat through a slight misapprehension
concerning the editing, the issue is nevertheless pleasing and
creditable.
"A la Rudyard", a poem by George A. Bradley, heads the contents. While
hampered by some of the heaviness natural to authors of school age, Mr.
Bradley has managed to put into his lines a laudable enthusiasm and
genuine warmth. The editorial column is well conducted, the second item
being especially graphic, though the "superdreadnought" metaphor seems
rather forced. Clara Inglis Stalker, the enthusiastic and capable
educator through whose efforts the club was formed, gives a brief
account of her organization, under the title "The History of an
Eight-Week-Old", and in a prose style of uniformly flowing and
attractive quality. "A Love Song", Miss Stalker's other contribution, is
a poem of delicate imagery and unusual metre. "Our Paring Knife", by
Gertrude Van Lanningham, is a short sketch with an aphorism at the end.
Though this type of moral lesson is a little trite, Miss Van Lanningham
shows no mean appreciation of literary form, and will, when she has
emerged from the "bud" stage, undoubtedly blossom into a graphic and
sympathetic writer. "Co-Education", by Caryl W. Dempsey, is an
interesting but only partially convincing article on a topic of
considerable importance. The author, being enthusiastically in favor of
the practice, enumerates its many benefits; yet the arguments are
decidedly biased. While the advantage of co-education to young ladies
is made quite obvious, it remains far from clear that young men receive
equal benefit. A desirable decline of cliques and hazing might, it is
true, result from the admission of women to men's universities, but the
young men would undoubtedly lose much in earnest, concentrated energy
and dignified virility through the presence of the fair. The experiment,
radical at best, has failed more than once. The style of this essay is
slightly wanting in ease and continuity, yet possesses the elements of
force. "The Traitor", by Agnes E. Fairfield, is a short story of
artistic development but questionable sentiment. The present fad of
peace-preaching should not be allowed to influence a writer of sense
into glorifying a socialistic, unpatriotic fanatic who refuses to uphold
the institutions that his fathers before him created with their toil,
blood, and sacrifice. It is not the right of the individual to judge of
the necessity of a war; no layman can form an intelligent idea of the
dangers that may beset his fatherland. The man is but a part of the
state, and must uphold it at any cost. We are inclined to wonder at Miss
Fairfield's mention of a king, when the name Phillipe La Roque so
clearly proclaims the hero a Frenchman. France, be it known, has been a
republic for some little time. "Penny in the Slot", by Vaughn Flannery,
possesses a humor that is pleasing and apparently quite spontaneous. We
should like to behold more of Mr. Flannery's efforts in this field.
Viewed in its entirety, allowance being made for its present essentially
juvenile nature, Literary Buds may be regarded as a pronounced success.
That it will mature in consonance with the club which it represents is
certain, and each future issue can be relied upon to surpass its
predecessor.
OLE MISS' for March, edited by Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Renshaw, easily falls
into the very front rank of the season's amateur journals. In this
number Mr. Joseph W. Renshaw makes his initial appearance before the
members of the United, producing a very favorable impression with his
pure, attractive prose. The introduction, credited in another column to
Mr. Renshaw, is of graceful and pleasing character, recalling the
elusively beautiful atmosphere of the Old South which is too soon
passing away.
"The Humble Swallow", an anonymous essay, praises with singularly
delicate art a feathered creature whose charms lie not on the surface.
The concluding paragraph, condemning the wanton slaughter of this winged
friend to mankind, is especially apt at a time of hysterical peace
agitation. While the well meaning advocates of peace call wildly upon
men to abandon just warfare against destructive and malignant enemies,
they generally pass over without thought or reproof the wholesale murder
of these innocent little birds, who never did nor intended harm to
anyone. "A Higher Recruiting Standard", by Mrs. Renshaw, is an able
exposition of the newer and loftier type of ideals prevailing in the
United. Our association has never lacked numbers, but would undoubtedly
be the better for an increased standard of scholarship such as is here
demanded. Mrs. Renshaw's work as a recruiter is in keeping with her
policy, and this, together with Mr. Moe's work amongst the English
teachers, seems destined to raise the United far above its lesser
contemporaries. "An A. J. Suggestion", by Mr. Renshaw, deals ingeniously
and logically with the always difficult problem of selecting a printer.
Though evidently written quite independently, it ably seconds Paul J.
Campbell's original suggestion in the UNITED AMATEUR. The advantages of
having one printer for all amateur work are many, and the well presented
opinions of Mr. Renshaw should aid much in securing this desirable
innovation.
The poetry in Ole Miss' is all by Mrs. Renshaw, and therefore of first
quality. "Some One I Know" is a lightly amatory piece of tuneful rhythm.
"Night of Rain" gives a peculiarly pleasing aspect to a type of scene
not usually celebrated in verse. The only jarring note is the rather
mundane metaphor which compares the trees to a "beautiful mop". Though
Mrs. Renshaw holds unusual ideas regarding the use of art in poetry, we
contend that this instance of rhetorical frigidity is scarcely
permissible. It is too much like Sir Richard Blackmore's description of
Mount Aetna, wherein he compares a volcanic eruption to a fit of colic;
or old Ben Johnson's battle scene in the fifth act of "Catiline", where
he represents the sun perspiring. "Man of the Everyday" is a noble
panegyric on the solid, constructive virtues of the ordinary citizen,
portraying very graphically the need of his presence in a world that
heeds him but little.
Considered in all its aspects, Ole Miss' is a notable contribution to
amateur literature, and one which we hope to see oft repeated.
THE PASSING SHOW for February is the "second annual production" of an
excellent though informal little paper by Nita Edna Gerner, a new member
of the United, and the daughter of an old-time amateur. Miss Gerner is
an enthusiast on all matters pertaining to the theatre, and has
impressed her hobby very strongly on the pages of her publication.
The dominant theme of the current issue is that of amateur romance,
exhibiting the press associations in the role of matrimonial agencies.
"The Twos-ers", by Edwin Hadley Smith, is a long list of couples who
became wedded through acquaintanceships formed in amateur journalism.
This catalogue, recording 26 marriages and engagements from the
earliest ages to the present, must have cost its author much time and
research. "A Romance of Amateur Journalism", by Edward F. Daas, is a
very brief statement of facts in unornamented style. "An 'Interstate'
Romance", by Leston M. Ayres, is more elaborate in treatment, and
displays an easy, colloquial style.
The editorial column, headed "Through the Opera-Glasses", is bright and
informal. We note with regret that Miss Gerner has seen fit to adopt the
popular mutilated orthography of the day, a fad which we trust she will
discard in time.
PEARSON'S PET for April is a bright and attractive little paper
throughout. "Burnin' Off" is a delightful specimen of dialect verse
which conveys a graphic image. We have never witnessed such an
agricultural function as Mr. Pearson describes, but can gain from his
clever lines a vivid idea of its weird impressiveness. "How I Met Elbert
Hubbard" is narrated in commendably easy prose, which same may be said
of the sketch or editorial entitled "Broke Loose Again". Mr. Pearson is
assuredly a competent exponent of amateur journalism's lighter and less
formal side.
THE PIPER for May is as pleasing and meritorious as the first number,
both in its verse and its prose. "The Modern Muse", exhibiting Mr.
Kleiner in a somewhat humorous mood, is very forceful in its satire on
the altered ideals of the poetical fraternity, but is marred by the
noticeably imperfect rhyming of "garret" and "carrot", it is barely
possible that according to the prevailing New York pronunciation this
rhyme is not so forced as it appears, but we are of New England, and
accustomed to hearing the sounds more classically differentiated. The
defect is trivial at most, and mentioned here only because Mr. Kleiner
professes such a rigid adherence to the law of perfect rhyming. "The
Books I Used to Read" is the most delightful appreciation of juvenile
literature that has appeared in amateur journalism within our memory.
There are few of us in whom this poem will fail to arouse glad
reminiscences. "Spring" is a pleasing poem on a subject which though not
exactly new, is nevertheless susceptible to an infinite variety of
treatment. The four stanzas are highly creditable, both sentimentally
and metrically. Apart from the poetry, criticism seems the dominant
element in The Piper, and it would be difficult indeed to find a more
lucid and discerning series of reviews. Mr. Kleiner's unvarying advocacy
of correct metre and perfect rhyming is refreshing to encounter in this
age of laxity and license. Perhaps he is a little stern in his
condemnation of the "allowable" rhymes of other days, especially in view
of his recent "garret-carrot" attempt, yet we admit that there is much
to be said in favor of his attitude.
THE PLAINSMAN for February contains a gruesome moral tale by Ricardo
Santiago, entitled "The Bell of Huesca". It is proper to remark here,
that an important sentence was omitted at the top of page 3. The passage
should read "'Sire, thy bell has no clapper!' 'Thy head shall be the
clapper'; said the king, and he sent him to the block" etc. Whatever may
be said of the aptness of the allegory, it is evident that Mr. Santiago
possesses the foundations of a pure and forcible prose style, and a
commendable sense of unity in narration and development of climax. This
story is undoubtedly worthy of its distinction as winner in The
Plainsman's post-card contest.
THE SPECTATOR for June-July, 1914, though somewhat trite in title, is
the first number of a magazine notable for its quality. Walter John Held
is without doubt one of the most enterprising youths who have ever
joined the ranks of the association, though his views on paid
subscriptions and advertisements show his still imperfect acquisition of
the true amateur spirit. Mr. Held mistakes commercial progress for
artistic development, believing that the aim of every amateur in his
ascent toward professional authorship is to write remunerative matter.
He therefore considers a publisher's advancement to be best shown in
ability to extract an odd penny now and then from a few subscribers who
really subscribe only out of courtesy. We wish that Mr. Held might come
to consider amateur journalism in its higher aspects; as a medium for
improvement in literature and taste; an aid to the cultivation of the
art for its own sake in the manner of gentlemen, not of cheap tradesmen.
The selection of commercial prosperity as a goal will ruin any true
literary progress, and dull the artistic aspiration of the student as
soon as his mercenary instincts shall have been satisfied. Besides,
there is really no sound business principle in the so-called "sale" of
little papers. No youth could ever found or sustain a real magazine of
substantial price and more than nominal circulation. The various
ten-cents-a-year journals which some "amateurs" try to edit are no
logical steps toward actually professional publishing. The latter comes
only after literary skill has been attained, and literary skill must at
first be developed without regard for immediate monetary profit.
But the merit of Mr. Held's work is none the less unusual. "The Frank
Friend" gives evidence of considerable critical ability, despite the
touch of arrogance, apologized for in a latter issue, shown in imperfect
appreciation of Mr. Edward H. Cole's phenomenally pure English. Mr.
Held, in his enthusiasm for "local color", forgets that all the
English-speaking world is heir to one glorious language which should be
the same from Cape Colony to California or New York to New Zealand.
The only poem in this issue is Olive G. Owen's "How Prayest Thou?", a
piece of true sentiment and artistic beauty. The only fault is metrical;
the use of the word "trial" as a monosyllable. This tendency to slur
over words appears to be Miss Owen's one poetical vice, as exemplified
in the imperfect rendering of "jewel", "realness", and "cruelness"
elsewhere.
THE SPECTATOR for August-September is marred by a resurrection of the
ever odious topic of Consolidation, but is otherwise of remarkable
merit. Elbert Hubbard, a professional advertiser and writer of
considerable popularity in certain circles, relates in an interesting
way the history of his most widely known literary effort. Mr. Hubbard's
prose style is direct and pointed, though rather abrupt and barren. "The
Midnight Extra", by Dora M. Hepner, is a humorous short story of unusual
merit, leading from a well created atmosphere of terror to a clever and
unexpected anticlimax.
THE SPECTATOR for October-November contains much matter of very
substantial worth. "Creation", by Edward R. Taylor, Dean of the
University of California, is a beautiful bit of poetical sentiment and
harmonious metre, while "Half-past-twelve", by Miss von der Heide, is
likewise of great merit, both in thought and in structure. We have
lately been told that many apparent metrical defects which we have noted
are really no more than typographical errors, wherefore we will here
content ourselves by expressing the belief that the third line of the
second stanza of "Half-past-twelve" was originally written thus:
"Across the dark their shrilling laughter floats".
This rendering would do away with two seeming errors in the printed
copy. Olive G. Owen's "Battle-Prayer" is powerful in its appeal and
faultless in its construction. Of marked interest is "Divine
Self-Tower", a brief essay by Takeshi Kanno, the Japanese philosopher.
These words, in a tongue foreign to the writer, contain material for
more than a moment's thought.
"The Frank Friend" is in this number as interesting a critic as before.
The passage of four months has tempered his undue severity; indeed, we
fear that he has in certain cases veered a little too far toward the
other extreme. The most ambitious review is that of "Pig-pen Pete", by
Elbert Hubbard, which gives Mr. Held an opportunity to display his
powers to great advantage. Of the two editorials, that entitled "Life"
is the more notable. Though its philosophy must necessarily be rather
artificial, considering Mr. Held's age, it is none the less a very
artistic and generally creditable piece of composition. The cover of The
Spectator would be less Hearst-like if the fulsome announcements were
eliminated.
TOLEDO AMATEUR for April greets us in altered form, as a two-column
paper. Having given over the previous issue to the credentials of new
members, Mr. Porter very justly claims a goodly space for himself this
month, commenting ably on the affairs and activities of the
associations.
"Camp Columbia", by James J. Hennessey, gives an interesting outline of
the American army routine in Cuba during the years 1907 and 1908.
"Observations of an Outsider", by Mrs. Porter, mother of the editor,
sheds light on amateur journalism from a hitherto unusual angle. We note
with pleasure that Toledo Amateur remains immune from the destructive
bacillus of deformed spelling.
THE WOODBEE for April contains "The Cycle Eternal", a lucid
philosophical article by Samuel James Schilling, wherein is described
the dispersal and new combinations of the organic cells that compose the
body of mankind. By the perpetual reincorporation or reincarnation of
these cells in all other forms of matter, man is shown to be immortal,
and in the closest degree akin to every natural object surrounding him.
His outward form is merely one transient phase of a ceaseless
rearrangement of atoms; he is simply one aspect of infinite and eternal
Nature. Save for a few slight traces of rhetorical awkwardness, Mr.
Schilling's expository style is remarkable for its force and clearness;
the arrangement of the essay into Prologue, Body, and Epilogue is
especially favorable to comprehensiveness.
While Mr. Schilling deals with mankind in the abstract, Miss Mabel
McKee, in "A Gift from the City", presents a concrete example of the
workings of the human heart. Her subject and treatment are not
startlingly original, but such themes lose very little when repeated in
pure English and attractive style. The story is distinctly pleasing, and
artistically developed throughout.
A notable feature of the April Woodbee is Miss Hepner's fervent and
unstudied tribute to Mr. Leo Fritter, candidate for the United's
Presidency. Though the editorial is bestrewn with slang and distinctly
familiar in construction, it produces upon the reader an impression of
absolute sincerity and intensity of feeling which more elaborate
rhetoric might fail so forcibly to convey. Great as is the tribute,
however, we feel that Mr. Fritter is worthy of it, and must congratulate
him on having such support. Our own efforts for his election, appearing
in The Conservative, seem slight in comparison. The only verse in this
number is "My Shrine", by Harriet E. Daily. Though containing an attempt
to rhyme the words "time" and "shrine", this ethereal little poem of
spring is of great attractiveness.
ZEPPELIN for March, a publication emanating from the pen of Mr. O. S.
Hackett of Canton, Pennsylvania, is scarcely as formidable and menacing
as its name, being distinctly friendly and fraternal in its general
tone. Mr. Hackett's prose has obviously not received its final
polishing, but it is so filled with aspiration, ambition, and enthusiasm
for the cause of amateur journalism, that it evidently requires only
such development as is obtainable from a closer study of grammar and
rhetoric, and a wider perusal of classic English literature. In one
matter Mr. Hackett seems to harbor a wrong impression. The name
"credential", in the language of the amateurs, is not applied to all
literary productions, but only to those which are submitted by the new
recruits as evidence of their educational fitness for membership in the
association they seek to enter.
Joseph R. Schaffman's poem, "Think of Times Yet Coming", shows the same
innate sense of rhyme and metre that has distinguished his earlier work.
Only the conclusion lacks perfect ease and naturalness. Mr. Schaffman
has so far confined his Muse to optimistic opinions and moral maxims; we
hope that in the near future he will vary his efforts and attempt to
reflect more of his general reading in his poetry. The field is large
for one so happily favored with the gift of song.
H. P. LOVECRAFT,
Chairman.
THE UNITED AMATEUR
Official Organ of the United Amateur Press Association
VOLUME XV ELROY, WIS., SEPTEMBER, 1915 NUMBER 2
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC CRITICISM
_The Alabamian_ for Spring is a magazine unique amongst the publications
of the United. Devoted wholly to poetry, it contains some of the finest
short verses to appear this season, whilst even the crudest part of its
contents possesses some undoubted merit. The opening poem, a delightful
and ornate nature sonnet entitled "The Brook," professes to be a
translation from the Spanish, a claim borne out by the use of the word
"jasmine" in a place where the metre throws the accent anomalously on
the last syllable, as in the corresponding Spanish word "jazmin." The
sentiment of the whole is exquisite, and every image exhibits striking
beauty. It is to be regretted that both author and translator are
suffered to remain unrevealed. "A Poet's Songs," by Miss Owen, is a
powerful and well-written tribute to her fellow-bards both ancient and
modern. In Coralie Austin's "Tribute to Our President," dedicated to
Miss Hepner, we may discern the native talent of the true poet, slightly
obscured by the crudities of youth. The opening line appears to lack a
syllable, though this may be due only to the printer's omission of the
article before the word "laurel." In stanza 1, line 2, the trisyllabic
word "violets" appears as a dissyllable. This contraction is a rather
natural one, and must not be criticised too sternly. Indeed, there is
here a sort of middle zone betwixt error and allowableness, wherein no
decisive precepts may be laid down. Words like "radiant," "difference,"
and so forth, are nearly always slurred into dissyllables, and we were
ourselves guilty of an even greater liberalism when we wrote that line
in "Quinsnicket Park" which reads:
"The bending boughs a _diamond_ wealth amass."
But in Miss Austin's second stanza occur two errors of graver nature.
"For only her alone" is a lamentably tautological line which requires
the omission either of "only" or "alone," and the substitution of some
word to carry on the flow of metre. The attempted rhyming of "alone" and
"home" is obviously incorrect. The dissimilar consonantal sounds render
agreement impossible. This "m-n" rhyme, as we may call it, is becoming
alarmingly frequent in careless modern verse, and must ever be avoided
with utmost diligence. In the third stanza we discover a marked error in
maintenance of number. We are told that the "years go" and that at "its
end" we will lay trophies, etc. This mistake may be obviated with ease,
by changing "years go" to "year goes." Miss Austin's poetic talent is
great, but shows the want of precise cultivation. "Mother o' Mine," by
Miss von der Heide, is a beautiful piece of anapaestic verse whose metre
and sentiment alike attract the reader. "Parsifal," by Miss Owen, shows
satisfactory depth of thought, but is rather modern in metre. From the
conformation of the last line of the first stanza, we are led to believe
that the word "viol" is contracted to a monosyllable, or, to make a
rather reprehensible pun, that "vi-ol" has here a "vile" pronunciation.
"Frailties of Life," by Editor Baxley, shows a remarkable system of
extended rhyming, coupled with a noticeable lack of metrical harmony.
Mr. Baxley's technique is such that we believe his improvement would be
best effected by a repeated perusal of the older poets, whose classical
exactitude of form would teach him rhythm by rote, so to speak. Let him
cultivate his ear for metre, even though forced to acquire it through
nonsensical jingles. We believe that many a child has obtained from his
"Mother Goose" a love of correct rhythm which has later helped him in
serious poetical efforts. "Paid Back," a short, powerful poem by Miss
von der Heide, concludes an excellent and praiseworthy issue.
_Aurora_ for April is a delightful individual leaflet by Mrs. Ida C.
Haughton, exclusively devoted to poetical matters. The first poem,
"Aurora," is truly exquisite as a verbal picture of the summer dawn,
though rather rough-hewn metrically. Most open to criticism of all the
features of this piece, is the dissimilarity of the separate stanzas. In
a stanzaic poem the method of rhyming should be identical in every
stanza, yet Mrs. Haughton has here wavered between couplets and
alternate rhymes. In the opening stanza we behold first a quatrain, then
a quadruple rhyme. In the second we find couplets only. In the third a
quatrain is followed by an arrangement in which two rhyming lines
enclose a couplet, while in the final stanza the couplet again reigns
supreme. The metre also lacks uniformity, veering from iambic to
anapaestic form. These defects are, of course, merely technical, not
affecting the beautiful thought and imagery of the poem; yet the
sentiment would seem even more pleasing were it adorned with the garb of
metrical regularity. "On the Banks of Old Wegee" is a sentimental poem
of considerable merit, which suffers, however, from the same faults that
affect "Aurora." Most of these defects might have been obviated when the
stanzas were composed, by a careful counting of syllables in each line
and a constant consultation of some one, definite plan of rhyming. We
must here remark an error made in the typewritten copy of the original
manuscript, and reproduced in the finished magazine, for which, of
course, neither the poetical art of the author nor the technique of the
printer is to blame. In the second stanza, lines 6 and 7 were originally
written:
"How oft I've essayed to be
A fisherman bold, but my luck never told."
"Anent the Writing of Poetry" is a short prose essay, in which many
valuable truths are enunciated. Mrs. Haughton has evidently taken up the
poetic art with due seriousness, and considering the marked talent shown
in the first issue of her paper, we may justly expect to behold a
wonderfully rapid development in the near future.
_The Badger_ for June fulfills the promise of January, and shows us that
the present year has given the United a new and serious periodical of
satisfying quality. In the "Introductory," Mr. George Schilling
discusses in lively fashion the latest topics of the day, thereby
atoning for our own tedious "Finale." "Ready Made," by Samuel J.
Schilling, is a thoughtful presentation of a lamentable fact. The evil
which he portrays is one that has rendered the masses of America almost
wholly subservient to the vulgar press; to be led astray into every sort
of radicalism through low tricks of sensationalism. Our own poetical
attempt, entitled "Quinsnicket Park," contains 112 lines, and spoils
three and a half otherwise excellent pages. It is probable that but few
have had the fortitude to read it through, or even to begin it, hence we
will pass over its defects in merciful silence. "What May I Own?" by
A. W. Ashby, is an able sociological essay which displays considerable
familiarity with the outward aspects of economic conditions. Mr. Ashby,
condemning the present system practiced in the coal and iron industries,
declares that on moral grounds he had rather be a brewer or purveyor of
liquor than a coal magnate or an ironmaster. In this statement,
evidently born of hasty fervour, Mr. Ashby forgets the basic character
of the two types of industry which he contrasts. Beneath the liquor
traffic lies a foundation accursed by decency and reason. The entire
industry is designed to pander to a false craving whose gratification
lowers man in the scale of mental and physical evolution. The distiller
and vendor of rum is elementally the supreme foe of the human race, and
the most powerful, dangerous and treacherous factor in the defiance of
progress and the betrayal of mankind. His trade can never be improved or
purified, being itself a crime against Nature. On the other hand, the
coal and iron industries are, in their fundamental forms, desirable and
necessary adjuncts to an expanding civilization. Their present evils are
wholly alien to their essential principles, being connected only with
the uneasy industrialism of this age. These faults are not confined to
coal-mining and iron-working, but are merely those possessed in common
with all great industries. Joseph E. Shufelt's article on the European
war is an amazing outburst of socialism in its worst form. The idea that
this shocking carnage is the result of a deliberate plot of the ruling
classes of all the belligerents to destroy their labouring element is
wonderfully ludicrous in its extravagance. We are led to infer that
those best of friends, der Kaiser and his cousins George and Nicholas,
are merely pretending hostility in order to rid themselves of a
troublesome peasantry! We do not know what Mr. Shufelt has been reading
lately, but we hope that time may modify his ideas to such a degree that
he will turn his dignified style and pure English to some object worthy
of their employment.
_Dowdell's Bearcat_ for July marks the beginning of an unprecedented era
of improvement in the quality of that periodical. Having settled down to
the conventional 5◊7 size, it has now acquired a cover and an abundance
of pages which the editor informs us will never be lessened. The
influence of _The Olympian_ is perceptible in the _Bearcat_, and for his
taste in the selection of so worthy a model Mr. Dowdell is to be
commended. "When the Tape Broke" is the first article of the editorial
column, and well describes an example of collapsed activity which the
United should avoid. "A Runaway Horse," by Mrs. Ida C. Haughton, is a
brief and vivid sketch of a fatal accident. "Tragedy," an exquisite poem
by Emilie C. Holladay, deserves very favourable notice for the delicate
pathos of its sentiment, and perfect adaptation of the measure to the
subject. We may discern a few traces of immaturity in the handling of
the metre and in the presence of "allowable" rhymes. As elsewhere
stated, we personally approve and employ the old-fashioned "allowable"
rhyming sounds, but the best modern taste, as exemplified in the United
by its Laureate, Rheinhart Kleiner, demands absolute perfection in this
regard. As to the metre, we respectfully offer the following amended
second stanza as an example. It is absolutely uniform with the original
first stanza, which, of course, furnishes the model.
The summer rains
And autumn winds
The snowdrop find yet standing;
A petal gone,
And all alone,
Her tender roots expanding.
The remarkable poetical talent exhibited by Miss Holladay deserves a
cultivation that shall invest her productions with a technique of the
highest order. "The Dignity of Journalism," by ourselves, may be taken
by the reader as a sort of supplement to this Department. We there
enumerate in the abstract some of the precepts which we shall here apply
to individual writers. There are several misprints, which we hope will
not be taken as evidences of our bad spelling, and at the conclusion the
word "even" is omitted from the phrase which should read: "the
necessity, or _even_ the expediency." "June Journals" is an excellent
set of short reviews which display very favourably the critical ability
of Mr. Dowdell. The concluding notes on "Amateur Affairs" are brief, but
very interesting. The general excellence of _Dowdell's Bearcat_ excuses
the instances of imperfect proof-reading, which fault we are sure will
soon be eliminated.
_The Blarney Stone_ for March-April contains "Thoughts," a meritorious
poem by Chester P. Munroe. The tone of the piece is that of sentimental
and almost melancholy reverie, hence the metre is not quite uniform; but
a commendable absence of rough breaks lends a delightful flow to the
lines. We hope to behold further efforts from Mr. Munroe's pen. "The
Amateur's Creed," by Mrs. Renshaw, is written in the style of this
author's previous and now well-known poem, "A Symphony," and should do
much toward lifting the United upward to the highest literary ideals.
_The Blarney Stone_ for May-June has cast off all undue seriousness, and
teems with light and attractive matter concerning the recent Rocky Mount
convention. Some of the displays of wit and cleverness are very striking
and entertaining indeed, while no page departs so far from merit that it
may be justly adjudged as dull.
_The Boys' Herald_ for August is an issue of unusual elaborateness,
announcing the engagement of its editor, Mr. Edwin Hadley Smith, and
Miss Nita Edna Gerner of New York. Excellent portraits of the happy
couple follow the formal announcement, and Miss Gerner, now Associate
Editor, describes in an excellent prose style the romance which
culminated in the engagement. "Gerneriana," consisting mainly of a
reprint from an earlier issue, is an interesting account of the late
Richard Gerner, an old-time amateur, and father of the prospective
bride. This article is well supplemented by the reproductions of parts
of old amateur papers which adorn the back cover of the magazine. The
remainder of _The Boys' Herald_ is wholly statistical, dealing with the
amateur career of Mr. Smith. Few members of the association could
produce superior records of activity.
_The Brooklynite_ for April maintains the high standard set by the
previous number. "A Miracle," the opening poem, was composed by Alice L.
Carson during the course of a meeting of the Blue Pencil Club, yet
exhibits all the grace and harmony expected in a carefully planned and
laboriously polished work. "Spring Thoughts," by A. M. Adams, is a
humorous prose masterpiece by the National's new Critic. Seldom is the
amateur press favoured with such a well-sustained succession of
brilliant epigrams. Miss Owen's "Ode to Trempealeau Mountain" is a noble
specimen of heroic blank verse, containing some very striking
antithetical lines. The title, however, is a misnomer, since a true ode
is necessarily of irregular form. "Some Late Amateur Magazines," by
W. B. Stoddard, is a series of brief, informal reviews. As a critic, Mr.
Stoddard shows considerable discernment, though having a rather
unpleasant air of conscious superiority in certain places. A little more
stateliness of style would add to the force of his criticisms. "Spring"
reveals Rheinhart Kleiner in his favourite domain of amatory verse. Mr.
Kleiner's tuneful numbers and pure diction render his poetry ever a
delight. "Rebellion," by Miss von der Heide, is a metrically perfect
piece of verse whose artistry is marred only by the use of the
unpoetical philosophical term "subconscious" instead of "unconscious."
_The Brooklynite_ for July is of especial interest as the first paper to
print an account of the Rocky Mount convention. This description, from
the facile and versatile pen of Miss von der Heide, is of distinctly
informal character, yet is none the less interesting as an animated
chronicle of an enjoyable event. Rheinhart Kleiner's account of the
National convention is more dignified, and may be considered as a model
for this sort of composition. Mr. Kleiner shines as brightly in prose as
in verse, and each day surprises us with revelations of excellence in
various dissimilar departments of literature.
_The Conservative_ for July is notable for Mr. Ira Cole's delightfully
pantheistic poem, "A Dream of the Golden Age." The unusual poetic genius
of Mr. Cole has been revealed but recently, yet the imaginative
qualities pervading some of his prose long ago gave indications of this
gift. The pantheistic, Nature-worshipping mind of our author lends to
his productions an unique and elusive atmosphere which contrasts very
favourably with the earthy tone of some of our less fanciful bards.
Metrically, Mr. Cole adopts instinctively the regular, conservative
forms of a saner generation. In this specimen of heroic verse he
inclines toward the practice of Keats, and does not always confine
single thoughts to single couplets in the manner of the
eighteenth-century poets. We believe that Mr. Cole is commencing a
successful career as a United poet, and await the day when he shall be
accorded the honor of a laureateship.
_The Coyote_ for July reveals a wonderful improvement over the March
number, both in the literary quality of its contributions and in general
editorial excellence. Never before have we seen the perfect amateur
spirit acquired so quickly as in Mr. Harrington's case. "Night Fancies,"
by Helen H. Salls, is a sonnet of exceptional power and artistry, whose
faultless metre is equalled only by its bold and striking images. Amidst
this profusion of excellent metaphor, it is difficult to select
individual instances for particular praise, but we might commend
especially the passage:
"... the stars still keep
Afloat like boats that black sky-billows ride."
Miss Salls is clearly an amateur poet of the first rank, and it is to be
hoped that she will be a liberal contributor to United magazines. "The
Rebirth of the British Empire," by William T. Harrington, is a clear and
concise exposition of the virtues whereby Old England maintains her
proud position as Mistress of the Seas, and chief colonial empire of the
world. The style of the essay is admirable, and well exhibits the
progressive qualities of Mr. Harrington. "An Ideal," by Nettie Hartman,
is a short poem of pleasing sentiment and harmonious metre. The notes on
amateur affairs are interesting and well composed, revealing Mr.
Harrington's increasing enthusiasm for the cause.
_Dowdell's Bearcat_ for May is another striking illustration of the
improvement which can affect a paper within a very short time. Since
last October Mr. Dowdell has been progressing swiftly toward
journalistic excellence, and even this cleverly conceived and uniquely
shaped issue fails to mark the limit of his ambition. "Knowest Thou?" by
Mrs. Renshaw, is an expressive tribute to a nation whose recent infamies
can never wholly becloud its rugged virtues. "With Nature I Rejoice" is
probably the best poem which Joseph R. Schaffman has yet written. As his
remarkable talent matures, the didactic element in his verse is
gradually giving way to the more purely poetic, and this latest effort
is one of which he may be justly proud. Concerning Mr. Dowdell's own
spirited prose, we need only repeat the previous suggestion, that a
little less slang would add much to its force and dignity.
_Dowdell's Bearcat_ for May 26 contains another poem by Mrs. Renshaw
whose national tone is not likely to be popular just now outside the
country to which it refers; in fact, Editor Dowdell has deemed it wise
to make an apologetic statement concerning it. However, if we call "Ein
Mann" Col. Theodore Roosevelt, and shift the scene to San Juan Hill, we
may be able to appreciate the real patriotism delineated.
_Dowdell's Bearcat_ for June is wholly given over to notes of the
amateur world. Mr. Dowdell is indeed a pleasing young writer, and leaves
none of his topics without a characteristic touch of light adornment.
_The Lake Breeze_ for April is distinguished by James L. Crowley's poem
entitled "April," a brief lyric of marked merit, highly expressive of
the season. "Writing Poetry," an essay by Dora M. Hepner, is a clear and
tasteful analysis of the poet's art and inspiration. "The Norwegian
Recruit," a dialect monologue by Maurice W. Moe, is the leading feature
of this issue. This exquisite bit of humor, recited by Mr. Moe at the
United's 1913 convention, is a sketch of rare quality. "The Amateur
Press," now firmly established as a column of contributed reviews, is
this month of substantial size and fair quality. It is needless to say
that the news pages are interesting, and that the paper as a whole well
maintains the high reputation it has ever enjoyed.
_The Lake Breeze_ for June apparently opens an era of unprecedented
improvement, being of distinctly literary rather than political nature.
The plea for a Department of Instruction is a just one, and ought to
meet with response from some of our pedagogical members. "Broken Metre,"
by Mrs. Renshaw, is an attempt at defending the popular atrocities
committed in the name of freedom by the modern poets. While the article
is superficially quite plausible, we feel that the settled forms of
regular metre have too much natural justification thus to be disturbed.
The citation of Milton, intended to strengthen Mrs. Renshaw's argument,
really weakens it; for while he undoubtedly condemns _rhyme_, he laments
in the course of this very condemnation the _lame metre_ which is
sometimes concealed by apt rhyming. "Some Views on Versification," by
Clara I. Stalker, is an essay written from a sounder and more
conservative point of view. The middle course in poetical composition,
which avoids alike wild eccentricities and mechanical precision, has
much to recommend it, and Miss Stalker does well to point out its
virtues. However, we do not see why even the few irregularities which
are here said to be inevitable, cannot be smoothed out by the bard
without destroying the sense of his poetry. "Disappointment," by Mrs.
Maude K. Barton, is a clever piece of light verse whose sprightly humour
makes up for its slight metrical roughness. The imperfect but allowable
rhyming of "bear" and "appear" in the first stanza is entirely correct
according to the old-time standards which we ourselves follow, but we
fear that the delicate ear of a precise metrical artist like Rheinhart
Kleiner would object to its liberalism. "The Amateur Press" is
distinguished by an excellent review from the pen of Mrs. Renshaw. The
style is satisfactory, and the criticism just, making the whole well
worthy of the prize book it has secured for its author. "'Pollyanna,'
the Glad Book" is a meritorious and entertaining review by Mrs.
Griffith. "Hope," by Marguerite Sisson, is commendable for its use of
that noble but neglected measure, the heroic couplet. Mr. Daas'
concluding editorial, "Literature and Politics," is admirable for its
concise exposition of the United's new ideals, and its masterly
refutation of the common fallacy that political quarrels are necessary
to stimulate activity in the press associations.
_The Looking Glass_ for May is a journal unique in purpose and quality.
Edited by Mrs. Renshaw in behalf of her many gifted recruits, it reveals
a condition absolutely unexampled; the acquisition by one member of so
many high-grade novices that a special publication is required properly
to introduce them to the United. "To a Critic of Shelley," by Helen H.
Salls, is a long piece of beautiful blank verse, marred only by one
accidental rhyme. Miss Salls is evidently one of those few really
powerful poets who come all too seldom into Amateur Journalism,
startling the Association with impeccable harmony and exalted images.
The present poem grows even more attractive on analysis. The diction is
of phenomenal purity and wholly unspoiled by any ultra-modern touch. It
might have been a product of Shelley's own age. The metaphor is
marvellous, exhibiting a soul overflowing with true spirituality, and a
mind trained to express beautiful thought in language of corresponding
beauty. Such unforced ornateness is rarely met in the domain of amateur
poetry. We feel certain that Miss Salls has already become a fixed star
in the empyrean of the United. Exalted poetry of quite another type is
furnished by the work of our new Director, Rev. Frederick Chenault,
whose two exquisite lyrics, "Birth" and "The Sea of Somewhere," appear
in this issue. With little use of formal rhyme and metre, Mr. Chenault
abounds in delicate conceptions and artistic renditions.
"Retrospection," by Kathleen Baldwin, is likewise a poem of high order,
and of fairly regular metre, evidently following comparatively recent
models in technique. "The Faithful Man," by I. T. Valentine, shows
growing poetical talent, but is cruelly injured by the anticlimactic
line. Not that there is any anticlimax of sentiment, but the colloquial
mode of expression shocks the reader who has been perusing the more
dignified lines which go before. "The Stonework of Life" is an excellent
prose sermon by Joseph Ernest Shufelt, which displays great ability in
the field of metaphor and allegory. Mr. Shufelt possesses an admirable
style, unusually well fitted for didactic matter of this sort; indeed,
it is regrettable that he should ever depart from such congenial themes
and turn to the wild sensationalism which he shows in _The Badger_. In
demonstrating the beauties of morality and religion, he has few
superiors, and a task so appropriate to his genius ought to claim his
whole attention. True, his thoughts may follow strange courses in their
quest for truth and beauty, but were he always to curb them within the
bounds of probability and conservatism, as here, he would never lose the
confidence of his public, as he has done with his strange war theories.
"The Autocracy of Art," by Anne Vyne Tillery Renshaw, is the leading
article of the magazine. Herein the author proclaims the supremacy of
spiritual utterances over all restrictions created by the mind, and
urges the emancipation of the soaring bard from the earthly chains of
rhyme and metre. That the inward promptings of the poetic instinct are
of prime value to the poet, few will dispute; but that they may give
final form to his soul's creations without some regulation by the
natural laws of rhythm, few will agree. The metric sense lies far deeper
in the breast of man than Mrs. Renshaw is here disposed to acknowledge.
After this article, the perfectly regular stanzas of "Fellow Craftsman,"
_by the same author_, are refreshing. The typography and form of _The
Looking Glass_ leave something to be desired, but the riches within make
ample compensation for outward crudity.
_The New Member_ for May, edited by William Dowdell, contains but one
credential, yet doubtless paves the way for a resumption of the
enterprise so ably conducted by Miss Hoffman last year. "Melancholy," a
poem by I. T. Valentine, shows traces of the beginner's crudeness, yet
has about it a quality which promises much for the future of the poet.
"Lock-Step Pete," by Miss von der Heide, is an unusual poem with a
thoughtful suggestion embodied in its concluding stanza.
_The New Member_ bound with the May _Official Quarterly_ is a model that
should henceforth be followed as the nearest approach to perfection yet
beheld. Credentials, lists of prospective members, news of recruits, and
accounts of local clubs are here given in just and pleasing proportion.
"Bluets and Butterflies," by Carolyn L. Amoss, is a poem of great
delicacy and ethereal atmosphere. The solitary, tiny flaw is the
attempted rhyming of "Miss" and "yes." "War in America," by Annette E.
Foth, is a pleasant juvenile story. E. Ralph Cheyney's extract from his
essay on "Youth" is in many ways remarkable, and shows us that we have
another recruit of choice quality. His rather peculiar ideas are well
expressed, though their soundness is quite debatable. A few abnormal
characters like Byron and Shelley doubtless experienced all the
adolescent phenomena which Mr. Cheyney describes, but we believe that
the average youth is a copyist, and for the most part reflects his
environment. Radicalism and novel ideas arise just as much from blasÈ,
elderly cynics, who are tired of sane and sober conservatism. We have
been reflecting on Life for about twenty years, ever since we were five,
and have consistently believed that the wisdom of the ancient sage is
the true wisdom; that Life is essentially immutable, and that the
glorious dreams of youth are no more than dreams, to be dissipated by
the dawn of maturity and the full light of age. "Flowers on the Grave,"
a poem by J. D. Hill, has a commendable sentiment, and is remarkable for
its possession of only one repeated rhyming sound. Whether or not the
latter feature be monotonous, all must admit that the versification is
attractive. "We Are All Desperate!" is a striking philosophical fragment
by Melvin Ryder, which first appeared as an editorial in the _Ohio State
Lantern_. The conjectures are plausible, and the precepts sound. The
news items in this paper are all fresh and interesting, concluding an
issue uniformly excellent.
_The Pippin_ for May displays very favourably the high-school club whose
founding and maintenance are due entirely to the genius of Mr. Maurice
W. Moe. "The Coasters," by Esther Ronning, is the only poem in the
issue, but its quality atones for the absence of other verse. The
pleasures and perils of coasting are here portrayed with wonderfully
graphic pen, whilst the metre is, so far as technical correctness is
concerned, all that might be desired. However, we wish that Miss
Ronning were less fond of unusual rhyming arrangements. The lines here
given are of regular ballad length. Were they disposed in couplets, we
should have a tuneful lay of the "Chevy Chase" order; but as it is, our
ear misses the steady couplet effect to which the standard models have
accustomed us. "With the Assistance of Carmen" is a clever short story
by Gladys Bagg, derived from the same plot nucleus by Mr. Moe which
likewise evoked Miss Moore's story in the March UNITED AMATEUR. The
structure of the narrative is excellent, but we do not like the use of
the plebeian expression "onto" on page 3. There is properly no such word
as "onto" in the English language, "upon" being the preposition here
required. Webster clearly describes "onto" as a low provincialism or
colloquialism. "Little Jack in Fairyland," by Ruth Ryan, is a well
written account of a dream, with the usual awakening just as events are
coming to a climax. The style is very attractive, and the images
ingenious. "Getting What You Want," by Mr. Moe, is a brief one-act farce
illustrating the subtle devices whereby the sharp housewife bewilders
the good-natured landlord into the granting of extraordinary favours.
Had the heroine kept on to still greater lengths, she might have secured
an entire new house. The present number of _The Pippin_ is, save for the
absence of photographs, quite as pleasing as the previous number. We
trust that Mr. Moe's editorial prophecy may be fulfilled, and that we
may soon behold another issue which shall make us familiar with the new
faces brought by revolving time into the congenial Appleton circle.
_The Plainsman_ for July is the best number yet issued, the two
eleventh-hour contributions being very cleverly introduced. "Revised
Edition," by Mrs. Jeanette Timkin, is a versified piece of keen humour
and good metre, well illustrating the opening of the third or aerial
element to human travel. "To Bazine, Kansas" is a sprightly prose
account by James J. Hennessey of his journey from Boston to Bazine. "An
Incident of Early Days," by Mrs. John Cole, is presented in the same
attractive reminiscent style which makes her article in _The Trail_ so
readable and interesting. We are here told of the times when herds of
bison were common sights, and are given a pleasing account of the
formation of the Bazine Sunday-School. The articles by Mr. and Mrs. Ira
Cole show their appreciation of the amateurs who have visited them, and
conclude an issue of thoroughly entertaining quality.
_The Providence Amateur_ for June introduces to the United another local
press club of great enthusiasm. Owing to some unauthorized omissions
made by the printer, this first issue is scarcely representative of the
club's entire personnel, but that which still remains affords, after
all, a fair index to the character and ideals of the new organization.
The editorials by John T. Dunn are both frank and fearless. We detest a
shifty club whose allegiance wavers betwixt the United, the Morris
Faction and the National, and so are greatly pleased at Mr. Dunn's manly
and open stand for the one real United. The editor's opinions on
acknowledgment of papers is certainly just from one point of view,
though much may be said for the opposite side. When an amateur journal
has been prepared with unusual labour, and mailed conscientiously to
every member of the Association, the publisher has substantial reason
for resenting any marked display of neglect. We do not blame _The
Blarney Stone_ for its attitude on this question, and shall probably
follow its custom by mailing the next _Conservative_ only to those who
have acknowledged one or both of the previous issues.
_The Reflector_ for June is a British amateur magazine, transplanted on
American soil by its able editor, Ernest A. Dench. "Crossing the
Atlantic in War Time" is a pleasing account of Mr. Dench's voyage from
Liverpool to New York. "Chunks of Copy" forms the title of an excellent
though informal editorial department, while "A Brain Tank at Your
Service" teems with witticisms concerning various members of the Blue
Pencil Club. This magazine has no connection with any former journal of
like title, but seems likely to prove a worthy successor to all its
namesakes.
_The Trail_ for Spring is a new and substantial illustrated magazine of
20 pages and cover, issued by our well-known Private Critic, Mr. Alfred
L. Hutchinson. At the head of the contents are the reminiscences of the
editor, which prove extremely interesting reading, and which are well
supplemented by the lines entitled "The Tramp Printer." Also by Mr.
Hutchinson is the well written and animated account of Mr. Nicholas
Bruehl, whose artistic photographical work adorns the inside covers of
this issue. "Pioneer Life in Kansas," by Mrs. John Cole, is a
delightfully graphic picture of the trials and adventures of the early
settlers in the West. Being written from actual personal experience, the
various incidents leave a lasting impression on the mind of the reader,
while a pleasing smoothness of style enhances the vividness of the
narrative. "Memory-Building" is the first of a series of psychological
articles by our master amateur, Maurice W. Moe. It is here demonstrated
quite conclusively, that the faculty of memory is dependent on the
fundamental structure and quality of the brain, and may never be
acquired or greatly improved through cultivation. "Evening at Magnolia
Springs," by Laura E. Moe, exhibits the same type of literary talent
that her gifted husband possesses; in fact, this sketch may be compared
with Mr. Moe's well-known "Cedar Lake Days." The use of trivial
incidents gives an intense naturalness to the description. "Caught," by
Ruth M. Lathrop, is a brilliant short story whose development and climax
are natural and unforced. Fiction is generally the amateur's weakest
spot, but Miss Lathrop is evidently one of the few shining exceptions.
So thoroughly excellent is _The Trail_, that we hope to see not merely a
second issue, but its permanent establishment as one of the United's
leading magazines.
_The Tryout_ for June belongs to the National, but contains much matter
by United members. "Tempora Mutantur," a very meritorious short story by
Marguerite Sisson, affords an illuminating contrast between the solid
culture of 1834 and the detestable shallowness of the present time. This
prevailing frivolity and unscholarliness is something which the United
is seeking to remedy, and we are thankful indeed for stories such as
this, which expose modern levity in all its nauseousness. It is evident
that Miss Sisson is emulating the appreciative Anne Carroll of 1834,
rather than her obtuse and indifferent descendant. "The District
School," by Edna R. Guilford, describes very vividly the many petty
annoyances that beset the average teacher. While the picture is
extremely well presented as a whole, certain roughnesses of diction
nevertheless arrest the critical eye. "Onto," in the first paragraph, is
a provincialism which should be superseded by "to." Further on we hear
the teacher admonishing a youth to wash up some ink, and "wash it
_good_"! Would a _teacher_ thus express herself? "Well" is the adverb
here needed. "Too tired _to hardly stand_" is a seriously ungrammatical
phrase, which should read: "almost too tired to stand." We note that one
of the pupils' names is given as "Robert Elsmere." While it may not be
essentially a fault thus to use the name of a famous character of
fiction, we feel that the exercise of a little more originality might
have avoided this appropriation of Mrs. Humphry Ward's celebrated hero.
Miss Guilford's fundamental talent is unmistakable, but needs
cultivation and practice before it can shine out in full splendour.
_The Tryout_ for July contains "Cripple George," a beautiful short story
by Mrs. Rose L. Elmore, commendable alike in plot and technique. "A Day
in the Mountains," by Harry H. Connell, is a very interesting sketch
whose style exhibits considerable promise.
THE UNITED AMATEUR for March contains a literary department which will,
we hope, remain as a regular feature. "Tobias Smithers, Leading Man" is
Miss Ellen Moore's prize-winning attempt at constructing a story from a
very brief nucleus given by Mr. Moe. Miss Moore here exhibits a facile
pen and a just appreciation of humorous situations. "Ghosts," by Mrs.
Renshaw, well illustrates the vague superstitions of the negroes, those
strange creatures of darkness who seem never to cross completely the
threshold from apedom to humanity. "March," by ourselves, is a gem of
exquisite poesy, etc., etc., which we have here praised because no one
else could ever conscientiously do so. Line 10 apparently breaks the
metre, but this seeming break is due wholly to the printer. The line
should read:
"The longer sunshine, and the shorter night."
"The Unknown Equation" is a love story by Mrs. Florence Shepphird.
Though the major portion is quite polished and consistent, we cannot but
deem the conclusion too abrupt and precipitate. Perhaps, being a frigid
old critic without experience in romance, we ought to submit the
question to some popular newspaper column of Advice to the Lovelorn,
inquiring whether or not it be permissible for a young lady, after only
a few hours' acquaintanceship with a young gentleman, to encourage him
to "put his arm around her yielding form and kiss her passionately"!!
THE UNITED AMATEUR for May is graced by "Reveille," a powerful and
stirring poem written in collaboration by our two gifted bards, Mr.
Kleiner, the Laureate, and Miss von der Heide. "Nature and the
Countryman," by A. W. Ashby, is an iconoclastic attack on that love of
natural beauty which is inherent in every poetical, imaginative and
delicately strung brain. In prose of faultless technique and polished
style, Mr. Ashby catalogues like a museum curator every species of flaw
that he can possibly pick in the scenes and events of rustic life. But
while the career of the farmer is assuredly not one of uninterrupted
bliss, it were folly to assert that Nature's superlative loveliness is
not more than enough to compensate for its various infelicities. No mind
of high grade is so impervious to aesthetic emotion that it can behold
without admiration the wonders of the rural realm, even though a vein of
sordid suffering ran through the beauteous ensemble. Of all our personal
friends, the one who most adores and loves to personify Nature is a
successful farmer of unceasing diligence. Mr. Ashby errs, we are
certain, in taking the point of view of the unimaginative and
unappreciative peasant. This sort of animal interprets Nature by
physical, not mental associations, and is unfitted by heredity to
receive impressions of the beautiful in its less material aspects.
Whilst he grumbles at the crimson flames of Aurora, thinking only of the
afternoon rain thus predicted, the man of finer mould, though equally
cognizant that a downpour may follow, rejoices impulsively at the pure
beauty of the scene itself, a scene whose intellectual exaltation will
help him the better to bear the dull afternoon. Is not the beauty-lover
the happier of the two? Both must endure the trials, but the poet enjoys
compensating pleasures which the boor may never know. The
personification and deification of Nature is a legacy from primitive
ages which will delight us in an atavistical way till our very race
shall have perished. And let Mr. Ashby remember that those early tribes
who placed a god or goddess in every leafy tree, crystal fount, reedy
lake or sparkling brook, were far closer to Nature and the soil than is
any modern tenant farmer.
_The United Official Quarterly_ for May has resumed its former
attractive appearance, and contains a very creditable assortment of
literary matter. "Atmosphere," by Mrs. Shepphird, is a thoughtful and
pleasing essay, whose second half well describes the individuality of
the various amateur authors and editors. "The Kingly Power of Laughter,"
by Louena Van Norman, is no less just and graphic, illustrating the
supreme force of humour and ridicule. Leo Fritter, in "Concerning
Candidates," points out some important details for office-seekers,
whilst Ira A. Cole, in "Five Sticks on Finance," gives some interesting
suggestions for economy. "Opportunity," an essay by Mildred Blanchard,
concludes the issue, and successfully disputes the noxious old
platitude, that "Opportunity knocks but once at each man's door." With
the _Quarterly_ is bound _The New Member_, reviewed elsewhere, the two
forming a tasteful and meritorious magazine.
_The Woodbee_ for July is an issue of unusual interest, revealing the
more serious and substantial activities of the prosperous Columbus Club.
The opening feature is a sonnet by Alma Sanger, "To Autumn Violets,"
which exhibits some poetical talent and a just sense of metrical values.
We are sure that the defective second line is the fault of the printer
rather than of the author. "The Blind Prince," by Henriette Ziegfeld, is
an excellent juvenile tale involving a fairy story. The only serious
objection is the undercurrent of adult comment which flows through the
narrative. Particularly cynical is the closing sentence: "'And here's
Mother,' finished poor Auntie with a sigh of relief." The ordinary fairy
stories told to children are bits of actual Teutonic mythology, and
should be related with a grave, absolute simplicity and naivete.
However, as a psychological study of the typical childish auditor, the
sketch as a whole is highly meritorious. We are inclined to wonder at
the possible meaning of the strange word "alright," which appears more
than once in Miss Ziegfeld's tale. It is certainly no part of our
language, and if it be a corruption of "all right," we must say that we
fail to perceive why the correct expression could not have been used.
"What's in a Name?" by Irene Metzger, is a clever sketch concerning
the silly modern practice of giving fancy names to helpless infants.
Glancing backward a little through history, Miss Metzger would probably
sympathize with the innocent offspring of the old Puritans, who
received such names as "Praise-God," and the like. Praise-God Barebones,
a leading and fanatical member of Cromwell's rebel parliament,
went a step further than his father, naming his own son
"If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-Damned"! All this
was actually the first name of young Barebones, but after he grew up and
took a Doctor's degree, he was called by his associates, "_Damned Dr.
Barebones_"! "Moonlight on the River," by Ida Cochran Haughton, is an
exquisite sentimental poem, each stanza of which ends with the same
expression. The atmosphere is well created, and the images dexterously
introduced. The whole piece reminds the reader of one of Thomas Moore's
beautiful old "Irish Melodies." That Mrs. Haughton's talent has
descended to the second generation is well proven by Edna M. Haughton's
"Review of the Literary Work of the Quarter." Miss Haughton is a
polished and scholarly reviewer, and her criticisms are in every
instance just and helpful. The editorial on "Miss United" is very well
written, and should be carefully perused by those in danger of
succumbing to the autumnal advances of that sour old maid, Miss
National.
--HOWARD P. LOVECRAFT
Chairman.
Little Journeys to the Homes of Prominent Amateurs
Among the many amateurs I have never met in the flesh and realness of
Life, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, poet, critic and student, appeals to me
as no other recent "find" in the circles of amateuria has ever appealed.
And Lovecraft _is_ a distinct "find." Just why he holds a firm grip on
my heart-strings is something of a mystery to me. Perhaps it is because
of his wholesome ideals; perhaps it is because he is a recluse, content
to nose among books of ancient lore; perhaps it's because of his
physical afflictions; his love of things beautiful in Life; his ardent
advocacy of temperance, cleanliness and purity--I don't know. We
disagree on many questions; he criticises my literary activities; he
smiles at my suffrage theories, and disapproves of my language in _Chain
Lightning_. But I like him.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft has an interesting history, and this fact was
known to Official Editor Daas when he asked me to take a little journey
to the study-home of the Vice-President. "Don't stint yourself for
space" was noted on the assignment tab, and after glancing over the
biographical notes before me--I am sure that Daas has again exemplified
his quiet humor during a serious moment.
Lovecraft was born at 454 Angell St., Providence, R. I., on August 20,
1890. His nationality is Anglo-American, and under British law he can
claim to be a British subject, since he is a grandson in direct male
line of a British subject not naturalized in the United States. His
ancestry is purely English. On the paternal side he is a descendant of
the Lovecrafts, a Devonshire family which has furnished a great many
clergymen to the Church of England, and the Allgoods of Northumberland,
a history-honored family of which several members have been knighted.
The Allgoods have been a military line, and this may account for
Lovecraft's militarism and belief in the justice of war. On the maternal
side he is a typical Yankee, coming from East English stock which
settled in Rhode Island about 1680. Lovecraft is a student of
astronomy--it is a domineering passion with him--and this love was
apparently inherited from his maternal grandmother, Rhoby Phillips, who
studied it thoroughly in her youth at Lapham Seminary, and whose
collection of old astronomical books first interested him. Lovecraft
came from pure-blood stock, and he is the last male descendant of that
family in the United States. With him the name will die in America. He
is unmarried.
As he was about to enter college at the age of eighteen, his feeble
health gave way, and since then he has been physically incapacitated and
rendered almost an invalid. Being thus deprived of his cherished hope to
further his education and prepare himself for a life of letters, he has
contented himself with his home, which is just three squares from his
birthplace, and where he lives with his mother. And his home life is
ideal. His personal library--his haven of contentment--contains more
than 1500 volumes, many of them yellowed with age, and crude examples of
the printer's art. Among these treasured books may be found volumes
which have passed through the various branches of his family, some
dating back to 1681 and 1702, and methinks I can see Lovecraft poring
over these time-stained bits o' bookish lore as the monks of old
followed the printed lines with quivering fingers in the taper's
uncertain, flickering light. For Lovecraft appeals to me as a
bookworm--one of those lovable mortals whose very existence seems to
hang on the numbered pages of a heavy, clumsy book!
His connection with organized amateur journalism is of recent date. On
April 6, 1914, his application for membership in the United Amateur
Press Association of America was forwarded to the Secretary. Like a
great many of the recruits, Lovecraft was completely ignored for several
months. In July of last year he became active, and he has proven to be
an invaluable asset to the literary life of the Association. He is _not_
a politician. However, his literary activities had been prosecuted many
years before he had ever heard of the United. At the age of eight and
one-half years he published the _Scientific Gazette_, a weekly
periodical, written in pencil and issued in editions of four carbon
copies. This journal was devoted to the science of chemistry, which was
one of his earliest hobbies, and ran from March, 1899, to February,
1904. As in most cases, my knowledge of chemistry was acquired after I
had spent four years in high-school, and the fact that any boy should be
interested in that study at the age of eight and one-half years appeals
to me as something out of the ordinary. But Lovecraft was not an
ordinary boy. His second and more ambitious venture was the _Rhode
Island Journal of Astronomy_. This was at first published as a weekly,
and later changed to a monthly publication. This was carefully printed
by hand and then duplicated on the hectograph and issued in lots of
twenty-five copies. The _Journal_ was issued from 1903 to 1907, and
contained the latest astronomical news, re-written from the original
telegraphic reports issued from Harvard University and seen at the Ladd
Observatory. It also contained many of his original articles and
forecasts of phenomena. He owns a 3-inch telescope of French make, and
aside from amateur journalism, his one great hobby is astronomy. At the
age of sixteen he commenced writing monthly astronomical articles for
the Providence _Tribune_, and later changed to the _Evening News_, to
which he still contributes. During the present year he has contributed a
complete elementary treatise on astronomy in serial form to the
Asheville (N. C.) _Gazette-News_. Besides contributing a great many
poems and articles to the amateur press, editing _The Conservative_ and
assisting with the editorial work on _The Badger_, the appearance of Mr.
Lovecraft's work in the professional magazines is of common occurrence.
During the past year he has had charge of the Bureau of Public Criticism
in THE UNITED AMATEUR, where he has proven himself a just, impartial and
painstaking critic. That he will achieve a great popularity in the world
of amateur letters is a foregone conclusion, and I do not think that I
am indulging in extravagant praise in predicting a brilliant future for
him in the professional field.
I am acquainted with Howard Phillips Lovecraft only through
correspondence; I have never felt the flesh of his palm, and yet, I know
he is a man--every inch of him--and that amateur journalism will be
enriched and promoted to its highest plane through his kindly influence
and literary leadership.
ANDREW FRANCIS LOCKHART
THE UNITED AMATEUR FEBRUARY 1916
The Teuton's Battle-Song
"Omnis erat vulnus unda
Terra rubefacta calido
Frendebat gladius in loricas
Gladius findebat clypeos--
Non retrocedat vir a viro
Hoc fuit viri fortis nobilitas diu--
Laetus cerevisiam cum Asis
In summa sede bibam
Vitae elapsae sunt horae
Ridens moriar."
--REGNER LODBROG
The mighty Woden laughs upon his throne,
And once more claims his children for his own.
The voice of Thor resounds again on high,
While arm'd Valkyries ride from out the sky:
The Gods of Asgard all their pow'rs release
To rouse the dullard from his dream of peace.
Awake! ye hypocrites, and deign to scan
The actions of your "brotherhood of Man."
Could your shrill pipings in the race impair
The warlike impulse put by Nature there?
Where now the gentle maxims of the school,
The cant of preachers, and the Golden Rule?
What feeble word or doctrine now can stay
The tribe whose fathers own'd Valhalla's sway?
Too long restrain'd, the bloody tempest breaks,
And Midgard 'neath the tread of warriors shakes.
On to thy death, Berserker bold! And try
In acts of Godlike bravery to die!
Who cares to find the heaven of the priest,
When only warriors can with Woden feast?
The flesh of Sehrimnir, and the cup of mead,
Are but for him who falls in martial deed:
Yon luckless boor, that passive meets his end,
May never in Valhalla's court contend.
Slay, brothers, Slay! And bathe in crimson gore;
Let Thor, triumphant, view the sport once more!
All other thoughts are fading in the mist,
But to attack, or if attack'd, resist.
List, great Alfadur, to the clash of steel;
How like a man does each brave swordsman feel!
The cries of pain, the roars of rampant rage,
In one vast symphony our ears engage.
Strike! Strike him down! Whoever bars the way;
Let each kill many ere he die today!
Ride o'er the weak; accomplish what ye can;
The Gods are kindest to the strongest man!
Why should we fear? What greater joy than this?
Asgard alone could give us sweeter bliss!
My strength is waning; dimly can I see
The helmeted Valkyries close to me.
Ten more I slay! How strange the thought of fear,
With Woden's mounted messengers so near!
The darkness comes; I feel my spirit rise;
A kind Valkyrie bears me to the skies.
With conscience clear, I quit the earth below,
The boundless joys of Woden's halls to know.
The grove of Glasir soon shall I behold,
And on Valhalla's tablets be enroll'd:
There to remain, till Heimdall's horn shall sound,
And Ragnarok enclose creation round;
And Bifrost break beneath bold Surtur's horde,
And Gods and men fall dead beneath the sword;
When sun shall die, and sea devour the land,
And stars descend, and naught but Chaos stand.
Then shall Alfadur make his realm anew,
And Gods and men with purer life indue.
In that blest country shall Abundance reign,
Nor shall one vice or woe of earth remain.
Then, not before, shall men their battles cease,
And live at last in universal peace.
Through cloudless heavens shall the eagle soar,
And happiness prevail forevermore.
--H. P. LOVECRAFT
_Author's Note._
The writer here endeavours to trace the ruthless ferocity and incredible
bravery of the modern Teutonic soldier to the hereditary influence of
the ancient Northern Gods and Heroes. Despite the cant of the
peace-advocate, we must realise that our present Christian civilisation,
the product of an alien people, rests but lightly upon the Teuton when
he is deeply aroused, and that in the heat of combat he is quite prone
to revert to the mental type of his own Woden-worshipping progenitors,
losing himself in that superb fighting zeal which baffled the conquering
cohorts of a Caesar, and humbled the proud aspirations of a Varus.
Though appearing most openly in the Prussian, whose recent acts of
violence are so generally condemned, this native martial ardour is by no
means peculiar to him, but is instead the common heritage of every
branch of our indomitable Xanthochroic race, British and Continental
alike, whose remote forefathers were for countless generations reared in
the stern precepts of the virile religion of the North. Whilst we may
with justice deplore the excessive militarism of the Kaiser Wilhelm and
his followers, we cannot rightly agree with those effeminate preachers
of universal brotherhood who deny the virtue of that manly strength
which maintains our great North European family in its position of
undisputed superiority over the rest of mankind, and which in its purest
form is today the bulwark of Old England. It is needless to say to an
educated audience that the term "Teuton" is in no way connected with the
modern German Empire, but embraces the whole Northern stock, including
English and Belgians.
In the Northern religion, Alfadur, or the All-Father, was a vague though
supreme deity. Beneath him were among others Woden, or Odin, practically
the supreme deity, and Woden's eldest son Thor, the God of War. Asgard,
or heaven, was the dwelling-place of the Gods, whilst Midgard was the
earth, or abode of man. The rainbow, or bridge of Bifrost, which
connected the two regions, was guarded by the faithful watchman
Heimdall. Woden lived in the palace of Valhalla, near the grove of
Glasir, and had as messengers to earth the Valkyries, armed, mailed and
mounted virgins who conveyed from the earth to Asgard such men as had
fallen bravely in battle. Only those who fell thus could taste to the
full the joys of paradise. These joys consisted of alternate feasting
and fighting. At Woden's feasts in Valhalla was served the flesh of the
boar Sehrimnir, which, though cooked and eaten at every meal, would
regain its original condition the next day. The wounds of the warriors
in each celestial combat were miraculously healed at the end of the
fighting.
But this heaven was not to last forever. Some day would come Ragnarok,
or the Twilight of the Gods, when all creation would be destroyed, and
all the Gods and men save Alfadur perish. Surtur, after killing the last
of these Gods, would burn up the world. Afterward the supreme Alfadur
would make a new earth or paradise, creating again the Gods and men, and
suffering them ever after to dwell in peace and plenty.
THE UNITED AMATEUR
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE UNITED AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION
VOLUME XV GEORGETOWN, ILL., APRIL, 1916 NUMBER 9
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC CRITICISM
=The Brooklynite= for January contains one of Rheinhart Kleiner's
characteristic poems, entitled "A Mother's Song". Mr. Kleiner's command
of good taste, harmony, and correctness requires no further panegyric
amongst those who know him; but to the more recent United members who
have not yet read extensively in our journals, his work may well be
recommended as undoubtedly the safest of all amateur poetical models for
emulation. Mr. Kleiner has a sense of musical rhythm which few amateur
bards have ever possessed, and his choice of words and phrases is the
result of a taste both innate and cultivated, whose quality appears to
rare advantage in the present degenerate age. This remarkable young poet
has not yet fully displayed in verse the variety of thoughts and images
of which his fertile brain and well selected reading have made him
master, but has preferred to concentrate most of his powers upon
delicate amatory lyrics. While some of his readers may at times regret
this limitation of endeavor, and wish he might practice to a greater
extent that immense versatility which he permitted the amateur public to
glimpse in the September =Piper=; it is perhaps not amiss that he should
cultivate most diligently that type of composition most natural and easy
to him, for he is obviously a successor of those polished and elegant
poets of gallantry whose splendour adorned the reigns of Queen Elizabeth
and King James the First.
* * * * *
=The Conservative= for January opens with Winifred Virginia Jordan's
"Song of the North Wind", one of the most powerful poems lately seen in
the amateur press. Mrs. Jordan is the newest addition to the United's
constellation of genuine poetical luminaries; shining as an artist of
lively imagination, faultless taste, and graphic expression, whose work
possesses touches of genius and individualism that have already brought
her renown in amateur circles. In the poem under consideration, Mrs.
Jordan displays a phenomenal comprehension of the sterner aspects of
Nature, producing a thoroughly virile effect. Words are chosen with care
and placed with remarkable force, whilst both alliteration and
onomatopoeia are employed with striking success. By the same author is
the shorter poem entitled "Galileo and Swammerdam", which though vastly
different in aspect and rhythm, yet retains that suggestion of mysticism
so frequently encountered in Mrs. Jordan's work.
James Tobey Pyke, a lyrical and philosophical poet of high scholastic
attainments, contributes two poems; "Maia", and "The Poet". The latter
is a stately sonnet, rich in material for reflection. Such is the
quality of Mr. Pyke's work, that his occasional contributions are ever
to be acclaimed with the keenest interest and appreciation.
Rheinhart Kleiner, our Laureate, is another bard twice represented in
the January =Conservative=. His two poems, "Consolation" and "To Celia",
though widely different in structure, are yet not unrelated in
sentiment, being both devoted to the changing heart. One amateur critic
has seen fit to frown upon so skilled an apotheosis of inconsistency,
but it seems almost captious thus to analyse an innocuous bit of art so
daintily and tastefully arrayed. "To Celia" is perhaps slightly the
better of the two, having a very commendable stateliness of cadence, and
a gravity of thought greater than that of "Consolation".
"The Horizon of Dreams", by Mrs. Renshaw, is a graphic and enthralling
venture into the realm of nocturnal unreality. The free play of active
imagination, the distorted and transitory conceptions and apparitions,
and the strangely elusive analogies, all lend charm and color to this
happy portrayal of the vague boundaries of Somnus' domain. Mrs.
Renshaw's rank as a poet is of very high tone, most of her productions
involving a spiritual insight and metaphysical comprehension vastly
beyond that of the common mind. But this very nobility of imagination,
and superiority to the popular appeal, are only too likely to render her
best work continually underestimated and unappreciated by the majority.
She is not a "poet of the masses", and her graver efforts must needs
reach audiences more notable for cultured than numerical magnitude. Of
Mrs. Renshaw's liberal metrical theories, enough is said elsewhere. This
Department can neither endorse principles so radical, nor refrain from
remarking that want of proper rhyme and metre has relegated to obscurity
many a rich and inspired poem.
"Departed", by Maude Kingsbury Barton, is a sentimental poem of
undoubted grace and sweetness, happily cast in unbroken metre.
* * * * *
=The Coyote= for January is adorned by no less than three of Mrs.
Winifred V. Jordan's exquisite short poems. "The Night-Wind" is a
delicately beautiful fragment of dreamy metaphor. There is probably a
slight misprint in the last line, since the construction there becomes
somewhat obscure. "My Love's Eyes" has merit, but lacks polish. The word
"azure" in the first stanza, need not be in the possessive case; whilst
the use of a singular verb with a plural noun in the second stanza
(smiles-beguiles) is a little less than grammatical. "Longing" exhibits
the author at her best, the images and phraseology alike showing the
touch of genius.
Other poetry in this issue is by Adam Dickson, a bard of pleasing manner
but doubtful correctness. "Smile" needs rigorous metrical and rhetorical
revision to escape puerility. "Silver Bells of Memory" is better, though
marred by the ungrammatical passage "thoughts doth linger". In this
passage, either the noun must be made singular, or the verb form plural.
"Prohibition in Kansas" is a well written prose article by Editor
William T. Harrington, wherein he exhibits a commendably favourable
attitude toward the eradication of the menace of strong drink. Mr.
Harrington is an able and active amateur, and takes an intelligent
interest in many public questions. His style and taste are steadily
improving, so that =The Coyote= has already become a paper of importance
among us.
* * * * *
=The Dixie Booster= for January is Mr. Raymond E. Nixon's =Capital City
News=, transferred to the amateur world, and continued under the new
name. With this number the editor's brother, Mr. Roy W. Nixon, assumes
the position of Associate Editor. This neat little magazine is
home-printed throughout, and may well remind the old-time amateurs of
those boyish "palmy days" whose passing they lament so frequently. By
means of a cut on the third page, we are properly introduced to Editor
Nixon, who at present boasts but thirteen years of existence. The gifted
and versatile associate editor, Mr. Roy W. Nixon, shows marked talent in
three distinct departments of literature; essay-writing, fiction, and
verse. "Writing as a Means of Self-Improvement" is a pure, dignified and
graceful bit of prose whose thought is as commendable as its structure.
"A Bottle of Carbolic Acid" is a gruesome but clever short story of the
Poe type, exhibiting considerable comprehension of abnormal psychology
as treated in literature. "My Valentine" is a poem of tuneful metre and
well expressed sentiment, though not completely polished throughout. The
third stanza, especially, might be made less like prose in its images.
* * * * *
=Dowdell's Bearcat= for December is quaint and attractive in appearance.
The youthful editor has provided himself with a series of cuts of the
metaphorical "Bruin" in various attitudes and various employments, these
clever little pictures lending a pleasing novelty to the cover and the
margins. Judiciously distributed red ink, also, aids in producing a
Christmas number of truly festive quality. Mr. Dowdell's "Growls from
the Pit" is a series of editorials both timely and interesting, while
his "Did You Hear That" is a lively page of fresh news. This issue is
notable for Mrs. Winifred V. Jordan's poetical contributions, of which
there are three. "Life's Sunshine and Shadows" is a tuneful moral poem
whose rhythm and imagery are equally excellent. "Contentment" is brief
but delightful. "When the Woods Call" is a virile, graphic piece;
vibrant with the thrill of the chase, and crisp with the frosty air of
the Northern Woods.
The present reviewer's lines "To Samuel Loveman" contain five misprints,
as follows:
Line 3 for =are= read =art=
" 5 " =Appollo= " =Apollo=
" 6 " =versus= " =verses=
" 15 " =eternal= " =ethereal=
" 18 " =the= " =thee=
"Beads from my Rosary", by Mary M. Sisson, is a collection of well
written and sensible paragraphs on amateur journalism, which ought to
assist in arousing enthusiasm amongst many members hitherto dormant.
Editor Dowdell's pithy little epigrams at the foot of each page form an
entertaining feature, many of them being of considerable cleverness.
=Dowdell's Bearcat= will soon revert to its original newspaper form,
since Mr. Dowdell intends to make newspaper work his life Profession.
* * * * *
=The Inspiration= for November is a decidedly informal though
exceedingly clever personal paper issued by Miss Edna von der Heide as a
reminiscence of the Rocky Mount convention. Prose and verse of
whimsically humorous levity are employed with success in recording the
social side of the amateur gathering.
* * * * *
=The Looking Glass= for January is composed wholly of biographical
matter, introducing to the association the multitude of accomplished
recruits obtained through Mrs. Renshaw and others. In these forty life
stories, most of them autobiographical, the student of human nature may
find material for profound reflection on the variety of mankind. The
more recent members of the United, as here introduced, are in the
aggregate a maturer, more serious, and more scholarly element than that
which once dominated the amateur world; and if they can be properly
welcomed and acclimated to the realm of amateur letters, they will be of
great value indeed in building up the ideals and character of the
association. For this influx of sedate, cultivated members, the United
has Mrs. Renshaw to thank, since the present policy of recruiting was
originated and is conducted largely by the Second Vice-President.
* * * * *
=Ole Miss'= for December is the most important of all recent additions
to amateur letters, and it is with regret that we learn of the
magazine's prospective discontinuance. The issue under consideration is
largely local, most of the contributions being by Mississippi talent,
and it must be said that the contributors all reflect credit upon their
native or adopted State.
Mr. J. W. Renshaw's page of editorials is distinguished equally by good
sense and good English. His attitude of disapproval toward petty
political activities and fruitless feuds in the United is one which
every loyal member will endorse, for nearly all of the past disasters in
amateur history have been caused not by serious literary differences,
but by conflicting ambitions among those seeking no more than cheap
notoriety.
Mrs. Renshaw is well represented both by prose and by verse, the most
interesting of her pieces being possibly the essay entitled "Poetic
Spontaneity", wherein more arguments are advanced in her effort to prove
the inferior importance of form and metre in poesy. According to Mrs.
Renshaw, the essence of all genuine poetry is a certain spontaneous and
involuntary spiritual or psychological perception and expression;
incapable of rendition in any prescribed structure, and utterly
destroyed by subsequent correction or alteration of any kind. That is,
the bard must respond unconsciously to the noble impulse furnished by a
fluttering bird, a dew-crowned flower, or a sun-blest forest glade;
recording his thoughts exactly as evolved, and never revising the
result, even though it be detestably cacophonous, or absolutely
unintelligible to his less inspired circle of readers. To such a theory
as this we must needs reply, that while compositions of the sort
indicated may indeed represent poesy, they certainly represent art in
its proper sense no more than do "futuristic" pictures and other modern
monstrosities of a like nature. The only exact means whereby a poet may
transmit his ideas to others is language, a thing both definite and
intellectual. Granting that vague, chaotic, dissonant lines are the best
form in which the tender suitor of the Muses may record his spiritual
impressions for his own benefit and comprehension, it by no means
follows that such lines are at all fitted to convey those impressions to
minds other than his own. When language is used without appropriateness,
harmony, or precision, it can mean but little save to the person who
writes it. The soul of a poem lies not in words but in meaning; and if
the author have any skill at all in recording thought through language,
he will be able to refine the uncouth mass of spontaneous verbiage
which first comes to him as representing his idea, but which in its
original amorphous state may fail entirely to suggest the same idea to
another brain. He will be able to preserve and perpetuate his idea in a
style of language which the world may understand, and in a rhythm which
may not offend the reader's sense of propriety with conspicuous
harshness, breaks, or sudden transitions.
"Flames of the Shadow", Mrs. Renshaw's longest poetical contribution to
this issue, is a powerful piece which, despite the author's theory,
seems in no way injured by its commendably regular structure.
"Immortality of Love" is likewise rather regular, though the plan of
rhyming breaks down in the last stanza. "For You" and "Sacrament of
Spirit" are short pieces, the former containing an "allowable" rhyming
of "tongue" and "long", which would not meet with the approval of the
Kleiner type of critic, but upon which this department forbears to
frown.
James T. Pyke's two poems, "To a Butterfly" and "Life and Time" are gems
of incomparable beauty. "Ole Gardens", by Winifred V. Jordan, is a
haunting bit of semi-irregular verse which deserves warm applause for
the cleverness of its imagery and the aptness of its phraseology. "The
Reward of it All", by Emilie C. Holladay, is a potent but pathetic poem
of sentiment, whose development is highly commendable, but whose
metrical construction might be improved by judicious care. "A
Mississippi Autumn" was written as prose by Mrs. Renshaw, and set in
heroic verse without change of ideas by the present critic. The metaphor
is uniformly lofty and delicate, whilst the development of the sentiment
is facile and pleasing. It is to be hoped that the original thoughts of
the author are not impaired or obscured by the technical turns of the
less inspired versifier. "My Dear, Sweet, Southern Blossom", dedicated
to Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw with Compliments of the Author, James Laurence
Crowley, is a saccharine and sentimental piece of verse reminiscent of
the popular ballads which flourished ten or more years ago. Triteness is
the cardinal defect, for each genuine image is what our discerning
private critic Mr. Moe would call a "rubber-stamp" phrase. Mr. Crowley
requires a rigorous course of reading among the classic poets of our
language, and a careful study of their art as a guide to the development
of his taste. At present his work has about it a softness bordering on
effeminacy, which leads us to believe that his conception of the poet's
art is rather imperfect. It is only in caricature that we discover the
poet as a sighing, long-haired scribbler of gushing flights of infantile
awe or immature adoration. Earnestness, dignity, and at times, sonorous
stateliness, become a good poet; and such thoughts as are generally
suggested by the confirmed use of "Oh", "Ah", "dear", "little",
"pretty", "darling", "sweetest flow'ret of all", "where the
morning-glory twineth", and so on, belong less to literary poetry than
to the Irving Berlin song-writing industry of "Tin Pan Alley" in the
Yiddish wilds of New York City. Mr. Crowley has energy of no mean sort,
and if he will apply himself assiduously to the cultivation of masculine
taste and technic, he can achieve a place of prominence among United
bards.
W. S. Harrison deserves a word of praise for his poem of Nature,
entitled "Our Milder Clime", wherein he celebrates the charms of
Mississippi, his native state. The lines contain an old-fashioned grace
too often wanting in contemporary verse. Other contributions to =Ole
Miss'= are Mrs. Maude K. Barton's "Something of Natchez", a very
interesting descriptive sketch in prose, and Dr. Rolfe Hunt's two negro
dialect pieces, both of which are of inimitable wit and cleverness.
* * * * *
=The Pippin= for February is the first number of this important
high-school journal to be issued without the supervision of Mr. Moe, and
its excellence well attests the substantial independent merit of the
Appleton Club. The city of Appleton forms the dominant theme in this
number, and with the assistance of seven attractive half-tone
illustrations, the publication well displays the beauty and advantages
of the pleasant Wisconsin town. Miss Eleanor Halls cleverly weaves into
conversational form much information concerning the remote history of
Appleton, emphasizing the superior character resulting from the select
quality of the settlers, and the early introduction of learning. Mr.
Alfred Galpin surprises many readers when he reveals the fact that
Appleton possessed the first of all telephone systems, a surprise
quickly followed by Mr. Joseph Harriman's illustrated paragraph telling
of the first street-car, also an Appleton innovation. Among other
articles, that by Miss Torrey on Lawrence College is of unusual
interest. "The Immortalization of the Princess", by Miss Fern Sherman,
is an excellent Indian tale, whose structure and atmosphere well suggest
not only the characteristic tribal legends of the red folk, but other
and more classical myths as well. Though Miss Sherman is not yet a
member of the United, one of such gifts would be heartily welcomed in
the ranks.
* * * * *
=The Plainsman= for December is the most substantial number of his
journal which Mr. Ira Cole has yet issued. First in order of importance
among the contents is perhaps the editor's own prose sketch entitled
"Monuments", wherein Mr. Cole reveals to particular advantage his
exceptional skill in depicting and philosophizing upon the various
aspects and phenomena of Nature. Mr. Cole's style is constantly
improving, though not now of perfect polish, it is none the less
remarkable for its grace and fluency. "To Florence Shepphird", also by
Mr. Cole, is a rather long piece of blank verse, containing many
beautiful passages. The author's skill in stately and sonorous poetry is
far above the common level, and his work has about it an atmosphere of
the polished past which that of most amateur bards lacks; yet the
present poem is not without errors. The passage (lines 10-11) reading:
"calm =days= that =knoweth= not dread Boreas' chilling breath" must be
changed so that either the noun shall be singular or the verb plural.
The double negative in line 23 might well be eliminated. Two lines whose
metre could be improved are the 13th and 50th. The final quatrain is
pleasing to the average ear, including that of the present critic;
though the very exact taste of today, as represented by Mr. Kleiner,
frowns upon such deviation from the dominant blank verse arrangement.
"On the Cowboys of the West" is a brief bit of verse by this reviewer,
accompanied by a note from the pen of Mr. Cole. The note is better than
the verse, and exhibits Mr. Cole's vivid and imaginative prose at its
best. "The Sunflower", a versified composition by James Laurence
Crowley, concludes the issue. There is much attractiveness in the lines;
though we may discover particularly in the second stanza, that touch of
excessive softness which occasionally mars Mr. Crowley's work. No one
can fail to discern the weakness of such a line as "You big giant of all
the flowers".
* * * * *
=The Providence Amateur= for February is worthy of particular attention
on account of Mr. Peter J. MacManus' absorbing article on "The Irish and
the Fairies". Mr. MacManus firmly believes not only that fairies exist
in his native Ireland, but that he has actually beheld a troop of them;
facts which impart to this article a psychological as well as a literary
interest. The prose style of Mr. MacManus is very good, being notable
alike for fluency and freedom from slang, whilst his taste is of the
best. His future work will be eagerly awaited by the amateur public.
Edmund L. Shehan contributed both verse and prose to this issue. "Death"
is a stately poem on a grave subject, whose sentiments are all of
suitable humility and dignity. The apparently anomalous pronoun "her",
in the tenth line, is a misprint for "he". The piece ends with a rhyming
couplet, to which Mr. Kleiner, representing correct modern taste, takes
marked exception. The present reviewer, however, finds no reason to
object to any part of Mr. Shehan's poem, and attributes this concluding
couplet to the influence of similar Shakespearian terminations. The
prose piece by Mr. Shehan well describes a visit to a cinematograph
studio, and is entitled "The Making of a Motion Picture". In the verses
entitled "A Post-Christmas Lament", Mr. John T. Dunn combines much
keenness of wit with commendable regularity of metre. Mr. Dunn is among
the cleverest of the United's humorous writers. "To Charlie of the
Comics" is a harmless parody on our Laureate's excellent poem "To Mary
of the Movies", which appeared some time ago in =The Piper=. In "The
Bride of the Sea", Mr. Lewis Theobald, Jr., presents a rather weird
piece of romantic sentimentality of the sort afforded by bards of the
early nineteenth century. The metre is regular, and no flagrant
violations of grammatical or rhetorical precepts are to be discerned,
yet the whole effort lacks clearness, dignity, inspiration, and poetic
spontaneity. The word printed "enhanc'd" in the sixth stanza is properly
"entranc'd".
* * * * *
=Tom Fool, Le Roi= bears no definite date, but is a sort of pensive
autumn reverie following the Rocky Mount convention of last summer. This
grave and dignified journal is credited to the House of Tillery, and if
typographical evidence may be accepted, it belongs most particularly to
that branch now bearing the name of Renshaw and having its domain in
Coffeeville, Mississippi. "Mother Gooseries from the Convention", by
Emilie C. Holladay, is a long stanzaic and Pindaric ode, whose taste and
technic are alike impeccable. The exalted images are sketched with
artistic touch, whilst the deep underlying philosophy, skillfully
clothed in well balanced lines, arouses a sympathetic reaction from
every cultural intellect. "The Carnival", by Mrs. E. L. Whitehead, is an
admirable example of stately descriptive prose mixed with aesthetic
verse. The long and euphonious periodic sentences suggest the style of
Gibbon or of Dr. Johnson, whilst the occasional metrical lines remind
the reviewer of Dr. Young's solemn "Night Thoughts". "Dummheit", by Dora
M. Hepner, is a grave discourse on Original Sin, describing the planning
of =Tom Fool, Le Roi=. Elizabeth M. Ballou's article entitled "Our
Absent Friend" forms a notable contribution to amateur historical
annals, and displays Miss Ballou as the possessor of a keen faculty for
observation, and a phenomenally analytical intellect. "Banqueters from
the Styx", Mrs. Renshaw's masterly description of the convention dinner
and its honoured guests from the regions of Elysium and elsewhere,
reminds the reviewer of the 11th book of the Odyssey and the 6th book of
the Aeneid, wherein the fraternizing of men with the shades of men is
classically delineated.
=Tom Fool= is a memorable publication, suggesting the old "fraternal"
papers, whose passing so many amateurs regret.
* * * * *
THE UNITED AMATEUR for November contains besides the official matter a
small but select assortment of poems, prominent among which is "The
Meadow Cricket", by Jas. T. Pyke. It is impossible to overestimate the
beauty of thought and expression which Mr. Pyke shows in all his verses,
and the United is fortunate in being able to secure specimens of his
work.
"Remorse", by James Laurence Crowley, is one of the best samples of this
gentleman's poesy which we have yet seen, though Mr. Crowley insists
that one of the punctuation marks has been wrongfully located by the
reviser. Since the present critic prepared the manuscript for
publication, he is willing to assume full culpability for this crime.
There is genuine poetic feeling in this short piece; and it seems an
undoubted fact that Mr. Crowley with a little added restraint and
dignity of expression, is capable of producing excellent work. "List to
the Sea", by Winifred V. Jordan, is a delightfully musical lyric, whose
dancing dactyls and facile triple rhymes captivate alike the fancy and
the ear. "The Wind and the Beggar", by Maude K. Barton, is sombre and
powerful. "Ambition", by William de Ryee, is regular in metre and
commendable in sentiment, yet not exactly novel or striking in
inspiration. "Choose ye", by Ella C. Eckert, is a moral poem of clever
conception and correct construction.
* * * * *
=The United Official Quarterly= for January opens with "A Prayer for the
New Year", by Frederick R. Chenault. Mr. Chenault is a poet of the first
order so far as inspiration is concerned, but his work is frequently
marred by irregularity of metre, and the use of assonance in place of
rhyme. The metre of this poem is correct, but the two attempted rhymes
"deeper-meeker" and "supremely-sincerely" are technically no more than
assonant sounds. Pres. Fritter writes very powerfully on our publishing
situation in this number; and his article should not only be perused
with attention, but heeded with sincerity and industriousness.
"Behind the Canvas Wall", by William J. Dowdell, is one of the cleverest
and most ingenious bits of fiction which the amateur press has contained
for some time. That it is of a nature not exactly novel is but a trivial
objection. The homely, appealing plot, and the simple, sympathetic
treatment, both point to Mr. Dowdell as a possible success in the realm
of short story writing, should he ever care to enter it seriously.
Another excellent tale is "The Good Will of a Dog", by P. J. Campbell.
The plot is of a well defined type which always pleases, whilst the
incidents are graphically delineated. "The Bookstall" is a metrical
monstrosity by the present reviewer. Mr. Maurice W. Moe, the
distinguished Private Critic, lately gave us the following opinion of
our verse. "You are," he writes, "steeped in the poetry of a certain
age; an age, by the way, which cut and fit its thought with greater
attention to one model than any other age before or since; and the
result is that when you turn to verse as a medium of expression, it is
just as if you were pressing a button liberating a perfect flood of
these perfectly good but stereotyped formulae of expression. The result
is very ingenious, but just because it is such a skillful mosaic of
Georgian 'rubber-stamp' phrases, it must ever fall short of true art."
Mr. Moe is correct. We have, in fact, heard this very criticism
reiterated by various authorities ever since those prehistoric days when
we began to lisp in numbers. Yet somehow we perversely continue to
"mosaic" along in the same old way! But then, we have never claimed to
possess "true art"; we are merely a metrical mechanic. "A New Point of
View In Home Economics", a clever article by Miss Eleanor Barnhart,
concludes the =Official Quarterly= proper.
But the =New Member= supplement, with its profusion of brilliant
credentials, yet remains to be considered. "Dutch Courage", by Louis E.
Boutwell, is a liquorish sketch whose scene is laid in a New Jersey
temple of Bacchus. Being totally unacquainted with the true saloon
atmosphere, we find ourself a little embarrassed as to critical
procedure, yet we may justly say that the characters are all well drawn,
every man in his humor.
"Ol' Man Murdock" is a quaint, and in two senses an =absorbing=, figure.
The rest of the issue is given over to the Muses of poesy. "The Saturday
Fray" is a clever piece by Daisy Vandenbank. The rhyming is a little
uneven, and in one case assonance is made to answer for true rhyme.
"Cream" and "mean" cannot make an artistic couplet. "The Common
Soldiers", by John W. Frazer, is a poem of real merit; whilst "Little
Boy Blue", by W. Hume, is likewise effective. Mr. Hume's pathetic touch
is fervent and in no manner betrays that weakness bordering on the
ridiculous, to which less skillful flights of pathos are prone. "The Two
Springs" is a pleasant moral sermon in verse by Margaret Ellen Cooper.
Concluding the issue is "The Under Dog in the Fight", a vigorous
philosophical poem by Andrew Stevenson.
* * * * *
=The Woodbee= for January is distinguished by Mrs. Winifred V. Jordan's
brilliant short poem entitled "Oh, Where is Springtime?" The sentiment
of the piece is an universal one, and the pleasing lines will appeal to
all. "Retribution", by Mrs. Ida C. Haughton, is a clever story, but the
present critic's extreme fondness for cats makes it difficult to review
after reading the first sentence. However, the well-approached
conclusion is indeed just. The "moral" is a pathetic example of
unregeneracy! Miss Edna M. Haughton's critical article is direct and
discerning; the Woodbee Club is fortunate in having among its members so
capable a reviewer. Editor Fritter likewise mounts the reviewer's throne
in this issue, proceeding first of all to demolish our own fond dream of
yesterday; =The Conservative=. Looking backward down the dim vista of
those bygone but memory-haunted days of October, 1915, when we
perpetrated the horribly plainspoken and frightfully ungentle number
whereof Mr. Fritter treats, we are conscious of our manifold sins, and
must beg the pardon of the liquor interests for shouting so rudely in
the cause of total abstinence. Pres. Fritter's critical style is a good
one, and is developing from month to month. His advocacy of lukewarmness
in writing is perhaps not so complete as one might judge from this
article; though his use of the cautious phrase "it is rumored" in
connection with a well known statement seems hardly necessary. Rigid
impartiality, the critic's greatest asset, is manifest throughout the
review, and we thoroughly appreciate the favorable mention not
infrequently accorded us. In passing upon the merits of =Dowdell's
Bearcat=, Mr. Fritter shows equal penetration and perspicuity, and we
are convinced that his rank amongst amateur reviewers is very high.
H. P. LOVECRAFT,
Chairman.
THE UNITED AMATEUR
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE UNITED AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION
VOLUME XV GEORGETOWN, ILL., JUNE, 1916 NUMBER 11
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC CRITICISM
=The Coyote= for July opens with Harry E. Rieseberg's verses entitled
"The Sum of Life", whose structure is excellent as a whole, though
defective in certain places. The word "mirage" is properly accented on
the second syllable, hence is erroneously situated in the first stanza.
"A mirage forever seeming" is a possible substitute line. Other defects
are the attempted rhymes of "decay" with "constancy", "carried" with
"hurried", and "appalled" with "all". The metre is without exception
correct, and the thoughts and images in general well presented,
wherefore we believe that with a little more care Mr. Rieseberg can
become a very pleasing poet indeed. "The Philippine Question", by Earl
Samuel Harrington, aged 15, is an excellent juvenile essay, and
expresses a very sound opinion concerning our Asiatic colonies. It is
difficult to be patient with the political idiots who advocate the
relinquishment of the archipelago by the United States, either now or at
any future time. The mongrel natives, in whose blood the Malay strain
predominates, are not and never will be racially capable of maintaining
a civilized condition by themselves. "How Fares the Garden Rose?" is a
poem bearing the signature of Winifred Virginia Jordan, which is a
sufficient guarantee of its thorough excellence. "To a Breeze", also by
Mrs. Jordan, is distinguished by striking imagery, and displays in the
epithet "moon-moored", that highly individualistic touch which is
characteristic of its author. "Peace", by Andrew Francis Lockhart, is a
poem of excellent construction, though marred by two serious misprints
which destroy the harmony of the first and third lines.
* * * * *
=The Dixie Booster= for March-April is an exceedingly neat and clever
paper from the House of Nixon. "Spring in the South", a poem by Maude K.
Barton, opens the issue in pleasant fashion, the attractive images well
atoning for certain slight mechanical deficiencies. "Dick's Success", by
Gladys L. Bagg, is a short story whose phraseology exhibits considerable
talent and polish. The didactic element is possibly more emphasized than
the plot, though not to a tedious extent. Whether or not a rough draft
of a novel may be completed in the course of a single afternoon, a feat
described in this tale, we leave for the fiction-writing members of the
United to decide! Of the question raised regarding the treatment of the
Indian by the white man in America it is best to admit in the words of
Sir Roger de Coverly, "that much might be said on both sides". Whilst
the driving back of the aborigines has indeed been ruthless and
high-handed, it seems the destiny of the Anglo-Saxon to sweep inferior
races from his path wherever he goes. There are few who love the Indian
so deeply that they would wish this continent restored to its original
condition, peopled by savage nomads instead of civilized colonists. "The
Deuce and Your Add", by Melvin Ryder, is a bit of light philosophy whose
allegorical case is well maintained. "To a Warbler", by Roy W. Nixon, is
a meritorious piece of verse whose rhythm moves with commendable
sprightliness, though the first line of the first stanza might be made
to correspond better with the first line of the second stanza. The word
"apparent" in the last line, seems a little unsuited to the general
style of the poem, being more suggestive of the formal type of
composition. "Grandma", also by Mr. Roy Nixon, is a noble sonnet whose
quality foreshadows real poetical distinction for its author. "You", by
Dora M. Hepner, contains sublime images, but possesses metrical
imperfections. The general anapaestic or dactylic rhythm is much
disturbed by the iambic fourth line of the first stanza. The editorials,
jokes, and jingles in this issue are all clever, and proclaim Mr.
Raymond Nixon as a capable and discriminating editor.
* * * * *
=Literary Buds= for February exhibits the amateurs of Harvey, Illinois,
after a long absence from the publishing arena. The present issue,
edited by Mr. Caryl Wilson Dempesy, contains matter of merit and
interest. "The Dells of the Wisconsin", by A. Myron Lambert, is an
interesting account of an outing spent amidst scenes of natural grandeur
and beauty. The author's style is fluent and pleasing, though a few
slight crudities are to be discerned. On page 1, where the height of a
large dam is mentioned, it is stated "that the water must raise that
distance before it can fall". Of course, "=rise=" is the verb which
should have been used. Another erroneous phrase is "nature tract".
"=Nature=" is not an adjective, but a noun; "=natural=" is the correct
word. However, this anomalous use of nouns for adjectives has only too
much prevalence amongst all grades of writers today, and must not be too
harshly censured in this case. On page 4 the word "=onto=" should be
supplanted by "=upon=", and the awkward phrase: "to be convinced that we
had ventured to a place that we did not know any dangers were connected
with", should be changed to something like this: "to convince us that we
had ventured to a seemingly dangerous place whose apparent dangers we
had not then noticed". "A Song of Love", by Editor Dempesy, is cast in
uniformly flowing and regular metre, but some of the words require
comment. "=Lover=" is not generally applied by bards to adored members
of the gentler sex, "=love=" being the conventional term. Likewise, the
phrase "heart which always softly does its beating" might well be
revised with greater attention to poetical precedent. Yet the whole is
of really promising quality, and exhibits a metrical correctness much
above the average. "The Operation" is a very witty sketch by Miss Clara
I. Stalker, with a sudden turn toward the end which arouses the complete
surprise and unexpected mirth of the reader. "The High Cost of
Flivving", by Albert Thompson, is a bright bit of versified humour
involving novel interpretations of certain technical terms of
literature. The swinging dactylic rhythm is well managed except where
the words "descending" and "ascending" occur, and where, in line 24, the
metre becomes momentarily anapaestic.
* * * * *
=The Looking Glass= for May is the final number of Mrs. Renshaw's
journal of introductions, and makes known to the association a group of
27 new members. One of the most interesting autobiographies is that of
Mr. J. E. Hoag of Greenwich, New York, whose friendly sentences, written
from the cumulative experience of 85 years of life, possess an elusively
captivating quality. Of the non-biographical matter in this issue, Mrs.
Renshaw's compilation entitled "Writing for Profit" deserves particular
perusal. This is well set off by the same author's colloquial lines,
"Pride O' The Pen", wherein the lethal taint of trade in literature is
effectively deplored. "Something", by David H. Whittier, is a thoughtful
analysis of conditions in the United, with suggestions for improvement.
"One Bright Star Enough For Me", by Mr. John Hartman Oswald of Texas, is
a pious poem reminding one of Mr. Addison's well known effort which
begins: "The spacious firmament on high". We doubt, however, if Mr.
Addison has been much improved upon, since several instances of
imperfect poetical taste are to be found in Mr. Oswald's lines. But
there are evidences of a great soul throughout the ten stanzas, and the
metre is in the main correct. What Mr. Oswald appears to require is a
thorough reading of the English classics, with minute attention to their
phraseology and images. With such study we believe him capable of
development into a poet of enviable force and sincerity.
* * * * *
=Toledo Amateur= for April marks the welcome reappearance of Mr. Wesley
H. Porter's neat little journal after a year's absence. "A Story", by
David H. Whittier, possesses a tragical plot whose interest is slightly
marred by triteness and improbable situations. Of the latter we must
point out the strained coincidence whereby four distinct things,
proceeding from entirely unrelated causes, give rise to the final
denouement. The culmination of the aged father's resolve to kill his
enemy, the conditions which make possible the return of the son, the
presence of the enemy's hat and coat under the wayside tree, and the
storm which prompts the son to don these garments, are all independent
circumstances, whose simultaneous occurrence, each at exactly the proper
time to cause the catastrophe, may justly be deemed a coincidence too
great for the purpose of good literature. In an artistically constructed
tale, the various situations all develop naturally out of that original
cause which in the end brings about the climax; a principle which, if
applied to the story in question, would limit the events and their
sequences to those arising either directly or indirectly from the wrong
committed by the father's enemy. Since there is no causative connection
between the immediate decision of the father to kill his foe, and the
developments or discoveries which enable the son to return, the
simultaneous occurrence of these unusual things is scarcely natural.
Superadded to this coincidence are two more extraneous events; the
rather strange presence of the hat and coat near the road, and the
timely or untimely breaking of the storm, the improbability indeed
increasing in geometrical progression with each separate circumstance.
It must, however, be admitted that such quadruple coincidences in
stories are by no means uncommon among even the most prominent and
widely advertised professional fiction-blacksmiths of the day. Mr.
Whittier's style is that of a careful and sincere scholar, and we
believe that his work will become notable in this and the succeeding
amateur journalistic generation. The minuteness of the preceding
criticism has been prompted not by a depreciatory estimate of his
powers, but rather by an appreciative survey of his possibilities. "Say,
Brother", by Mrs. Renshaw, is a poem describing life in the trenches of
the Huns. The metre is quite regular, and the plan of rhyming but once
broken. Mr. Porter's prose work; editorial, introductory, and narrative,
is all pleasing, though, not wholly free from a certain slight looseness
of scholarship. We should advise rigorous exercise in parsing and
rhetoric. "Respite", by Edgar Ralph Cheyney, shows real poetical genius,
and the iambic heptameters are very well handled, save where one
redundant syllable breaks the flow of the last line. Even that would be
perfect if the tongue could condense the noun and article "the music",
into "th' music".
* * * * *
=The Tornado= for April constitutes the publishing debut of Mrs. Addie
L. Porter, mother of =Toledo Amateur's= gifted young editor. Mrs.
Porter's "Recollections From Childhood" are pleasant and well phrased,
bringing to mind very vividly the unrivalled joys of Christmas as
experienced by the young. Wesley H. Porter, in "My Vacation", tells
entertainingly of his visit to the hive of the Woodbees last September.
The editorial and news paragraphs are all of attractive aspect,
completing a bright paper whose four pages teem with enthusiasm and
personality. It is to be hoped that other comparatively new United
members may follow Mr. Porter's example in entering the publishing
field; for individual journals, though of no greater size than this, are
ever welcome, and do more than anything else to maintain interest and
promote progress in the association.
* * * * *
=The Trail= for April must by no means be confused with Alfred L.
Hutchinson's professionalized magazine of identical title, for this
=Trail= is an older and emphatically non-professional publication issued
co-operatively by Dora M. Hepner and George W. Macauley.
Non-professionalism, indeed, seems to dominate the entire issue to a
degree unusual in the broadened and developed United. With the exception
of one poem and one short story or sketch, the contents are wholly
personal and social. "He Reached my Hand", by Dora M. Hepner, is an
excellent piece of verse, though perhaps not of that extreme polish
which is observed in the productions of very careful bards. Miss Hepner
has great refinement of fancy and vigour of expression, but evidently
neglects to cultivate that beautiful rhetoric and exquisite rhythmic
harmony which impress us so forcibly in the work of scholars and bookmen
like Rheinhart Kleiner. "A Girl of the U. S.", by George W. Macauley, is
a prose piece whose nature seems to waver between that of a story and a
descriptive sketch. Though description apparently preponderates, the
narrative turn toward the conclusion may sanction classification as
fiction. The faults are all faults of imperfect technique rather than of
barren imagination, for Mr. Macauley wields a graphic pen, and adorns
every subject he approaches. In considering minor points, we must remark
the badly fractured infinitive "to no longer walk", and the unusual
word "reliefful". We have never seen the latter expression before, and
though it may possibly be a modernism in good usage, it was certainly
unknown in the days when we attempted to acquire our education. Mr.
Macauley, with his marked descriptive ability, is less at ease in
stories of contemporary life than in historical fiction, particularly
mediaeval and Oriental tales. His genius is not unlike that of Sir
Walter Scott, and shows to especial advantage in annals of knights and
chivalry. "Scratchings" are by the pen of Miss Hepner, and display an
active wit despite the profusion of slang. It would seem, however, that
so brilliant a writer could preserve the desired air of vivacity without
quite so many departures from the standard idioms of our language.
Miss Hepner's remarks on the assimilation of new United members are
worthy of note. The cruder amateurs should not feel discouraged by the
extraordinary average scholarship of the recent element, but should
rather use it as a model for improvement. They should establish
correspondence with the cultivated recruits, thereby not only benefiting
themselves, but helping each gifted newcomer to find a useful and
congenial place amongst us. The present situation is pitifully
ludicrous, for practically all young aspirants call upon only one or two
sadly overburdened older members for literary aid, forgetting that there
are scores of brilliant writers, teachers, and professors waiting
anxiously but vainly to be of real service to their fellow-amateurs.
Several of the scholarly new members have particularly inquired how they
can best assist the association; yet the association, as represented by
its literary novices, has failed to take advantage of most of these
offers of instructions and co-operation. We are impelled here to
reiterate the slogan which Mr. Daas has so frequently printed in his
various journals: "=Welcome the Recruits!=". Such a welcome is certain
to react with double felicity upon the giver.
"From the Michigan Trail" is Mr. Macauley's personal column, and
contains so bitter an attack on some of the United's policies of
improvement, that we are tempted to remonstrate quite loudly. The
captious criticism of the Second Vice-President's invaluable activities,
constructive labours which have practically regenerated the association
and raised it to a higher plane in the world of educational endeavour,
is positively ungenerous. To speak of the article in =Ole Miss'=
entitled "Manuscripts and Silver" as "mercenary", is the summit of
injustice, for it was nothing more or less than the absolutely
gratuitous offer to the United of what is now the Symphony Literary
Service. We are rather at a loss to divine Mr. Macauley's precise notion
of amateur journalism. He speaks of it as a "tarn", but we cannot
believe he would have it so stagnant a thing as that name implies.
Surely, the United is something greater than a superficial fraternal
order composed of mediocre and unambitious dabblers. Progress leads
toward the outside world of letters, and to cavil at work such as Mrs.
Renshaw's is to set obstacles in the path of progress. Professional
literary success on the part of amateur journalists can never react
unfavorably on the United, and it seems far from kind and proper to
impede the development of members. Why is a professional author
necessarily less desirable as an amateur journalist than a professional
plumber or boiler-maker? But there is one sound principle at the base of
Mr. Macauley's argument, which deserves more emphasis than the points he
elaborates. Professionalism must not enter into the workings of the
association, nor should the professionalized amateur take advantage of
amateur connexions to create a market for writings otherwise unsalable.
This applies to the now happily extinct tribe of "ten-cents-a-year"
publishers, who coolly expected all amateur journalists to subscribe to
their worthless misprints as a matter of fraternal obligation. Mr.
Macauley is an extremist on the subject of amateur rating, a fact which
explains many otherwise puzzling allusions in his current editorials.
* * * * *
THE UNITED AMATEUR for February is the final number of the Daas regime,
and constitutes a noble valedictory indeed. We find it impossible to
express with sufficient force our regret at the withdrawal of Mr. Daas
from the United, and we can but hope that the retirement may prove
merely temporary. The February official organ is wholly literary in
contents, and in quality sustains the best traditions of amateur
journalism. Miss Olive G. Owen's poem, "Give us Peace!", which opens
the issue, is tasteful in imagery and phraseology, and correct in rhyme
and metre, but contains the customary unrealities and substitutions of
emotion for reasoning which are common to all pacific propaganda. "The
Little Old Lady's Dream", by M. Almedia Bretholl, is a short story of
the almost unpleasantly "realistic" type, whose development and
atmosphere exhibit much narrative talent and literary skill. "The
Teuton's Battle-Song" is an attempt of the present critic to view the
principles of human warfare without the hypocritical spectacles of
sentimentality. "Nature in Literature", by Arthur W. Ashby, is an essay
of unusual quality, revealing a depth of well assimilated scholarship
and a faculty for acute observation and impartial analysis, of which few
amateur writers may justly boast. "His All", is an excellent poem by
Mrs. Ella Colby Eckert, distinguished equally for its noble thought and
facile rhythm. "'Twixt the Red and the White", a short story by Miss
Coralie Austin, displays marked skill in construction and phraseology,
though its development is not without a few of the typical crudities of
youthful work. There is a trifling suspicion of triteness and banality
in plot and dialogue; which is, however, compensated for in the artistic
passages so frequently encountered. "Romance, Mystery, and Art", an
essay by Edgar Ralph Cheyney, reflects the learning and thoughtfulness
of its author. The poetical fragments entitled "Songs from Walpi", by
Mrs. Winifred V. Jordan, describe the hopeless affection of a
Southwestern Indian prince for a maiden of the conquering white race.
The atmosphere and images are cleverly wrought, whilst the rhythm is in
every detail satisfactory. "Nescio Quo", by Kathleen Baldwin, is a poem
of great attractiveness both in structure and sentiment. "A Crisis", by
Eleanor J. Barnhart, is a short story of distinctly modern type, whose
substance and development compare well with professional work. "My Heart
and I", a sonnet by James T. Pyke, exhibits the skill and philosophical
profundity characteristic of its author. "My Native Land", a poem by
Adam Dickson, describes the Scottish Border with pleasing imagery and
bounding anapaestic metre. Mr. Dickson is a poet whose progress should
be carefully watched. His improvement is steady, the present piece being
easily the best specimen of his work to appear in the amateur press.
"Poetry and its Power", by Helen M. Woodruff, is a delightful essay
containing liberal quotations from various classic bards. "A
Resolution", by Harry Z. Moore, seems to be modelled after Mrs.
Renshaw's well known poem, "A Symphony". The various precepts are
without exception sound and commendable. Helene E. Hoffman presents a
brief but pleasing critique of Sir Thomas Browne's "Hydriotaphia,
Urn-Burial; or a Discourse of the Sepulchral Urns lately found in
Norfolk". It is refreshing to discover a modern reader who can still
appreciate the quaint literature of the seventeenth century, and Miss
Hoffman is to be thanked for her sympathetic review of the pompous,
Latinised phrases of the old physician. "He and She", by Margaret A.
Richard, is a thoroughly meritorious poem whose two "allowable rhymes",
"fair-dear", and "head-prayed", would be censured only by a critic of
punctilious exactitude. "At Sea", a witty bit of =vers de societe= by
Henry Cleveland Wood, forms an appropriately graceful conclusion to a
richly enjoyable issue of the magazine.
* * * * *
THE UNITED AMATEUR for March brings to the fore Mr. George S.
Schilling's unusual editorial talent, and makes manifest the bright
future of the official organ for the balance of the present
administrative year. The chief literary contribution is "Hail, Autumn!",
one of Mr. Arthur Ashby's brilliant and scholarly essays on Nature. The
quality of Mr. Ashby's work deserves particular attention for its
reflective depth of thought, and glowing profusion of imagery. His style
is remarkably mature, and escapes completely that subtle suggestion of
the schoolboy's composition which seems inseparable from the average
amateur's attempts at natural description and philosophizing. Mr.
Schilling's editorials are forcible and straightforward, vibrant with
enthusiasm for the welfare of the association. "A Representative
Official Organ", by Paul J. Campbell, serves to explain the author's
highly desirable constitutional amendment proposed for consideration at
the coming election, which will open the columns of THE UNITED AMATEUR
to the general membership at a very reasonable expense. The News Notes
in the present issue are sprightly and interesting.
* * * * *
THE UNITED AMATEUR for April is made brilliant by the presence of Henry
Clapham McGavack's terse and lucid exposure of hyphenated hypocrisy,
entitled "Dr. Burgess, Propagandist". Mr. McGavack's phenomenally virile
and convincing style is supported by a remarkable fund of historical and
diplomatic knowledge, and the feeble fallacies of the pro-German embargo
advocates collapse in speedy fashion before the polished but vigorous
onslaughts of his animated pen. Another essay inspired by no superficial
thinking is Edgar Ralph Cheyney's "Nietzschean Philosophy", wherein some
of the basic precepts of the celebrated iconoclast are set forth in
comprehensive array. "The Master Voice of Ages Calls for Peace", a poem
by Mrs. Frona Scott, has fairly regular metre, though its sentiment is
one of conventional and purely emotional pacifism. "A Gentle Satire on
Friendship", by Freda de Larot, is a very clever piece of light prose;
which could, however, be improved by the deletion of much slang, and the
rectification of many loose constructions. "A Wonderful Play" is Mrs.
Eloise R. Griffith's well worded review of Jerome K. Jerome's "The
Passing of the Third Floor Back", as enacted by Forbes-Robertson. Mrs.
Griffith has here, as in all her essays, achieved a quietly pleasing
effect, and pointed a just moral. "Fire Dreams" is a graphic and
commendably regular poem by Mrs. Renshaw. "The Beach", a poem by O. M.
Blood, requires grammat
Showing first 200,000 characters. Full text: gutenberg.org/ebooks/30637