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'scharacteristic poems, entitled "A Mother's Song". Mr. Kleiner's commandof good taste, harmony, and correctness requires no further panegyricamongst those who know him; but to the more recent United members whohave not yet read extensively in our journals, his work may well berecommended as undoubtedly the safest of all amateur poetical models foremulation. Mr. Kleiner has a sense of musical rhythm which few amateurbards have ever possessed, and his choice of words and phrases is theresult of a taste both innate and cultivated, whose quality appears torare advantage in the present degenerate age. This remarkable young poethas not yet fully displayed in verse the variety of thoughts and imagesof which his fertile brain and well selected reading have made himmaster, but has preferred to concentrate most of his powers upondelicate amatory lyrics. While some of his readers may at times regretthis limitation of endeavor, and wish he might practice to a greaterextent that immense versatility which he permitted the amateur public toglimpse in the September =Piper=; it is perhaps not amiss that he shouldcultivate most diligently that type of composition most natural and easyto him, for he is obviously a successor of those polished and elegantpoets of gallantry whose splendour adorned the reigns of Queen Elizabethand 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 inthe amateur press. Mrs. Jordan is the newest addition to the United'sconstellation of genuine poetical luminaries; shining as an artist oflively imagination, faultless taste, and graphic expression, whose workpossesses touches of genius and individualism that have already broughther renown in amateur circles. In the poem under consideration, Mrs.Jordan displays a phenomenal comprehension of the sterner aspects ofNature, producing a thoroughly virile effect. Words are chosen with careand placed with remarkable force, whilst both alliteration andonomatopoeia are employed with striking success. By the same author isthe shorter poem entitled "Galileo and Swammerdam", which though vastlydifferent in aspect and rhythm, yet retains that suggestion of mysticismso frequently encountered in Mrs. Jordan's work.
James Tobey Pyke, a lyrical and philosophical poet of high scholasticattainments, contributes two poems; "Maia", and "The Poet". The latteris a stately sonnet, rich in material for reflection. Such is thequality of Mr. Pyke's work, that his occasional contributions are everto be acclaimed with the keenest interest and appreciation.
Rheinhart Kleiner, our Laureate, is another bard twice represented inthe January =Conservative=. His two poems, "Consolation" and "To Celia",though widely different in structure, are yet not unrelated insentiment, being both devoted to the changing heart. One amateur critichas seen fit to frown upon so skilled an apotheosis of inconsistency,but it seems almost captious thus to analyse an innocuous bit of art sodaintily and tastefully arrayed. "To Celia" is perhaps slightly thebetter of the two, having a very commendable stateliness of cadence, anda gravity of thought greater than that of "Consolation".
"The Horizon of Dreams", by Mrs. Renshaw, is a graphic and enthrallingventure into the realm of nocturnal unreality. The free play of activeimagination, the distorted and transitory conceptions and apparitions,and the strangely elusive analogies, all lend charm and color to thishappy portrayal of the vague boundaries of Somnus' domain. Mrs.Renshaw's rank as a poet is of very high tone, most of her productionsinvolving a spiritual insight and metaphysical comprehension vastlybeyond that of the common mind. But this very nobility of imagination,and superiority to the popular appeal, are only too likely to render herbest work continually underestimated and unappreciated by the majority.She is not a "poet of the masses", and her graver efforts must needsreach audiences more notable for cultured than numerical magnitude. OfMrs. Renshaw's liberal metrical theories, enough is said elsewhere. ThisDepartment can neither endorse principles so radical, nor refrain fromremarking that want of proper rhyme and metre has relegated to obscuritymany a rich and inspired poem.
"Departed", by Maude Kingsbury Barton, is a sentimental poem ofundoubted 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 adelicately beautiful fragment of dreamy metaphor. There is probably aslight misprint in the last line, since the construction there becomessomewhat obscure. "My Love's Eyes" has merit, but lacks polish. The word"azure" in the first stanza, need not be in the possessive case; whilstthe use of a singular verb with a plural noun in the second stanza(smiles-beguiles) is a little less than grammatical. "Longing" exhibitsthe author at her best, the images and phraseology alike showing thetouch of genius.
Other poetry in this issue is by Adam Dickson, a bard of pleasing mannerbut doubtful correctness. "Smile" needs rigorous metrical and rhetoricalrevision to escape puerility. "Silver Bells of Memory" is better, thoughmarred by the ungrammatical passage "thoughts doth linger". In thispassage, either the noun must be made singular, or the verb form plural.
"Prohibition in Kansas" is a well written prose article by EditorWilliam T. Harrington, wherein he exhibits a commendably favourableattitude toward the eradication of the menace of strong drink. Mr.Harrington is an able and active amateur, and takes an intelligentinterest in many public questions. His style and taste are steadilyimproving, so that =The Coyote= has already become a paper of importanceamong us.
* * * * *
=The Dixie Booster= for January is Mr. Raymond E. Nixon's =Capital CityNews=, transferred to the amateur world, and continued under the newname. With this number the editor's brother, Mr. Roy W. Nixon, assumesthe position of Associate Editor. This neat little magazine ishome-printed throughout, and may well remind the old-time amateurs ofthose boyish "palmy days" whose passing they lament so frequently. Bymeans of a cut on the third page, we are properly introduced to EditorNixon, who at present boasts but thirteen years of existence. The giftedand versatile associate editor, Mr. Roy W. Nixon, shows marked talent inthree distinct departments of literature; essay-writing, fiction, andverse. "Writing as a Means of Self-Improvement" is a pure, dignified andgraceful bit of prose whose thought is as commendable as its structure."A Bottle of Carbolic Acid" is a gruesome but clever short story of thePoe type, exhibiting considerable comprehension of abnormal psychologyas treated in literature. "My Valentine" is a poem of tuneful metre andwell expressed sentiment, though not completely polished throughout. Thethird 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 themetaphorical "Bruin" in various attitudes and various employments, theseclever little pictures lending a pleasing novelty to the cover and themargins. Judiciously distributed red ink, also, aids in producing aChristmas number of truly festive quality. Mr. Dowdell's "Growls fromthe Pit" is a series of editorials both timely and interesting, whilehis "Did You Hear That" is a lively page of fresh news. This issue isnotable for Mrs. Winifred V. Jordan's poetical contributions, of whichthere are three. "Life's Sunshine and Shadows" is a tuneful moral poemwhose rhythm and imagery are equally excellent. "Contentment" is briefbut delightful. "When the Woods Call" is a virile, graphic piece;vibrant with the thrill of the chase, and crisp with the frosty air ofthe 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 wellwritten and sensible paragraphs on amateur journalism, which ought toassist in arousing enthusiasm amongst many members hitherto dormant.Editor Dowdell's pithy little epigrams at the foot of each page form anentertaining 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 thoughexceedingly clever personal paper issued by Miss Edna von der Heide as areminiscence of the Rocky Mount convention. Prose and verse ofwhimsically humorous levity are employed with success in recording thesocial side of the amateur gathering.
* * * * *
=The Looking Glass= for January is composed wholly of biographicalmatter, introducing to the association the multitude of accomplishedrecruits obtained through Mrs. Renshaw and others. In these forty lifestories, most of them autobiographical, the student of human nature mayfind material for profound reflection on the variety of mankind. Themore recent members of the United, as here introduced, are in theaggregate a maturer, more serious, and more scholarly element than thatwhich once dominated the amateur world; and if they can be properlywelcomed and acclimated to the realm of amateur letters, they will be ofgreat value indeed in building up the ideals and character of theassociation. For this influx of sedate, cultivated members, the Unitedhas Mrs. Renshaw to thank, since the present policy of recruiting wasoriginated and is conducted largely by the Second Vice-President.
* * * * *
=Ole Miss'= for December is the most important of all recent additionsto amateur letters, and it is with regret that we learn of themagazine's prospective discontinuance. The issue under consideration islargely local, most of the contributions being by Mississippi talent,and it must be said that the contributors all reflect credit upon theirnative or adopted State.
Mr. J. W. Renshaw's page of editorials is distinguished equally by goodsense and good English. His attitude of disapproval toward pettypolitical activities and fruitless feuds in the United is one whichevery loyal member will endorse, for nearly all of the past disasters inamateur history have been caused not by serious literary differences,but by conflicting ambitions among those seeking no more than cheapnotoriety.
Mrs. Renshaw is well represented both by prose and by verse, the mostinteresting of her pieces being possibly the essay entitled "PoeticSpontaneity", wherein more arguments are advanced in her effort to provethe inferior importance of form and metre in poesy. According to Mrs.Renshaw, the essence of all genuine poetry is a certain spontaneous andinvoluntary spiritual or psychological perception and expression;incapable of rendition in any prescribed structure, and utterlydestroyed by subsequent correction or alteration of any kind. That is,the bard must respond unconsciously to the noble impulse furnished by afluttering bird, a dew-crowned flower, or a sun-blest forest glade;recording his thoughts exactly as evolved, and never revising theresult, even though it be detestably cacophonous, or absolutelyunintelligible to his less inspired circle of readers. To such a theoryas this we must needs reply, that while compositions of the sortindicated may indeed represent poesy, they certainly represent art inits proper sense no more than do "futuristic" pictures and other modernmonstrosities of a like nature. The only exact means whereby a poet maytransmit his ideas to others is language, a thing both definite andintellectual. Granting that vague, chaotic, dissonant lines are the bestform in which the tender suitor of the Muses may record his spiritualimpressions for his own benefit and comprehension, it by no meansfollows that such lines are at all fitted to convey those impressions tominds other than his own. When language is used without appropriateness,harmony, or precision, it can mean but little save to the person whowrites it. The soul of a poem lies not in words but in meaning; and ifthe author have any skill at all in recording thought through language,he will be able to refine the uncouth mass of spontaneous verbiagewhich first comes to him as representing his idea, but which in itsoriginal amorphous state may fail entirely to suggest the same idea toanother brain. He will be able to preserve and perpetuate his idea in astyle of language which the world may understand, and in a rhythm whichmay not offend the reader's sense of propriety with conspicuousharshness, breaks, or sudden transitions.
"Flames of the Shadow", Mrs. Renshaw's longest poetical contribution tothis 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 ofrhyming breaks down in the last stanza. "For You" and "Sacrament ofSpirit" are short pieces, the former containing an "allowable" rhymingof "tongue" and "long", which would not meet with the approval of theKleiner type of critic, but upon which this department forbears tofrown.
James T. Pyke's two poems, "To a Butterfly" and "Life and Time" are gemsof incomparable beauty. "Ole Gardens", by Winifred V. Jordan, is ahaunting bit of semi-irregular verse which deserves warm applause forthe cleverness of its imagery and the aptness of its phraseology. "TheReward of it All", by Emilie C. Holladay, is a potent but pathetic poemof sentiment, whose development is highly commendable, but whosemetrical construction might be improved by judicious care. "AMississippi Autumn" was written as prose by Mrs. Renshaw, and set inheroic verse without change of ideas by the present critic. The metaphoris uniformly lofty and delicate, whilst the development of the sentimentis facile and pleasing. It is to be hoped that the original thoughts ofthe author are not impaired or obscured by the technical turns of theless inspired versifier. "My Dear, Sweet, Southern Blossom", dedicatedto Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw with Compliments of the Author, James LaurenceCrowley, is a saccharine and sentimental piece of verse reminiscent ofthe popular ballads which flourished ten or more years ago. Triteness isthe cardinal defect, for each genuine image is what our discerningprivate critic Mr. Moe would call a "rubber-stamp" phrase. Mr. Crowleyrequires a rigorous course of reading among the classic poets of ourlanguage, and a careful study of their art as a guide to the developmentof his taste. At present his work has about it a softness bordering oneffeminacy, which leads us to believe that his conception of the poet'sart is rather imperfect. It is only in caricature that we discover thepoet as a sighing, long-haired scribbler of gushing flights of infantileawe or immature adoration. Earnestness, dignity, and at times, sonorousstateliness, become a good poet; and such thoughts as are generallysuggested by the confirmed use of "Oh", "Ah", "dear", "little","pretty", "darling", "sweetest flow'ret of all", "where themorning-glory twineth", and so on, belong less to literary poetry thanto the Irving Berlin song-writing industry of "Tin Pan Alley" in theYiddish wilds of New York City. Mr. Crowley has energy of no mean sort,and if he will apply himself assiduously to the cultivation of masculinetaste and technic, he can achieve a place of prominence among Unitedbards.
W. S. Harrison deserves a word of praise for his poem of Nature,entitled "Our Milder Clime", wherein he celebrates the charms ofMississippi, his native state. The lines contain an old-fashioned gracetoo often wanting in contemporary verse. Other contributions to =OleMiss'= are Mrs. Maude K. Barton's "Something of Natchez", a veryinteresting descriptive sketch in prose, and Dr. Rolfe Hunt's two negrodialect pieces, both of which are of inimitable wit and cleverness.
* * * * *
=The Pippin= for February is the first number of this importanthigh-school journal to be issued without the supervision of Mr. Moe, andits excellence well attests the substantial independent merit of theAppleton Club. The city of Appleton forms the dominant theme in thisnumber, and with the assistance of seven attractive half-toneillustrations, the publication well displays the beauty and advantagesof the pleasant Wisconsin town. Miss Eleanor Halls cleverly weaves intoconversational form much information concerning the remote history ofAp
pleton, emphasizing the superior character resulting from the selectquality of the settlers, and the early introduction of learning. Mr.Alfred Galpin surprises many readers when he reveals the fact thatAppleton possessed the first of all telephone systems, a surprisequickly followed by Mr. Joseph Harriman's illustrated paragraph tellingof the first street-car, also an Appleton innovation. Among otherarticles, that by Miss Torrey on Lawrence College is of unusualinterest. "The Immortalization of the Princess", by Miss Fern Sherman,is an excellent Indian tale, whose structure and atmosphere well suggestnot only the characteristic tribal legends of the red folk, but otherand more classical myths as well. Though Miss Sherman is not yet amember of the United, one of such gifts would be heartily welcomed inthe ranks.
* * * * *
=The Plainsman= for December is the most substantial number of hisjournal which Mr. Ira Cole has yet issued. First in order of importanceamong the contents is perhaps the editor's own prose sketch entitled"Monuments", wherein Mr. Cole reveals to particular advantage hisexceptional skill in depicting and philosophizing upon the variousaspects and phenomena of Nature. Mr. Cole's style is constantlyimproving, though not now of perfect polish, it is none the lessremarkable for its grace and fluency. "To Florence Shepphird", also byMr. Cole, is a rather long piece of blank verse, containing manybeautiful passages. The author's skill in stately and sonorous poetry isfar above the common level, and his work has about it an atmosphere ofthe polished past which that of most amateur bards lacks; yet thepresent poem is not without errors. The passage (lines 10-11) reading:"calm =days= that =knoweth= not dread Boreas' chilling breath" must bechanged so that either the noun shall be singular or the verb plural.The double negative in line 23 might well be eliminated. Two lines whosemetre could be improved are the 13th and 50th. The final quatrain ispleasing 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 thanthe verse, and exhibits Mr. Cole's vivid and imaginative prose at itsbest. "The Sunflower", a versified composition by James LaurenceCrowley, concludes the issue. There is much attractiveness in the lines;though we may discover particularly in the second stanza, that touch ofexcessive softness which occasionally mars Mr. Crowley's work. No onecan fail to discern the weakness of such a line as "You big giant of allthe flowers".
* * * * *
=The Providence Amateur= for February is worthy of particular attentionon account of Mr. Peter J. MacManus' absorbing article on "The Irish andthe Fairies". Mr. MacManus firmly believes not only that fairies existin 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 literaryinterest. The prose style of Mr. MacManus is very good, being notablealike for fluency and freedom from slang, whilst his taste is of thebest. 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 ofsuitable humility and dignity. The apparently anomalous pronoun "her",in the tenth line, is a misprint for "he". The piece ends with a rhymingcouplet, to which Mr. Kleiner, representing correct modern taste, takesmarked exception. The present reviewer, however, finds no reason toobject to any part of Mr. Shehan's poem, and attributes this concludingcouplet to the influence of similar Shakespearian terminations. Theprose piece by Mr. Shehan well describes a visit to a cinematographstudio, and is entitled "The Making of a Motion Picture". In the versesentitled "A Post-Christmas Lament", Mr. John T. Dunn combines muchkeenness of wit with commendable regularity of metre. Mr. Dunn is amongthe cleverest of the United's humorous writers. "To Charlie of theComics" is a harmless parody on our Laureate's excellent poem "To Maryof the Movies", which appeared some time ago in =The Piper=. In "TheBride of the Sea", Mr. Lewis Theobald, Jr., presents a rather weirdpiece of romantic sentimentality of the sort afforded by bards of theearly nineteenth century. The metre is regular, and no flagrantviolations of grammatical or rhetorical precepts are to be discerned,yet the whole effort lacks clearness, dignity, inspiration, and poeticspontaneity. 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 pensiveautumn reverie following the Rocky Mount convention of last summer. Thisgrave and dignified journal is credited to the House of Tillery, and iftypographical evidence may be accepted, it belongs most particularly tothat branch now bearing the name of Renshaw and having its domain inCoffeeville, Mississippi. "Mother Gooseries from the Convention", byEmilie C. Holladay, is a long stanzaic and Pindaric ode, whose taste andtechnic are alike impeccable. The exalted images are sketched withartistic touch, whilst the deep underlying philosophy, skillfullyclothed in well balanced lines, arouses a sympathetic reaction fromevery cultural intellect. "The Carnival", by Mrs. E. L. Whitehead, is anadmirable example of stately descriptive prose mixed with aestheticverse. The long and euphonious periodic sentences suggest the style ofGibbon or of Dr. Johnson, whilst the occasional metrical lines remindthe reviewer of Dr. Young's solemn "Night Thoughts". "Dummheit", by DoraM. Hepner, is a grave discourse on Original Sin, describing the planningof =Tom Fool, Le Roi=. Elizabeth M. Ballou's article entitled "OurAbsent Friend" forms a notable contribution to amateur historicalannals, and displays Miss Ballou as the possessor of a keen faculty forobservation, and a phenomenally analytical intellect. "Banqueters fromthe Styx", Mrs. Renshaw's masterly description of the convention dinnerand its honoured guests from the regions of Elysium and elsewhere,reminds the reviewer of the 11th book of the Odyssey and the 6th book ofthe Aeneid, wherein the fraternizing of men with the shades of men isclassically 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 asmall but select assortment of poems, prominent among which is "TheMeadow Cricket", by Jas. T. Pyke. It is impossible to overestimate thebeauty of thought and expression which Mr. Pyke shows in all his verses,and the United is fortunate in being able to secure specimens of hiswork.
"Remorse", by James Laurence Crowley, is one of the best samples of thisgentleman's poesy which we have yet seen, though Mr. Crowley insiststhat one of the punctuation marks has been wrongfully located by thereviser. Since the present critic prepared the manuscript forpublication, he is willing to assume full culpability for this crime.There is genuine poetic feeling in this short piece; and it seems anundoubted fact that Mr. Crowley with a little added restraint anddignity of expression, is capable of producing excellent work. "List tothe Sea", by Winifred V. Jordan, is a delightfully musical lyric, whosedancing dactyls and facile triple rhymes captivate alike the fancy andthe ear. "The Wind and the Beggar", by Maude K. Barton, is sombre andpowerful. "Ambition", by William de Ryee, is regular in metre andcommendable in sentiment, yet not exactly novel or striking ininspiration. "Choose ye", by Ella C. Eckert, is a moral poem of cleverconception and correct construction.
* * * * *
=The United Official Quarterly= for January opens with "A Prayer for theNew Year", by Frederick R. Chenault. Mr. Chenault is a poet of the firstorder so far as inspiration is concerned, but his work is frequentlymarred by irregularity of metre, and the use of assonance in place ofrhyme. The metre of this poem is correct, but the two attempted rhymes"deeper-meeker" and "supremely-sincerely" are technically no more thanassonant sounds. Pres. Fritter writes very powerfully on our publishingsituation in this number; and his article should not only be perusedwith attention, but heeded with sincerity and industriousness.
"Behind the Canvas
Wall", by William J. Dowdell, is one of the cleverestand most ingenious bits of fiction which the amateur press has containedfor some time. That it is of a nature not exactly novel is but a trivialobjection. The homely, appealing plot, and the simple, sympathetictreatment, both point to Mr. Dowdell as a possible success in the realmof 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 theincidents are graphically delineated. "The Bookstall" is a metricalmonstrosity by the present reviewer. Mr. Maurice W. Moe, thedistinguished Private Critic, lately gave us the following opinion ofour verse. "You are," he writes, "steeped in the poetry of a certainage; an age, by the way, which cut and fit its thought with greaterattention to one model than any other age before or since; and theresult is that when you turn to verse as a medium of expression, it isjust as if you were pressing a button liberating a perfect flood ofthese perfectly good but stereotyped formulae of expression. The resultis very ingenious, but just because it is such a skillful mosaic ofGeorgian 'rubber-stamp' phrases, it must ever fall short of true art."Mr. Moe is correct. We have, in fact, heard this very criticismreiterated by various authorities ever since those prehistoric days whenwe began to lisp in numbers. Yet somehow we perversely continue to"mosaic" along in the same old way! But then, we have never claimed topossess "true art"; we are merely a metrical mechanic. "A New Point ofView In Home Economics", a clever article by Miss Eleanor Barnhart,concludes the =Official Quarterly= proper.
But the =New Member= supplement, with its profusion of brilliantcredentials, yet remains to be considered. "Dutch Courage", by Louis E.Boutwell, is a liquorish sketch whose scene is laid in a New Jerseytemple of Bacchus. Being totally unacquainted with the true saloonatmosphere, we find ourself a little embarrassed as to criticalprocedure, 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 SaturdayFray" is a clever piece by Daisy Vandenbank. The rhyming is a littleuneven, and in one case assonance is made to answer for true rhyme."Cream" and "mean" cannot make an artistic couplet. "The CommonSoldiers", by John W. Frazer, is a poem of real merit; whilst "LittleBoy Blue", by W. Hume, is likewise effective. Mr. Hume's pathetic touchis fervent and in no manner betrays that weakness bordering on theridiculous, to which less skillful flights of pathos are prone. "The TwoSprings" is a pleasant moral sermon in verse by Margaret Ellen Cooper.Concluding the issue is "The Under Dog in the Fight", a vigorousphilosophical poem by Andrew Stevenson.
* * * * *
=The Woodbee= for January is distinguished by Mrs. Winifred V. Jordan'sbrilliant short poem entitled "Oh, Where is Springtime?" The sentimentof the piece is an universal one, and the pleasing lines will appeal toall. "Retribution", by Mrs. Ida C. Haughton, is a clever story, but thepresent critic's extreme fondness for cats makes it difficult to reviewafter reading the first sentence. However, the well-approachedconclusion is indeed just. The "moral" is a pathetic example ofunregeneracy! Miss Edna M. Haughton's critical article is direct anddiscerning; the Woodbee Club is fortunate in having among its members socapable a reviewer. Editor Fritter likewise mounts the reviewer's thronein this issue, proceeding first of all to demolish our own fond dream ofyesterday; =The Conservative=. Looking backward down the dim vista ofthose bygone but memory-haunted days of October, 1915, when weperpetrated the horribly plainspoken and frightfully ungentle numberwhereof Mr. Fritter treats, we are conscious of our manifold sins, andmust beg the pardon of the liquor interests for shouting so rudely inthe cause of total abstinence. Pres. Fritter's critical style is a goodone, and is developing from month to month. His advocacy of lukewarmnessin writing is perhaps not so complete as one might judge from thisarticle; though his use of the cautious phrase "it is rumored" inconnection with a well known statement seems hardly necessary. Rigidimpartiality, the critic's greatest asset, is manifest throughout thereview, and we thoroughly appreciate the favorable mention notinfrequently accorded us. In passing upon the merits of =Dowdell'sBearcat=, Mr. Fritter shows equal penetration and perspicuity, and weare convinced that his rank amongst amateur reviewers is very high.
H. P. LOVECRAFT, Chairman.