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In litei4ry MONTHLY -V---. v 50 CenU Yea, w : la Clubs, of 4 or ; More,' 33 "Ccnte . - V ' SOUTH MONTHLY Literary Topic, Book Review JAMES LARKIN PEARSON, EDITOR VOLUME ONE WILKESBORO, NORTH CAROLINA. l i,l V.7 M Willi k TMRF.K THE AN ESSAY ON THE QUINTS By JAMES LARK IN PEARSON ;;AH the world knows the Dione f Quintuplets by name and by sight. t From- the day of their birth they v have beerTIn the public eye adver-t"- tised and press-agented to an extent never before known. Evn Shirley AIJI, .Olllllg llll. Wllglll ll 111.1 seven vears liehtlv. is hard so v smqch ofVa world celebrity as the "".""..?.. .ff.:.X... : : ... u ' ?PTwiiQH)w-.rwhere .sWfs' beginning'! s "itVxuc taken tor granted, and some ?,'.': earing off. She has become one a( nnr srttlpH irutitntinn and is expected to function right along : ? without so much attention. - ' ".But the Quints are still new . - enough to be an amazing curiosity. ' ",;..',."TL- 1. k. i i 1 " ; rf" ard equipment yet. It is as if we ; were still trying them out and . - wondering if they would last. . : Maybe .mere is a lurking tear that i. we fnight. wake up some morning r -t ' i, -fitli4 illrw-t-i Ltilif Ifanm -- " v - I m f hp Qrrppn ami nn fhp mmm- zine page we have become familiar with their round chubby faces.their cute smiles and their sucy little j pranks. Most of us even try to know them by name, and we j 1 have Jong and profound argumeuts , about their several personalities Vwhat mental traits or talents each will develop in years td come. I remember seeing in some magazine where a famous artist had pulled aside the future's veil and painted thenVa full grown women col lege seniors. I believe and he had undertaken to transmit the child features to, the very queenly-looking "grown-ups. All of which is very interesting, and some of which might be true. The only way to -be sure about that r,is.t6'wait and ee. K the children - ;, all live to grow up they,' will un: ,!, donbtedly. be very superior.1 young rf' -': ivomenr-rphysically, mentally, and; 'A-in every way, They may even be so ; : superior to the? common garden - variety. ot female as to seem almost ' supernormal. , ' " ' . Now right here is. a chance for -''anH'intertsfmgv studyThe parents . of the Quints wefe just ordinary . lHHir.. IIIIWiriTIU lUllItlt l ,l rVIll 1 11 1 II V -without much education, culture , 6f social standing. Theyhad several , , other children Dorn betore- tne great "' " ffav '1ipn tlipi Oiiinfe nrrivprl. Thp!P r j. j . j,.-.., , . . .... , other children grew tip just any way , v they Could ; ate and wore whatever f t ,their hardpressed parents could pro ( vide, and took tjieir .chances with malnutrition,' disease gertns and all X tfie uncertainties 'of - childhood. . . '.I .... . ' . , had ever been heard of. And if the ' 'v fi'.e-'thut- came "together had ' just i' happened to comeseparately like the i V - others, not one of theTWone family 7, would nave Leen known '.to' fame. ; It was- merely the - accident of ' multiple birth that trained the spQt 'r " light upon : them and changed the . t " , , lull. w -Vi : iuv . imii".. ' - tunej.."'- Poverty and obscurity ,one - - day fame and fortune' the' next , I day and all Because ascertain long- " ' legged bird called a storlt had a-'sense ' 'of humor and-hrought "five little girls" td the Dione home .in one v package." ' v , Amf Dr, bafoe was right there all ready and waiting for his Big t Chance. . One might be pardoned , . for siuspecting that the doctor had a .. secret understandinr ' with the stork, and that the whole thing was . cooked up between them as a big publicity, stunt. Well, it worked, Ctrtamly Dr. -Dafoe has g(ttten as much out of it .as anylHMly else. Tl;nt lie bns done his part well 110 1 oily will (!. nv, an.! he has given f .. vor! I yry best r,- '"'o ex ample of what COULD be dime with every child that is born into the world barring certain constitu tional defects that would be excep-. tions to the rule. What 1 mean is this: He could have gone out into the by-ways and back streets where the shacks of poverty stand in squalid rows, and there he could have picked up five new-born infants out of five differ ent, shacks. He could have taken them into his care and given them fxactly the same treatment he has given the Quints" and ninety-nine chances out of a hundred they would now be in every way equal to what the Quints are. Perfect care, per fect sanitation, perfect food, and the sense of well-being that springs from such an environment and nearly every pitiful and neglected infant born into the world could be come a super-child equal in every way to the perfectly wonderful Dione Quintuplets. Picture to yourself a world full of such children, and not a slum brat nor street rat in all creation. All of them growing up to be super-normal men and women. Dr. Dt foe has proven that it COULD be done. Then why isn't it done? No reason in the world except ignorance and greed and selfishness the disposition of the powerful few to trample upon the weak and helpless. We are still in the jungle state. The Quints are just a sample of what the human race can and will be when we begin to get civilized. The Thing That Endures '.- t Jf'jyone, wants proof thaljt is the quality and not the quantify of a poet's output that givies him fame, we have bnly to cite the case of A. E. Housman. His total output of poetry during his life as very small, but it was of such immortal quality, so dynamically alive with the high voltage of genius, that Hpusman's place is secure. :: Poets, will you take the hint? Instead of " dashing off " a poem or two every day only to have them die unnoticed, suppose you try writ ing two or three poems a year and putting as much honest hard work into them as you might otherwise have put into two or three hundred. Concentrate? . Boil down. Melt and remelt in the furnace of your mind. Skim-, off the dross of words until, nothing is left but the pure golden magic of deathless poetry. If you can write, during your stay on earth, two or three poems that will live through the ages, you have done a greater and better thing than to have subdued a .continent or piled up a billion dollars.. If I might choose between being Alexander, the . Great ,-v or Robert" Burns; it ' would not take me - three seconds to choose I would be the poor plowboy of Ayr whose gentle vname: will outlast all the swords of history,' ? If I might choose between , being Rockefeller with his ' billions or James Whit comb Riley without, a penny tck'tny name, ' it - would, be the author of " Little .Orphant Annie for mine. Make, ''no mistake, brother--the sword will be "eaten with rust ; the dollar wilt somehow varush into thin afr;vbut ,"thV poem if you haMe put into it the 1 immortal dream stuff-Ahe poem wilLlive, t J. L. P One of the most interesting "col yums" in any North Carolina news paper is Nell Battle" Lewis's "Incir dentally" ?n the Raleigh News and Observer. Miss Lewis Is not only well-informed, but she is unafraid, and often says things that cause the smug hypocrites to squirm in their shoes. We need more columnists able to swing a pen like Nell Battle Lew- CHARLES W. HUBNER - The Last of the Old Southern Poets BY ALICK iLfAKLANI) Charles William Hubner. who" died on Jan. 3. 192"'. just two weeky' before his 94th birthdav. was the last surviving member of the second group of great American poets of the Civil War period. The South ern memlers of this group are, in chronological order : Theodore O'Hara, Francis ( rray Tickuor, John R. Thompson, Henry Timrod, Paul Hamilton Hayne, Charles W. Hubner, Abram J. Ryan, James Ryder Randall, Sidney Lanier, James Maurice Thompson, John Henry Boner, and John Banister Tabb. These poets, hern between 1820 and 1845, were forming a new school of poetry following t hat of the senior bards--Longfellow, Lowell, Whittier, Holmes, Kinerson, Poe and others when their literary activities were interrupted by the Civil War. A number of them lived long enough to resume poetic activity alter the ieno.l ot recon- struction. Mr. Hubner in his long life num . bered among his friends members of the three great groups of Amen-1 can poets. Longfellow, Wluttifcr and Holmes paid tribute to his work. Longfellow gave special praise to Mr. Hubner's tribute to Bayard Taylor. Oliver W mdell Holmes in a letter to Mr. Hubner expressed his admiration for this poem in the following words: "Such a wann tribute, such a token passing be tween the two sections of the coun try, make ns feel that it is and always, will be oiiCi iiihearj; as in name." Holmes also expressed his appreciation of Mr. Hubner's poem on Robert Burns. Whittier wrote to Mr. Hubner concerning his poem on the death of Paul Hamilton Hayne: " I thank thee heartily for the beautiful and touching verses on the burial of our lamented friend, Hayne. They are lines that will live." WTiittier also wrote appreci tively of Mr. Hubner's book, " Poems and Essays." Of the group of poets to which Mr. Hubner himself belonged, Paul H. Hayne, five years his senior, was his devoted friend and corre sponded with him for many years. Hayne frequently expressed his deep admiration for the poetry of Mr. Hubner. The two poets were men of similar gifts and culture and were devoted lovers of their art. Mr. Hubner and Sidney Lainer also formed a deep and lasting friendship. Hubner met Lanier when he was in Atlanta on a concert tour, in the seventies. Hubner, him self a musician, was on the stage with Lainer ; and after the concert Lainer invited him to his room in the Kimball House. "I did not get home till after three the next morn ing," said Mr. Hubner in relating this incident. "Certainly for me it was a feast of soul and a flow of reason This waS-tbtf, beginning of our friendship, a love and admira tion "on my part that has lasted till the present day." Mr. Hubner con sidered Sidney Lainer " the greatest poet-America has evr produced." iMr.? HubneV was also a close friend of James Ryder" Randall., Of, the more "recent group xi great American poets, James" Whit comb Riley and Frank Li. Stanton were friends of Mr. Hubner. r, Mr. $taitton wrote a beautiful poem to Mri Hubner, which first appeardjn The Atlanta Constitution, and which forms th introductory poejji im Mr. Hubner's latest volume,' "Poems of Faith and Consolation." i "Mr. Hubner was born in Balti more "January ,, 16, .1835. ? His parents "were "John . Adam 1 and Margaret Hubner. He attended the p-'V.lic schools' of Bakimore, and Studied tin liL'lu i 4s dr;i u in:;. ..i: i UiiiJtr 'ni.i:i lu! V. rut )! ( 1 1 1 1 1 i;i 1 1 . i- h, , In I ( l;i DiUMi'. ;irt lilt .iturr ,tl :l,r Sges, lor ;iUnil -i M-:ir-i I )n In- ri tin ii t. . t I i ii'-'! m .: $r taut: lit !' " l Ml I i i.i.i i$ras teaehmg jiiano ai.d ...la- .it ' i. eiltie--' r -1 11 ,.i , 11 f ayetti ille- u lu ll tin- ( ; , il began 1 1- t iilisli d in ill. ( federate annv and was an 1 1 1 1 under i ol. I unit . o'. tin Tennessee Regiment. lie until 1 1 it- w ar iii.Kd. and t' in the battles of Manama-., N I- u - I i' i d . part "i. 'ii ary Kiilge. Ie-aea, ami d Atlanta At the siege ,if All aula he had charge of the telegraph corps, with the rank of Major. After 1870 Ml llnhnel- made his home in Atlanta lie was con nected editorialK with several At lanta papers the Ct'iwtil ul inn , the . . Journal, the Chrisliuii iiulcx and the American. And lor a number j of years he was Assistant Librarian of the ( arnegie l .ilirarv. Mr. Hubner's first wile was Miss Ida Southwortli. i heir children were Carl, Ida (who died in voting girlhood), and Kose, who was her father's devoted companion in their attractive bungalow on Lallienne Street. In 1877 Mr. Hubner mar ried Miss Mary Frances Whitnev. Thir son, William Whitnev llub neri is a prominent musician ot Atljinta. Mi)f)T 4J ubner pubhshedtwri collections of poems "Wind flow ers " and " Poems of Faith and Coilsolation," the last named coming from the Oglethorpe, University Press in 1928. He also published a collection of ''Poems and Lssays ;" two lyrical drama-., " Cinderella," and "The Magic Wonderslone" a taeatise on " Modern Communism;" an anthology of Civil War poems : " War Poets of the South and Confederate Camptire Song;" a collection of tributes to Robert Burns entitled "For Love of Burns," which has been highlv praised in Scotland; a compilation of Historical Souvenirs of Luther, and a valuable critical work, "Rep resentative Southern Poets," in which he has written appreciatively of the trreat ooets of the South, a number of whom he knew inti- mately This book has been greatly praised on both sides of the Atlantic- Mr. Hubner was a seer with a high vision and an uplifting, inspir ing message. His poems embody the spirit of subline optimism, of high-born faith and courage, and love of tfye beautiful in Nature and ift life. He was also a thorough artist, a master of melody and word magic. He had the poet's twin gifts of vison and cxpresion. He never sacrificed form to thought nor thought to form. Sublimc'tnessage and perfect expression are insepar ably linked in his poems. Tarn glad to publish, the above appreciation of the late Charles W. Hubner.o Jt. is onef the types of writing"that I want. , Mr. Hub ner's life is an eminently worthy'smd fitting subject'for such a sketch. An4 lastly, he'waS for a number of yeaj one ot my best friends. From tha-time I, first made his acquain tance until the time of bis death at 94" years of age, we "carri on a rather intimate J correspondence. One of my letter-files has a ; very fat section filled with ' the well known handwriting ol Charles 'W Hubner. Thirty or forty 'letters, Tsome of them of considerable length, written to me by the aged fingers of this great poct.-J. L. P' t !, I ai ..n t ' 1 1 .a i ' i " I i.i I 1 l lM.i hid all i 'Ml h I In . 11 U I i I .1 . .! al 'i ', 1 ei Ii I 1 1 i I s. Il l- u. it a ' . Hill' " the 1 1 li W book. Mi ni hut adopt Mm-. 1 1 a 1 1 i . 1.1 'l.UlL'lll. I . a e 1 1 i a 1 1 ,iul 1 to In i ei i . Ill And then I ol llu -e.l-oll Is , Kit 'i i I ( iilli tt I I i on,. l . 1 1 . nth ( ..r with -i tiolina. l i ral tllie the llni lrlof.e pi -i lit nihil -lung til -t Hi n el h M i -Il w ill appear soon . Lee Sheplurd. New mk puhlisheis, hut at account the title ol the book 1st lad hot lieeli deliuilelv agnjed tip ill. It is s.ihI to he a clean and whole- some novel ol mountain m,-. deal ling with tin- transition period --the ! changes brought about bv schools, i good roads and' automobiles. A Ineii'l who has been permitted to read the manuscript savs the book stnkes a distinctly new note in mountain fiction. Bleeding Beauty From Lee G. Lrutchlield, Jr., Richmond, a., comes to this oflice a poetic oltering called " Morning Mallards " the Mallards being w ild ducks, as you may happen to know. I be poem is all about going out on the water in a boat and hiding to shoot the ducks when they came within gunshot .range. 1 her is one stanza which is true and genuine poetry. It pictures the coming ot the ducks " Seven dots against the morning" and I think that line is very beautiful poetry. But when the. birds get near the hidden gunner they are shot and killed, ilhev tumble Irom the skies, broken and bleeding, and the " sortsnian" thinks he has done a very hue morning's work. In this case the i sportsman and the poet seems to be I s,llne individual. Anyway, the i poet agrees mat tne bloody murder i ol the beautiful ducks was all right I and a perfectly lovely thing to do. But for me that spoils the poem and 1 refuse to -print it in my paper. It is a strange sort of mind that gets pleasure out of killing such beautiful and innocent creatures. -J. L. P. H. Clay Ferre, a young man on the staff of the Winston-Salem Journal, is another writer who is going to be worth) watching. His col umn, "Like It Or NoC in the Jour nal, is mighty interesting reading. Dr. Archibald Henderson, of Chapel H ill, N. C-,; is, the most internationally known of all' the Tarheels who work with words. His various works on Bernard Shaw have made him a woi Id figure. . .... i Ii....' , s. ' ' i t Two novels, of, Thomas -Wolfe, of Asheville,' have" placed' him -in the front rank pf .novelists. "Jibok Homeward', Angel " - andj , "Of Tnne.iind ihe River,"- are opeii to criticin on the ground "of not being at all times a true-to-life, picture of the region , treatcd,but:,one cannot deny that" they are powerf ully and beautifully -written; with gusto to spare. . " ' - LITERATURE OF "ESCAPE?" I... x M l I K U . I'K AKSOX 1. . i.. : iii i.imU there must 1 j ! nn "i ti.uij.- that we need t" i i j " ::s. i- poert, -ickuess, I'M i a . li. i lit . di-.i poinlliieiit. ugll i.i -- -uiii ring ul mum kinds. i. : 1 1 1 ti i at m i can ol fer a inaii'M- i -cape li'iii these things ii Ii !! a little while, what possible I h i. . i .. a, i ,,ii hi- i aised : in v ii w , u ;hc i Ul il Clde lor iia; .-t.i .iiai;,.- st.uk and ' MH i ph. .'...j.-1 aphing ot hie at its 'i w i iit I have racked my brain jtoi sou,,, sane icasou why ugliness and -ul let iiii should he needlessly multiplied in print. I' or most ol us, our daily lives are conditioned on circumstances that aie, oi nin to he, beyond our loiitiol. We do not willingly and purpose!) unite the tragedies that come into our lives. We do not. actually refer to live in a world ol such uncertainly, or where the only certainly is trouble. 1 here are little intervals ol peace and satis laction, ot hope and happiness; but taken day in and day out, tliere is perhaps more shadow than sun shine in neai ly every lite. 1 lien here comes our school of realism and s.i) s that isli t enough. We must double up on it by having a literature ol defeat and frustration to bedevil us the rest of the time. It we have an hour of 'respite from actual trouble, an hour of leisure tor reading, we must pay the jjrskuie CaldWells aui theWuli&n,; fraulkners to make us unhappy' during that hour. We must hire them to drag our minds through a cesspool ot muck and filth, to shock us with crime and sicken us with low and dirty language Why? In God's name, why can we not have at least part of our time to be clean-minded and self-, respecting? Why must even our reading time lie spent in a mental garbage wagon and our nostrils assailed by the stinfks of rotten and immoral fiction? It is the fasbidw to scoff at ideals, to rail against the pilgrims that seek Utopia. But. the human race has never taken a step forward and up ward toward happiness except as it followed the gleam of an ideal. There is no advantage jn having a prophet if he lies face down in uie gutter anu propiieciesxum. as tne , only possible end and object of life. The prophet's business is to show a better way, to inspire, to lift up. The poet whp does not set to deathless music the finest thiners of earth and heaven had just as well' , . W I not sing at all. If it isn't beauty it ". isn't poetry, no matter what the school of realism says to tbeisjftf " trary. . f ' Thought is the -beginning of ac-s tion. A man's mental state determ ines his conrse of conduct and his . ultimate station in life. There 'i ady denying the fact that the reading of good books does conduce to a ;v healthy and wholesome stattt of'r mind, and such a state of mind will , result in a better life To follow our best 'dreams anct ideals is richly worth while." Ve wi jperudps never reacu periecuon., i in this worldi ' but" we . wilt come measurably closer to if if we hitch' our wagon -to star. .' ' Vtasjf of all; the V "literature! of 1 escape' if they insist On calling.it that) ' justifies - .itself ' precisely because it does' prWidc -a temporary escape from the. ugly and disheart ening facts b f . life. . It gives one a chance to relax and gather strength for the next battle. !i : . So what ? . ' -"WW'S
The Literary South (Lincolnton, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1937, edition 1
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