84 



he maintained, however, that the chief characteristic of the 

 popular poetry of our day was a genuine heartfulness — if he 

 might coin the word — a desire on the part of the possessors of 

 that valuable gift to consider it, as it really was, a talent en- 

 trusted to their care, and not to be exercised for the purposes 

 of display merely, but to be laid out in such a way as might 

 most largely conduce to the public benefit. The majority of 

 the pieces he had submitted sufficiently attested the truth of 

 his assertion, and the spirited poetical contributions to that 

 extraordinary melange of all that was excellent, viz., "Punch," 

 had ever a marked purpose, and assisted materially in eradi- 

 cating proved abuses : " Jacob Omnium's 'Oss," in a recent 

 number, in cutting satire, flowing, easy style, and felicity and 

 appropriateness of expression, was not inferior to many of the 

 late Mr. Barham's extraordinary compositions, so well known 

 as " the Ingoldsby papers." 



Animated by the desire " to gather up the ashes of a re- 

 " nown that had passed away, and enable those spirits that 

 " seemed to be laid for ever again to draw the tear of pity or 

 "a throb of admiration," he had endeavoured to drag from 

 oblivion, and preserve in a collected form those nuga canortz, 

 in the belief that — notwithstanding a prejudice winch existed 

 against Poetry in all commercial communities, where it was 

 supposed to be antagonistic to the sedate and methodical 

 habits of mind so necessary for the correct conduct of busi- 

 ness — an attachment to the Muses was not only innocent but 

 laudable, if kept within proper bounds, and duly subordinated 

 to those other studies and requirements which we were all — 

 each in his particular sphere and avocation — called upon to 

 meet and promote. Poetry should be regarded as a staff 

 rather than a crutch, an amusement rather than a means of 

 livelihood ; for, of all the votaries of the fine arts, the poor 

 poet was the most miserable. 



If the few desultory remarks he had strung together had 

 been at all successful in engaging their attention or exciting 



