119 



why say it at all, unless it can be well said? Matthew Arnold 

 little thought the time would ever come when poets would pride 

 themselves that what they say is not eloquent, not well, and not 

 true. 



When Bret Harte rhymed about Rose, he never told her sur- 

 name, admitting the 



Last name tolerable 



Only in prose. 



Does "Leered 'neath his eyes' ophthalmic eaves" * sound or 

 feel like poetry? The "new poetry" is full of similar offences — 

 bloody chunks of raw meat served up on the table where we were 

 wont to find the food of the gods! Still more annoying are the 

 pages of "fiddling" details, most of them too petty to be a neces- 

 sary part of the picture presented. Walking from the street 

 gate to the doorstep becomes a Sabbath-day's journey as it is de- 

 scribed by Frost, a well-known representative of the "new poetry." 



How does a mere botanist dare to object? They are writing 

 for the people — these are democratic days and not one of them 

 would claim to be only — or solely — "a poet's poet" — or the 

 equivalent in prose. Anyhow, they started it — mixing things 

 up until even hemlock trees must think they really are responsible 

 for the death of Socrates, and the lower vegetables — beets and 

 potatoes and "sich" — well, they must be "befuddled .quite." 

 If the literary lights don't like our objections, they have two 

 courses open to them : to stop the education of the masses and so 

 eliminate our criticism, or keep out of our garden. 



REVIEWS 



Forests of Worcester County, Massachusetts! 



This seems to be the first of a series of county forest reports 

 made for the Massachusetts State Forester, but like other re- 

 cent publications emanating from that office, it has no series 

 name or number, so that it must be treated by librarians and 



* John Masefield. 



t Cook, H. O. The forests of Worcester County. The results of a forest survey 

 of the fifty-nine towns in the county and a study of their lumber industry. 88 pp., 

 7 unnumbered half-tone plates. Boston, 191 7. 



