to his own mood are his pleasantly cynical young men of the world with some knowledge of life at first hand. In this group are Richard Wetherby, Eustace Jackson, Hugh Verreker, and Major Warrington. Richard speaks for them all when in answer to his brother's accusation that he is no altruist he says, "No, I'm not. But I've got a good temper and a rattling good digestion. That's enough for me." Hugh Verreker like the rest is a handsome, devil-may-care young fellow, frankly selfish, though frankly not wishing to give pain. He states at greater length his beliefs:

I don't want to make the world better. I think the world's all right as it is. . People who try to improve the world have rather an uncomfortable time and I've a great dislike for being uncomfortable. . . If people would only give up bothering about ideals and face facts, what a much happier world this would be for all of us.

Eustace Jackson, probably the best drawn of them all, has the charm and the weakness of the type. A clever, handsome younger son, without the aggressiveness of his father and brother, he fails in everything. But to his sister Violet he says, “Oh, you needn't pity me. I shall get along somehow. My life hasn't been successful, but it's been devilish interesting." And Major Warrington is an older example of the type, a splendid foil to the conventional idealists that St. John Hankin likes to place opposite such characters.

St. John Hankin's cynicism is much like that of this group of young men of the world. Without illusions and without bitterness he expressed his views of life in a series of satirical comedies. His intimate knowledge of a particular circle enabled him to gain a remarkable effect of reality, but he gained it at the expense of a diffuseness that unsuits his plays for the general theatre. He had, however, no interest in mere popularity; he cared only for the appreciation of the discriminating. Thanks to his sincerity of purpose, he accomplished, to

a very considerable extent, what he thought the great task of the dramatic artist-the expression of his own personality. It is such an attractive personality that it should be more generally known.

POE'S MECHANICAL POEM

BY WIGHTMAN F. MELTON

A few years ago, when Poe failed to receive the requisite number of votes to place his name in America's Hall of Fame, Chancellor McCracken, who was interviewed on the subject, stated that the committee seemed to be of opinion that Poe's verse is not from the heart.

This opinion failed to satisfy some of Poe's most ardent admirers. Forthwith they turned, again, to "Annabel Lee," "To Helen," "To One in Paradise," "To My Mother," and to the theme of "The Raven," if not to the construction of it, and assured themselves that the committee had blundered grievously.

Well, since Poe, at last, did find his place in the Hall of Fame and without any change in the quality of his workit may not be out of place to suggest that if ever there was a spontaneous, heart-made poem, surely that poem is "Annabel Lee.'

Having made so large a claim for the spontaneity of “Annabel Lee," we may now even-up by declaring that if ever there was a mechanical, head-made poem, surely that poem is "The Bells."

This claim is not based upon the fact that Poe said to Mrs.

'Professor Charles W. Kent speaks of "Annabel Lee" as a poem which it is well-nigh sacrilege to connect with any one but Poe's lost Virginia (Poe Works, "Virginia Edition," vol. vii, p. xxi). He is here referring to the foolish claim of Mrs. Whitman that the poem referred to herself (Same ed. of Poe, vol. i, p. 292, and vol. vii, p. 219), and to the doubtful claim of Mrs. Weiss, that the poem does not refer to Poe's wife. (Same ed. of Poe, vol. vii, p. 219; The Independent, vol. 56, p. 1012; and The South Atlantic Quarterly, vol. xi, pp. 175-179.)

Shew (Poe's Works, “Virginia Edition," vol. i, pp. 286, 287): "Marie Louise, I have to write a poem; I have no feeling, no sentiment, no inspiration," and she, in response, called his attention to "the sound of neighboring church bells," produced paper, and started him off with the lines:

"The bells, the little silver bells;

The heavy iron bells."

Each of these lines Poe expanded into a stanza.

Nor is the claim based upon the further fact that the original of the poem contained only two stanzas: the first, of seven lines, on the merry, little, tinkling, silver wedding bells; and the second, of eleven lines, on the melancholy, heavy, iron, tolling bells.

Nor is this claim based upon the additional fact that the idea gradually developed in the mind of Poe, the poem having been altered and enlarged twice within nine months, after it was in the editor's hands, and before it appeared in Sartain's Union Magazine (Same ed. of Poe, vol. i, pp. 286-288; and vol. vii, pp. 222, 223).

The claim that the poem is a deliberate, intellectual, mechanical product, is based solely upon internal evidence. There are four bells, and a stanza to each bell. Having decided upon sledge bells, wedding bells, alarum bells, and tolling bells, the author selects the appropriate metals: silver sleigh bells, golden wedding bells, brazen alarum bells, and iron tolling bells.

The next question for the author to decide was what these several bells must foretell, tell, or compel. Naturally, the silver sleigh bells foretell a world of merriment; the golden wedding bells, a world of happiness; the brazen alarum bells, a tale of terror; and the iron tolling bells, a world of solemn thought.

Now, how shall these things be told? In (1) melody, (2) harmony, (3) turbulency, and (4) monody. Poe's reason for attributing harmony to wedding bells, and monody to tolling bells is apparent.

Next, in what manner shall these things be told? Let the silver bells tinkle, the golden bells ring out, the brazen bells scream out, and the iron bells groan.

Where and when? In the icy air of night, through the balmy air of night, in the startled ear of night, and in the silence of the night.

It is needless to go further with this analysis as a table follows, showing that the poem works out with almost mathematical precision.

Suppose we write down:

2X2-4

3+3=6

44-0

Next, let us write:

2X=4

3+3=

-4-0

Any school child can supply the missing numbers.

Well, in the presence of a class of high school boys, and before they had studied "The Bells," I have placed upon the board the following table, leaving out the name of a bell, a metal, the manner, the where, and the when, and I have found boys, who had never read the poem, or heard it read, able to supply the missing word or words.