Mr. Moody's two forceful prose dramas, "The Faith Healer" and "The Great Divide," have both been successful upon the stage. His cycle of poetic drama was unfinished at the time of his early death. Its Promethean theme is the unity of God and man.

Richard Hovey (1864-1910) was, like William Vaughn Moody, a forerunner of the School of Modern American Poets and Dramatists. Like Moody, too, he was born in the West and became in time professor in Barnard College, New York City. Again, like Moody, he attempted a cycle of poetic drama, his subject being the Arthurian legends-but he, also, died before his musical cycle was completed.

With the Canadian poet, Bliss Carman, he wrote "Songs from Vagabondia." Besides, he composed battle-hymns which were suggested by the SpanishAmerican War.

His early poems showed his love of life and comradeship his later ones soared into spiritual realms. They all abounded in beautiful and picturesque lines. His premature death was a great loss to the world.

Charles Rann Kennedy (1871-) was originally an Englishman, but has become a naturalised American. He has married a well-known actress, Edith Wynne Matthison, and she takes leading parts in her husband's plays.

Mr. Kennedy has created yet another style of unique drama. He is familiar with Greek forms,

and his plays are written in strictest conformity with the three dramatic unities.

They have symbolic themes, are full of seriousness and poetic fervour, and are arranged for few actors. They should be studied in order to understand their moral force. Probably the most popular on the stage is "The Servant in the House."

Mrs. Lionel Marks-Josephine Preston Peabody-(1874- ) was born in New York City but her home is now in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She has shown in many ways her strong interest in social progress. Her poetry is noted for imagination and the spiritual tone of her pure lyric verse. This is sometimes a bit mystical.

Among her well-known poems are "The House and the Road," beginning

and her "Ever the Same," a tribute to "The same little rose."

The titles of some of her volumes are "The Wayfarers" and "The Singing Leaves"; also "The Harvest Moon," which is dedicated to the women of France. It is perhaps in poetic drama that she has best revealed herself and with what various purposes have different dramatic authors worked. Mrs. Marks's effort has been to recall Shakespeare's day and Shakespearean form of plays, and with this in

tent she has written "Marlowe," the plot centering about the old song:

"Come live with me, and be my love."

Her masterpiece, however, is "The Piper," and it won a prize offered by the Stratford-on-Avon "Memorial Theatre." It was produced there and afterwards in New York City. It presents the beautiful message that love gives us always the best things.

Percy MacKaye (1875- ). His dramatisation of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and "Jeanne d'Arc" are most realistic, for the actors in setting and costume and conversation are so in accord with their day.

Then Mr. MacKaye has devised a new dramatic art which is called "Community Masque." In this he combines drama, pageant, and civic festival, in picturesque way, and he interests whole towns and cities in taking part in act and chorus.

We may name "Sanctuary," a Bird Masque, first given in Cornish, New Hampshire, in honour of President and Mrs. Wilson; "A Civic Masque" in St. Louis, representing the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the city; "Caliban,” or Masque in New York, in 1916, in celebration of the "Shakespeare Centenary." Great enthusiasm is exhibited by masses of people in these artistic

ventures.

These are but brief illustrations of the work of

various kinds of playwrights to show the trend of drama in the United States. New writers with new plays are constantly receiving notice.

One thing that has greatly aided the work has been the founding of a course for the study of dramatic composition by Professor Baker of Harvard College, himself a noted writer.

His successful venture was followed by that of Professor Brander Matthews of Columbia College, the honoured critic and scholar.

Just now there is a struggle for more freedom of production. A protest of amateurs against professionals would prove that literary merit is worth more than money, and small theatres are springing up in different cities for the bringing out of plays. Is it possible that we may yet discover a modern Shakespeare?

CHAPTER XXXV

POETS

THE latter part of the nineteenth century saw the passing of the singers of the old New England group of poets and it seemed, at first, as if there would be none to take their places.

But presently there was a reawakened zeal for poetry of an unconventional type that has appeared almost a revolt against that of an earlier day. A new school of young and vigorous singers arose; some members exploited Walt Whitman's conceptions; one was Promethean in his venture; another revived Arthurian legends; while yet others, recalling Wordsworth's and Coleridge's lyrical ballads, became "Imagists," surprising the literary world with their "vers libre." They were not so particular as the New England group about rhythm and metre.

Daring to be original, with true realism many have studied life rather than books; sometimes eliminating every ornament, they have reflected the spirit of the age in field and mine and factory. Indeed, every kind of environment has been touched upon.

And there are also poets with vivid imagination and soul power, who, with artistic beauty, have written poems of place or childhood or love or war or patriotism.