THIS QUARTER
19
Henry Fairfield Burton (also not to be confused with Brother Osborn,
above). She
also
adds some data on Henry's life habits: he summers
in Connecticut; he often goes in for vague studies like constitutional
law or what he invariably refers to as "international affairs"; he
haunts the Academy of Political Science, the Foreign Policy Associa–
tion, .and the English Speaking Union.
One of our last-issue members, Henry Goddard Leach, seems
to have discovered the perfect niche for a Henry: he is an ex-presi–
dent of the Poetry Society of America. Henry-like, he takes
his
position
quite seriously: every month in the
Forum
he conducts "A Page for
Poets" in which he "notices" briefly the entire crop of new verse for
that month. Industriously, he arranges the slim volumes under five
headings£ "A-Poetry of Permanence," "B--Poetry of Distinction,"
"C-Verse of Merit," "D-Verse of Originality," and a final class
tactfully headed: "E--Verse of Local or Personal Appeal." We
picture Mr. ·Leach wrestling with such problems as in which cate–
gory to place May Terry Gill's
Mind and Melody
(privately printed)
or
Goss_amered Glory
by Ida Elaine James. Mr. Leach also gives a
brief description of each volume. Thus Miss Gill's is "verse of noble
purpose and fresh vitality"-though he only gives it a D rating;
Miss James"' is "Poignant, fluid and hopeful";
The Gypsy Lure
by
Elizabeth P. Allan is "Sane and objective"; and even Lena W.
Parmelee's
Poems
(Class E) are cautiously praised as "Friendly and
ebullient lays of nature." We should like to nominate Mr. Leach for
president of the Henry Club.
Several Voices Out:
Of
A Cloud
Come, drunks and drug-takers; come, perverts unnerved!
Receive the
laurel~
given, though late, on merit; to whom and
wherever deserved.
Parochial punks, trimmers, nice people, joiners true-blue,
Get the hell out of the way of the laurel. It is deathless. And it isn't
for you.
LOUISE BOGAN
