Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1894 — Poets Who Publish Their Poems. [ARTICLE]

Poets Who Publish Their Poems.

The pathos or really tear-starting part of the copyright records relates to poetry. There a: e more books of poems in the National Library than the mest careful and diligent student of American literature can imagine, and the sad thing about it is that by all idds the greatest number of tnese books are published by the authors themselves. In every other class of literature the copyrighted publications are mostly by largo publishing houses, and the writers appoar to have more or loss the support of the reading public: but the poor poet, who appears to be the most persistent of ull producers, appears to have to feed upon his own fancies and pay his own bills. Be the publishers as discrimiuatipg us they may, the copyright law hai no favorites, and permit! all who produce to claim tho right of exclusive publication, and in the Congressional Library the volumes of the poetasters stand proudly by the side of the works of gei.ius. Thousands of volumes of “Poems, published by tho author,” stand upon the shell es, and it is a revelation how many men and women, who would not attempt to write in prose, think that their wild fancies in a regular rhyme and stilted meter are worth preserving in print for posterity. In this class is lound tho \ ory poorest example of literary ellort. The number of productions'of truly goon pcetry in this country is, howover, increasing with considerable rapidity.—Washington Star.