Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 251, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1911 — Madrigals as They Are Writ By Peet Laureatess tess of Chicago. [ARTICLE]

Madrigals as They Are Writ By Peet Laureatess tess of Chicago.

Through the kindness of William B- Austin, of Chicago, our attention has been called to a beautiful little booklet called “Monon Madrigals” published by 'Frank J. Reed, general passenger agent of the Monon rail- 1 road. The book is really very handsome, the publisher having displayed much taste in its printing and binding. The subject matter is intentionally sentimental, the contributors for the most part aiming to convey some pastoral instruction about the country through which the splendid “Hoosier Limited” speeds its way. Rensselaer, however, with its many poetic themes, its winding streets, its classic Iroquois, its happy homes, its progressive business men, its brilliant orators, its blue skies and its victorious football conquests, to say nothing of its Wren ball team, falls for scanty mention and then in lines that do it grave injustice and tend to cause great dissappointment to any who accept the “madrigal” composed by Mrs. C. R. McMillan as depicting a literal condition. To enlighten the reader who is doubtless entirely in the dark, so to speak, we have taken the liberty to reprint the rythmic gem in these columns, thus giving it the benefit of our monstrous circulation. Such genius should not be smothered by limitation in a publication di the narrow scope of the “Monon Madrigals.” It should not be concealed to blush unseen on library tables and polished office desks, when thousands of people following the bucolic plow or milking the pastoral heifer so greatly need its inspiration. With all due respect to its authoress, who may have aimed to keep its grandeur restricted to the truly artistic, we are determined after much perturbation to reprint it as Levi Silverburg would say, “Where the whole vorld might see.” So here goes; these are the lines of Mrs. McMillan: “If your friends should be sick They can go down to French Lick, If a rest they would take Send them down to Cedar Lake. If they must have some beer $ Send them down to Rensselaer.” The authoress boldly signs her name. There should be a long pause here, required for the reader to dry his eyes. Such tender lines can not be read without bringing emotions to the heart, priming the eyes to effervescence in recognition of such composite genius. We have found after consulting our dictionary, that a madrigal is an amorous poem, containing some tender and delicate, though simple, thought. A classic on the other hand is a literary gem, chaste, pure and of the noblest inspiration. The lines above must have been wronly classified, or else the editor of “Madrigals” did not possess those fine qualities of distinction essential to modern literary success. The lines of Mrs. McMillan should not have been classified with madrigals but rather withheld for a later edition of classics. Truly, however, it might have some of the madrigal earmarks. It is not especially amorous, but it is tender and delicate. No one would realize in. perusing the first lines which offer succoring advice to the sick or even the second clause which provides rest for the heavy laden that they .were gradually being advised of a place where beer was on draught. But such are the winsome tactics employed by real poets that the unsuspecting reader is ( led through the charms of literature to the very bar of Budweiser. But the poetess has been wronly informed. There is no beer to be had for the asking in Rensselaer. This city has been “dry” for 10, these many years and it is only in an occasional basement that the brew is kept for private consumption. Should the alluring verse of Mrs. McMillan induce some parched tongue owner to leave the train with the expectation of satisfying bis thirst and he should be disappointed, it might result in a damage suit, for Buch dissappointment could not be overcome by even the charms of poetic genius. Poets, however, do not always depict literal conditions, and let us credit Mrs. McMillan with having no thought of actual conditions but for haring written solely for the grace of language and the charm of rythm, for the passion of sublime and lofty thought. Although unaccustomed to the art of muse, we are Impelled by the inspiration of the quoted madrigal to rush into verse, neither classical nor madrigal, but just plain verse, expressing our emotions. And hence this thus; We greatly fear, , Poetess dear, That Rensselaer You wish to queer. ** We stop right here To shed a tear. Don’t taunt and jear. Life hath no cheer. There is no beer In Rensselaer.