Show A SOCIETY POET To write vers de societe has been an ambition with many poets as a writer of such verses Praed stands at the head Now a member of New York sGcietjr whether a member of the 400 or of the 35 is not stated has put forth a volume of verse though it is not exactly what would usually be termed society verse The author has a desire to win the hearts of the people as she has won the hearts of her set It is said that another aim is to show to the common world that those of I the grand world have high and serious I aims in life that all is not frivolity with them that some have an ambition ambi-tion to be useful But how anyone can be useful by writing versos poetry in this prosaic utilitarian age is very hard to see A friend of the author i J I says that the work is not the work of I a master hand and brain but that the rhymes are sweet and often rise to real dignity and flnft passion Only one poem have we seen of this new authors au-thors but it is that which gives the title to the volume and is called The Carnival of Venice Here are a few stanzas The sun looks out from a Southern sky Upon the merry scene And gay Venetians quickly hie With ringing laugn and sparkling eye And stately gallant mien They too are heremy noble lord And she his lady fair The tiny foot in slipper cased Uhe crimson dress of satin laced Oer misty laces rare With brow so sad and eyes so full Sweet eyes which must not weep For she is wife to him who holds The dainty arm in satin folds And hushed her sorrows sleep But he is nearsome one is near With sweetly low guitar Who sings to her of other days The plaintive heart awakening lays And happinessafar We confess to some liking for poetry but we never care for any where people have to hie And where did these gay Venetians hie to Was it to the Grand Canal or to the Rialto or to the square of St Mark Each and all of these places often witness merry scenes It must have been a merry sight to see these gay Venetians quickly hieing with a ringing iaugh and a stately gallant gal-lant mien Ringing laughs and stately mien seem a little inconsistent I How depressing to the spirits to read of that Door wife with brow so sad and eyes so full Involuntarily one I seeks for his bandana to vipe aay i i the tears that gush forth like water I from a flowing well This little poem there are eight j stanzas in it has all the pathos of a i 1 regulation heeast shewest story It J cannot fail to touch the hearts of the peopleand to teach them to love poetry and to think better of that grand world i and its inhabitants who they thought were given up wholly to vanities Music i hath charms to soothe the savage ear i and poetry to melt the hearts of the i people L I |