Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. 56, No. 04

J amdwcbolastic .J^.^. DISCE- QUASI- SEMPER-VICTVRVS-VIVE • QUASI- CRASnORITVRVS Vol. LVI. October 21, 1922 No. 4 THE BOOSTERS' CLUB. work which the Boosters are doing to make themselves known in order that their names HENRY BARNHART. may be placed on the roster when an op ARALLEL to the growth of Notre Dame portunity for so doing presents itself. University has been the progress and Homecoming has been chosen as a .fitting increasing expansion of student ac time for the inception of this organization. tivity and organization. Some years The Boosters, who have assimilated the ago student celebrations were carried out Faculty Committee on Homecoming and the on a small scale. At that time the faculty, Alumni Association in South Bend for the or some few members of the student body, occasion, will leave nothing undone to make were sufficient to function, as a committee to the affair a complete success and one which effect the necessary plans. Not so to-day; the old grads will designate as the "greatest the school has grown by enormous strides, ever." Homecoming will be in every sense and there is so much to be done in realizing what the word connotes. Plans are being the successful accomplishment of an event formed for a huge pep meeting and snake such as Homecoming, for example, that it dance in South Bend,—^for a medley of en is impossible for a few to do it efficiently tertainment blending the talent of former and to the general satisfaction of all con years with the existing ability in a happy cerned. medium,—^for banquets and dances and For some time the Students' Activities other features which cannot yet be dis-- Committee has felt strongly the absolute closed. The success of the celebration de need for a group of men to work with it in pends upon the whole hearted cooperation conducting activity and student celebrations of every member of the student body on a large scale. This is the reason for or whether he be an active member of the ganizing a cooperative body kno^vn as the Boosters' Club or not. Let us all unite a& Boosters' Club. This organization will be a the gracious host to welcome the alumni and permanent one without constitution or by other gTiests. Let us become self constituted laws. Membership will be restricted to fifty boosters to make the celebration one long students appointed annually, by the S. A. C, to be remembered. If this is done our vis which will supervise and direct the destinies itors will catch the "booster fever." of the Boosters. In the success or failure of the Homecom This varied amalgam of Notre Dame men ing plans lies the success or failure of the' seeks to represent every shade and color of Boosters' Club. Still, we are certain, that student opinion. The greatest shortcoming the Boosters are here to say. They actively of the club lies in the fact that it does not manifest that spirit of healthy cooperation include more than a very small percentage which exists in the student body to "boost** of the live wires and earnest, conscientious student enterprise. The greatest traitor to- workers in the student body who have al his school and to his fellow students is the ways expressed their willingness to serve in one who inflames prejudice and works upon the interests of student activity. However, emotion to stifle what good has been or will the attainment of a fair degree of efficiencj^ be accomplished, instead of using common in achieving the end for which the club ex sense and sober judgment to advance ists demands limitation of numbers. The campus attempts in every sphere of ac S. A. C. invites all of those interested in the tivity. ' 104 'ê Nocre bame §lcho\asz\c poet himself. There can be little apprecia WHAT IS POETRY? tion of the poet's art till we. attune our spirit M. J. L. to all that constitutes the beauty of the poet's own world. To understand its message we Xiiterature in general is made up of the must not belong to the ranks of those who -\vritten thoughts and feelings of intelligent look upon poetiy as so much ingenious non men and women arranged in a way calcu sense. Those who scoff at the beauty of lated to give pleasure to the reader. The poetry scoff unwittingly at the fine expres di\nision of all that is wi'itten into poetry sion of the noblest emotions of man's heart. and prose is, according to Sherman, "a de Ruskin himself has assured us that love, lusion and a snare." This statement he sup admiration, veneration, and joy are the ports by the fact that much of the poetiy, germs of poetical feeling. If at any time even of the classical period, is prosaic to the the poet himself be the cause of perverting last letter, whilst much of the prose that our appreciation of his art, it is simply be we know is true poetry in its thought and cause he has delivered his message -to us content. Neither is all the prose we read with more art than inspiration. to be called literature. Prose deserving that As to the essential characteristics of title must be stamped with style, character, poetry there is much divergence of opinion. and care. In addition to these marks poetry Some contend that verse and rhyme are the must have its own inherent beauty, chann, only essentials; others give precedence to and music. As to its beauty Carlyle tells us the expression of poetical feelings. With that it is born of the inmost spririt of man, the consideration of each class of poetry united to all love of virtue, to all belief in comes additional guessing of new essentials. God. On the practical side poetry can never Browning anticipating our inquiry puts the afford to stand. It cannot be used for the question to himself and answers it. nice expression of scientific formulae. ' It "What does it mean, poet? must for ever soar awaj'- above the essential, Well, your brains beat into rhythm." beautifying the thousand commonplaces that escape the notice of a prosaic world. From this point of view, poetry is reached The poet is the creator of ethereal things by the medium of rhythm just as flying is and liis name is in keeping with his power. âccomplished by wings. "Poetry," says an The woi:d poet is derived from the Greek other, "is the recurrence of sounds without verb HOIEW, signifying I do or make. The which it were not poetry." Still this is to poet is an impassioned being whose only' leave poetry far short of that something wareliouse is liis soul and whose only traffic- which speaks with its lowly sweet voice from way is tlie road that leads to another soul. the depths of the poet's song. Happily for Coleridge affirms that it is the poet's task to us Dr. Johnson comes to the rescue and says seek an entrance into the hearts and minds that poetry is the life of man expressed in of others, "by the aid of his spiritual power— measures, numbers, and harmony. This ad ""an effulgence of heavenly glory." This is dition of harmony which finds its true place -the goal of all his efforts. Wordsworth, in music brings with it the idea of that realizing that perhaps he had been so for solace and pleasant tunefulness, which is a tunate as to have reached that goal said: most desirable feature of poetry. Aristotle called poetry "metrical composition," In do So lortli and brighter fares my stream, ing so he showed the influence of 'Greek Wlio drink it shall not thirst again. poetry which was the basis of metre. But No darkness stains its equal gleam. the definition of Stevenson which makes And ages drop in it like rain. poetry "the presentation of the beautiful to the imagination," gives much more satisfac "Poetry," says Madame de Stael, "is the tion and affords a truer realization of the îft of revealing by speech the internal feel essence of poetry. ings of the lieart." Therefore, to grasp the No matter how we may differ as to the beauty of poetry there must be within us essential notes of poetry it can be safely some of the feeling that characterizes the averred that there can be no true poetry 'ê Noure 5ame §choIascia IOD' without metre. We can very easily see that better things through the words of the in- being the enthusiastic and passionate writer terpreters on the stage. As to what more- of beautiful things the poet must necessarily than the "presentation of the beautiful to express himself in a beautiful way. Beauty the imagination" all the forms of poetry can. of expression, both in poetry and prose, de have in common will always be a matter for pends largely on the "measureful content" of controversy. the language employed. As the beauty of a It may not be a matter of little interest to- building and the symmetry of its form de give a brief consideration to the form of pend upon the combination of its parts and literature that merits to be called poetic: their suitableness for the purpose intended, prose. Of course there is prose that merits- so the poet who wishes to produce a master to be so named. The modern Pastel is the piece must judiciously choose the instru nearest approach to poetry in a prose dress ments of his art most fit for his purpose.

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