And there are tinklings of the lute In orthodox decorous fashion, But altogether destitute Of “elemental” passion; And illustrations which refrain From all that verges on the shady, But glorify the whiskered swain, The lachrymose young lady. The sirens of the “sixties” showed No inkling of our modern Circes, And swells had not evolved the code That guides our precious Percys; Woman, in short, was grave or gay, But not a problem or a riddle, And maidens still were taught to play The harp and not the fiddle. And writers in the main eschewed All topics tending to disquiet, All efforts to reorganize Our dogmas or our diet; You could not carp at MENDELSSOHN Without creating quite a scandal, And rag-time on the gramophone Had not supplanted HANDEL. Blameless and wholesome in their way, At times agreeably subacid, I love these records of a day Long dead, but calm and placid; And with a sigh I now replace This ancient volume of _Belgravia_ And turn the “latest news” to face _Mutans amaris suavia_. NEW MEN AND OLD STUDIES [A volume has recently appeared under the title of _The Value of the Classics_, in which “three hundred competent observers, representing the leading interests of modern life” in America, and including three living Presidents of the United States—WILSON, TAFT, and ROOSEVELT—testify their conviction that classical studies are of essential value in the best type of liberal education.] O ye Humanists half-hearted, now reluctantly resigned To concede the claim of Science to control the youthful mind, Once again cry _Sursum corda_—reinforcement comes at last From an unexpected quarter in a wondrous counter-blast. If there is a modern country which effete tradition hates, Surely ’tis the Great Republic known as the United States, Home of hustlers and of boosters, home of energy and “vim,” Filled with innovating notions bubbling over at the brim. Nowhere else can we discover, though we closely scan the map, Such a readiness in scrapping anything there is to scrap; Yet the pick of her progressives boldly swarm into the lists As the most unflinching champions of the harried Humanists. WILSON, TAFT and TEDDY ROOSEVELT figure in the foremost flight, Followed by three hundred chosen men of leading and of light— Men of great and proved achievement in diversified careers, Statesmen, lawyers, doctors, bankers, railwaymen and engineers. Dons of course may be discounted, also College Presidents, But the most impressive statements come from scientific gents, Who admit that education on a humanistic base Gives their students vast advantage in the specializing race. Botany relies on Latin ever since LINNÆUS’ days; Biologic nomenclature draws on Greek in countless ways; While in medicine it is obvious you can never take your oath What an ailment means exactly if you haven’t studied both.