... The battle-bolt sang from the three-decker out on the foam, Many a smooth-faced, snub-nosed rogue would leap from his counter or till, And strike, were it but with his cheating yard-wand, home. Tennyson lived in the time of a conflict more crucial and frightful than any European struggle, the conflict between the apparent artificiality of morals and the apparent immorality of science. A ship more symbolic and menacing than any foreign three-decker hove in sight in that time--the great, gory pirate-ship of Nature, challenging all the civilisations of the world. And his supreme honour is this, that he behaved like his own imaginary snub-nosed rogue. His honour is that in that hour he despised the flowers and embroideries of Keats as the counter-jumper might despise his tapes and cottons. He was by nature a hedonistic and pastoral poet, but he leapt from his poetic counter and till and struck, were it but with his gimcrack mandolin, home. [Illustration: THE PALACE OF ART _From a drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti_ (Reproduced from “Tennyson’s Poems,” by kind permission of Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd.)] [Illustration: ALFRED TENNYSON A marble bust, copied by Miss Grant from the original, sculptured from life in 1857 by Thomas Woolner, R.A. Rischgitz Collection] Tennyson’s influence on poetry may, for a time, be modified. This is the fate of every man who throws himself into his own age, catches the echo of its temporary phrases, is kept busy in battling with its temporary delusions. There are many men whom history has for a time forgotten to whom it owes more than it could count. But if Tennyson is extinguished it will be with the most glorious extinction. There are two ways in which a man may vanish--through being thoroughly conquered or through being thoroughly the Conqueror. In the main, the great Broad Church philosophy which Tennyson uttered has been adopted by every one. This will make against his fame. For a man may vanish as Chaos vanished in the face of creation, or he may vanish as God vanished in filling all things with that created life. G. K. CHESTERTON. TENNYSON AS AN INTELLECTUAL FORCE [Illustration: MARIANA IN THE SOUTH _From a drawing by Dante Gabriel Rossetti_ (Reproduced from “Tennyson’s Poems,” by kind permission of Messrs. Macmillan & Co., Ltd.)] It is easy to exaggerate, and equally easy to underrate, the influence of Tennyson on his age as an intellectual force. It will be exaggerated if we regard him as a great original mind, a proclaimer or revealer of novel truth. It will be underrated if we overlook the great part reserved for him who reveals, not new truth to the age, but the age to itself, by presenting it with a [Illustration: STOCKWORTH MILL (Reproduced from “The Homes and Haunts of Alfred, Lord Tennyson,” by kind permission of Mr. George G. Napier and Messrs. James Maclehose & Sons)]