Excerpt from Smith College Verse

The pleasure that has gone to the making of this verse, and the joy that has gone to the compiling Of the book, will pass unnoticed in the reading Of it. Yet our end in preparing this small volume was not a purely selfish one. We felt that the alumna and friends of Smith College wanted such a collection, and to satisfy their desire the book is published. We make no claim other than that we have attempted to bring together the best Of the college verse which has come under our con sideration. Most of the selections have been published during the past twelve years in the Smith College Monthly. In a few instances verses have been re printed in other publications, to the courtesy of whose editors we are indebted for their appearance in these pages.

The natural timidity felt by young authors in launching their first book is mitigated by the thought that this is the product Of the college rather than Of the indi vidual pen. And since it is distinctly a book Of college verse, by the standards Of such verse it is to be judged. It is not because the technique is remarkable, or the sub jcet matter unusual, or the phrasing excellent that the work was compiled. It was not to stand in the market-place shoulder to shoulder with nobler works Of art that this little book was sent forth. It was not for the sake of raising funds or glorifying the name Of Smith that such a project came into our heads. It was not to attract attention or to demand criticism or approbation that we launched this venture. But rather our purpose was to send, in collected and bound form, a record of verse endeared to the hearts Of Smith graduates, into their friendly midst.

We feel sure that our purpose will be fulfilled, and that the end that was intended will be achieved; hence it is with no misgivings or humbleness of spirit that we pub lish this work.

But at the same time we realize that, once published, our control over its destiny vanishes. It may take its way to the market-place, it may meet with rivalry and scorn. It may be battered by the worldly standards of literary excellence and filled by blows Of superior critics. That such may be its fate we half anticipate. We cannot hold it within those narrow confines for which it was intended, even should we wish to do so. We are sending it forth to stand upon its own feet, to walk or fall as the case may be; but we are sending it forth with such a good will and backed by the happiness of so many hours of loving work and care that we hope it may not utterly fail. Simple and unassuming as it is, there is, we hope, a genuineness and a sincerity about it which will endear it to all those who realize that it is the embodiment of the spirit of the college which it represents.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.