burns dauntless under the shadow of death. Tennyson is the poet of
faith; faith as distinguished from cold dogmatism and the acceptance of
traditional creeds; faith which does not ignore doubt and mystery, but
triumphs over them and faces the unknown with fearless heart. The effect
of Christianity upon the poetry of Tennyson may be felt in its general
moral quality. By this it is not meant that he is always preaching. But
at the same time the poet can hardly help revealing, more by tone and
accent than by definite words, his moral sympathies. He is essentially
and characteristically a poet with a message. His poetry does not exist
merely for the sake of its own perfection of form. It is something more
than the sound of one who has a lovely voice and can play skilfully upon
an instrument. It is a poetry with a meaning and a purpose. It is a
voice that has something to say to us about life. When we read his poems
we feel our hearts uplifted, we feel that, after all it is worth while to
struggle towards the light, it is worth while to try to be upright and
generous and true and loyal and pure, for virtue is victory and goodness
is the only fadeless and immortal crown. The secret of the poet's
influence must lie in his spontaneous witness to the reality and
supremacy of the moral life. His music must thrill us with the
conviction that the humblest child of man has a duty, an ideal, a
destiny. He must sing of justice and of love as a sure reward, a
steadfast law, the safe port and haven of the soul."--_Henry Van Dyke_.



REFERENCES ON TENNYSON'S LIFE AND WORKS

_Alfred, Lord Tennyson: A Memoir_ by Hallam Tennyson. Toronto: The
Macmillan Company of Canada, Limited. Price $2.00.