MASTERTON COMPETITIONS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10284, 12 July 1911, Page 6

MASTERTON COMPETITIONS.

A SUCCESSFUL OPENING. 'Hie opening day of the competition® in connection with, the Masterton Musical and Elocutionary Com* ' petitions Society proved very successful. The weather turned out fine, > and the attendance during the afternoon, was large. Dr Bradshaw arrived from Christehurch iby the morning train, and commenced his work in. the Town Hall at two o'clock. Mr C. N. Baeyertz, the elocutionary judge, took Ids first competition at ten o'clock in the morning, and conI tinned throughout the afternoon. The whole of the arrangements were in perfect order, and everything went off without a hitch. It is probable that the competitions will foe concluded hy Thursday night. The results of the literary work, which was judged in Wellington by Mr Baeyertz, were as follow: ESSAY. (Juniors): "The British Navy." Eric Pryor, Masterton 1 Garnet Penmain, Masterton 2 Harold Miller, Masterton 3 • There were eight -competitors. ORIGINAL STORY. Mrs Sydney Edwards, Masterton j (Sheila) 1 R. J. Ethridge, Dunediu, (Echo ) 2 There were eight competitors. ORIGINAL POEM. Mrs Sydney Edwards, Masterton, (Judy)' 1 J. Cole, Masterton (Tarquin) 2 Geo. Oullen, Masterton (Phoebus) 3 There were, twelve competitors. The judge's, report is as follows: VERSE. First prize, "Judy," "A Song of Exile."— The writer is natural, mid not stilted or pedantic. Has -some feeling for rhythm and lilt, but occasionally displays a defective sense of rhyme. The writer observes well, and remembers what she has seen. She thinks her own thoughts, and does not merely echo the sentiments of others. ~ Second prize, "Tarquin.," "The Dream."— This writer has evidently read much verse, and has remembered it only too well. Rhymes and metre correct. Has some technique, but most of the similes a»d many of i the phrases are borrowed, doubtless unconsciously, from -some well-known English poet. .Shows sign? of careful observation at times, and occasionally achieves a happy phrase of his own. Should undoubtedly persevere. Has considerable natural ability and good -taste. Third prize, "Phoebus," "Autumn Evening."—A little ambitious. .Like Icarus, would soar too near the sun, and the wax melts. Now and then a. good verse, 'but lacks the technique of the art of versification, Several halting lines, and the form and content isometimes .suggestive, or rather reminiscent, of Grey. SIORIES. ' These were, for the most part, moire disappointing than the verses. The art of the conte is only attained by prayer and fa-sting, even, by those who have a natural bent in that direction. To the competitors, I would say: (Study (Maupassant, Kipling, Poe, Rihcard. Harding Davis, and 0. Henry's "The Four Million" and "The Trimmed Lamp" for the teohnic of <tihe story. 'Read Stevenson for style, Maoaulay for lucidity, Ruskin. for piotmresqueness, amd Oarlyle ■for strength. It will repay most embryo writing folk to -spend a few months in studying Meredith's. "Richard Feverel." Some competitors are guilty of the fault of •fine writing," and ithis -was aotLceable in the versifiers also. In fine writing a marriage is "an, alliance," a crowd is j "a sea of faces," an- old carpenter is "a. gentleman- long identified with the jbuilding interest," a 'barber is a "tonsorial artist." Air this is vulgar finery. Professor Tucker, in an illuminating lecture on "Literary Judgment," (has this, to say:—"The Greeks, unlike us, had fixed principles of judgment. . . .'••. The dominant mote with them was self restraint, perfect sobriety and sanity. . . . They hated the fantau'.\ the meaningless, the bombastic, iho vague. Above all things, they priz-xi a noble simplicity." A Greek would have said, "I will remembjr thee " So would a Chaucer, a Shakespeare-, or a Milton. But the popular taste and the inferior artist prefer .'t in this form-: "Thy image on. the wing Before my -Memory's eye shall Fancy bring," with attention to the capital letters. It is a safe rule for all good prose writing that words are but means to an end. They should not divert »%•■ ten-tion to themselves by any ■g.iudiness or glitter. The young •••ruor should be simple in style, and avoid

fantastic phrases and images that cio not, and can. not, hide the real poverty of thought beneath "the surface and the show." First Prize, ''Wattle Bloom,' : by "Sheila"—This writer has some gift of expression, and some power in descriptive writing. The subject -natter is -somewhat hackneyed. Construction a»d invention) weak, but easily the 'bcbt of the stories, though the writer is given to "vain. iepe-fci-tions." Second prize, "The Return of Claridge," by "Echo,"—Rather a significant sepudonym. The plot of the story is very old, and time-worn, md the writer if often stilted, clumsy, and awkward. Still the story has promises of better things. The writer should study the masters of the "conte," and learn also how to write dialogue. Anthony Hope's "Dolly Dialogues" might be useful, if the writer cannot read French. In French, Guy de Maupassant and "Gyp" would help him a lot. [ ESSAYS. I Juniors.— Tliis competition-, also, was very disappointing. Not one -competitor had any ideas- of his own about the British Navy. I fear that the mere cramming of school children with facts has the effect of killing any little originality that they may have inherited. .The other day a master in an important school in tliis country had occasion to ask a boy why he did something, and the boy replied: "I thought." He was promptly interrupted by the teacher, who said, "You tllought! You're not here -to think!" .... If boys are not sent to school to think, and to be taught how to think, in Heaven's n-aane -what are they sent for? First, "British Subject," whose English is somewhat, more correct than, that of any of the others, though he sometimes uses words in a -wrong connection, and he is prone to redundancy. Second and proximo aocessit, "Ashburton," who is very accurate in regard 1 to his facts, but whose sentiments- are too long and ill-bal-anced, a.nd who also suffers from the ein of. "witchcraft." Third, "Rugby," who often use* words with the meaning of whi % .n ho is obviously unfamiliar. use a long word when a short one v ill serve your purpose. For instate, it is much better, "Rugby," to write "did not cost half as much" than "did not comprise of half the value of." ESSAY. Music, Art and Literature in New Zealand.— There was only one ej,tn in. this section, and his essay was very laboui*ed. He constantly uees , high sounding words and that he does not understand. His oonstruottens are very faulty, and his arguments are wholly lacking in cogency. There is no attempt at orderly arrangement and develop-o«nt of the subject, and his punctuation is chaotic. Also, -the trail of "fine writing" is over it all. Birds are "feathered creatures," arrival is "advent," people are "generations," and. uo forth. I have corrected all the "literary efforts" set im, and have written a criticism of each for the various tcom r petaltors. I hope they may find this useful. (Signed) 0. ST. BAEYERTZ. (Evening Competitions- 'on Page 5.)