The Little Review, May 1914 (Vol. 1., No. 3)

In a thoughtful opening, the essay takes up an open letter that a poet once sent to President Wilson, urging the nation to reward its writers with prizes, grants and official honor. The writer argues that while many countries already celebrate their literary voices, the United States seems reluctant to turn poetry and prose into a matter of public policy. He paints a vivid picture of artists who press on despite a marketplace that values material gain over creative integrity, and he wonders whether a government subsidy could ease that hardship.

The piece then turns to a broader meditation on the nature of art itself, insisting that genuine literature springs from an inner, unavoidable impulse rather than external incentives. By contrasting the organic growth of a poem with the artificial nurturing of an “elected” culture, it asks listeners to consider whether the soul of a nation lives in its institutions or in the unprompted sparks of its creators. The essay invites readers to explore the tension between artistic freedom and societal support, setting the stage for a lively early‑20th‑century debate.