114 chapter 4
Though Arnold does not name the poem or the book, he does say that the
“specimen of popular poetry” he disparages, titled “My Native Land,” comes
from a “Fifth Standard book of a series much in vogue.”^16 One such series
“much in vogue” was Chambers’s Narrative Series of Standard Reading Books,
specially adapted to the Requirements of the Revised Code including those in
Writing, Arithmetic, and Dictation (1863).^17 The editors of Chambers antici-
pate Arnold’s dismay at the class of poetry found in the readers. In the intro-
ductions to the Standard Reading Books for Standard III, the preface orients
the teacher, stating “a few of the simpler trisyllables were used in Standard II.
In Standard III they are more freely used... .The verses are religious, moral,
and humorous, and will be found free from errors of taste at least, though
scarcely meriting the name of Poetry. In Standard IV poetry, in the proper
sense of the word, for the first time appears” (iii). The preface to Standard IV
states: “[p]oetry suitable for children now takes the place of what in the earlier
books cannot be dignified by a higher name than verses” (iii). Verses do not
“merit” the distinction of being named “Poetry”; they are meant to teach both
religion and morality, as well as help students learn to say more complex trisyl-
labic words. In the table of contents for Standards IV through VI, poetry and
verse appear together, intermingled but distinguished by a parenthetical, as in
“Lucy Gray” (poetry) or “Little White Lily” (verse). Most of the verses are
anonymous, and some of the anonymous verses are attributed to a certain tra-
dition, as in: “Old Ballad” or “Old Song,” (as opposed to the occasional attri-
bution “From the French”). A host of generic assumptions go into the building
of this particular reader pertaining to songs, ballads, and poetry with a capital
“P,” but it is clear that many songs and verses are intended to teach the proper
“received” pronunciation that was gaining ground in the latter half of the
nineteenth century, along with religious, moral, and, significantly and increas-
ingly, patriotic values. “My Native Land,” not attributed to an author, is incor-
rectly named “A Song” by the editors, as if to emphasize that it is not to be mis-
taken for a “poem.” Arnold prints the entire poem in his report, as if to mock it:
My Native LandShe is a rich and rare land
Oh! She is a fresh and fair land,
She is a dear and rare land,
This native land of mine.
No men than hers are braver, 5
The women’s hearts ne’er waver;
I’d freely die to save her,
And think my lot divine.
She’s not a dull or cold land,
No, she’s a warm and bold land; 10