South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889), Saturday 22 October 1859, page 3


THE PRIZE POEM.

To the Editor of the Advertiser.

Sir-Although I do not wish to play the critic, yet I must say, with many other persons, that Mrs. Carlton's poem, which appears in your issue of to-day, is not suitable for the purpose of a patriotic song ; not that there is a lack in any degree of the soul of poetry in it,—but, Sir, the poem, as the song of Australia, is too tame.

Australians want a song that will be sung in every homestead, from Government House to the shep-herd's hut, with gratitude to the composer ; a song inciting them to deeds worthy of their name of Britons, if ever the time should come when our country should be invaded by a foreign foe ; in fact, we want a kind of " National Anthem," and I ask you plainly, if the Prize Poem can be considered such. Though very creditable to the authoress, it wants a-what shall I say,-a more manly sentiment than it really expresses, if Australia is to acknow-ledge it as her song.

By inserting the above, you will not only oblige myself, but many influential members of the com-munity who think as I do.

I am, &c.,

A South Australian, but not a

C'OMPETITOR. Adelaide, October 21, 1859.

[Our correspondent forgets one thing, namely, that the Judges were not empowered to withhold the prize ; their duty was to award it to the song which they thought better on the whole than the others, whether that song itself possessed sterling merit or not. We do not, for a moment, suppose that Mrs. Carleton's song will ever become a "National Anthem," and the prize was not awarded to it with any such idea. "We will take an early opportunity of dealing with this question more at large; but our readers must please to recollect that if there is not a real national poet in the colony, it is not the fault of the persons who undertook the somewhat onerous task of reading 93 poems of all lengths, shapes, and sizes.—Editor.]