SOURCE: “The Attitude of Adventure,” in The New Republic, Vol. IV, No. 52, October 30, 1915, pp. 341-43.

In the following review of Chesterton's Poems, Soule asserts that the poet takes refuge in “religious orthodoxy,” “banality and bravado” in order to avoid the discomfort of genuine feeling.

Anybody who fancies himself in heroic declamation will probably, if he happens to read “Lepanto,” read it aloud. He is likely then to be so pleased with its brave colors and insistent sonority that he will repeat it a second and perhaps a third time. After that he is sure to avoid it as he would a Sousa march, not wishing to strut always with brass and drums. But he will find no relief in this book. All the poems are not quite so loud, but all—except the humorous topical verse—are equally emphatic. Words like pomp, gorgeous, thunder, ancient, crimson, scorn, myriad...