Classic Poem

" The favourable verdict of mankind" —
Born of the hustled public's hasty mind —
Has naught to do with Art in any guise
That artists can respect or recognize.
Is Art a criminal to hide her face
Till juried thick-wits shall approve her grace?
Reject the thought that she will e'er entreat
The favour of the plain Man in the Street.
The genius of appreciation flows
In channels that the plain man never knows;
The talent called intelligence is rare,
It needs a Southern slope and Attic air.