Benjamin listened with a good deal of interest to the foregoing discussion, and he saw that, from jealousy or some other cause, Osborne was not according to Ralph the credit to which he was entitled; and so he interrupted, by saying:
"You set yourself up for a critic, Osborne; but I think more of Ralph as a poet than I do of you as a critic. You are unwilling to grant that his productions have any merit at all; but I think have. Moreover, it is a good practice for him, and for all of us, to write poetry, even if it does not come quite up to Milton. It will improve us in the use of language."
"Fiddlesticks! It is simply wasting time that might be spent in profitable reading; and good reading will improve the mind more than rhyming." Osborne spoke with much earnestness.
"Not half so much as your empty criticisms are wasting your breath," replied Benjamin, with a smile. "But, look here, I have just thought of a good exercise that we better adopt. At our next meeting each one of us shall bring in a piece of poetry of our own composition, and we'll compare notes and criticise each other."
"I should like that," responded Ralph; "it is a capital proposition.
Perhaps Osborne may think it will be a waste of time and breath."
"Not at all," answered Osborne; "I agree to the plan, provided the subject shall be selected now, so that all shall have fair play."
"We will do that, of course," said Benjamin. "Have you a subject to suggest?"
"None whatever, unless it is a paraphrase of the Eighteenth Psalm, which describes the descent of the Deity."
"That is a grand subject," responded Benjamin. "What do you say to taking that, Ralph?"
"I think it is an excellent subject, and I am in favor of adopting it."