Her short story, "The Eleventh Hour," pointed to how some people
mistakenly bring, "the miniature standard of Europe...to measure
and judge a colossal experiment." Her main character, Richard Bayard,
states that "art and beauty must and will survive" on this new
continent, although it is too soon to know what new forms they will
take.
And in the poem
"How Long,"
Lazarus urged American poets to find their new forms and no longer
hail leaders "from overseas." American writers must reflect the
beauty of the land in which they live, not dully echo what was created
for England's landscape.
Lazarus hoped that an American "genius" would arrive to bring this
new tradition to greater heights. In a letter to her friend E.C.
Stedman, a respected and influential poet and critic, she criticized
his thesis that American culture lacked the great themes necessary to
inspire genius. As she explained, "I have never believed in the
want of a theme. Wherever there is humanity, there is the
theme for a great poem."
