Hi Quincy (I hope Ireland is treating you well).
I have never believed that only those readers who have been inducted into the black art of prosody know how to read a metrical poem. A well-written metrical poem reveals its own rhythm in the reading, and doesn't depend on an intimate knowledge of iambs and trochees.
In fact, I would often prefer readers with no prosody than those who know a great deal. So I don't believe that metrical poetry will die without scansion being taught.
I would guess that the metrical troubles Hecht experienced from the general public were down to writing skills, rather than reading capacity.
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