Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-02-21
WHEEL
THE INTELLIGENCER.

TnE following Communication from Horace
Greeley is published in the New York Ledger.
1t appears that Bonner is about publishing some
volumes of poems, and has solicited Greeley to
contribute something in the way of early ryth-
tnical productions:
''Mr Bonner: perceive by your Ledger that
you purpose to publish volume (Or perhaps
several volumes) made up of Poems notcontain-
ed in Mr.. Dana's ''Household Book of Poe
try" and heartily wish success to your enter
prise. There are genuine poems of moderate
length which cannot be found in that collection,
excellent as it Palpably is, and superiorin value,
as deem it, to any predecessor or yet eXtant
rival There are, moreover, some genuine poets
whose names do not figure in Mr. Dana's double
index; and thank you for undertaking to rem
der them justice; only take care not to neutral
ize or nullify your Chivalrous championship by
burying them under n cartload of rhymed rub
bish, such as my great nane-Sake plausibly
averred that neither gods nor men can abide,
and you will have rendered Literature a service
and done justice to slghted Merit.
'But, Mr.. Bonner, be good enough-you must
to exclude me from your new poetic Pantheon
have no business theren--no right and no
desire to be Installed there. | no poet;
never was (in expressiOu,) and never shall be.
True, wrote some verses, in my callow days,
as presume most persons who can make intel
Iigible penmarks have done-but was never
poet, even in the mists of deluding fancy. All
my verses, trust, would not fill one of your
pages; they were mainly written under the spur
of some local or personal Indictment, which long
ago passed away. Though in structure metri-
cal, they were in essence prosaic-they were
read by few, and those few have kindly forgot
ten them. Within the last ten years, have
been accused of all possible and some impossi.
BILE offenses against good taste, good morals
and the common weal-I have been branded
aristocrat, communist, infdel, hypOcrite, deIna-
gogue, disunionist, traitor, corruptiOnist, &c,
&c.-but cannot remember that any one has
flung in my face my youthful transgressions in
the wny of rhyme Do not, then, accord to the
malice of my many enemies this forgotten
means of annoyance. Let the dead rest! and
let me enjoy the reputation, which covet and
deserve, Of knowing poetry from prose, which
the ruthless resurrection of my verses would
blindly infer that l considered thern poetry
Let me upl
Thine Horace GREELEY"
We are sorry, indeed, that Horace refuses to
give to the literary world his Juvenile poetica
efforts Here is a rare opportunity to add an
other round to the lader of his fame, but his
nodesty forbids Why should not he, like the
author of "NInry Ann immortalize himself
and likewise immortalize some New England
fair-some Judith Jane, some Sal. Jemtmah-
who long before he had dreamed of greatness
or the Tribune captivated him by her rural
charms and filed his unsophistcated bosom full
of the delightful emotions of "puppy-love. =
Horace. don't let Bennett get ahead of you in so
tnomentous matter, as writing poetry. Our
advice is pitch in"