Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1866-01-10
VOL. l2.---N0. Is.
For the aRaftsm an journal. ),

MIR. EDITOR Some time since, pro-
pounded some queries, through the Journal,
to a certain class of correspondents of the Re
publican. The object of said inquiries be-
ing to call the attention of those writers to
the subject of taxing the bonds in which the
moneyed men and spectators were lnves
ting their money, as subject worthy OF
their pens.to which B. ID. Ii. responded
In a satisfactory manner but how did Mr..
A., or the three Stars, as he calls himself,
reply to my inauiries2 We shallisee
In the Republican, of the 22d of Novem-
Der, the editor of that paper heralded forth
that be had received the First chapter OF
the war in Karthaus,n from the historian,
and that it should appear in his next issue,
and advised others to follow the example
and furnish him with the history in otherlo-
calities. The material only was asked for
the editor promising TO ',P1tt IL in shape
before publishing. In the next number of
of his paper appeared sirtee,, double lines
headed First chapter OF the war IN Kart
haus. Now the only question L have to
ask at this point is W as the material In
this case furnished to the editor, and is he
chargeable for the shape III which it makes
its appearance to the public? If so; lhaye
enly 10 say, | should decline, his offer to
shape one for me- And should the editor
sibility By stating, as editors sometimes do,
that he was absent from home at the time
Of It's appearance and that the devil only
is responsible, / should then say, from the
hnowledgeI have of the craft. that there is
scarcely devil On top CT the ground, that
would not be ashamed of the deformity of
thai article. But Iny object, at this time, is
not to offer any comments on the article or
to say anything derogatory to its author but
to relate a conversation | heard in regard TO
il and the writer thereof. \ young gentle
man who had just returned from college, and
a young lady then engaged In teaching school,
met at house where was stopping for the
night During the course OF the evening,
the conversation turned upon the subject of
poetry. The lady remarked that she had a
piece In her possession, in regard TO which
she would Ike to have the gentleman O.
pinion. The poetry was produced, the gen
tieman read it, and then said My opln-
| ion is, that this is not poetry-it lacks too
many essentials. 1t lacks sense, it lacks
grammar, and it lacks measure and ryhme.
There Is only one sense in which it can be
called poetry. Poetry is a word sometimes
applied to compositions in which the Ian
cuace IS that of excited imagination. A
mailman Imagination may be excited, and
under that excitement may compose an ar
ticle for.the press. In thatsense it is poe
try; and If the writer is not mailman. be
is m egot:st. He conceits that he knows
everything. and is qualified for any Office !;
whereas his History of the war in Kart
haus' proves that he is not qualified to
write prose Ito say nothing of poetry fit for
publication, without some one to put it IN
shape for him.
Shall send you the balance of the dia-
logue between the lady aud gentleman about
the three stars ?'' 1t becomes spicy as it
progresses, and serves to show the opinion
held by sensible people of the great sHistot
lian Of karthaus QUEREsT.