The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-02-13

For then would eat missionary,
HIS legs and arms and his hymn book too.
For these verses the Bank of England, by
advice of its counsel, refused to pay the
money. and the suit is in Chancery to this
day. Now, similar excitement has been
caused by the ambition of our poets to find a
rhyme to Conkling, and we have been fa-
vored with great many efforts. If we have
not offered prize for the best rhyme it is
because we have not felt at liberty to usurp
q privilege which belongs to Mr.. Conkling.
1t is his own name, and he will have the
benefit of the rhyme, and he should have the
credit of encouraging the poets. Besides,
the question is not so much as to which is
the best rhyme as to which is the worst For
these reasons we decline the honor of giving
the prize; but, as MIR. Conkling has not yet
declined any honor that has been offered
him. he will probably accept this.
Here is fine stanza 1t might not take
the first prize, but it would dc. for the Sec
ond. 1t begins like hymn.
Now ofice-holders raise your voice,
And with harmonious conch sing
The praise of King Ulysses choice,
The famous Roscoe Conkling.
bly, the following, from Newark poet, is
equally striking
AS Ah-Sin, the Chinaman,
Does to his Gong cling
SO to the third termer
Sticks Roscoe Conkling.
The sentiment of the preceding poem will
be appreciated by Grant; but here is one
which he may not like so well, as in the dis
of ey,xy he nafn ita
political ADVICE
Take no heed what they say Mr. Conklng
OF the chances against getting there.
Roscoel by right or wrong ching
To your views on the Presidents chair
Still another poet, who is rather obscure as
to Jake, sends US this counsel to john
whatever Jake may do, I'd say let John cling
Till all is blue to our great Roscoe Conkling.
Finally, scientific poet is responsible for
the following couplet, in which either satire
is delicately concealed or truth deliberately
declared
In Darwin phrase, the boy is but monkling
But when the man is grown he is Conkling
Critics may say that none of these rhymes
are strictly accurate; that in one case the
hard is used in both words; that in
others the hard G does not correspond
with X; that John can hardly be pronounced
John" and that monk" has not the same
vowel sound as ''conk." But critics, as
Tame says, who is himself a critic, are
always men who have failed in the arts they
criticise. Let them make better rhymes
themselves. Besides, Mr.. Conkling is great
man and his name is difficult to match. It
is not like Smith or Jones or Brown, which
rhyme to myth or bones or town. The hard
est part of the distinguished Senator's name
is the first syllable. If you could hit him on
the ''conk" all would be we'll Perhaps the
Hon. John Morrissey might try his hand and
give us poem on the subject
The splendid dreams in which the mind
of the Senator is now lost should naturally
dispose him to take profound interest in
this poetical tournament Politics and
poetry have much in common, and it would
be hard for any candidate to excite enthu-
siasm whose name would not fit into cam
paign song The easily sung refrain of
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too" gained Harri-
son many vote Let our Senator encour-
age the poets, who are already excited over
the subject, and we may yet see Conkling
accepted as a rhyme for President