The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-04-09
Poe Reciting HThe Raven.

Once, in discussing The Raven" Poe
observed that he had never heard it cor
rectly delivered by even the best read
erS-that is, not as he desired that it
should be read. That evening, a num-
Der of visitors being present, he was re-
quested to recite the poem, and complied.
His impressive delivery held the compa-
ny spell-bound; but in the midst of it,
!, happening to glance toward the open
window above the level roof of the
greenhouse, beheld group of sable
faces, the whites of whose eyes shone in
strong relief against the surrounding
darkness. These were number of our
family servents, who having heard much
talk about "Mr. Poe, the poet" and
having but an imperfect idea of what a
poet was, had requested permission of my
brother to witness the recital. AS the
speaker became more imprisoned and
excited, more conspicuous grew the cir
Gle of white eyes, until, when at length he
turned suddenly toward the window,
and, extending his arm, cried with awful
vehemence:
q Get thee back into tine tempest, and the nights
Plutonlan shore"
there was sudden disappearance of the
sable visages, q scuttling Of feet, and the
gallery audience was gone. Ludicrous
as was the incident, the final touch was
given when at that moment Miss Poe,
who was an extraordinary character in
her way, sleepily entered the room, and
with dull and drowsy deliberation
seated herself on her brothers knee. He
had subsidized from his excitement into a
gloomy despair, and now, fixing his eyes
upon his sister, he concluded:
" And the raven, never fitting, still is sitting,
On the paid bust Of PRa,llas, just above my
chamber door;
And its eyes have all the seeming Of demon
that is draining
The effect was irresistible; and as the
final "nevermore" was solemnly uttered
the half-suppressed litter of two very
young persons in, a corner was responded
to by a general laugh. Poe remarked
quietly that on his next delivery of a
public lecture he would "take Rose
along, to act the part of the raven, in
which she seemed born to exec" -Scrib-
nertor March.
Washington Beggars.
cay" the interesting correspon dent
of the Courier-Journal, says in recent
letter: cit is very inconsiderate in beg
CARS to suppose that a lady can drop her
train in the dirt while she funlbles at a
pocket difficult to find, and extracts
therefrom pennies or tickets that these
gamins may appease their hunger. But
seriously these beggar boys are a nui-
sance. Our street are filled with them.
Why do we never see girls begging
Don't they get hungry? think it is be-
cause they have not yet become such
wretched little imposters and Arabs as
the boys, who are decidedly vicious, and
beg more from rascality than want. ]
did drop my train not long since, and, in
the cold, biting wind, get out a handful
of tickets and distribute them to only
three boys. There were but three in
sight when I put my hand in my pocket
but before l was through the very stones
seemed to hatch boys, for they swarmed
until there was nothing left to give
But this is only the dark side of life in
this city, where there are too many boys
Of all colors growing up in vice."