Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-10-23
Interview with VIII Carleton. the
Michigan Poet.
Denver Tribune.]

"Under what circumstances was your poem
Over the Hills to the Poor House wraten?'
"While at school was Interested in visit
ing the almshouse and chatting with the pau
pers. Among the acquaintance made there
were two very worthy old people whose chill
dren had abandoned them in their old age
The father told me his story. The details
were not, of course, the same as related in the
poem, but in them was the idea afterward
elaboratedn
did it not have strong moral effectgn
e'It did. It was published in Harper's
Weekly at the time, with illustrations In
two months a friend wrote me that the
verses had produced on him such an effect
that he Immediately sent a check for 500 to
his parents, whom he thought had been by
him too much neglected. I have heard of
! cases where people have been taken out of
the poorhouse by peniten5 children. In this
connection 1 might instance the case of an
old man who died pauper at Cleveland.
When his sachel was opened and its meagre
contents examined, a copy of the poem was
found carefully rolled up. From these and
| numerous other affecting incidents, believe
that the poem has done some good. Betsy
and I Are Out has come back to me at
in q large city recently, the proprietor came
up to me and in very demonstrative man
ner told me that those verses were the means
of rerniting himself and his wife"
"What are the processes Of compositiongn
was asked.
ga poem Will grow gradually in the
writer's mind 1t will be some time, perhaps
years. in reaching its fruition Then, again,
No no Of nd
again, he might go on with his poem in much
the same manner as in building a house. AL
these processes, l think, take place in the
mind of poet.
81 think, however, that the inspiration so
much talked of is largely work. It must at
tend the artist, the musician, or the me-
chanic A true mechanic feels true inspira-
ton when he feels that he is doing his best
Every man has q genius for something, and
when he feels that he is in his proper sphere
he will get inspiration. The trouble is that
men often miss their calling, and when this
is so the unfortunate worbmen have an up
hill journey. don't think inspiration can
be depended upon without good, square work
Inspiration is the result of work The
old saying we found in our school books, that
there is no excellence without great labor is
true. Dr. Johnson used to say that every
author can write at any time if he viii set
himself doggediy about it, There is good
deal Of truth about this. 1 am not as great a
believer in waiting for what they are pleased
to term their mood as some other people. L
have known able men to wait all their lives
and then in the end die without having
achieved anything. Life is too short 20 wait
for moods
''The important question to ask in writing
a poem is: viii it accomplish goodP For a
poem to be at its best and in the fullest sense
worthy of circulation it should have an do
ject to accomplish. In proportion as it &C
complishes that object it may be considered
successful In my work L have aimed to ex-
press my thoughts of the people in the peo-
pies tongue; to strive for the thought first
and the form afterward."