The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-04
Spring POETS
THE MOST CONSCIENTIOUS AND SEN
SlTNE OF NEWSPAPER WRITERS.
The Volunteer Contributions of Verses tn
the Daily Papers-A Sensible and
Worthy Glass Who Often
Turn Out Well.


Inter Ocean "Curbstone Cravons ~
The stalest and most Improbable of Jokes
are those about spring poets.n The remark
was the more surprising as it came from a
man who has grown gray in that depart
ment oil newspaper work that wears most
heavily on enthusiasm and sentiment
There were half dozen Of these old stagers
who had driited without method to one
lunch table. Finding that the others were
not altogether unsympathetic he continued:
twenty years ago, or more, the standard
Jokes were about the mother in-law, the re-
liable contraband, and the spring poet
They were all worn threadbare in less than
year, but they are occasionally put on duty
now by fellows who don't seem to realize
they are trotting out bare skeletons for the
OBLIGATION of the public.
The most Conscientious, the most sensi-
tive contributors Of verses to the
people of sentiment who send in
verses for publication. They are for the
most part men and women who write for
the love of writing, and who have some
thing to say and striking way of saying
It, My own experience is that these poetical
contributors are more reasonable and less
exactng than are many other classes about
whom jokes are never made. The poets as
a rule write legibly and according to news
paper rule, and they have a proper apprecin-
ton of the space given them. | have found
them as rule unobtrusive sensible, and
very strict in their observances of what
they conceive to be newspaper etiquette.
Hundreds of well-to-do and talented men
and women are volunteer contributors of
to the daily papers Scores of others are
people with aspirations who seek acquaint-
ance with the public while ripening for their
best work And there is no better schooling.
The Carey sisters the Piatts, W. D. Howells,
Maurice Thompson, Ella Wheeler, the
Clarke sisters, and hundreds of others, be-
ginning with the era when George D. Prem
tice gave his sympathy to young versifiers
until now, all were given regulations and
character by the newspapers. When the
newspaper poets wings are strong he flies of
to the real field of remunerative labor, but
it is not often he forgets the paper that gave
him a start
"Hou are right for once,' said a younger
member of the group II like to think OF
| some little incidental lifts | have given PEG
pile who have scampered ont Of sight ahead
of me in the way Of making regulations and
money. On one occasion good many years
| ago | fished out of a box of kicked-about
| papers dainty little envelope with dainty
| little poem in it, | published 1t, and the
next week received letter Overlooking witt
| thankfulness, and another poem. This wa,
the beginning for a sensitive, shrinking girl
| The end was a career of good honest worn
and success
| n fnll hot
| illustrates the same idea. He was the junior
editor of a paper to which Will Carleton
sent his Betsy and | Are Out The length
of the poem was against it, and it had be el
thrown about from one man to another as q
nuisance. 1t fell to the lot of the young maj
to read it. Before he was half through h
called in his associates to inform them tina
he had discovered genius. They w0uldn'
listen, but he urged the publication of tn
poem, and when everyb body was talkin!
about it those same associates claimed
share in making the reputation for Carleton
that followed the publication of The initia
poem.
u have made some queer mistakes as t
personality and character of writers in m,
time | had delightful acquaintance b.
letter once with a young lady aspirant
! Judged her to lie IL or II and wrote her il
fatherly, patronizing way. She called an
discovered that she was woman Of AZ
better posted than myself in literature an
with a wider range of information gener
ally. / have diStrusted tho scamperine
young hearted style of a letter ever since. /
another case l jumped to q conclusion that
certain dignifisd correspondent was abou
40 She wasn't half that"
"Some years ago" said the magazine ma
of the group, there was among our COZ
tributors young fellow who signed til
name Birch Arnold He was bright an
ambitious and | wrote him good man
letters of advice and encouragement. Tn
ran on for more than year and to drop
note TO My Dear Arnold became sort {
every day affair. At last my young frien
wrote that he would call on me, and on th
day named young lady came in and d
murely placed on my desk card marke
Birch Arnold Remembering how | ha
been dear string her for year, | laughe
outright, and it was soon apparent that Sd
had enjoyed the correspondence all the mo-
because she had demonstrated that a womu
could keep a secret. She still writes vers
anil Stories