The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-11-22
TIE srAnrsg TWINS OF AMERICAN rorsY.

"Laugh and the world laughs with you
Weep and you weep alone.
For this brave old earth must borrow Its mir,h:
II mas troubles enough Of Its own
A day or two since an esteemed contemporary fa
vored the public with beautiful blfurcae. portrait
OF the distinguished author of the lines above
quoted, Colonel lla-Wheeler-John-A "A -Wfcoy-Joyce
On one side was shown manly figure, banging his
hair, and harp: on the other girlsh shape perus
ing rhyming dictionary, and between the two the
mystic bard of sacred poesy uniting their destnes
little above the diaphragm. The picture was
weirdly beautiful, but was unaccompanied with the
usual biographical sketch. And for good reason
The only accurate and authentic biography of the
great twin-star OF Americas literary horizon ia In
our possession In view OF the universal interest
aroused by the recent appearance OF "Peculiar
Poems We feel 1t would not be right to keep our In.
formation from the people any longer, II, indeed,
safe. So here goes Colonel Ella-but never mind
| the whole name-was, or perhaps we should saw
were horn In the forward section of the present
tury at Bardstown, Muse county. KY, to which place
his, her, or rather their parents had removed from
Parnassusvilie, on the upper fork of the Hecou in
Arcadia Township
AT very early age 1t became manifest that the
poet-poefess-well, the bard-was E" nascitur Z" and
"non lM"-for much else. When cent TO fetch the
somewhat spawned pl,uah.horse from the rather
sporadic pasture the budding birdlet was gone
about week. AT length the fond and doting father
started In search. weighed down with anxiety and
stout leather strap. Imagine his aston nlshment
when he found his inspired offspring cayor,ipp
around ten-acre lot on The back OF the gothic
ploush.horse, which pair of paseboard wings
had transformed into good. enough Pega.us
TIL after election. The Joyce section of the gifted
twins role bareback while Tbs Wheeler Wilcox
faction was datny poised In side saddle. All
fonr poetic eyes were observed 10 he rolling In Dne
frenzy OF the regulation pattern. In one hand was
clutched a fat roll of MS, while the other wildly
waved rhyminy dictionary. The old man took in
the situation the strap, and yanked the double
barre'ed poet from the back Of Fegasus. The race
OF poets, it is stated, have been "strapped- from
| that date TO this.
1t s to this early period that we must refer the
touching little poem, "Twlnkle. Twinkle, Little
STAR" and the soothing hymnal, "Ip this Sweet Bye
| and.Bye," which John-Ella wrote on the paper
cover OF pot Of raspberry Jam In the sacred still
ness oil the preserve pantry. Shortly afterwards
Poems OF Passion" The Charge of the Light
Brlgale," and T." Mothers Slipper Leaves Welt > ap-
| peared In the "poers corner" OF the Bordsto,pn
| Bladder ana Pieridn Pdiiadiuni. The poem last
named Is striking little cradle song, which rarely
falls to reach the primordla OF human tears
| 1t has frequently been set to music.
1t was not till later day, however, that the full
blown, duplex elliptic genius OF the twin poets burst
| upon the world in that supernal masterpiece, "The
Beautiful Snow, which has been feioniOusly appro-
prated by poets of all nations and is now In Iga-
lion before the Commissioners OF Alabama Claims
Throughout this mine OF priceless pOesy from 1t q
very earliest outcroppngs there runs vein OF
subtle duallsm-the mysterious charm OF ever-blcnd-
Ing yet rstrivng emotions. While the Ella side
OF the poets nature plnel and yearns and reaches
out and is ahungered for unutterably precious pan.
sizes and passion flowers and soulful words OF spruce
chewing gum, blast of war and the chase breathes
through the Colonefs end OF the business, with
means of murdered Thomas cats and the martha
clang OF ,inware tied to tails of dogs.
And 80 through the vanishing years this cruel
strife has ragged in the poets heart-or hearts
till In our day we have witnessed the sad spectacle
OF poet divided against himself--Or herself. In
moment Of mad frenzy the unhappy bard fulfilled
the scrptnral precept, "Let not thy right hand
know what thy left hand dOcth." While the manly
dexter dgits OF the Anacreon OF Georgetown were
indItiDg the lines called Love and Laughter the
tiny left forennger of the American Sappho was
toying with the rhymes OF the poem entitled "so-
tude." Alack! and alas. by some wondrous pro-
cess OF unconscious cerebraton verse for verse and
line for line the poems are identical. VINO shall de-
eide the authorship? Not we. Nor even us.
Our dlmmlng eyes may not look upon the end of
the matter. But with our happier ereat-grandch-
dren 1t may be different. The is on the docket
OF that "brash" and glddy tribunal the United
| States Supreme Court Who can say what a GEN.
tury or two may bring forth?
And meantime, OF our Ea-C Colonel, or our Colonel
Ella We can only sling In the touching lies OF Cole
| ridge
"They stand apart. the scars remaining,
| Like clltfs some shock hath rent asunder;
dreary sea now n0ws between,
But neither frost, nor rain, nor thunder
Can ever do away, ween,
The marks Of that which once hath been.r