The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-05-26

leave him in charge of that newspaper
while he went abroad, and although
Mr.. Swinton has more pronounced
views on every subject of public in
terest than any other man. he edited
the san as Mr.. Dana wished him to, and
not as he would have liked to have
done. lie was paid large salary for this
work, and being economical, saved a
good deal OF money. He was one OF
the first men To take up the cause OF the
wOrkingmen. lie was not an idle
chatterer on the street corners, who
spoke for the pleasure of hearing his
own voice. lie had something to say,
and he knew how TO say it,. But cham
piohing the cause of labor at a time
when It Deeded "A champion most. with
a heart az soft as woman +, he allowed
every rascal who was too lazy to work,
% borrow money from him.
His money all went in a newspaper
venture. and Swinton found. when it
was too late. that the cause he had
championcd and the men he had be-
iriendod. were far from grateful. They
did not support his paper, and the little
fortune he had saveO melted away Ike
snow under a scOrching sun. Then
Henry George aud his clan came to the
fore and with a great hullalaboo, became
the champions Of the labosing classes.
Swintown was pushed aside in the
scramble. Then sickness followed,
and while the laboring man was wor-
Shipping at the shrine of George and his
land theory. SwintOn was taken Ill. and
for many months lay at deaths door.
His eyes failed him land what wonder
full eyes they used TO bel, and with
hardly enough for his few wants. IL
seemed as though the end could not
come too soon. but he had faithful
wife who nursed him patiently, and he
came back 10 life again. He is still
believer i'm socialism. but has little TO
say about the workingman in this
country. and their treatment of him.
Every day in the week now, he comes
down Park Row to the Sun Office as he
did years ago, and works at his old
task. With his eyOs shaded by blue
spectacle. he sits and reads and pens
solid editorials full Of ideas, and in the
most opulent English. He is unc0n-
planning. lie realizes that he will never
again lead IN the fight. but the prin-
ciples he fought for, me says Will live
forever and triumph in the end.
Though his vision is obscure, he can see
bow of prosperity set in the sky, and
the day Is not far distant when the
working men of America will have all
the rights and privileges that belong to
them.
80 YOU think that New York is
drawing upon the literary talent Of
Boston - | asked DR.. Holmes, whom l
visited the other day.
Il do not see in what way replied
/ the aul0crat. Il feel that Boston con
tinues to maintain her literary suprem-
acv. though it may not always be so.
/ The literary center of this country. #
| there be a literary center, may be Mil
waukie some day. sSuch thing Is pos
sible.
The question is, viii this country
over see another such group of re-
markable men as Boston has produced;
/ I'm history there are Prescott, Motley,
aud Parkman in theology. Theodore,
+ Parker and Dr. BartOl: i'm Oratory,
/ Wendell Phillips. in philosophy. Emer-
son: i'm poetry. LODgfellOw and Whit
tier. for the latter, If not an actual resi-
dent of Boston, must be regarded,
nevertheless, as belonging 70 the Bos-
ton literary guild. There is Lowell,
also. Others might be mentioned In
addition TO those already named. For
real intellectual force, take the old
/ Chestnut Street Club. or the Radical
/ Club. as SOME choose 10 call IL. Where
will YOU find its equaly We have
never had anything like it in this
country since. Indeed, the literary
outlook seems hardly encouraging. |
sometimes feel that poetry viii become
a lost ant with us TO be sure we have
q large number Of writers of verse;
refer 10 the rising generation Of writer's
and it is very good verse too. but very
|Ittle-very little of it rises 20 the scale
of real poetry. IL Is not sufficiently
striking to impress itself upon the
world to endure. Tire disposition is to
indulge i'm the fancifu forms of verse.
such as the sonnet. the triolet. and the
: rOndeau. all pretty enough in their
way: but very few poems Of this
character have ever become immortal
For example. the sonnet is one Of the
most mechanical and artificial forms OF
verse there is. To be sure. Shakes
peare S s0nnets are excellent, yet they
are not. strictly sonnets, as they do not
conform TO the established rules gov
erpin0 the construction Of the sonnet.
If one is to succeed IA poetry. he must
give free rein to his sentiment and
imagination. i'm the more simple and
natural forms of verse. Take fer IN
stance. Tennyson S In Mem0riam,
the form is simple and easy. This is a
Great poem. and will live. SILL, from
these observations, Il would not seek To
discourage any young man from seek
sjnr to be poet, if he really feels the
divine instinct within him.
"But ! would urge him. by all
means. 10 adopt the most natural way
lof writing. and not by any means de-
mend on poetry or literature, in 6ny
sense. for his bread and butter. Let
I him have something else for staff; n
is absolutely necessary. unless one be
IL 0enius, and even then IL De- far safer
Poe Wac a genius. yet his case ought &c
nrove q warning 90 all who aspire III
iiaroture. In my own case, have had
a nrofessorship: the work Of which ha'
n6f always been congenial, neyerthe
less. il has proge a gooL staff. ~
j. scott Hartley. the sculptor q
modelling a bust Of Susan 3. Anthony
The veteran woman suffrage leader q.
not a quiet setter, her restless lem
nerament causing frequent changes OF
I nose. i'm spite OF hrr three score yeaiii
and Ten. Mis-, Anthony is full Of VI
vacious talk and "reminiscences II heI
many campaigns, making the after
moons in the studio in the hoiDe''
1 building very interesting to favored
visitors. She processes TO have no OBJ
+ iections whatever 10 the tahins e some
artistic Liberties with the portIaitFre
All her life long, She says, she has Ia
, bored under the imputhaoG Of peinl
excessively plain. Whenever she ha
appeareS on the platform, the ely "a
| pers have commsntod on the witty say
| ings Of Mrs. So and So, vino wore
handsome costume and the "brlgh
ewes of Miss This and That, whose ap