Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-15
MIR. CLUGSTON VISITED BY POET
Who Learns Some Important Facts
About the Money Value of Poetry.

Who Learns Some Important Facts
About the Money Value of Poetry.
From the Chicago Tribune.
what would this be worth to your inquired
a tall. slender man with large and mobile
mouth, a retreating chin and thin fringe of
whisker on the angle of either Jaw, as he
walked into the Office of the Doodleville Yelper
and laid bundle Of manuscript on the editors
table,
Editor Clugston picked it up leisurely and
looked it over.
Him! This is poetry, is it not?' he said.
'Yes. A poem on Immortality"
81 thought noticed that most of the lines
seemed to begin with a capital What was the
inquiry You made about it?''
"What is it worth to you?"
What is your idea of its value?'
well, 1t took me four hours to write il.
burned midnight oil over that poem"
Il have done the same thing over tariff
editorial many a time, unused Mr.. Clugston
And it seems to mo it ought to be worth
S1O."
.'Are you aware, Mr."
MY name is ,IIsnoGGlos-Perry Isnoggles.
Accent on the Il.
Thank you. Arc you aware, Mr.. Isnog-
giles, that John Milton sold Paradise Lost
for only S72, one-third cash and the rest on
timc?"
why"
"Are you aware that Robert Burns once
tried TO sell Tam O'Shanter' for suit of
clothes worth about sc. SOP
mo. never heard"
Did you know, Mr.. IsnoGgles," said Editor
C!uSston, with increasing severity, that Oliver
Goldsmith once sold poem two stickfuls long
for glass of ale and three links OF sausage,
and that Homer refused an offer of a sheepskin
for his Had because he thought it was worth
two sheepskins?"
III take So for the poem, Mr.. Clugston."
perhaps you have never heard. Mr. Isnog-
giles" pursued the editor, that Plautus, the
Roman poet would grind out a rondeau at any
tim for n half pint of shrimps?"
Say 81 go" suggested tho visitor.
"And you did not know, possibly, that Tasso
the Italian poet, hawked four-page poem
about the streets of Sorrento for shiliIngs.
and couldn't sell it at that?"
Would 81. 80 be too much for this?"
"a dollar and a half for five pages of manu-
script that Dryden would have sold. even when
he was thirty years old, for half CROWN"
"lou can have 1t for nothing, Mr. Clugston 4"
Him! This will take up-let me see-in
loaded long primer. at least half a column, Mr..
Isnoggles."
I'D like to have it go in. 1 wouldn't-er-
mind paying you, say, fifty cents, Mr.. Clugston,
II you can make room for il"
lat regular rates, MIR. Isnoggles." replied
the editor, this would come to about e. So
but believe in encouraging home poets as
much as can. You are homo poet are you
not?"
Il was raised out here on the Billy farm. Z"
"And on that account" resumed the editor,
making few figures on a sheet Of paper be-
fore him, II will come down TO an even $5 bill.
THANK you, Mr.. Clugston. 1t isn't exactly
what had expected, but l."
Cash in advance, Of course"
MIR. lsnoggles drew out rather lean wallet.
extracted the money therefrom, and handed il
over.
please say nothing about this" said Mr..
Clugston, grandly, as he put the money in a
pocket book ten times leaner than his visitors.
Il wouldn't do it for everybody"
Mr.. !snogsles expressed his gratitude and
walked out
Darn newspaper man that can't devise
some way TO meet q wash bilir' soiiioauized
Editor Clugston as he leaned back in his chair
aud looked at himself in the glass.