The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1892-10-13
Who Will be the Laureate 7

The death Of Tennyson raises in liter
ting man to succeed him as the Laur-
cate OF England. From the Geographic
reports it would seem that the English
public sentiment points to but three
men as at all worthy to aspire to this
great dignity Swinburne, Sir Edwin
Arnold, and William Morris
The occasion naturally excites the re-
Fiction that the death of Tennyson
leaves the English speaking race, for
the first time in the present century at
least, withouta first class poet-indeed,
without poet of the second class whose
pure and inspiring verse has imbedded
itself in the memory and admiration of
mankind The poetic deaTth is partic-
ularly notable on this side of the Allan
tic, There never were but three real
poets in Alaerica-Poe, Bryant and
Longfellow. These are all gone. Whit
tier possessed some measure of poetic in
stinct with a certain gift of vivid versi-
fication, without being q genuine poet.
Holmes wrote occasional verses but
made no claim to place among the in
spired singers. Our Hall Of Poesy is
now silent chamber, wherein no living
voices, but only echoes of the past, are
heard. When will the interrupted
stream of American song again begin to
flow?
All. who shall lift the magic wand of power
And the lost clue regain
We cannot believe that,
The unfinished window in Alad1ns tower
Unfinished must remain.
--.~-.------
Xenia, O.
The six Smith sisters drew immensely
last night at the opera house; the best
house of the season. Such an audience
is quite conclusive of the esteem in
which the sisters are held in this city,
where they appeared last season to only
moderate house. The audience was
not only large and of high order, but
it was most appreciative, roundly en-
coring several of the numbers on the
program. The singing of Misses Ger
trude and Grace and the recitations of
Miss Marguerite, the only ones of the
sisters who undertook special parts. are
most worthy of praise, and the singing
throughout was simply fine in every
detail. Miss Marguerite, in reciting
child pieces, is very strong, and has
made, wonderful progress in her art
since her last appearance in Xenia. Her
rendition OF Little Daisy's Faith was
decidedly a work of art, as was her imi-
tatlon of Gertrude's first singing in pub
lie. She initiates the child voice per-
fect!y, no one Oh the rOstrum can excel
her in that. We need not say more OF
the singing of Miss Gertrude than to res
call what has been said over and over
again by all who have ever heard her;
she is superb. The singing by the whole
six sisters is harmony itself, and there is
good sense enough at the head of the
family to only sing popular pieces, no
attempt at classical discord
From Fincastle Herald:
DR.. w. H. Savage, of Clifton Forge,
was in Fincastle.
Mrs. Eliza Nelson, of this place. is
visiting Mr. and Mrs Hugh It. Nelson at |
Clifton Forge.
Rev. P. G. Clarke is attending the
Presbytery of Montgomery, now in
session at Clifton Forge.
Mrs. M. s. Nelson, of Washington City.
is visiting her sisters, Mrs. Eliza Nelson
and Miss Paulina Price, in Fincastle.
There will be partial eclipse of the
sun October Goth, visible through the /
United States The eclipse will begin
at about 10 O'Clock on the morning of |
October Goth and will continue nearly |
five hours. The eclipse will be the |
greatest at half past one o'clock. If the
day be clear this eclipse will prove quite |
interesting, and will be observed by I
NUN bers of DeOnla