Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-02-22
GAZETTE SHORT TALKS.

Some one has stated that 'remarkble
events. like vultures, 90 in fiocks, and one
can scarcely get himself clear of the feeling
that such is really the fact. Take into con-
sheraton the local events of town, If you
please. One great tragedy is almost in
variably followed closely by others,
and even nres appear to run in
the same way There will be
4 week or so without a fire, and then you
will hear the fire-bells. That same day or
night there will be other fire alarms, and
thus it will be kept up in rapid succession
until we have had several fires, when
period of exemption will follow. OF course
there can be nothing in this idea; still it IS
a little strange that things should happen
in this kind of order with nothing within
our reach by which the phenomenon can be
explained.
Since writing the above we have been
looking after the birth dates of some of our
greatest American itterateurs. and have
found something entirely remarkable bear
ing on this ''vultHre fOck' theory and
never yet put to print, so far as we
know. In 1S0S was born John G.
Whittier, a poet of high standing,
as is well known to all readers of American
literature. The birth of such man as MIR.
Whittier must be accepted as remarkable
even. In the same year was born George
W. Patten. friedrich w. Thomas
and William D. Gallager, all poets
of decided prominence, Henry Wards
worth Longfellow. undoubtedly our
greatest American poet, was born in 1902
In the same year was born Ephriam Pea
body. John H. Bryant, Il. II. Messenger, n.
p. Willis, George B. Cheeyer, Theodore S.
Fay, George Lunt, Thomas Ward, Edward
Sanford, NJ P. Flint T. o. Rockwell, Jona-
than Lawrence, Oliver Wendell Holmes,
B. B. Thacker, Albert Pike, Park
Benjamin and some ten or a dozen others,
all entirely conspicuous in American letters.
In 1925 was born Bayard Taylor, also r. II.
Stoddard, William Allen Butler, Henry w.
Parker and some twenty others of less note,
but all still living in American books.
There is something remarkable about all
this, to say the least Of it.
No wonder that the anoients should have
formulated a theory to the effect that GER
tain stars governed in such cases. Were
we of those dark ages we would readily
conclude that the star of poetry
was approaching US in 1905, and IN
der its influence were born the poets
whose births date to that year In.1S09 it
had reached its nearest point to the earth,
consequently that year gave US regular
shower of poets, as it were, headed by
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, Before
the next year the star had passed
beyond its limit Of influence
upon the earth. In 1925 the
star again approached, but did not come
near enough to give US more than moder-
ate shower. compared to that of 1909. OF |
course this is merely an idle talk, still there |
is no rubbing out the fact that the thing |
seems very curious when one comes to en- |
ter into careful consideration OF it.
-
The foregoing is not intended as an inti- |
nation that the 'Doet'S starr has not been |
around since 1926 We have had many poet |
showers since that date, no doubt, but the |
very light demand on the market for poetry, |
just now, would seem to indicate that |
the star must have given US the go |
by for considerable period of time i'm |
mediately following 1926. II is possible that |
we have several broods of fine young poets |
now coming on, but the fact Of the matter |
is just this: We never find them out until |
they are old or, in other words, the works
of the young poet are never in much de- |
mand. His productions may be rea- |
sonably rich in the true elements of |
poesy, but there is invariably too much |
gush and too little real feeling about them |
to leave them lastingly popular. It is like
a poor gold-bearing quartz under the |
stamp mills. The gold is all well /
enough, and as good as any other gold, |
perhaps, but there is too much quartz
to allow of profitable working. To convey |
a clear idea of our meaning we here submit |
q
as a very promising young poet, |
and whose productions are probably about
as good as any going. 1t is addressed to |
CORA MAY.
When beauty decks the tranquil skies,
Just at the close OF day;
When murmurs from the wales arise
An echo far away,
How throbs my heart with tender signs,
For thee, sweet Cora May.
The sunlight falls upon the flowers
With hesven-inspiring ray;
Joy marks the clrlesS flight OF hours,
AL through the smiling day;
But I'm unblest amid the bowers
Alone sweet Cora May.
Alonei alone wander here
Through devious wilds stray:
No beauteous star my heart TO cheer
And guide me on my way.
When will the glorious dawn appear
OF hope, sweet Cora May:
Possibly the poem pleased Miss Cora
May exceedingly when she read it, but at
the same time, the probability exists that
it made old man May ''as mad as
Tucker -
Here is another sample of young poets
poetry, in vein somewhat different:
MISS JENNY DAVIS.
On sunny summer morning,
Early as the dew was dry,
Up the hillside went I berrying--
Need tell the reason why?
Farmer Davis had daughter,