The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-18
Che gtstetIigetrrer.
wmEELlNG, FEBRUARY is, 1893.



This is an age OF infant prodigies, and
scarcely day passes without Witness
ing the discovery OF some new child
wonder. The stage is full OF them and
almost all tho modern dramas contain
part for some precocious youngster who
has developed talent far beyond her
or his years. Tho literary field, also, is
very productive OF infant prodigies just
now, and American journalistic or
poetical talent is being developed in the
nursery. In some cases it shows up in
remarkable way. The latest discovery
in this line is due to the enterprise OF
the New York World. That wide-awake
journal recently introduced to tho
American public, in lengthy article
exploiting her wonderful genius, q
poetess only ten years OF age, in the
person of Miss Lillian Horner, Of that
city.
The specimens OF the child's work
presented in the article, which was re-
printed in tho INTELuGENcER, were
above the average and the modest little
lady who is still playing with her dolls
in the nursery all at once found herself
famous. 1t seemed almost incredible
that one OF such tender years should
have genius developed enough to write
tho lengthy poem OF which the following
is q sample verse:
Dance, shadows dance TO u.s. bow to lis so,
Come as We come 10 you, go when we go,
Grow big and little grow short and grow tall;
You shadows that live on the side OF tue wall
1t is no ordinary child's Jingle but
would do credit to an older head. But
there is something else about this ten.
year.old wonder with whom the World
has astonished literary circles, which
would also do credit to an older and
shrewder head, and that is the bold
manner in which she has succeeded in
pulling tho wool over tho eyes OF her
credulous admirers.
The fond father, whose heart beat with
pride when he saw his tots picture
printed in a great newspaper along
with number OF her wonderful pro-
auctions and an interview with her,
will doubtless bound up stairs two steps
Mt time, enter that nursery and, with
the aid OF her mammals slipper, eugen-
der in the prodigy's soul sort OF feel
ing which is quite the opposite OF that
inspired by poetic genius, when hc
learns what a cunning little fakir she is.
There is n young man in Wheeling,
Mr.. @. @. Rawling, by name, who read
the INTELMoENcEn's extract from the
World and was struck with profound
admiration for the little genius. But
he has some literary taste and reads
poetry when it is worth reading, and
remembers it. So when he scanned
the samples OF tho child wonders re.
markable work his admiration vanished,
for there was a strange familiarity about
some of tho lines. Ono little poem
which Miss Horner tells the World is
the best sho has written, her father
being tho hcro, he remembered having
read years ago, when quite small lad
himself. He looked over his files Of
Golden Days and there he found it
printed under date OF November 8, 1883,
when tho child poet was only three
months old. The author is Robert
Richardson, B. A., a writer OF some dis.
tinction. Tho young man sends the
paper to the INTELLIGENcEE that it may
see for itself. The poem will be re.
inembered because OF the humorous
manner in which it describes the heroic
conduct Of man in taking dose of
castor oil.
Tho infant prodigy must not DO dis
cournged over this exposure. Older
poets than she have gained fame in this
way, but they have been shrowd
enough not to be found ont Even tho
great Shakespeare rests under suspicion