Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-01-27
The poem is given below
THE EDITOR AND HIS DREAM.

lie muttered low between his teeth
As DER The eirclimg sea
of printed page that girt him round
He galed despairingly-
Again he tore Nj. :owsled hair,
THIS man OF paste and pen
Ills scissors lost. his copy short,
While typos haunt his dem
And vet he must inhabit still,
Liz. others of his kind,
Nrwspapcrdnm chaotic, there
The worlds events 10 find.
lie had been struggling there for years
With journalistic lies,
tEur what Que sheet aSseyerates
Another sheet denies.)
And his had been the grinding task
bf sitting chat from grain,
Ignoring h. adlne clani"r DER
All wee and crime and pam.
Resisting all the rccslcssness,
The malice and the greed.
That emphasize catastrophe
The god of gold TO feed
Clear was his thought and strong his will
10 bring he sunshine out,
And brighten mp all evil ways
of storm and stress aud doubt.
Aad 81 h, tore his towslcd hair.
Ihis iHan Of paste and pen,
But how to set the world alright
Was still beyond HI, ken.
But soon his eyes began 80 close,
Ills weary head to sink,
His waking mind to gain rcpose,
Ills sleeping mind TO think.
I. ,,.. E, ,rnn,l,rn,,. i,a,,, shat .,n,..
And yet could scarce he called a dream,
The phantom of n waking Thought
But more a consciousness. sclf-born,
That holding every sense in thrall
sent heraliing its great approach,
!, vague idea OF pending ILL.,
Then earth and stars were swept away.
The dreamer's clay existence lost
And uaught was left Int his bare soul
And space. illimitable space.
But aeon this awful solitude,
This loneliness. mnspeakable.
seemed rs lost and cherished friend,
Compared to that which advent made,
\ swift and sudden advent made,
In manner incoaceivahlc,
OF nature indescribab'e.
But matter, vast and measureless.
of infinite variety,
Was whiriing. twirling everywhere
- With fierce, relentless energy.
Aud maught Of order was therein;
hut wild disorder rrigned supreme.
oh think We that men who live by law.
Whose every thought and every deed
Restricted is bv natures greed.
What must have been thar souls distress,
Alone with utter lawle-sness.
Alone within an anarchy
\ chaos OF ungovern-d force.
I;nt darkest midnight ever Yields
TO glory of the dawn,
>"rsnsly ON stagnaDt pool
The sweetest blooms are born.
Aud out of ali trahsgrassion comes
Forgiveness Of the sin,
81 out of torment into peace
That soul was usiieTed in.
For all the warning elements
Surrounding IT grew still
And suddenly together fused
With no dscoedant thrill.
And 10. there stretched away plain
Like summers CLASSY sea,
A. smoothly perfect, and sui more
I; touched iufinity.
q never aea so tranqDil Law,
20 beautiful and bright.
Soft flooded with radiance
A. of eternal light.
Iii" dreamer woke, his mind ai,Iaze,
H., knew from wl,eRrr the vision came.
Ne dared b. leve he had been called
To Institute n vast reform.
And 40 behold preacher. strong
And eloquent and earnest goes
Forth into VII the haunts of men
Aud ever tells this selfsaInr tale
.ind never lacks for listeners.
'-ph, hear my dream, my wondrous dream;
Il tnrns my brain. imptis my tongue.
! saw the real significance
pi this great tufbtd tide OF news.
rls't foods the land with truth and lies
aud kHovs no iaw INT enterprise.
II Jaw mans universal snui.
rormented IS IT now must be
t;y journalistic ANARCHY.
Add Then saw ths sweet repo-e.
The pathway, hmit!ess and smooth,
That will extend before that soul
When men together. not apart.
Control the current nf the news--
Control the paising life blood OF
The progress nf humanity"
And thus he told his 'won,lrous dream
And never lacked for Listeners.
Long wears he labored, till Al Las,
Tin. eat news hfll borh houses passed.
Aud he, thougi, crow ned with whitsnsd hal
Was chosen hrsi "a MI the chair
bf editor. in-chief of al
Who gather news, both great and small
WHEREVER the L. > mail could 70
l. :. news nzeDfs went also
They sought. and all men helped them find
The new. Of value TO mankind
A. foul blood 10 the heart inflow,
l. purified, then outward goes.
=, streanis OF news, both foul and fair,
To great news centers everywhere
Flowed in, were purifis1! by men
Who eoaia discriminate. and then
Flowed out 10 every waiting ntnd
Great streams Of truth, condensed, refined.
sat was this freedom of iiie presss
All res, nv friends, aBststr YES.
No law controlled upininn's act
Law simply said. Il state tn. fact.
The truth immutaisie. Let nsrn
lDenouue.- approve with voice or pen,
Discuss from every poiEt Of view
Nut let the peoples news be- true
This happened when. yoat ask of Htes
In nineteen hundred and utt,,ty-f trp.