New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-05

--1a1 mum and slUUIIY 81.
pre- he intended 10 60 to Kansas City, and
dive a reading tonight
Eugene Field was born in ST. Louis in 1850 HIS
nthcr. Roswell Martin Field was native OF
~rr,o,, and a prominent lawyer of that state
70 Was bred SCOTS first attorney in the ce'eora'ed
- decided by the Supreme Court in 1851. Eugene
rTe,d,s mother died In that year. and he was put
,ser the care of his cousin. Mary f1elo ri'"O"'
. Amherst Mass. His youth was diNueu W. ,,r
ysu- England and the West; he studied al w.,
- College Knox College at Galesourg' i'
~ 49,. 60 University Of Missouri. between 'he
So 1858 and 1871 and after his graduation ,oiieu
=. s.lf OF The ST Louis journal, OF whlon TIC
,,ssoon made city editor. He afierwaru "o hVu va
sTSe 81 Joseph Gazette" and later had an eu'o i"
4 ..,;on on The Times-JournaI' OF 81. LOUIS ="
4 - = old wa managing editor OF THE Kansas
rv Times" but the next year eft that Jouina' ~
.s0me managing editor Of THE Denver lr'ou''
ram there ne went to Chicago 10 accept posIlion
:. The Chicago Daily News" now The Kee-
'-so where he had full liberty to write what ne
..sed in a column that became widely known
peas - - "sborns and Flats" This
,l,es he occupied till the time of his death
NJ Fled was highly successful as lec'uIei'
~ All not become known in literature TIL 1888,
.honeh many of his verses before that time na'
hen much quoted in the newspapers III ."'
,s,r he published A Little Book OF Wes'e'm
Verse" and "A Little Book Of Prontaple arc" ,es
had previously
,e- TT pune Primer" lSs2. and culture "dia
,es- Later works are with Trumpet ana Drum
isse" and "A Second Book Of Verse 1870 "a NC"
,o,nne Echoes from the Sabine Farm Is just
tYe7d was we'll known as a collector ara lover
= ,ia hooks and rare editions aulosraPHss ca
cher such things. and has frequently oe'e'' "''N
'A tiq = Fyc4 eve widow and five children ,,-
TITS IN doubt as 10 whether his true vocation ion
was journalism or p3etfS ne fone in coilabora-
T',b his brother comes simultaneously Wilh
lis death and reminds us anew OF on, ii nSndecded
,.-...psiors But the question IL sNl uhutCtIe,,
Nhre iuignent is suspended Journalism Is slionsS
tempted to calm him as perinanTnrkLN NV which
~ ia known was done IN that column OF r Snarps
ana Flats, published eveFX gay un m his death
aTor5ed him opportunity TO criicise his frie I
am enemies ke upon eyery }d1 b6ok Io friends S and
Goa living ii has often been said OF hm ,naI
goo aaiv miscellany OF fun and sarcasm Of rhymes
s anlS lne,rsonsties was beneath his genius AZ
mater Of fact II is not plain that fleii hau @
lie hsd eTacty rhe and fancy which are calculated
va ,e MAKO paragrapher in a daily newspaper read
9noie9 ana eS SsYe q Known This however he
have appeared at times 10 asree WIN ms ;t
for he went in his task hied his column NM Win or
airy talk printed in IT now and then verse ,e on
two and was content II he made you s os ne, zen
R,y,.arS-bv he gathered the verses together put
others with them and made ooo ~ mich Genuine
on,iroon, in them. so much humor so much o. tne
tenderness domestic happenings thdt IL. 500
rhymes will leave the reader nalf-way pe'Mer.
smiles and tears that ii was nec.sSaI rU b't
.be writer as an author the spot \ cohslner'p.e
,ublic arcepted the situation thus ana nave 10. ~
coled from the position. lmpar,laN rtsd'ueu,
Told r,n,ains the unpr0fessonal writer, NE ma
who could write pretty lullaby TOT MS cIili anu
yet never convince the critic that ne oelo"se" 40
literature ,.,-, g., .bo+ r-ioid's
favorite reply to this criticism Is that flelq
,r,ngesf virtue was his absence OF literary sophis
,sstion He ala not trouble himself much auouI
srt' for the sake of art He mace ms 49,,
z, graceful as he knew how, and he had no siidi.
s-9unt 81 native skill This is all very true. ~
les a, tho heart Of TIC beauty OF much or his WORK
-e~ re songs OF his which ring as true as tnough
the writer had never read line OF poetry IN ms
lie as though he were singing soft!y 10 hlnstl
~. - sheer happiness beside the babies. Whom ne
always loved But the body Of THIS work is sniaIi'
IT, hulk az his writing IN verse and prose is en-
tyed chiefly for It's fun and not because II IS
s:her good prose good verse lie Wrote -
I,,,e Took OF Profitable Tales, ana IL is a sunny
l,je volume charming in minor way ne
vro.e also "Culturc's Garland" which the Iastiu-
cutie as Characteristic of Field as the other book
70 have mentioned Its author had his 5ooksn
ronents one result have in the 'Echoes
,rrdsd "a above an entertaining volume though
,Ot In the least classic in temper. More ireQueht!
htaste for authors and editions inspired MN 10 4
Ggle fugitive and gay little rhyme, ana u eoore .
more or less the mere talk which overhowed from
is meetings with book-loving friends INTO tne
4 eluun 81 "Snarps and Flats. II is IN tnat chsd-
Il te- that he IS perhaps most experimenting re-
II a taker OF ahOunding good splFltSS
Il nj he most amusing forglvable malice. He could
hhd not deeply wound and the last estmate OF
l Nm is likely TO remember as the fairest OF ms
! vrses The sunshine which was part OF MS nature
~ part Of his work.