The San Francisco call., 1895-11-24
Babs Panegyric on the Poet Of
Childhood and the
Affections.
HE WAS DEAR TO THE NATION.
Men Counted Hard.Hearted Wept
Over the Dead Poets
Verses.


of it is quite as miserable, in appearance
at least | never knew him to be visible
on a warm morning, but when it is chilly
and everybody is shivering and has an un-
kind feeling toward everybody else, then /
hear the tunes being ground out, and
sometimes I get up and look out at him.
| Always throw a few pennies out OF the
window, and he bows as if he were a
knight of old, or baron Of high degree.
| Why? Oh, I don't know. Sometimes |
| find the tears streaming down my face
when he is playing a waltz-"Weber's s
Last"-and there comes to me. as there
comes to you, the memory of the days
| when last heard the waltz and whlrled
around in time to it, and now when l hear
| it wonder as you do, where are the old
partners2 Where are the old musicians,
and where are the other women who found
| the music of the waltz fascinating. Just
as l am wiping off tear he begins to play
"My Maryland"
And somebody sitting near me says:
"You don't remember, but do, when the
soldiers marched through Baltimore-the
captive soldiers-and We could give them
a cup of coffee or bit of something to eat
when they halted, but couldn't speak
word, for they were prisoners of war. 1t
might be a brother or a father, but the
most that could be done was to look in
their eyes and hand them something that
would stay them in their long, toilsome
march. Oh, yes, sometimes we women
broke the law, or the spirit of it. / re-
member the order went out that every
body was to put out fiag-an American
Aac rI yrh VIII
brother and whose father were all in the
Confederate army put out of the garret
window a flag that measured two by four
not two feet by four, but two inches by
four-while out of the window of her bed
cham Der hung what seemed to be a large
black flag, which means. of course. sedi-
ton.
In half an hours time the marshal of
the city had come there to inquire. She
said she was living up to the law; she had
put out flag, and pointed 10 the tiny one
way up to the garret window. Then she
was asked what she meant by putting out
a black flag. She declared she hadn't,
and when the officer pointed to it she
looked surprised, laughed cheerfully, and
announced that she had only hung her
black shawl and pinned it to the broom
handle out to air. This proved to be true,
but it was suggested to her that in future
she had better air her black shawl out Of
the back window. But that was fun, and
all Baltimore laughed to think of a
woman getting the better OF the stern au-
thorities. But those were sad days when
women saw the men they loved, thin, hag-
gard, tired and yet, all that could be done
was to stand there silently, and offer to
every one something to eat and drink. It
is true that many love letter was folded
in sandwich; that many bright eye
looked all the sympathy that it wasn't
fo ho ic r1o vi,
the "Star-spangled Banner" and sud-
denly it has come to me and my comrade
that those days have gone, and that there
is only one flag now, and that no women
are as patriotic as the Southern women,
| and that, in their desire to have the best
man IN the best place, even Maryland
voted against the ticket that, in years gone
by, represented Southern aristocracy.
There is one new tune in the organ it
is what you would call common, but then
most OF us are common, for l take it that
common means being alike. Most of us
are bit sentimental most of US find that
the blood in our veins dances and our
hearts throb when we hear some tune
that in way touches us. Just now it is
a very common air-"There's Only One
Girl in the World for Me"-nobody knows
who wrote it-that is, nobody of any i'm
portance - but it touches you and 1t
touches me, and it makes one of my neigh
bors think OF some girl who meant all in
the world to him, and it makes me think
of somebody who-ohl we'll. so many are
gone. The commonest tunes, the tunes of
Who doubts that "Annie Laurie y
will outlive Tristan and Isolde"2 How
can you imagine a lump coming in
your throat when all the instruments in
the orchestra are clashing, and the singers
are strainlng their lungs in their efforts
n q yn n,ofo
Nobody has to try to make such noise
when "Ben Bolt' is sung. Nobody has to
do that when any loving and lovable little
song is to be sung; but, then, don't think
the world at large is affected by these
very trying things. Mademoiselle Sharps
and Flats. who bangs the piano five hours
day, just over my head would probably
| disagree with me and call me vulgar
Probably I am, but l never knew a poem
or song worth remem bering that wasn't
what the analytical writer's or scientific
musicians call common.
Speaking of poetry, must ask you to
take off your hat, my friend, for a great
poet has died, and in the presence of death
We must be uncovered. Who is it? We
only had one great poet in this country,
and that was Eugene Field. If he had been
anywhere else but in America laurels would
have crowned him. What he has done has
been to make men, women and children
love MS verses ana love tne man. Ou ana
can't doubt that be is with his Little Boy
Blue, and while we are certain of it, we
think of the little boys and the little girls
who must be standing near him. who closed
their eyes forever to this world, but who,
| while they were here, delighted in hear
ing about the Hushaby Lady from Lullaby
Street, who came clothed so marvelously
with poppies that hung from her head to
her feet. never knew Eugene Field, but
love him as thousands of women have
loved him, because of his printed works;
those words which while they were in
black and white, came as certainly from
the heart as they did from the brain. fear
the world at large didn'tappreciate him as
they should. because his was great SOUL
If you doubt it get the Little Book of
Profita BILE Tales" and read the story called
'The First Christmas Tree" have known
men who counted themselves hard hearted,
men who believed in nothing, but who,
when they read that story, suddenly
found the tears chasing each other down
their cheeks and were forced to realize
that there was something better here and
hereafter, because one man told them 50.
That is wonderful fancy about the little
tree, more beautiful than all the rest,
which was loved by the forest, and the
pride of all the other trees. When it grew
tall enOuoh great man came and cat