The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-05-08
EDGAR ALLAN Poe.
e Disobeyed Orders So that he Eisht
Be Expelled Prom West
Point.
his Genius Undue Among American
Writers-A Prize Contest.
Raven and the Bells.

WOriQ OF Gay dreams whose WONDERS ne
afterwards transcribed so beautifully In
his prose and poetry. The school was
situated in the old town of Skoke New
ington.
The quaint, sleepy village seemed to
the boy hardly part of the real world
and In describing it in after years he
speaks Of the dreamlike and soothing
influence it had upon his early life.
The school building, also the village
parsonage, as the master of the school
was a clergyman, was large, rambling
house, whose passages and rooms had a
labyrinthine irregularity which charmed
the young student and made him regard
1t almost as place of enchantment.
1t had so many hooks and corners in
which one might lose oneself and dream
day dreams out of the books, poetry and
history, with which it was pretty we'll
stocked.
Beyond the grounds the boys were al
lowed only three times a week; twice on
Sunday, when they went to church, and
once during the week, when, guarded
by two ushers, they were taken a solemn
walk through the neighboring fields.
In this quiet spot Poe spent five years
Of his life, speaking of them afterward
as most happy years and rich in. those
poetic influences which gave bias to his
character.
In his 18th year he left England and
returned to America with his adopted
parents, Mr.. mad Mrs. Allan, of Balti-
more, and spent the next four or five
years OF his life partly in their beautiful
nome and partly at school in Richmond,
The parents of Poe had died in his in
FANCY. They had both possessed talent.
his mother having been an actress of
considerable repute, and from them he
inherited gentle and winning manners,
and talent for defamation, which COM
bined with his remarkable personal
beauty, made him favorite in the Allan
home, where he was much peted and car
essed
Though fond of books, especially
books of poetry, and loving to be alone in
some quiet place where he could indulge
In the day dreams that formed so large
part of his life, Poe still had the fond
ness of healthy boy for athletic sports,
and some OF his feats of strength are
still found recorded in tahe old newspa-
pers of Baltimore.
once on bet he swan distance of
seven miles on the James river against
a swift tide; in a contest he leaped 81
feet on level, and in other feats of
strength he also excelled.
When he was IT, Poe entered the Uni
versity of Virginia, where he remained
not quite year, distinguishing himself
as student of the classics and modern
3 languages.
Upon his return to Baltimore he had
disagreement with his foster father
because of some college debts, and
though Poe was very much in the wrong
he refused to admit it, and left the house
In fit of anger and went to live with his
aunt, Mrs. Glenn.
He had already published a volume of
poems, and now being forced to depend
upon himself he issued second edition.
But this brought him neither fame nor
money, and after two years struggle
with poverty, he was glad to accept
cadetsh1p at West Point obtained for him
througe the influence of Mr. Allan.
Poe was charmed with the life at West
Point and in his first enthusiasm de-
cided that a soldiers career was the most
glorious in the world. The hard study,
the strict discipline, the rigid law and
order of cadet life seemed only admira-
bic, and he soon stood at the head of his
classes.
But 1t was impossible that this enthu-
siasm should last long. Poe was endowed
by nature with the dreamy and artistic
temperament of the poet, and discipline
and routine could not fail to become in
short time unbearable.
When the period arrived the prospec-
tive life of the soldier lost the charm and
he was seized with desire to leave the
academy and bid final farewell to mill
without the consent of his guardian. and
as Mr.. Allan refused this, Pod was
forced to carry his point in his own
way.
This he did by tagging In his studies
writing poetry when he should have been
solving problems, and refusing point
blank to obey orders. Military disci-
pline could not long brook this. Poe was
court martialed, and pleading guilty,
was discharged from the academy, dis
graced and happy.
Almost Immediately after his depart
ure from West Point he went to live with
his aunt, Mrs. GLENN, and her daughter.
Virginia, who afterward became his
wife, and from this time forward he
never seems to have had any serious idea
OF carer otherwise than literary.
In 1882, when he was in his oath year.
prizes were offered by Baltimore paper
for the best short story and poem that
should be presented. Among the mater
ial offered in competition the judges
found small collection of tales bound
up together and written in neat Roman
characters.
These stories were the last ones read
by the committee, which had about de-
cided that there had been nothing Of
Tered worthy the prize, and their unmis-
taxable signs of genius were instantly
recognized. 1t was decided that the
prize of 500 belonged to this author.
and out of the series the story entitled
"A Manuscript Found in a Bottle" was
selected as the prize tale, though all were
so excellent that it was difficult to de-
termine which was best.
This little volume had been submitted
by Poe, and when the poetry came to be
examined it was found also that the hest
poem in the collection was his. He was
not, however, awarded the prize for
poetry, that being given to another COM
petitor whose work the committee
thought worthy the second prize, in view
of the fact that he had obtained the first.
1t was in this manner that Poe was in
troduced to the world of literature his
previous productions having excited no
attention other than that generally
given to the work of clever or erratic
boy.
For the next year Poe was busy with
the composition of those beautiful tales
fA1o