Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-08-24
The President and the Poets.

side of him. and had to gulp strenu.
ously in order to contain them. He
didn't contain them long. even at
that, however, for in day or two the
music broke all bounds and gushed
forth as follows:
Life is one grand, sweet song,
! That swells triumphant on our listen
ing ears;
Grandly its strains prolong,
Re-echoing sweetly DER the rolling
years,
Its cadence reaches to earth's remotest
bound
AS its tale of love and joy it tells,
Wherever love finds its own, twill there
be found
Still weaving its magic spell.
Chorus:
Life is one grand, sweet song,
Grandly its strains prolong,
Bearing its message sweet,
Telling of joy complete.
Life is one grand, sweet song,
Thrilling our souls with Joy,
| Life is one grand, sweet song,
That tells OF love without alloy.
Life is one grand, sweet song
That loving hearts each to each are
ever singing,
Telling in accents strong
The message sweet that it is bringing.
As long as soul toucheth soul with love
divine,
Fen when life no longer thrills the
clay
Wen have sweet converse together at
the shrine
| Of love, in that perfect day.
Then Mr.. Edgar Deering caught the
melody and imprisoned it on paper
with a typewriter and sent it on its
tuneful way to Buzzard's Bay, accom-
panied by some burning remarks that
didn't rhyme, and within a week re-
ceived this letter OF ,acknowledg-
ment:
Gray Gables, Buzzard Bay, Mass.
Aug. 1, 1895.
Edgar Deering, Esq, Dear Sir:
have received the music you kindly
sent me, and desire to thank you for
it and the friendly expressions con-
tanned in the accompanying letter
Yours very truly,
GROVER CLEVELAND.
This is all very well. We do not
object in the least to Mr.. Edgar Deer
ing's bursting into song, especially
when the inspiration is too powerful
to control. Neither can fault be
reasonably found with the President
for encouraging the divine afflatus
with words of cheer and commenda-
ton. AS everybody knows, the
divine affiatus is mighty sensitive
and tender thing which does not
flourish in the shadow of neglect, but
needs lots of atmosphere and sunshine
for its full development. Upon the
whole, we are glad that Mr.. Edgar
Deering got that letter from Gray
Gables. A gentleman who resides in
Brooklyn and composes verses in the
intervals of coma is not person to be
denied any compensation that may
blow his way. What tiistresses as it
mystifies US is the fact that Mr.. Cleve-
land, who can be SO gracious to John
Temple Graves and Edgar Deering,
and others, should have SO persistent
ly neglected Miner. the Sweet Singer
of Michigan, much more eloquent
and gifted person than either of these
we have named, and an infinitely more
ardent and profuse panegyrist of the
President. Any one of the multitud-
nous verses of Miners immortal an
them, Grover c." discloses poetic
inspiration enough to set up dozen
Graseses and behring's in wholesale
business. Take this for instance:
Justice and Freedom are throned with
Grover c.,
Shield of the helpless adored as freemen's
trinity,
When Liberty's riven roots revive her
first laurel stem,
She will Irvine Growers temples with an
eternal diadem
Miner has distilled any quantity
of this kind of hosannah- barrels and
barrels of it. Odes, sonnets, invoca-
tions, apostrophes, triolets, nladiigals,
ballads, and all the rest Of it have
flowed from him like the liberated
waters of great fountain from some
rock in the desert. He has immortal
lied Mr.. Cleveland in every measure
known to the sacred art, besides in
venting some wholly original measures
hitherto beyond the reach of genius.
And yet the President has never writ
ten him letter of any description.
Miner has been left to sing unnoticed
till his throat cracked and his music
persisted miserably.
This is what bewilders while it
pains us in connection with Mr..
Cleveland and the poets.-Washing-
ton Post.