The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-06
Highest Of all in Leavening Power-Lae US Govt Report
! R>'A!!:!l o! B BskiaRs
b. applied to any person who makes
ABSOLUTELY PUNE

hs applied to any person who makes
himself too prominent"
CAS- a writer of child-verse Eugene Field
was at his best. He was o lover OF chill
dren and would stop anywhere. to talk
with the little ones. l remember one
time | was in Chicago. Some friends
and l took stroll in the park. We came
upon Mr.. Field seated on bench sur
rounded with children whom he Was
amusins IN his own ialmtable way. we
stood aside and watched him for some
time. 1t was curious to nolice how the
children would come romping along, but
the moment they came within the SOUND
of Mr.. Field's voice their demonstrations
ceased, and approaching, down they
would go on their knees in the circle win
the others. He related to them the death
of the violet. He told how the violet
b 'oomed and was admired until rabbit
came along and gnawed at its roots until
the violet sickened and died. He actually
had those children in tears, so graphical
ly yet so simply did he describe the death
Of their favofite. Then he recited some
humorous verses and turned their tears
10 laughter. 1t was at such TINES as these
that Eugene Field was seen at his best.
"He had a great abhorrencs of having
his poems printed in book form. be
chose rather to have them in the daily
papers. - ". =.
He explained, continued Mr.. lie
lived for today and he would rather reach
the thousands through the medium OF the
dailies than TO have his books on the
dust covered shelves for the hundreds.
However, the time has now come when
what few OF Eugene Field, poems as
have been gathered in books will be tax
en- down from the dust-covered shelves
not br the 'hnpdreds' but BY the thou
sands.
lone thing that tended to increase Mr..
Fields popularity was the fact that he
was favorite with newspaper men.
They never lost an opportunity to write
about him nor to clip his writings. All
this tended to give him wider circle of
ad irers, for no one could read his stor-
les nor poetry and not become an ad-
mirer. He was newspaper man of news
papermen and they all ackno wledged his
ability and admired his work and held n
personal acquaintance as thing to be
priced"
Mr.. Fred W. Dunn, now foreman of
the composing room of The Herald,
at one time occupied a similar
position on the Kansas City Times.
While filling such position. he handled
"wads' of Eugene Fields copy.
Mr.. Dunn said, aside from the lit
erary quality of Mr.. Fields writing,
his copy differed materially from that Of
m ost writers, in that it was always as
clear and plain as print. His chirogra-
ply was peculiar. in that the lines were
almost straight up ana down, but his
copy always went loaded and without cor
rection, aud there was no kick on the
part of the printers that they could not
read his copy. 1t was as clear as print"
''Once." continued Mr.. Dunn, MIR.
Field was sent to st Louis to interview
Sarah Bernhardt. 1t was intended that
Mr.. Field should meet the famous actress
in ST. Luis and accompany her on the
train from that city to Kansas City. lie
fell IN with some boon companions and
all the old stamping grounds were revisit.
ed, for Mr.. Field Gid his first newspaper
work in ST. Louis and had many friends
there. Mr.. Field forgot all about his
until about train time. 1t
was then too late to catch the train on
which Bernhardt went So be took later
one out over another line and which ar
rived in Kansas City but a few minutes
later. Upon arriving Mr.. Field walked
up to the Office, entered and assumed the
M ost nonchalant manner. He stripped
off bis coat and vest, threw aside one sus
pender, as was always his custom when
preparing for work. h pal, on an old
pair of carpet slippers and lighted
cigar. He put both feet on chair and
puffed and yawned as though he had
Just come in from a hard days wcrk. By
the way, Mr.. Field always worked just as
have described. SO there was nothing
out OF the ordinary IN that, but there
was when his copr came up stairs and we
found that he had a full column inter-
view in French. That French interview
made hit but it struck hardest in the
room.'
Mr.. lie Veen also tells good story of
how Mr.. Field came to write his famous
ode to Emma Abbott. The night that
Miss Abbott came to Kansas City the city
editor assigned Mr.. Field to aletnd the
theater as critic. 'He made great roar
about it.. saws Mr.. lie NeeL, land said
that he would take in the dime museums,
go down t. the Palace or where elsa.
but drew the line at opera. However, the
city editor insisted and Field went to
hear Emma Abbott Before the opera
was quite over Mr.. Field rushed up to the
Office aud wrote an ode to Miss Abbott.
The proofs of it got onto the Associated
Press hook and. being taken out by them
was telegraphed all over the country"