Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-03-07
And brightens every one.


Ger gloom is golden glory flung
While sunbeams sport the waves
among.
The gem of Mr.. Banks productions,
however, is a'verse entitled 'March:"
Pale autumn moves, with gentle tread
And quiet air, among the dead:
March whips the sullen sky to tears,
And 10! the violet appears.
Another hopeful verse-and one that
should appeal to everybody at this sea-
Son-hc calls Easter Lilies:'
What though you build cloud high the wall,
What though the sword you constant
WELD!
All kingdoms. monarchies shall fall
Because of these-and over all
Shall stand the lilies of the field.
One could quote column after column
of equally beautiful sentiments from
Mr.. Banks book without eXhausting
the patience of lovers of nature and OF
pure poetry. "Thc gentle writer of
gentle verse" is the expression in which
1 alluded to him several years ago; but,
to understand fully the meaning of the
phrase, it is necessary to know tho
poet. His personality is charming, his
generosity unbounded. Nothing ap
Peals to him as forcibly as the distress
of the oppressed. 70 know Banks is to
love him. And yet, although not in
robust health and, at many periods OF
bis life, assailed by care and trouble, he
has sturdily fought the battle for ex-
istence, asking no favors and cOmplain-
ing to no one. Starting out in life as a
commercial man, he drifted into jour
nalism, acted as business manager for
trade papers, did reportorial work On
Chicago newspapers, wrote advertise
ments for manufacturing firms, and
finally invaded the lecture field, from
which he had to withdraw on account
OF failing health. But neither in pros
perity nor adversely did he lose his
faith in mankind, as is evidenced by tho
poems he has given to the world during
the past two years. Convinced that the
American people-although slow and
sometimes churlish-neVerfai fail to recog-
nize genuine merit, the prediction is
ventured that Mr.. Banks fame will
eventually become national. And it is,
no doubt, this expectation which en-
courages him to perform, without
grumbling, routine duties in a local
newspaper office at Davenpor", la. After
so much darkness light must inevitably
break through the clouds of our gent
poets" gentle life.
The third of Chicago's noted poets
IS Louis j. Block, scholar and ped
agogue. Mr.. Block is essentially a
thinker, a lover of liberty and an ex-
horter. His great poem, 'The New
NNorld,' appeals to thoughtful people.
1t will never be popular, in the common
sense of the term, but it will live ard
become classic. From the purely
technical view point of the rhymester
many improvements might be sug-
gested, but the mystic and the philoso-
Dher would deprecate such a course.
AS the title of the poem indicates, it
deals with the discovery of America
and it's central figure, Christopher Co
lumbus. incidentally it touches tho
blessings of free government and free
thought--liberty without license. One
OF the most striking passages, to my
mind, is devoted to Supreme Thought"
apostrophized as follows:
Arranger Of all life,
And M stress over strife,
She sets the stars in melody and rhyme,
And makes the periocs with each other
chime;
Pouring her hopes into the dark recesses,
Threading her way through the Vague
wildernesSeS-
She fashions, rules, designs, and dwells
within the light,
Which is the heart of hearts, and very
sight of sight.
Mr.. Block has been accused of being
'antiquated and behind the times,"
49,