The San Francisco call., 1897-04-02

He was graduated from the Massachuset
Institute Of Technology as civil engineer
In 1887. after which he surveyed for the
Southern Pacific Railway Company for
three years. He was then an instructor
IN civil engineering at the University OF
California for three years, since which
time he has been engaged in designing
furniture and other articles of use and
beauty, meantime conducting The Lark.
In surveying the mission of the queer
publication just now closing its career
there are a 1ew things that stand forth
strikingy and give it distinctive char
acter-the ''goops," queer drawings that
rival the Brownies, the odd verse and
essays OF the editors, and the extraordi-
nary things in English by Porter Garnett.
A strange feature about The Lark is that
1t ran nearly year before a female note
was heard, since which time two women
have contributed anonymously, with
marked success.
My own greatest hit was The Purple
Cow. said Editor Burgess, yesterday. II
cannot get rid of it, and l am remem bered
chiefly by it. / like best my "A Boys
Will Is the Winds Will and the Song
for the New Year Mr.. Porter's tribute
to Stevenson made a great hit. Mrs.
Stevenson regards it as the best of all that
has been written"
The tribute to Stevenson is as follows:
o sailor, sailing the unfa; homed sea-
What wind now speeds thee and what stars
thy guide?
And what adventure worth thy bravery
= calls, with the lifting tideY
For thee. the new coasts, cleaning, still;
For us, the hope the plunge, The eugulfing
landi and set thy beacon on the hill.
Our pilot into light!
"a of III. .,
Editor Burgess, gives good idea of some
OF the verse in that vein that gave the pub
hcatlon its fame. 1t is here reproduced:
Friend of my soul, forever true
What do we care TOR flying years,
Cnburdened al by doubts or fears,
trusting what naught can e'er subduef
Fate leads. Her path is out of view
Nor time nor distance interferes
Friend OF my so ul. forever true,
What do we care for flying years?
For. planted when the world was new
In otner lives In other spheres,
our love to-day q bud appears
Not yet the bcssomis perfect hue,
Friend OF my soul, forever true!
A fair sample of the nonsensicaily
humorous verse of The Lark IS seen in
THE Protest of the Illiterate" in the
March number. 1t is as follows:
And he says to me, with smile, says he Heres
pome-d yUn want to look?"
ana Threw my eye at the pome; says /, "Wot's
the use o. this here rot ?"
'1l's double sesiine," says he, looking mean.
land they're hard as the deuce, that's what
There's blood in your iDkwell-I don't think"
says j, beginnin' to preach:
"Oh, there's not much force" says he, so course
. but there's plenty of fiygers o. speechr'
'Why write about maids, and violet shades ?'' saws
J. "wot's the matter with men?"
'That lads played out" SAYS he with pout sand
Beauty tome in again."
..Did YOU ever 20 ont into the SNOW, Yp sav. No.
fee. like a fight?
Did you ever read in books how the sunrise looks
or did YOU arm o. the night
Your uloomin' flowers they rhyme with sbowers
but they smell o. the bothous. blend
Wops love and Kisses and such like bIis sses-eood
God E! had ye never FRIEND?
"There's more than enough that can write the
stun that the women like to read:
They'll mark line that they think is fine IL that
is the praise you need:
But show me verse that's blame sight worse,
if IL has tut an honest LOOK
And the pases are worn and thumbed and torn,
I'il believe you've written BOOK -