The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-24
AN IMMORTAL POEM,

Something Aboutthe Author orthe Fam
Gus VerIes-.Dr. Moore Wrote "Sight Be-
fore chrlslmaI' for Private ConsHmp-
tssn and was Pp' Dat whsn It Appeared
In Prlni.
one-poem poets-those who may
have written much or little, but are re-
membered for one thing only-often
would wish that the world had made a
different selection for the single pro-
ductlon from their pen which was to
endure, says the New York Press, but
II the kind and gentle Clement c,
Moore were living 1t can he assumed as
a grave doubt whether he would have
differed with the worlds judgment on
this point. 1t Is three-quarters OF a
century since "Twas the Night Before
Christmas" was written. It has mellow
ed all these years, even as the good Dr.
Moore mellowed, but while Its creator
went the way OF all flesh twenty five
years ago, the poem bids fair TO live as
long as the child lore lasts
In a fine old house at Ninth avenue
and the south side of Twenty-third
street, long since demolished, the poem
was written, II was purely g domestic
production, not intended to live or "a
be seen outside OF the Moore household,
The appearance of some jolly old
| Dutchman up in Chelsea suggested to
DIR. Moore the idea of ST, Nicholas, The
verses were composed as a Christmas
present to his children. A relative saw
them and copied them into her album
Then a friend Of the relative from Troy
| read them and made a copy, which she
sent to the Troy Sentinel, In which They
| were printed for the first time on De-
cember %, 1923,
Thus they were started on the rounds
OF the press OF thai day, much TO the
chagrln of DR.. Moore, who then had
small opinion of them. over twenty
years later, or In 1874 DR., Moore In
eluded them IN q collection OF, his
poems. What the rest OF the poems
were few persons know, and none care.
This alone survived, and the apprccia-
ton Of thousands Of children made him
glad, after all, that he had written 1t,
In 1859 another edition OF the volume
was issued, with pretty Illustrations In
1862 DR.. Moore, then in his eigaty-sec-
ond year, made an autograph copy OF
the poem for the New York Historical
Society. He died the next year, and
except bV research, all the world knows
about him is that he wrote the incom-
parable little poem
DR.. Moore did not see the beginning
OF the Revolution, but he was born in
1893, before the struggle ended, He saw
the beginning OF the great Rebellion,
hut did not live 20 see the triumph of
the Union. He was son OF the Rev. DIR.
benjamin. Moore, the second Protestant
Episcopal bishop OF New York.
A graduate of Columbia College, DR.,
Moore, In 1921 entered the faculty OF
the General Theological Seminary, TO
this institution he gave the land on
| which its buildings stand In the block
between Twentieth and Twenty-first
| streets, west of Ninth avenue. Besides
his Hebrew lexicon, printed in 1909, DR.,
Moore published other works, which no
one but photographers have seen or
| heard of in half century. lie loved
children, and he would employ himself
| for hours in his mansion, playing on
his violin for them The old house was
the gathering place for all the little
ones in Chelsea.
His body lies In Trinity Cemetery
Besldes,hls gravestone the only monu-
ment which has been put up to his
memory is a tablet in st, Peters Epis-
copal church, In West Twentieth street, a
church built on land which he gave to
| the denomination.
Only one OF his ten children. FOL
whom he wrote "Twas the Night Be
fore Christmas" IS living, Miss Maria
Theresa harrington Moore, who fol
twenty years has made her home In
London. Another daughter Mrs, Mary
Clark Ogden, died few years ago
Some of her children live In New York
| A son, benjamin. lived and died in the
village of Sing Sing, and several of his
| children live there now.