The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-02-05
EDGAR ALLAN POE.
Essay on His Life by Ferdinand
Peterson, Pupil of L'Anse
High School.

Boston, January 10, 1909. His faith
er, Daniel Poe, was descendant of
General Poe of the Revolution, whose
valor Lafayette has praised. His
mother, whose maiden name was
Arnold, was descendant of Bene-
dict Arnold, who won unenviable
reputation in the same cause. Miss
Arnold was an English actress and
Daniel Poe on marrying her became
an actor also. 1t was in Boston
during the engagement of theatri-
cal troupe to which they were at,
tachcd that Edgar was born. In
1911 the parents of Edgar were act
ing in Richmond, and soon after the
tragedy enacted at the burning of
the Richmond theater they died
there within a short time of one
another. They left three children
two boys and a girl. Edgar was
the youngest of the three and about
three years old A wealthy mer-
chant of Richmond, Mr. Allan.
adopted Edgar into his own home
and his brother and sister were
taken into the, homes Of other
wealthy families. Mr.. and Mrs.
Allan, being childless, treated Ed
gar as their own son and gave him
every social and educational advan-
tage at their command; and further,
what proved detriment to him in
after life, they kept him plentilully
supplied with pocket money.
In 1916 his foster parents went to
Europe, taking him with them
Here he was left in the charge o.
Mr.. Allan sister at Stock Ncwing
ton, a suburb of London. while they
went on to Scotland. Poe received
his first rudiments of English and
Latin in this English school After
five years spent in Europe they re-
turned with Edgar to Richmond
where he was sent to u private
academy near that city. He re.
mained for five years here. During
these years he developed wonder
full capacity for work in language
and composition, but showed no
aptitude for mathematics In 1876
he was sent to the University of
Virginia where he acquitted himself
well as scholar. His main
trouble here was his eXtravagance
His expenditures were SO great and
so reckless that his foster-father
took him away from the University
and placed him in his own counting
room. A little later he quarrelcd
with Mr.. Allen, whereupon he left
the latter home and set out to Of
fer his services to Greece as Lord
Byron had done before him. But
he never reached Greece. After an
aimless wandering for some months
in England he returned to America
and enlisted in the United States
army as private under the name of
Edgar Allan Perry. Here he re
mained until 1929. He returned
to Richmond about this time where
he published his first volume Of
poems entitled "Al Aaraaf and
Tamerlane. " In 1890 he received
an appointment to West Point but
was discharged at the end of nine
months for irregular conduct. 1t
appears that he returned to Mr..
Allan S home soon after this, whose
heart may have been softened to-
ward his wayward son by the death
of Mrs. Allan. But soon after his
return he had passing love affair
which led to final quarrel and
separation. Poe was now obliged
to take up his pen for support and
begun his career by winning hun
dred dollar prize offered by the
Saturday Visitor" for the best
short story. His contribution was
entitled "A Manuscript Found in a
Bottle" Soon after he was given
the editorship of the Southern
Literary Messenger at a salary of
$500 year. Poe was at this time
twenty-sx years old The follow
ing year he married his cousin,
Virginia Glenn, beautiful girl of
thirteen.
Success seemed to favor him, for
his poems and criticisms Increased
the circulation of the Southern
Literary Messenger many fold. But
for some unaccountable reason he
resigned his position in 1897 in full
view OF brilliant career 1t was
about this time that CLANS Pfaal" "
and. other stories appeared aud
added greatly to his literary reputa-
ton. The same year he obtained
work on "The New York Quarterly
Review" but left it in 1888 and went
to Philadelphia. Soon after he be-
came editor of "The Gentleman S
Magazine. In 1889 he published
'Tales of the Grotesque and Arab
esque," on which rests much of
his fame as q prose writer. In 1871
translation of "Muders in the Rue
Morgue" appeared in Paris peri
odical, and it was so well received
that a Frenchman, Baudelaire, at
once undertook the translation of
his oJher prose works. In the fol-
lowing year he met Griswold, his
biographer Griswold was an as
Continued ON mage eight