The San Francisco call., 1898-08-07

made up of England, Germany, France, Russia, Spain and this country. think. however that he not only did not but that of all the plans proposed this is the worst. We should either keep the islands or let go and get out. Such a protectorate would mean con- stant friction from the first. aTd later open and widespread hostility The United States cannot be so anxious to become involved in internationaI 5rOdls as to deliberately lay scheme 90 pro- yoke them.
 No doubt I may be pardoned for once more touching upon the bard Of the VisaIia Delta, for when we have poets in our midst let us glory in their pres ence. Let us give them wreaths of the style Virgil wore during his warm tramp through hell, or at least give them 2 wet rag with which to bind their brows. I ventured to reproduce some of the work of the Delta singer I hope none supposed the act inspired by an unseem1y spirit of levity- Some seem to assume that intended to make invidfous comment or was jealous be- cause the muse of rhyme passed me by and gave my share of melodlous Jlng.1 10 somebody else Not so. For brief span I was inclined to regard the Delta bard as a joker, but when he comes back at me with quotations from Gray and Poe. showing himself to be in their class. I scan his work with interest re- newed. and discern unsuspected beauty. In token of admiration l quote again;
 TULARE COUNTY.
 Here changeless all the seasons through
 The flowers and shrubs abound.
 And seldom does the thunderclap
 Ger hill and vale resound.
 Neither Gray nor Poe eyer wrote anything exactly like this, the difference having been adroitly made so great that there remains no chance for a charge of plagiarism. Yet neither one of them, so far as I have been able to find out, has described Tulare so deftly In explanation of the contin- uous bubbling of the font, the Delta minstrel who plays on chords invisi- ble says that when in need of inspira- tion he wanders forth and communes with nature and the elements until his soul gets chock full of melody, har- mony, rhythm and rhyme. Surely 1t is not surprising that a soul so equipped should bust into verse" of a high class. I tried this wandering forth myself, but it didn't work. In- stead of melody, etc, 1 got f1eas, sun burn, an embarrassing rent and nary inspiration. So I agree that a poet must be born not made. But it seems to me the Delta correspondent in the ar. raignment of doggereI has no need to drag to light the circumstance that in Gray's Elegy there is used the term has broke" This was an old form of the verb, permissible at that time. Were Gray living now and dependent upon literature for his daily bread he probably would not go further than to say 'fam broke Poe also has be- fore been rebuked mildly for stating that the bust of PalIas. recorded as be- ing above his chamber door, cast it's shadow on the floor. As the light was from below, Pallas could not have done this, unless the most remarka ble bust in which Poe ever indUIged. Being of marble, it was rigidIy prescribed from the process now known as rubber necking. Clearly enough, Poe was in error. although at intervals he might have seen shadows and other things where nothing was revealed to the or dinary observer As both Gray and Poe had faults, the minor ones mani- fest at Visalia can reasonably be over- looked. I hope the soul chock full of the stuff the owner mentions will con- tinue to throw itself gladsomely.