The St. Louis Republic., 1900-08-12
ACCEPTABLE AUTO
GRAPH SENTIMENTS,


The autograph album craze of a few
years ago died away into oblivion. A Cor
oner's jury might truthfuly have brought
in a verdict "Died Of too many borrowed
rhymes and too much sentiment" A keep
sake book Is such true friend. that now
that the autograph album Is gain in fatpr,
1t is to be hoped its popularity will not
once more be lost by lack of originality. 1t
was a beautiful thought of Whittier when
he wrote in friends album these words:
Our lives albums. written through
With good and Ill, with false and true:
And the blessed angels
Turn the pages Of our wears.
God grant they read the good with smiles,
And blot the III with tears.
But when one sees for the twentieth time
perhaps those copied words upon an album
page,
Our lives are albums. written through
With good and ILL.,
the sentiment becomes so trite and worn
out as to be absolutely wearisome. Long
fellow and Tennyson have been cheapened
in the same way. We have seen, and so
have you. autograph album after album
filled entirely with poetical effusions not
more than two or three out of the entire
number original. and these as likely as not
bearing not the slightest resemblance to real
poetry, save a weak jingle at the ends of
the lines. There is always a compliment
implied when one is asked to write in an
others autograph book. To respond to this
courtesy by palming off some old, worm
eaten. hundredth-time used scrap of verse
is not mark either of appreciation or Of
| intelligence.
So. when our friends ask us to fill a
souvenir page for them. let us be ourselves,
and not a mere echo of some one else. Let
US not try to be clever; nor try to write
poetry unless a poet. We may be reminis-
cent, philosophical or sentimental, Compli-
mentary, funny or sad but let it be our
own message, worded in our own way for
our own friends. An autograph album Of
| this character is lasting pleasure, treas
ured and kept from generation to genera
tion.
How are you to make up something?
Simply by not trying to be anything but
your natural self. Write what you would
say or write in letter to some you
really liked. Here are u few examples: The
! first is to young man. a student friend:
| Let Purpose
Perseverance,.
Prudence and
Bring the reward OF
Prosperity
Happiness and
Heaven.
For young girl whose mother and
grandmother were both noble women and
who each bore the name Of Mary, this was
written:
II find dear Edie one Of the busy Mar
thas." Retain all the busy careful habits
| Of Martha. but add to them the loving
| trusting spirit of Mary. we'll exampled in
| Grandmother Mary and Mother Mary"
| This Is another friends tribute In the same
housewifely young girls aibum-better ap-
preciated than a quotation from Browning
| would have been. we may be sure:
Dear Ede:
| dickens. in David Copperfeld,' makes
| Barkis eXclaim as Peggotty's toothsome
V1ctuals disappeared down his long lane
Tell her. David. that Barkis is willing
And so that love match was made
| Dear Edie, your parents have need to
| watch the young Barkises Of Blanktown,
fer 1t Is not In mortal man to Withstand
your chocolate cake. scalloped potatoes,
| currant pies and cottage cheese. Stay with
| your parents as long as you can, never get
| blue. treat your husband we'll when you
get him and keep the latch-string out at
| the door for x. Y. H."
| Here Is sentimental one, written by a
semi-invalid In the young mans album. One
can always think of something suitable for
young lady, but single gentleman is
considered by many puzzling subject to
| adapt sentiment to. Possibly a hint may
be found in this example for some one else:
Dear Friend and kinsman-Sailng over
| the gulf OF life, our life crafts have for a
| time rested In the same quiet harbor. Mine,
| leaky and needing constant repairs to keep
afioat; yours. stanch and bouyant. mounts
impatiently upon the waves Of aspirations
! and ambition held by an anchor of home
association from seeking the wider waters
! of the outer world. Soon we shall drift
| apart, perhaps never to meet again until
| we shall have crossed the dread bar, which
men call Death. Beyond this, ON the
smooth. stornless waters Of eternity, deep
! er than the mind of man can fathom, lin-
itless as the blue arch Of Gods love that
| bends over 1t. we shall meet again."
Here's complete contrast:
dear Toin-Ah hours talk with you
that's like juicy beefsteak A three-lne
scrawl in your album-thats like so many
{, shavings off shank Of dried beef
Here's a refreshing admonition in a
| scbooboys album: '1f ever you are tempt
| ed to lie or to be false to a trust. remem-
Der Ananias and Benedict Arnold and their
| fate"
! And here is the advice found in one
1 young business mans album:
| Dear Nephew-You remember in sArabi-
! an Nights that ALI Baba got into the
tteasurs cave by utterng the magic word
sesame Now. when young man settles
down In life he wants to get treasures Of
land and money, and his magic word he
will find is business If he works sixteen
hours day and marries d wife as tireless
as himself, avoids fashion, fine clothes and
fast horses. speculation and guld-brick
schemes, he will make his own board and
| clothes free and leave enough property
when he is dead for his heirs to quarrel
| over"
The friendly characterize remarks are
more acceptable as album offerings than
stilted. insipid. or hackneyed verse. well
come the new reform. Leave the poetry to
the poets. We of the great majority may
better be our own unpretentious selves.
And the more naturally we express our
selves the more our friends will treasure
our page OF typical writing.
LORA s. LA NANCE.