The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-08-12

! NN"N'NNh is Nhhtn. ana not lung ago. acting
at the request OF number OF hts friends
and admirers he decided to issue the coliec-
ton in book form. The volume referred to is
the result. II is not very large volume. but
1t is in complete harmony with It's sententious
contents. and, on the whole. is work OF
which its author has good reason to be proud
| Mr. Rishtor saws In tho preface to his
little book that some OF the things between
It's covers "embody great truths. others do
not. Some OF them are merely whimsical"
THE trick he SAYS Consists in picking
! them OUT"
The very first selection In tho book un-
doubleday embodies a truth--aeveral OF them
In fact Whether or not they are great ones
the reader may Judge for himself Here is
tho verse:
What is book OF verses. after air
Hover growing in ruined wall:
patch OF sunlight in a prison cell,
usher piping ON yellow she'll;
An old, fond tuno that's sweet to hearkcn to,
valley where tho softest bro yes blow:
1 A silver chain we hang about our neCks.
| Whereto Is hung a little crucinx
! We lift and kiss anon,
/ It's something sweet to have and ponder on;
a NIUE lantern carried for mile.
40 light DARK places when we stup awhile.
There may be some doubt as to the great
ness Of the lines but there can be none as
to their beauty aud delicacy Of touch. They
have decided Frightening effect. Try them
ON rainy day and see.
~
Here is another one along au entirely diff
ferent line of thought. 1t is entitled "A
Carnival Thought" The author will doubt
less lnd many who will agree with him:
/ WHY shpuldn't iauoh todav7
/ why shouldn't we SIN todayy
What is sin but an idle word7
Why should wording pray?
what is the depth of tho vast unknown
/ Where do the roads of the future bark?
/ Why should VIC take to the brAmhle side
When fruits and howers In lush and bloom
Grow sweeuy and lar on the other sideg
What is the tale that tho cloister teis7
Where are the nuns and the frars eone7
Are the cassock and gown and grim black
More free from the moths than the ball room
gown?
Is the footpath worn through the forest dim
To the lone gray shrine bv the mountain
spring
Any better. for all the feet Como by.
Than tho garden walk TO my lady's halIr
Oh. the birds will nest in the tavern caves
Ana the grass grow green on tue gallants
grave.
But OF priest and pirate all that's left
Is a worm crawled out of graveyard cleft.
For all we know. In year from now.
The moon Will come out Of a summers night
And. cen as ghost walks ruined church,
seeking the place where it prayed OF old
Look all through tho hollow with vacant stare
And never world fud rolling therel
For all we know la a million years
Ave MANY million. million vearsl
Men and women will laugh and sing.
Love and sin and guffer and die
Then all OF sudden a luckless TINA
Go out like lamp gustY night
But tho grapes VIII grow
And the stars shine on,
And lovers and moons and fairy tales
And priests and maskors and ladies CAV.
Will move through the world In vast parade.
Loving and SHINING
Laughing and winning
A puppets dance for rainy day.
Here Is one that recalls the work of
that peculiar genius. Munklttrck whose
"nonsense" RHYMES. however have never had
quite so much real. common sense as has
this one It is labeled as illustrating the
futility OF endeavoring to overturn established
institutions"
A Mumblebub. whoofer and dithyrambo
File gh,
Were seated by pyramid upon rainy day;
They sat beside the pyramid 10 try TO keep
The rain which fell increasingly. like yellow
ut isn't fair the whoofer said ito stiR-
Matte n day
That's full OF rain as being like a hen that
can not lay; -
Yet stil it's my impression that we'd obViato
m. BY united effort we could only find a way
or chuegering this pyramid By blocking as
Until it's base is skyward and It's apex In
the clay"
so while the rain was raining land the water
These hyperboic animals began to leap
around.
They ohuggered at the pyramid and sinled
AT the sound
aucrusted mound;
But when they'd labored patiently cen
fury. they found
That the apex still was skyward ana the
base upon the ground.
Then the Fleigh with obvious EFFORT and a
sapienco seldom found
Turned to his fellow hlookingmen ana All MIS-
thoughts unwound.
Said he: "By no suggestion NAV the intel
leot bo bound,
But kindly note the sweating haYe pweateu
There's something in pyramid recalcitrant
1t NAV bo upped al libitum but never gan DO
downed."
Here is a little one, for cents
And pannlkn deem with rum.
A trencher OF souse and place 10 droWss
And the devil with what may Gomez
~
That Mr. Rightor can write somothlns be-
sides nonsense verse is shown by this one:
lilo! Stop this world a-spinningl
ICheck Il and hinder It, brace II TO rtArl-
1.-THE stars are spinning. toe, you sayf
Aye true. true,
Beyond, above, about. everywhere,
Through fogs and silence, storms and Va
cency ,
fnhnitude Of spheres. whirlins, whiriinsl
No quiet! No moorlng
Then what Must ] keep turning On TINS
painted whirigig
Striped with meridlans, zones ana Qaprieorn
Oh ms friend. do you not sec that am rear
full
Keeling and sick from all the whir ana huzzT
| Do you not sceY
Damn the mad top say
II kills the men and women,
ISweeping them of Its dire centrifugal,
lWhrling them from its perrin into space,
Like paint fecks from spinning Christmas
toy
Remorseless cruel reyolutiongl
You will not stop this topg Can not. say you
Then l will hold my breath,
And dig trench upon the marshs edge
And lay me down and sleep.
~