The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-02-10

NNf'' ""'NNsf '""4N'' nhuing perfection, is Gun.
tent with e.
In proof OF the second statement, that the
South does not realize the honor OF her
claim upon the immortal eiesist, Mr.. Rapck
osinss out the fact that, In face Of this world.
wide acceptance Of the wonderful, lines
0fiara lies in the burylug ground al Frank.
fort with not line Of his poem Slazopca
near. and not an allus.on upon tho slab
which covers him to his aus horsh.p Of II,
What dramatic circumstance The graves
OF thousands OF brave men of alien raecs
and OF those who Tough; against HIN are
made sweet by his inspired poesy. while bs
himself les, voiceless, under A stons which
says only:
THEODORE oHARA,
Major and A. d. G.,
Died June 6. 1867"
MIR. Ranck says: Lot us hone that v.,.
soon the space under the crossed swords
Will hold nothing but the short and eloquent
scilience:
THEODORE o'HARA.
Author OF
Tho Bivouac of tho Dead''
go farther and hope that we shaN an
live to SET beautifi, Individual monument
which shall ftly express the South's apprecI.
alton of this gifted son.
And on this monument shall glow his line,
for surely at the home and last reselne
place OF oHara one should be reminded of
MS poems, as much as at National cemc-
teries and foreign battlenelds."
This apathy as to O'Hara and this ,gnor-
ance of his Identity with the poem and the
story Of II seems strangely general in the
South. where the very reverse should be the
case. Even those few persons who know that
U Harm wrote the "Blyouac Of the Dead are
liable not to know that o-Hara was a Ken
tuckian. born at Danyirle IN 1920, and par
t!cipant in two wars. Many others are quite
uncertain as to when and how the posrn
was written: children especially are in doubt
as TO what war" 1t celebrates That a
perusal of the lines gives no idea that the
war In Mexico was It's occasion is one great
cause of the poems superiority over all
others as a universal martial elegy.
~
Mr.. Ranck compares 1t with other poems
OF like nature. such as How Sleep the
Brave?" by wlllinm Collins; THE Burial
OF Sir John Moore" by Charles Wolf, and
Aytouns Funeral March of Dundee" with
it's
Sound the pipe and cry the slogan,
Let the pibroch shake the a!r9
In every case It is easy to see that some
local or individual ailusion mars the uni
versal character of the dirge. Its only equal
{-
Mr. Ranck's we'll prepared appreciation OF
o'Hara aud his poem has been enthusiastic
ally received by notable men OF letters every
where; many such have written TO thank
him for making known to them the
author of lines they had long held dear.
These letters Of thanks and appreciation have
come from the most widely varied sources;
among them We find such names as General
Nelson A, Miles, General Joseph Wheeler.
James Wh.tcomb Riley, Marion Crawford,
Hall Game.
Mr.. Ranck's part as not only tho oiog-
rapher but chef promoter of interest in
o'Eiara and his work is warmly recognized
by the family of the poet.
All his papers were placed in Mr.. Ranck's
hands and his sister. Mrs. Mary o'Hsra
Price. writes OF warm gratitude and love
|
since you have done more than all others to
cause bis poems TO BIO properly appreciated,
and you, of all the world moved his fell
low-c,tzeps 10 that sacred act, the bringing
homo of those dear remains" For broken
IN fortune and IN health, Major oHara left
/ Kentucky after the civil war and at the
time OF his death was living in Columbus.
Ga.
He died just across the Chattahoochee on
the Alabama side In June, 1857. From thence
his body was afterwards brought back 10
Frankfort by act OF the Kentucky legisla-
ture, but this action was prompted more by
his position as hero OF the Mexican war
than author OF tho great elegy.
All Southern persons should read Mr..
Rancks beau.ful monograph upon o'Hara
and learn from It ano,her reason for thai
patriotic PRIDE which shall say 20 US noblesse
ohlige. Passle Fenton oWiey.