The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-12-08
THIS BLIND POET WRITES VERSE
xxxOF HOMELY SWEETNESS AT 81.

Il q years, behind the vel Of blindness.
Timothy Bloomfield Edgar. Q retired st.
Louis banker. dictates interesting verse to
an amanuensis In this new intellectual
vision the blind poet says that he sees
beauty never beheld In all the y,arB when
he was busily making money. True to the
guiding principle Of his life, to prepare for
tho future. he began . course OF reading
at 90 Year,. after he had been warned by
eminent specialists that the darkness val
swiftly approaching.
His fading sight eagerly scanned the
printed pages OF the masters until the last
gauge curtain Of the visual drama shut out
forever the words which he had come to
treasure more than the millions Of money
whose miles Ct figures had stolen his ewes.
Then It was. MI. Edgar declares. that he
felt tho first lonliness Of his life: But the
creatures Of those brains which had
dreamed them amid blindness to outward
things, came to keep him company and the
things which they have whispered are now
on the earnest entreaty Of friends cent forth
to DO what good they may In the world.
Mr.. Edgar spent sixty years Of activity
In st. Louta He was the founder of the
continental Bank and at n time was
president Of the Pacific Railway. since met
amorphosed into the Missouri Pacific Of
the great Gould system He continued to
direct the Affairs Of the Continental until
his retirement ten or twelve years ago.
de mas since resided With his children ut
No. s7S Westminster place, where he has
produced the fragmentary verse making up
the volume to which he has given the title.
Poems. Rhymes and Sayings" The blind
author speaks modestly Of these efforts.
They have been written both as a rescrea-
ton and for the diversion Of many young
friends. Of whom he Is very fond.
In some of his work. the play of fancy
Is as spr1ghtiy as the Imagination of a
youth whose springtime dreams have
-I'shtiy turned to thoughts Of love-" Mr..
Egar has shown that he has not forgotten
an early acquaintance with Little Mr.. Gu
pid. as witness these lines. "To Fair Iva:
Fair Iva. what shall I say
or thy approaching wedding dayf
''of all the days that thou hast seen
rms Is the one Of which thou wilt dream.
Come veal. como woe. or come what may.
Let love forever have it, sway.
Tn told thou art 20 beautiful and fair
Ihat none OF thy seq can with thee compare
But this comes from q friend, know.
And ! presume It u all Just %.
''s:sll. while this friend 10 . clever YOUNG man.
He belongs to the Scottish clan,
Whose numbers are known wherer they be-
To pride themselves on their nllanry.
"And do not think II much amiss
To tell . nb 70 oA4ain Q kin:
But I wiz tell thss. II theu Wit iisten,
They rarely. Il svsr. get the mittsu."
The banker-poet tells in the preface to his
book Just how he was impelled to give put.
licity to his labor Of enjoyment. He does
not claim for 1t any originality beyond the
suggestions which haye been the Inspiration
Of scenes felt by his s~upersenative pres.
ence. and heard by his acute ears, and thus
wildly imagined The philosophy Of the
mar who started with nothing and made his
crowning success by climbing the rungs Of
experience on the ladder Of life are the re-
fections found in the things which no
has told. In tho Grim Reaper the MOON
day Club" and other incidents gathered
he has told simply that which appealed to
him.
The dependence which Mr.. Edgar says he