Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-07-20

bacco and coffee and the inevitable
mince pie or cheese cake, was reserved
weekly for his family. Even his bit
Of pocket money he would often waste
on salary day on dinner with friend
or two, and during the remaining SIX
DAYS of the week ilnesse his way. Moth
inc afforded him more genuine pleas
IRE than a comrade who was ~easy TO
work" az he expressed II. some OF
the best humorous verse he has writ
ten. though unpublished were his spon-
taneous literary redemptions OF these
little debts. Something OF the vel
yetty cunning Of the child revealed IT,
self in Field when he INDUCED such
moods. An iceberg would melt and turn
warm for him. His improvidence was
equally boyish. ] recall. as an Illus
tratlon. dinner at Kinsleys to which
he had invited slason Thompson, DR.
Frank Riley. then an editorial writer
on the News, and myself He started
the ball with cream OF terrapln soup,
which, having been put away, he dis
covered was valued on the carte du Jou
at $500 We'll" he exclaimed with a
grlmace, IAN I've got is $500 Yoa
boys viii have TO run the rest of this
dinner yourselves
A better illustrator still OF this not
ENJOYABLE trait, was an incident that
occurred in Denver. when he was IN
debt to the Tribune, the butcher, the
baker. and no telling who else Meat
and other edibles were needed ct home
and on such occasions Fred Sklff, the
amiable manager OF the Tribune was
never appealed to in vain, no matter
how desperate looking the red figures
i'm the ledger With grateful thank
you" Field hustled out Of the Office
with crisp ten dollar bill only TO
bump against a stranded reporter who
had worked under him at ST. Joe. In
few moments ne returned 10 Skin with
the story Of his III luck He had sur
} l1ered the tenner. Skiff emitted
lie, burning words and gave him
another. Field was admissible. without
challenge. TO the Jolly brotherhood OF
such as Burns Goldsmith needless
Dick Steele and their Tx. His BIZ
ographers up 10 date, have missed the
perspective Of those amlable weak
nesses which present genius in strong
est relief.
In his introduction to the Tribune col
lection of verse Mr.. Brown says: at
Is the purpose Of this volume to pre-
sent to the admirers OF Eugene field a
collection Of poems from store where
in many Of his richest gems of wit, hu-
NOR and pathos have been buried for
twenty years forgotten, save by those
who were his intimate associates dur
ing his career in Denver
When Thompson urged him TO begin
the compilation of his verse in enduring
form, Field sifted his Denver produc-
tons and took up for revision out OF
the mass. only four. One Of these he
practically re-wrote, and two more he
subsequently condemned as unworthy.
The rest of his Denver verses he con-
signed to oblivion, with the fervid hope
that no one would resurrect them. He
had mastered the mechanics of poetry.
learned to measure literary values, and
realized that his Denver metrical work
was experimental, largely shallow. and
immature. A single comparison Will
disclose the healthy improvement in
sentiment and the development Of
method. In the "Hushaby songs" OF
the Tribune collection he shocks one
with this bit Of cynicism, neither hu-
morous, witty nor pathetic.
''He sleeps, my darling baby boy,
My life. my hope, my sweetest ioyi
How like a bubbling, blushing rose
His tiny mouth. now In reposel
How white his chubby, dimpled fists,
How plump and creased his baby
wrists
His little neck, how soft and sleek.
His chubby legs, how childish weaki
How curaat ~ ~ % oF, hahu'o fana
And dream Of future manhood days.
who knows but in the time TO be
His form shall grace the gallows tree7
Then shall his eyes so pure and bright
BE yelled by cap as black as night,
Then shall his tiny hands. alack,
BE strapped behind his sturdy back!
Then shall his chubby legs he bound
With cruel hempen cords around
Then shall his neck so white and fair.
BY brutal hands be laid all bare,
a ruthless moose adjusted here
Below his tiny. shell-like earl
'How sweet 10 gaze on baby's face
And dream of future manhood days"
This is worse than pathos. Years
after he wrote in THE Dead Babe" the
artistic antlthesis:
Last night, as my dear babe lay dead
Before mine eyes the vision spread
Of things that might have been;
Licentious riot, cruel strife.
Forgotten prayers. a wasted life,
Dark red with sin.
Then with sweet music in the air,
] saw another vision there:
a shepherd I'm whose keep
A little lamb-my little chlldl
OF worldly wisdom undetiled
Lay fast alseep!'
To readers OF Field the following ex-
cerpts OF early imperfection and an ex-
aggerated or dyspeptic sense OF hui
NOR, though shocking TO the critic.
should prove interesting as a demon