Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-05-04
Observation-Disclosures,
OVsOVSOVSOWsO
THE POET
Observation-Disclosures

In the days when wOrkingmCn worked
| with their hands, not machines, it was
! dlihcult to form good lOckSmth or Il
| good cabinet maker. The chronicles of
labor impress one intensely with the pain
full apprenticeship of artisans, but it is
much more difficult nowadays to form n
good poet. To catch quickly an aspect of
| nature or OF the mind; to find at once
the words that shall express it and plant
these words in the right places under the
| light; to imagine a novel and unexpected
relationship between rhymes that come
and coo like two doves; to create har-
mOny at once more precise and less bru-
tai than that of music; to make of the
word Il sculptor, painter and a delicate
carver of arabesqucS; to imprison the in
| finite and express the incXprcsSible-suCh
are the least objects of Il poets work,
and surely one who does it is not lazy.
y young man of New Orleans whom
his father had sent to New York to learn
| how to become n successful business man
was studying how to become a poet.
| He knew nobody, had no desire to
know anybody, but looked at the passers-
| by and read in heir faces the events of
| their minds He looked also at the
| streets, the buildings, the scenes on the
| rivers, and he painted them in solid
| verses. lie composed poems, OdcS, SON
| nets, roundcls, ballads and other works
with marvellous fidelity. He studied
books also and newspapers. He had no
| other ambition than the true ambition
and cared for fame, celebrity and glory
no more than an elephant cares for vio-
| let. In New York, where the million
aires are so poor, Il young man rocked
| by the singing and dancing chorus of illu-
sions may live happily on $50 month.
This young man lived happily. One
morning that he was rewriting his
Double Ballad of Girls Without a Dow
ry" there was knock at his door. He
said Come i'm and there appeared
robust old man. clean shavcn, with thick
white hair in hriStlcs brushed from
forehead expressing joy and well being.
Il am" he said, "Jose Miangolara, the
owner of this house."
"IIave l forgotten to pay my rcntW
asked the young man. offering a chair to
the visitor.
"On the contrary" said the old man,
"you are only too punctual, but | intend
that you shall have no rent to pay in
future. | wish to offer this room to you
in exchange for a great service that you
may render to me, if you wish. am
theatrical manager"
There are sillicr tradcs,' said the
young man conciliatingy.
"DoubtleSs." said the old man. "hut
there are less pleasant ones. | began life
as brigand in the Abruzzi. 1t was
sweet then to sleep in caverns on the
knees of a copper colorcd woman, to be
dressed in n picturesque costume and to
arrest stagecOachcs, but there are so few
stagccOachcs now that my profession be-
came a sinecure. | had to look out for
another situation. | am not Kicking,
as Miss Winfred. my star dancer-have
you not heard of hcr?-says. In my hall,
which is always crowded, have already
picked up millions. Crowds are crushed
at my doors. and the newspapers laud me
to the skies My children. whose mother
is dead. are married. | intend to marry
a Young woman who is pretty, stupid,
'kiddiSh.' and who dcceiveS me with cX-
emplary fidelity. | have carpets of Asia,
rare furniture of all ages and you may
eat Mt my table delicious meals. My
cook is scoundrcl. stepped in crime, but
he knows how to make a sauce. | can
satisfy any one of my whmS, and that is
why | have called on you. | should like
to produce an opcrctta as silly as all
those that | have produced, but written
III pNctlltnt verse. w HIT w you tuilh VI
the idca?"
81 don't think of it at ALL" said the
young man. Il never go to playhouse
and do not wish to go ever"
Fright you are" said Miangolara, "but
the wise resolution may not prevent you
from fulfilling the object of my visit |
have essential elements; musician who
respects the poetry that he interprcts and
has nhinptinnS n pOmnOSipU m1Stpr
pieces; a librctto, Queen LiiuOkalani.'
which is stupid, but which the public will
like, and constituencies actors The au-
thor Of the lihrctto is biped who writes
like a tinker. but he has caught the pub
lies ear. and by the way that he martyr
ICES that ear everybody may know that
he has it. What | want, the only thing
that | lack, is poetry. | know that you
can supply that"
II never recited verses to anybody"
said the young man. "Who told you that
l could write any,"
"The janitor's daughter. She knows,
for she has read TcnnySOn, and she says
that you write adorably. Here is an anal
ysis of Queen LiIiuokalani.' 1t is six
lines in length. and that is long enough.
You may readily understand that the en-
baSsador and the queen, being in love
with each other, may say anything that
they like. When will your work be fin
iShcdT'
"You may come for 1t after dinner"
said the young man. At the appointed
hour the work was done. Weeks passed,
and the young man began to think that
he had done very little work for so much
lodging. He continued to write roundels
and ballads, and never asked himself
what had become of his Mangolara
verses. He learned this one day that he
met the theatrical manager in the street.
| The manager said to him, ''Iou must be
satisfied with your cOpywright."
pray what or who is Copyright" ask
| ed the young man.
Miangolara explained to him that he
had earned 100000 With this fortune
in certified checks the young man started
for New Orleans, but when the train
stopped AT Pass Christian he saw ut the
station a young girl and read in her eyes
that she was saying to herself, "lf
man as handsome as this wants me, he
van have me-" He stepped out of the
train. asked for her hand in marriage. got
it and has been prcoccupicd by nothing
since except the thought of making his
wife happy.
If you do not believe this story, which
Is a very faithful. unadorncd recital Of
facts. 90 to Pass Christian and ask any
child in the crowd that waits at the rail-
way station for the arrival and departure
| of trains to tell you the address of Pro
fcSsor Ludovic de Montluzin, who looks
like Richelieu, and whom everybody likes
orlautIv -EyphnuUn