Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-03-11
I
: LITERATURE AND LIFE. /:
!.
I a. j. n. .


brings US face to face with the old yet
ever rev and mysterious problem that
battles the wisest If the race-why
it what you WILD. cut down in Its prime
an horored and useful life-one whose
work is so prophets Of greater things
to come, and Leave 50 many worthless
ones burden 10 the worlde
Thompson. Westcott, Amy. Freder-
lex Crane-these DO not exhaust the
list OF those who. toiling up ty rugged
Alpine heights Of literat re and
glmpsing thru the msts of sunrise the
.Edelweiss of fame, suddenly feel the
shadows close around them and then
their voices are hushed forever more.
Have these artists at one stroke
reached their limit exhausted their pos
sibilities? Who can tell? Perhaps in
this elimination Of their toll they have
given us their best--all they have to
give-and death. the guardian of their
fame, comes as French portrays him,
kindly as a friend and gently leads
them out from their limitations into the
wider, freer atmosphere of a beyond
more favorable TO the development of
genius. If SO, even death has it's COM
spensations
...
Maurice Thompson, critic, poet and
novelist was born in Fairfield. Ind,
September 9, 1874. He came of good
stock, his mother being cultured wo-
man of gentle birth and breeding. his
father one of the leading orators of the
BAPTIST pulpit-another REPUTATION of
l. H.
Literature as well as science. art and
philosophy claims a large per cent of
famous men who we're the sons OF
clergymen But that story wil fill am
other paper
Soon after his birth his parents, mi
grated first to Missouri, thence To Ken
lucky and finally 10 G eorgia, settling in
the beautiful valley of the Coosawattee.
where, in close touch with nature little
Maurice grew 10 manhood. an earnest
student Of the rocks and birds and ac-
fo,liring day nv fl3ay a loyer,s passion for
the mysteries and the melodies az the
,nountai,S and ,ynad1ands
In 1862 the civil war fired his enthusi.
asn for his snnny southland and HIT
lis years of age, he Joined the southern
army ana remained with II untl, the
close Of he war. winning high uraiss
for his unflinching courage. Taward
tiha end Of the contlict he confessed i,
the feeling that we we're battline
against tbs. nineteenth century. and
even tho We won We could not STAY ms
phalanx of progress
The close of the war found them
along with MANY others. stripped o,
everythins and gazing on the ashes OF
tbei,s bo,,ss am, h,,r,,. Then t,aean t,,a
struggle viii, poye,tys which more thar
aueht else molds character. and pre-
pared MIN for the strenuous l,fe OF
literat,,ra with no library he con.
structed q rude cider press. from which
he made cider and sold it for books. sHs
nj. s,,ant ,bs d,v to;linp in he +;.a,d a,
out lamp or candies. he pored over hi:
books by the flame Of the pine knots IL
the open fireplace. Reviewing there hi
engineering studies, he obtained tate
on a lucrative position on railroad
survey.
During all this period he tasted In,
bitterness and gall of the construc
ton era 50 graphically portrayed b,
Nelson Page in Red Rock :, and seeing
no outlook for his future in tina; see
ton. he returned to his native state
settling in Crawfordsville md. wher,
he made his home until his death.
There he entered upon the practice q,
law and began contributing TO tn,
leading magazines and weekly Journals
yyrre, 7tl,ass, l,,s,.,l hi, s,,,;,s.;s,,.,
To warrant it. he withdrew from tn,
law. devoting his entire tine to lttera
isture.
His works have already been men.
toned in a recent issue of the IT n
The best known, perhaps. exce3t hi.
last, are the ..fIoosier Mosaics,, and III.
.Wichery of Archery" the noem r,
IlncoIn's Grave, has been widely o,,of.
led
our lamented author furnishes anoth.
ei Instance of genius transmitted to III,
son by an intellectual n3other Finds,
her wise and loving direction he ac.
Toured a liberal education eouiyalant i,
a college course. and his trihute IL his
mother is one of the most baautiful 4,
be found i'm literature. He saws.
ITO her i owe everything Har init,
mate knowledge of the hest Enrlish IN,
srature, especially that Of shal,esn.,, p
Scott. Byron. Shelley ana Keats wa.
early impressed UNION me From child,
mood 10 manhood She was my boon com
painoon. my playmate. my adviser ~,
critic, my eyerythiny-my ,nother.'
sss
In his last and browning work. "Alic,
- ,t.a y-,,,1.,,, IL. 49,, .,., .St.,l