The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-11-08

Yesterday, November 7th, was the
day set apart to be observed by the |
children of Missouri as Eugene Field |
Day. To his name some one has
added the descriptive phrase, Patron
Saint Of all Childhood; aud there is
danger, in Missouri at least, that
Field may come to be known only as
a childrens poet. This singular
flower Of american bohemianism is
worthy Of a broader appreciation.
No other country than America and
no other profession than journalism
could have produced SO amiable, SO
reckless and so freakish a genius.
"By their deeds shall ye know
them, " is a sound maxim Of character
appreciation but one which in tender
charity must be suspended in the case
of Gene Field. What cid, where
be lived, and the circumstances Of his
lonely passing hence, are Of interest
only to the fact-monger or the curious.
The only acquaintance possible with
him now is psychic, and the works OF
his hand and brain are the ouly fit
materials Of his psychic biography.
His childrens' poetry is only a phase
of his character manifestation.
Nature formed him for play. He
played all his life. His limitation
was that he could do nothing else, or
would not. The world having passed
through the age OF ancestor worship
and having lit upon an age Of child
worship, has singled cut bis childrens'
poetry as being in some especial sense
the very inforescence Of his genius.
Not So He played with everything
else too. This playfulness Of Fields
Is the key to bis whole character, in
the flesh and 10 the spirit. True, he
sometimes essayed the pathetic, but
the pathos OF hnmorlsts is always
meretricious. He cannot fairly be
said to have succeeded with it. The
best OF bis serious verses, it must be
confessed, fell far short OF any
reasonable standard of poetry.
On the other hand, when he fol
lowed the motions OF his own peculiar
spirit he never failed. Iodeed, be
sometimes wrestled victory from the
Jaws Of foredoomed defeat. A notable
instance of this is his so-called trans
lation Of Horace, undertaken at tht
Instance Of bis friend, Francis
Wilson. Translation at best is al
hopeless an infatuation as alchemy
and an Interpretation of Horace by
Gene Field is absurdlty at climax
Think OF the boisterous Npatron sain
Of childhood turned interpreter o
gentle musings of the bachelor
farmerl A student and idealist II
youth who took himself too seriously
a patriot Of a byRone school Of politica
thought, follower Of Brntus and
colonel In his army who fought Will
conspicuous bravery and conspicuou
lack Of military talent at Philippi
a gentle spirit-too gentle TO live il
the vicious and brutal metropolis,
to be turned into English by
Chicago bohemian who never had
political conviction in his life, was i
no sense an idealist, and who wa
utterly miserable except in the com
pany Of throng Of noisy children 0
roistsring companions Yet .Echoe
from the Sabine Farm" is the best Q
This books and the one richest i
indications Of bis own personality
And if the reader has tborong
previous knowledge OF Horace and
thorough previous knowledgeof Field
he will, By making due allowance fo
parallax Of personality, find this .
the whole as good translation as an
from John Milton 70 Austin Dobsor
| The excellence Of it does not consi:
in faithfulness TO the thought an
spiritof Horace; be makes no pretens
to coDscientiousness upon this point
What he DOES is just what Mastin an
Connington and Gladstone failed I
do-he gives it lifr, even v b'd
ferrous sometimes as to he sugses iior
Of parody For Instance the bsaut
fol little ode Ss, "robscoppearer
fc frat,.l.fod tv Martin With rptitfill