The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-17

man of letters in America" In criti- cism with no standards to guide, he laid down principles and modes of criticism and science--a true guide, not merely for the reader in the selection of good litera- ture, but for the rising host of writers in America who needed this Informing body of criticism in order to shun the namby -pambyism so long rife. The su- premacy of, the short story in this coun- try, and even in measure upon the con- tinent, is due not only to the models per- feet in themselves, but to the principle constantly iterated by him that the short tale be a unit and leave upon the mind a, definite impression. Not only is the father of Sherlock Holmes. but the noted English essayist, Edmund Goss, says of his poetry: From Tennyson to Austin Dobson there Is hardly one whose music does not show traces of Poe's influence. Poe was modest about his own work, but did not hesitate to declare that ''The Raven" would be immortal Not only does it live but whole literature has gathered about that bird from night s Piutonian shore.
 Human clements are not wanting in his works. William Wilson may be just ly called an alegory of conscience. The duenchless soul must conquer death this is ever present-though Poe made no pretense of teaching immortality. Beauty itself has great ethical value. This trib- ute also comes from the pen of Profes- sor Richardson: "ft may be added that Poe stands supreme. even in the only morally pure national literature the world has ever seen. in the absolute chastity of his every word. The ideal vision of a pure beauty. now incarnate and now but a mist figure, pallid or rosy, ever fioated 4hn hxyr 0aS him like q crystal ball. To it he ad- dressed the shorter lyric. TO Helen,' most perfect of all his poems. Annabel Lee was not only the song of single loss, but passionate world cry of the immortal to the immortal. Past One in Paradise flow the eternal streams"
 No man has ever been more maiigned. no man received more of the kind of adulation which is in a sense worse than blame since 1t confuses seekers after truth. A few yet live who knew Poe, heard him lecture, knew him at some points of his career One of the last of those to come forward is MT. Crane of Iowa, who was the office boy while Poe was the editor of The Broadway Journal fin New York. A remarkable thing about the much misunderstood author was that those who had no grievance loved him almost to devotion. To Mir. Crane. who saw him daily for eighteen months, he was a veritable demigod. Says MT. Crane; fTfe was the gentlest, truest, ten- derest. and knlghtliest man ever knew, 2, In some points Mr. Crane's story differs from the biographies. For one thing he claims that SThe Raveh,s was written while Poe was editor and owner of The Broadway Journal. and was first pub lished in that journal While the poem might have been thus republished, there can beno doubt of it's having been writ ten earlier and published as usually stated. Of this, however, from personal knowledge, we feel more assurance "It is true I only knew Edgar Allen Poe for eighteen months, and that when The Journal failed I never saw him again. But during those eighteen months he was gentleman in every sense of the word that is much abused. He was honest, generous Kind and true. One incident in particuar he records which was burned into his memory and was considered an exalted privilege: Foe brought Murdock to his rooms called all his employees toe gether, and had the great actor read The Raven. The chronological ar- rangement of Poe's verse shows these to have been his last iines-they have a glint of the great beyond:
 Down the valley of the shadow,
 Ride. boldly ride"
 The Shade replied
 \ "If you seek for Eldorado"