The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-02-03
"THE PINNACLE OF PARNASSUS,"
On,
The Old ParnasSus and the New.

L AnudCIe OF EafnaSSuS," Mr., u.
u. Eddy's book of poems just
published, reached the Yankee
Fork country in bulk and is well
received. Nearly everybody here
has either read it or is reading it,
and the comments generally are
very favorable. There are many
bright thoughts in it and many
really excellent things: good
sentiments cleverly expressed;
much that is good and nothing
that is bad. The first edition
will be readily snapped up, be-
yond doubt, and bring the
young author into deserved fame
as a member of the "Sweet Sing
er Choir of Idaho"
But it is more particularly of
the New Parnassus that | wish
to write at this time. The Old
Parnassus of the Greeks, as you
are aware, was mythical peak
in the rear of Athens, on which
none but poets were allowed sit
ting room and where they were
wont to go and recuperate their
lost mind energies and gather in
new inspiration from close com
munication with the MUSES..
Well, our Parnassus (the New
Parnassus) is more practical
point but none the less awe
inspiring. However, it is not a
desirable place for the MUSES. at
this season of the year, for Mus
es are supposed to be the real
female poets, and if we are to
judge by snapshot pictures tax
en- of them by the Old Masters,
who were supposed to truthfully
represent things, their dress is
of the simplest kind-in fact, no
dress at all, or at most not
enough to swear by. Hence, the
Muses. who inspire mortals to
assassinate Rhyme and to muir
der Rhythm, and to make unreal
things appear real, are strictly a
tropical product and not suppos-
ed to hover around the Pinnacle
of our New Parnassus, viz the
lofty and airy divide at the head
of Loon and Jordan creeks.
But, to continue our story of
the New Parnassus: On a bright,
frosty morning about the last of
December, the author of the
Pinnacle of Parnassus," called
for few minutes at the Observ-
atory on his way to the already
famous Lost Packer" gold
quartz mine on Loon creek. He
was clad in an up-to-da Klon-
dixie suit, aud to his side were
strapped new kodak and new
wickerware piece of furniture
(large size) labeled ''F'or the
Lost Packer Boys on New
Years" The other necessary
accouterments were a pair of
skees, or Norwegian snowshoes.
He regulated his watch by the
Observatory regulator, set his
compass by the polar star, took
his bearings, and after leaving
some suggestions as to the dis
position of his body and royalty
accruing from sale of the poems
in case he should be swallowed
up in snowslide or fall prey to
devouring beasts, he hit the
snowshoe trail for Loon creek.
The others of the party had
proceeded Mr.. Eddy, but were to
await him at the rendezvous at
the head of Jordan creek. Fear
ing a snowstorm they decided to
cross the divide that evening,
and left the rendezvous at A D. m.
Eddy fell in the rear (not being
an expert on skees) when the
hill was reached, and the others
went on expecting him to keep
in close touch. Although reared
in the art of verses and able to
climb to 1.-The Pinnacle of Par
nassus" be was not reared in the
art of climbing mountains on
snowshoes. He would struggle
to get few rods up and then the
shoes would take a run of many
rods back. Thus things went on
from bad to worse. The more
he tried to get on the more he
went back. To all this night
came on, and a wild night at
that, and worse still the boys in
advance were beyond his call for
help. He was alorte and lost on
an angry mountain. beating
about for the trail of the advane-
ing party and finding it not, for
the drifting snow had obscured
it. Then came another calamity;
be broke snowshoe. 1t was
then far in the night. Thus he
struggled on, sometimes down in
the snow, crawling and beating