The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-06-12

- Il IL IA
,,sbIig. houss and a library fors storage.
'rhe poetry would demand possibly more
atnrana room, atid would not, perhaps,.
In 40 we'll worth IL. l"lror the numbers
came" But many Of tho poets-as Was
IN he experimentation limpod tl ,
ilispcd iii them. But, ragged. iimpl lis
~ empty.-llke tlieir authors--et:a'ch poem en-,
Ha+o the impress of earnestiiess and
,i Ni strength. Great poets there wer"
,,,,,,. thon-shining wheat OF song,
avid the mearic chaff, TenhSson pro
tni,,,sea 'rhumpsons 'Latane' 70 be tiie
most classic poem written on either size
d,irnr tho war. Margaret Preston oll,
HAshSy. il d battle dirge Of Greek ca
fiakits itHere Without q Naino ~ q
perfect little dyl, and there re-, az, "a. thelr
that deserve to live--al1d WILLY ar,es
Btoetie value. Father Ryan and James i,t
$Randall have left poems that snt.ll H.
gani,iiiin~ down the ages, despite tll ~
y n a,sabiiity az one to the dhnrge ~
ioiAp4trap, Of the other 70 so-calle' -
pirges ana poems for The greet u ',ma
were the most popular forms 1E, ~. ,,,,,,,l
comic essays pushed them lialu a.
Wf1et, / issued the pioneer volume lrI g.
,nsdtttt, sonEs"Aon New Years Day, io ia
lowing the surrender--1 had glanced e Over ~,
more tf1an 5000 poems OF oil sor,s, a'.s.
these Nrepreseilted perhaps a Var r'yS All AT
those t,tintet1 In our newspapers ali ls! ~
casionat magazines. Only apout o ,,',,,
tenth Of these coi,id be seriously IN H.,
sldared as models worth prese3r1Vn.ti,sy..,,.5
ntd many, even then, were Implications
of theme. ,,,, ~.
r,ut the wits and the wngs couid no,
Va rraasrved, Would they could nave
heel, IDLY, genial, gallant gentlemen tllat
,nanv az item were! Who that liad
daddy or duddy's friend In the Army OF
Northern Virginia, has not heHla tno
names of DAN tucker. Gray l4a a.[lEl.
Times Randolph. FaEe McCnrty, GeorgG
hrofbcrhood Who has not heard Of that
famous Mosaic club where they met
the brightest women Of the South ~
Richmond homes. ard discounted +, Will
snot,ta1eotIa and genuine Wit the IN otcs
Famous Tom Ocll-
tree was claimed 10 be n VII. but MS
forte was stupendous audaclts, though
he had imagination enough for ten Poettse e;
i never heard HIM, mako all cpigrameanld
he told u story sadly; but ne tld the
most original and lnlieard-of things any
man ever conceived. But Latham ard
Randolph and f3agby were spontaneous
wits. Originality dubbed out Of them
free, irresponsible. perennial. latham,
like Ochiltree, acted his jokes One night,
iii tie early war,ahe was halted ~ tlie
provost guard In Richmond town ana
asked for f,trlough. His companion
displayed his, but The gallant artillerist
was minus. He sized UP the patrol,
waved his hand with lordly disdain and
passed the staring recruit with the Words
"t'lirlo,igh? You greeny, cant you see
that lin a. left handed man?'t
Latham was said to be the only man
who had ioked With ia ckson. Once the
General, passing his guns in battery ana
trained on an opposite height said, sharp
~. .NIaior, as soon as the enemy opens
return his fire, rnedlatcly!' Latham
replied in a flash:s lit will save time to
fct him keep 1t, sir!" and old stonewall
martial with Ochiltree, the party adj
journed to the hotel bar for lunch.
Latham described the talk: Tom lied
like warrior taking his rest with his
court martial around llinl"
McCarty's wit was as spontaneous as
Latham's. BUT II was ever Favored with,
that st1bacid which wrecked one of tho
most brilliant young lives the war sig
tialfzed. He was, in fact, n good-hearted
and generous fellow. but lie would have
rnasdueraded weakness OF his grand
father. TIE famous dtlel that cost tho
life OF McCarty.a old friend aud utterly
blasted his own WIS tho result of q
wrongful and excuseless effort to DO
smart. But he had genuine wit. and his
sense OF f1tlmoi was unfortunately keen.
1nness Randolph was the facial prince
among war Wits. He, too had the sub.
acid vein, but the genial one dominated
It. Once, when the shadows were black
est III Southern skies, MI Davis ordered
a day OF thanksgiving and prayer. 1t
was Just after Bragg's disastrous retreat,
and the proclamation specified that. Ran
dolph framed metrical version Of the
proclamation, taking 1t section by sec
ton. The one named he twisted THUS:
"And Bragg did well, for who could tell
What merely human mind might aug,tr,
| That they would run from Lookout Mount
Who fought SO we'll at Chickamausa?
This poem was colncldental with "Tthe
War Christians Thanksgiving" OF Wal
| lis. The brilliant ornament 10 tho Ba1ti-
more bar had his printed and distributed
at tho churches, aud It was probably ono
cause for his being sent to Fort Warren.
And, singularly enough, the wits In but
ternut laughed loudly out OF some OF
the darkest prison cells tie North coll-
trived for them. Tom Roche, another
| Marylander. shut up In Fort Delaware,
did y famed parody OF Lytel's poem.
| which begins: si
II am busted, mother. busted!
! Gone tho last unhappy check;
For the nfernaN suffers prices
Make my pocket-book a wreck
And, after reciting trials and sat!riz-
ing persona, II ends:
Bankers and fat brokers aid tliee.
Gentle mother, mine, o! she'll"
i ~ not to be supposed that the West
ern armies wero more lacking in The
i afflatus and It's expresslon--ors iii viii
and jollty under trlal--.than their com.
rades Of the East. That Richmond was
tho center Of thought. as well as OF
gossip, made all that happened In rs
vicinity more likely to travel and to Sci
into print. There is less known OF thu
lumor Of the other armies; hut one re-
markable siege loft proof of Its existence
and good quality. shot-riddled NIcksi
burg. III her dircst extremity OF trial
starved and laughed. Elsewhere have
printed that remarkable Menu Of IN!
"FIoteI do Yieksbiirg. j, Davis & Co.,
Props, showing the dainty forms in
| winch mule may be served
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