Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-04-07
VERSES OF SIR EDWIN ARNolp D,

*NVN lNNh WoTiu MAY g. iSua. q poem
ESQ to call it, on The Tenth Muse, TO
commemorate the 10th anniversary of
the World"--that is OF course, Mr.. Pull,
tiers World, for the paper is much
older, having begun life full 80 years
ago, and ut first as religious daily,
at one cent a copy. But Sir Edwin
had nothing TO do with that He
simply celebrated journalism which he
dubbed the tenth muse" giving her
the title Ct "Ephemera." He called
upon Clio, Euterpc, Thalia, Melpomene.
Urania, Erato, Calliopc, polymnia and
Terpstchore, TO W&come her whom
we serve AWAY" saying
High MUSES., be not SLOW
Her rights to know
Who comes TO sit On the Pieriau hill,
Turning your nine to ten;
For born albeit Of men,
She by her high emprise is goddess
still
The tenth muse treadS today
This lofty way;
Not less than yo of heaven divine not
less,
Room you who proudly dwell
Here on the asphodell
Your youngest sister greet, the modern
Press!
In writing his eulogy ON the newspa.
per, Arnold held up an ideal, and
ohliviscated the real There are news.
papers which justify all he says, but
there are others, Here is n strophe
or two OF his nattery self.nattery, for
1t was the London Telegraph he was
thmkng OF, with that fondness which
comes of long Identification All the
Muses., he wrote, are indebted to
their new sister. who pays attention
to the poets the players, the dancers,
the hymnists and the rest, and Is their
Interpreter, and IA mightier mandate
hath from will of Jove," Then he goes
en- --
So II there do remain
Some little sable stain
On this white faithful hand, these
fingers slender.
AS beautiful as wine
VI u NllNh ulNinN,
Fairer than rose.leat ON the snow,
more tender
Than tears ON silken lid
Those ink,marks deem, All, bid
Our pale queen welcome; think her
worthy glory
Who, watchfu night by night,
For human help and Hight,
sits by her whirlng wheels, spinning
the wide worlds story,
Tho wide worlds friend Is She
with eyes which see
Whatever anywhere Lefalls, with ears
Opened, by night, by day,
10 MI mon do or say.
All the far echoes of all months and
years;
And what she learns alone
Swiftly she makes known.
with voice majestic Notwithstanding
high
So that the rolling sea
Hath not a tongue more free
Nor more allcovering Is tho arehing
sly.
Times have changed, and neither the
gods nor the demigods of Olympus can
longer disdaln their curious sub
stItutes wholly alien age II may
be wondered what on earth they could
regard with any sort of complacency,
AS for the MUSES.. they had no relation
with the access OF modernlty known as
the newspaper, and we must doubt
that they would recognize the fellow
ship Of 80 strenuous force, which,
through this plumed quill which she
doth bear
Strikes closer to the life
Than sword of dread Astraca. or
Athenae's spear
This ~ The last stanza Of the ode TO his
profession. which every newspaper
worker Is bound to agree with. as rep.
resonting his life
So in the sacred ranks
For all mems love and thanks,
Ephemera, tenth muse, sits safe today
Our Lady OF the Lamp,
Whom we of many camp
Serve daily. for her works sake. and
obey.
Not holding any grace or gift
Too precious to upllft
In homage to her. deeming all her
right
Nor ever once ashamed
SO We be named
Press men, Slaves Of the Lamp Ser
wants Cf Light
Reflections Of a Bachelor.
Grass widows make very poor hay
even when the sun shines