The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-07
Edited by John Kendrick Bangs.
Anecdotes of John MiIto1.

Anecdotes of John Milto1. 3 Of all the poets 1t has been my good fortune to meet, writes Father Time, on page 3067, Part 3, of his Personal Rec ollections." think John Milton and Will liam Shakespeare were the most interest," ing though from certain points of view they were neither of them in the same class with Alfred Austin. Milton was in-. deed pathetic figure because of his blindness, and the austerity of his man. ner was such that comparatively few of his contemporaries ever got close enough to the real man completely to understand him. With him frequently myself, how ever, I was able to see the other side of this seemingly frigid personality, and am perhaps the first, for that reason, to have noted a strong tendency to humor in the man. The first instance of this that came to my attention was the poets obserya- tion to me in confidence shortly after Paradise Lost' went into its second edi- ton.
 ''on the whole. Chronos," said he. q don't feel so badly as I did about this blindness of mine"
 Poor fellow" I replied. 1t cuts you out of a good deal that is fine"
 Yes said Milton. "On the other hand it spares me much. Now that Paradise Lost has gone into a second edition they are talking of dramatizing It. Being blind, my dear John w.. won't have to see it."
 That he was sometimes capable of even broader, more farcical humor than the more or less subtle jest above alluded to was shown in his reply to his little daugn- ter. who having climed upon his knee one evening began to ask explanations of certain lines in the poets work.
 'In Paradise Lost" papa" she said lac tha To- hail! How can a horror hail, papa? thought hail came down from heeven.''
 ''It is but mere poetic form, my child, ~ said the poet gravely, ''of the old express sion. raining cats and dogs.'"
 Homer's Birthplace.
 Shortly after the publication of the odyssey" which was the most popular historical novel of the season, and wen. through thirty-six large editions in ten weeks. I had the pleasure of dining with Homer at his residence. He was feeling very happy over the pronounced success of his work and regarded it as a vindi- cation of his competition that If it was of the right sort poetry would sell
 ''The publishers refused to consider it at first" he said to me that evening, unless I would rewrite 1t in prose. The public don't want poetry said they, and we're not in the publishing business for fun. But 1 persisted, and having confidence enough in the work to offer to pay half the losses if there were any, they took hold of it, with the result, Mir. Time that I am now living upon what posterity will call Easy Street"
 I congratulated him upon the gratifying success of his effort. and then observed that I thought he and his publishers ought to get together and settle upon a definite birthplace for him.
 ''The public interest in you has become so great. my dear Homer" said I, that they want to know all about you. Not only who your father and mother were. how many eggs you eat for breakfast and whether you write with a fountain pen or a piece of chalk. but where you were born"
 II know that" said Homer. with A laugh, but"
 "And your publishers" continued. "in the last seven days have announced your birthplace seven times, giving a different town each time. I don't care how scat tering poet may be, he cant possibly have been born in more Snan one place.
 My dear fellow Homer answered. still chuckling don't you understand? That's