The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-02-04

solemnly assured me that no was q
natural born poct--that he couldn't ex-
plain how 1t was, but such sentiment as
was expressed above flowed from him like
water through seiye.
That man believed, and honestly be-
lieved. that he had written poem that
would live always-that Its production
placed him In line as a candidate for the
Hall of Fame, and l had the nerve to tell
him 1t was a sublime poem-that would
see to It that 1t was printed, and IL he
would write a book of poems that 1
would undertake to back him with some
well-known publisher. 1t seemed to me.
that a man who could write poetry, or.
rather think poetry In field, following
tho plow, and who could do what vas
never done before make Yankees
rhyme with ankles WAS not only u
natural. born poet, but a natural born
genius, and some one should become his
patron.
1t has occurred to me that owe it to
myself and to the readers of the Times
Dispatch. to explain that the caption L
chose for my stuff when I commenced
to write this Sunday letter was chosen,
solely because it was alliterative.
might have put in tho word fnds and
thus have had it "Fnds and Fancies'---
but since Colonel Mann, of Town Top
les" has been proven by a court of JUS
ttice to have been running Matchmaking
sheet and using his paper as, a club to
induce people to go into his book called
'F,ads and Fancies, = am very gla1 that
I did not 'lse,pthe other word
Ii was my intention TO convey tho idea
that I was writing some stuff as It struck
'me--that 80 many people fell In line and
accepted everything as being true, that y
would not call what L wrote facts. but
rather fancles and lot the reader agree
fos Disagree, as best suited him.
When one sits down and figures II OUT
and thinks that of all the people in the
world. but a scant half hand full leads.
them all in thought, 1t is simply absurd,
We go into courtfand the law books. all
the precedentss and all the citations arc
authors WHO lived years and years ago
Just what they thought about It., but be-
cause Blackstone said SO and SO, 1T Is SO.
II we want to prove anything, we go clear
I back To- the foundation OF Greece and
iRonle--back amongst tho Oldest OF the old.
and IL VIC can find what. they said on
any given subject, that settles it, But
1t doesn't settle 1t with mo. I believe
every man should have a think *, ana
he should use II. y Il Ar Il,
One day not long ago Congressnar
Spencer Blackburn called mo across the
street and Slid he had Just been think
Ing, and wanted to know wlatia man
had astllead for II it wasn't to think,
When we figure Il out that way and see
That we have been given brains aud a
place to carry them Why not think moro
and Why not about every two or three
hundred Years adopt as authority men
and thinkers, students and scholars, who
have lived in our own age and tln1eTi
True, BlaekstQne was % great law glver-
and no doubt solomon was a wise man
Ia his time and generation but, neither
of them are up to date. Understand Z
have no textbooks for sale, and 1t. A
ijmniaterial to me what other people do y
hut Why We should let some few. people
tell ms what ~ q good poem, Or. what Is
good to eat or what We should wear-welt.