Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-10-08


mental poetry. He has been doing |
funny stuff of high merit for years, |
but his boy poems have starred him
as a humorist. Mr.. Foley is a resi-
dent of Bismarck, North Dakota. Hsv-
ing a happy and unliterary faculty of
knowing how to annex a political
party, with it's well-known access to
the public treasury, Mr.. Foley is able
to live On the fat of the land and
write poetry just for the fun Of it.
And yet, when Judge asked him to
write a brief autobiog,a Apply of himself,
he sent in something under the cap
ton, 1.-THE Story of Strenuous Life"
It's incredible-but here it is:
The Story of Strenuous Life.
81 was born in st. Louis, Missouri,
February 4th, 1874 1t was not my
fault. If had had the selection of
my birthplace it might have been diff
ferent. I might have been born in
Indiana. A good birthplace has much
to do with the subsequent career.
"T do not remembers. that my birth
made much of stir in st. Louis out
side of our own family. People pay so
| little attention to the births of other
people. I gave no evidence Of poetical
fancy for the first few years of my
life. At five years of age l had writ
| nI
scarlet fever when two years of age.
Sometimes I think possibly my verses
were the result Of that. It is said it
usually leaves the victim with some
weakness. Some have stiff necks and
some bad eyes. Mine came out in
verses. At the time had the fever
swallowed part of the doctors Their
naometer when he came to take my
temperature. It was the first time
the mercury had gone down so far in
4 st. Louis. That was the only incident
of my early life out of the ordinary. i
AT five years of age + started
| westward for the upper waters of the
Missouri River in company with my
parents. Some twenty five years later
returned to the city Of my birth to
find that some people did not know
had been away all that time. Sc
Insignificant is the human atom.
g The Missouri River is a turgid
stream, rising somewhere in the big
square geography used to study, flow
, ing generally down stream to a poin1
i, about the middle of the map of the
; United States, rs I remembersit now
do not know what a turgid stream is
but it sounds well. The liquid part O
f the river is mostly water. The Mis-
Esouri has nothing especially to d.
{ with me except that a biograph.
! should have some shreds of fact.
: Il looked about for a long time fol
: La log schoolhouse wherein to begin
, my education. Had found on.
) things might have been different. Til,
! hoy who hs educated in a log school
house has all the advantage. I wa!
!, forced to be content with "a brick one
i / had a slate with red edges, a reade
: with pictures of a boy rolling a rount
, loaf of bread down hill and frient
{ who did my fighting for me. Thu.
{ Equipped. grappied with Knowledg,
J and in due time emerged from the to-
, room of the scheoliouse reeking witt
. Information. At fourteen years Of ag,
8l was amazed at the extent of my owl
i knowledge, which was always cheer
/ fully willing to inlpart to my elders.
. {. AS boy i was much aEerse Ii
]. work of the kind that is serMceable
j The Wood-box has stood empty man,
j times while ! wrote IA verse to Am.
y Jones. At eighteen years OF ag
/ father suggested that II was large an,
) strong and should learn to toll L. L
i will be a change for you, he said
i Which It was. For was new t
4 labor.
h & Thus went upon small dali,
], newspaper and became al Journalist
d ! was between eighteen and nineteel
i years Of age, with a firm grasp upol
t all great economic problems. From
! my seclusion hurled barbed dart
II into the corrupt body politic 4 Swrot,
!, also OF strawberry festivals AM
church bazaaas and got IN my nostrdl
the smell Of printers ink, withou
which NO journalist Is complete.
G Then burst again into song.
had been silent for 4 time, while ID.
Z literary voice was chan glng Ever.
day wrote a verse, and sometimes
two or three. W5th sublime sofera