The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-04-08

wnere the poet cries aloud from MS
mountain top. as seer The paper
will be specially noted just at this time
when the new edition OF Miller's
Building of the City Beautiful Is pub
lished, and by consequence many peo-
pie will like toNhave a glimpse of the
present life of the premier California
poet. Miller is putting Parson Wag-
ner's principles into practice. THE SIM
pie life prevails at the Heights. 1t is a
life of contemplation and kindly deeds
Joaquin Miller is harsh to none, full OF
kindness and charity for all and in his
sympathy as liberal as the sum-" The
poets home is a chapel; the spot has
been doubly consecrated by the cher
ishing of the last feeble years of q be-
loved mother and by devoted affection
to daughter, both of whom now lie
buried on the hill by the home-where
their graves can be frequently flower
strewn in homage to the unreachable
spirits which once dwelt in those
bodies. One of the impressions one gets
from this narrative is that the Poet of
the Sierras is a combination Christian
and Buddhist. There is japanese
Buddhist philosopher who dwells up
there in friendship and sympathetic
liberation, and as for Miller's Chris
tianity it is best told in. the eloquent
opening paragraph from Stoddard'S
pen:
From the Alameda marshes, lifting
ones eyes unto the hills. one beholds a
cross of vast proportions resting upon
the summer bronze-brown slopes 1t is
In reality a thicket % evergreens plant
ed SO densely and with such mathemat-
ical accuracy that at a distance it looks
not unlike the cross itself, at least
the shadow of it. The planting of this
forest of thousand perennials was the
reverent thought and act of Joaquin
Miller, the poet of the Sierras; it is the
crowning glory of the heights, his home
for the last score of years. and seen
from afar, 1t seems to set there the hall
lowed seal of silence and seclusion."
Charles Warren Stoddard is made the
subject of brief and appreciative
sketch in the Easter number of the
Overland Monthly by Henry Meade
Bland of San Jose. The famous author
Of 1.-The South Sea Idylls'' has been re-
counting to Bland some of the details
of his adventurous life The article
pictures him as he is today. and then
gives scattered glimpses of his life
from boyhood. The poet is now SO and
is still doing good literary work. His
recent poem, The Bells of San Ga
briel." Bland says is among the best
poetry he has written.
Fondness for reading the Scriptures
is said to be responsible for much of
the excellence of Stoddard's style. He
read the whole Bible a dozen times, 4
studied the psalms and proverbs, and
delighted in the fiery imagination of
the Jewish prophets. Thus 1t came
that multitudinous beautiful phrases of
Holy Writ were burned into his brain.
and his style was given a cast for all
time
Stoddard was reared a Puritan, but
that faith failed to satisfactorily solve
painful riddle of the universe, and he
assiduous reading of the Scriptures. He
did not succeed in conquering his
doubts until he became Roman Cath
Ollie. This happened in 1857 when he
was a. The story of his conversion is
told by himself in "A Troubled Heart
and How 1t Was Comforted at Last"
When Stoddard was living in Cam
bridge he was so severely Ill that a
report was circulated that he was dead
When this news of his reported death
reached the West the Overland Monthly
published laudatory articles of his life
and great contributions to literature"
1T was worth dying for" remarked
Stoddard to Bland. in telling about the
-Overlands announcement.
The April number of THE House
Beautiful" will have an especial interest
to those people of moderate means who
cannot afford a mansion-like home. but
nevertheless love to live in artistic sur
roundings and by the choice of archi-