Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-20
MONEY IN CHRISTMAS VERSE
English Woman Makes Five Thousand
"a Year Writing 1t.
TEN EACH DAY Is THE AVERAGE
Her Literary Productions Known I'm
Every Corner of the Civilized
GIObe-The Woman Poet
Laureate.

LONDON, Dec. 19.-Cspecial.)-Few poets
enjoy the distinction of being com
handed" by a real queen TO write verses
for them, yet such is the happy lot Of
Miss Helen Marion Burnside OF London.
She did Queen Alexandra's Christmas
card this year and has the largest
"Christmas circulation in the world for
her verses. Everywhere the Christmas
card makes it's way-and few hooks and
corners Of the universe escape It now
adays-you will see the initials II. NJ. b."
which means that Miss Burnside has
turned them out.
Miss Burnside's output Of verses Is. GER
tainly a large one, even for a poet, for
her daily average for the last thirty years
is ten poems. They are not thrown off
haphazard, either, but are well thought
out, real poems, of which few writer's need
be ashamed. She has been able to con-
tinue such a big output mainly because
she has acquired the habit of versifying
under all circumstances-traveling, walk
ing, at home or visiting. Innumerable in
cidents suggest themes and few ideas
escape when once her verse-making gray
matter has taken notice of them. Even
the wheels OF a railway train have sug-
gested some OF her most successful eff
forts.
Miss Burnside is now well advanced In
life and lives in a little cottage In the
West End of London, which she shares
with another distinguished writer, Rosa
Nouchette Carey.
She originally intended to become a mu-
sician, but when IL years old was made
totally leaf by illness. From that time
she decided to devote herself to writing.
Even as a child she produced some very
pretty verses and attained some fame be-
fore her 18th year. AS she, could not be-
come a musical composer, she found that
verse came nearest to her ideas of mu-
steal expression. For some years Miss
Burnside did not make much Roadway with
her verses, as she found that public taste
especially in Christmas poems-had be-
come degenerate. She set her face against
the usual "twaddling piffle," as she calls
1t, which appeared on most Christmas
cards. Her object was TO elevate the
Christmas card and raise public taste to
a high standard. After years of striving
she finally succeeded. and publishers to-
day insist on the Burnside model in Sc
lecting their verses.
In addition to her poems, she also devel-
oped her art faculties and became quite a
good artist, exhibiting at the Royal Acad-
envy and receiving honorable mention at
the Columbian exposition. She combined
verse with art and used to illustrate a great
many Of her own productions though in
latter years she has abandoned the art
work and devoted all her time to Versify-
ing. 1t was not long before she attracted
the attention of a number of the big Christ
mas card publishers, and for six years she
was one Of the editors of Raphael Tuck &
Co. Most of her cards were signed, either
with initials OF, her full name.
Seen recently by the writer at her London
home, Miss Burnside gave her views on
the, making Of Christmas verses;
when 1 first commenced Christmas
verse writing" she said, II found that.
publishers were turning out mere dog
gerel. but now alb this Is changed. There
Is a, much higher standard of excellence
today than thereS was then. I do not adj
wise anyone-especially a woman who has
to make her ~living-to go In for Christmas
verhlfying, as IL. is uphill work for the
beginner. especially If no other work is
combined with 1t. Publishers seldom pay
more than t$126 per verse, and, unless you
have a large number of publishers to deal
with-ror one big firm which will take all
your output at a fair price-life will be
very difficult. 1 do not think a woman
could expect 10 make more imam S1O a
year solely by writing Christmas cards,
and then the season is such a short one
only lasting from November to March,
Asked how she wrote her v~erses-what
gave the inspiring ideas-she replied:
"Oh, almost anything. / see things when
out walkingi a friend writes a letter giving
a sweet sentiments a falling leaf-the small
est inciaents~-set the verse ideas going and
1t is not long before 1 have q poem ready
Cor the publisher"
Miss Burnside was asked to give a speci-
men OF what she considered one of her
best poems for this year. She submitted
the following verse:
/ know a green and peaceful land,
Which ever bathed in sunshine hes,
And in II dwells a gentle band
OF friends with smiling lips and eyes;
That land lis memory's dreamland sweet,
And I can wander there at, will,
And dear familiar faces meet
And clasp dear hands in friendship still.
It's estimated that Miss Burnside makes
nearly 5000 a year from her poems and
designs. This year she has had many of
her verses set to music.