Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-02-11
"BEAUTIFuL SHOWS" ORIGIN.
Singularly Pathetic circumstances
Surrounding the Publication OF
the Now Famous Poem.
NOW Famous Pocnl.

The Omaha Republican gives the
following version of the production
which the London Spectator pro-
nounced the finest poem ever writ.
ten in America. In the early part
of the war on stormy night. right
in the dead OF winter. there died at
tn Commercial Hospital in the city
OF Cincinnati. young woman. over
whose head only two and twenty
summers had passed. She had once
been possessed of an enviable share
OF beauty and had been. rs she her
self said, hattered and sought for
the charms OF her face" but alas,
she had fallen from woman's high
estate. Highly educated and with ac-
complished manners. she might hav,
shown in the highest society But
/ the evil hour that procured her ruin
was the one from which went out
| the innocence of chilihooi: and
/ 80 = 'H'iiA a gbhllN me III ulN9fINe
and shame. the poor. the friendless
one. died the melancholy death of n
| broken-h hearted outcast. Among her
personal effects was found i'm. mann
script, "The Beautiful Snow" which
was carried to Enos b. Reed. a gen
tleman of culture and literary taste
who was at that time editor of the
National Union. In the columns Of
that paper, on the morning follow
ing the girls death, the poem an
peared in print for the first time
! When the paper containing the poem
came out, the body OF the victim had
not yet received burial The atten-
ton of Thomas Buchanan Reed. one
! or the first American poets, was so
taken with the stirring pathos that
ne Immediately followed the corpse
to It's final resting place. Such are
the plain facts concerning her whose
| Beautiful Snow" will long be re-
| membered as one Of the brightest
gems in American literature.
On! the snow, the beautiful snow,
Filing the sky AMI the earth below
over the house tops. over the street
over the heads of all the people you
meet,
Dancing,
Fitting,
| Skinpipo to1
Beautiful snow it can do nothing
wrong.
| Flying to kiss the fair ladys cheek.
Clinging to lips in a frolicsome freak
Beautiful snow from the heavens
above,
Fure as an angel, gentle as love!
on! the snow, the beautiful snow!
How the fakes gather and light &c
they go
Whirling about in their maddening
fun;
1t plays in its glee with every one.
Chasing.
Laughing,
Hurrying by,
IL llghts on the face and sparkles the
eye,
And playing dogs with a bark and
bound
Snap at the crystals that eddy
around:
The town is alive and it's hearts in
a glow
To welcome the coming of the beau
tiful snow.
How wildly the crowd goes swavjpp
along,
Hailing each other with bumor and
song.
How the gay sleis like meteors pass
by,
Bright for a moment, then lost TO
the eye:
Ringing,
Swinging,
Dashing they go.
over the crest Of the beautiful
SNOW
Snow so pure when it fell from the
sky,
As to make one resret-to see # lie
To be trampled and tracked by tbou-
sands OF feet.
! TIL it blends with the filth Of the
horrible street
Once was pure as the snow but 7
fell.
Fell like a snowflake. from heaven
TO hell:
Fell to BE- tramHed on as filth i'm
the street.
| Fell to be scoHeI TO be spit ON and
beat
Pleading.
Cursing.
Drcading to- die,
Selling my soul to- whoever would
buy.
Dealing in shame for "a morscl Of
bread
Hating The living and fearing the
dead