The San Francisco call., 1908-10-18


to learn that the reports about the con-
dition OF his eyes were exaggerated.
After the hunting accident the author
was taken to a hospital in Seattle,
where he remained for several weeks
He is now finishing his interrupted
hunting trip in Alaska and Canada, but
will return to the States before winter
DR.. William Elliot Grifas has been
honored by the emperor of Japan with
the decoration of the Order OF the Ris-
ing Sun, which is given only to dis
tinguished foreigners who have aided
in the modern civilization of Japan.
Who hears now or who recalls now
the name of the author of that splendid
poem. The Bivouac Of the Dead"2
Probably. not one in thousand ever
heard of Theodore O'Hara. and yet the
poem he wfote is perhaps the finest OF
it's kind in the English language.
OHara was the son of an Irish refugee.
who fed 10 America after taking part
in the Fitzgerald uprising in 1898. He
was born in Danville. KY, IN 1920. and.
after graduating from St. Joseph's col
lege. entered the law office of John c.
Breckenridge. He served later in the
civil war and also in the Mexican war.
1t was from his experiences in the Mex
lean war that O'Hara got his inspiration
for his poem. Kentucky erected a mon
ument in memory Of her sons who had
fallen in battle, and II was at the dedi-
cation of this monument that O'Hara
read his poem. Here is magnificent
verse from this masterpiece of elegtac
composition:
The muffed drums sad roll has beat
The soldiers last tattoo.
No more on lifesN parade shall meef
That brave and fallen few
On fames eternal camping ground
Ineir silent tents are spread.
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac Of the dead"
Mrs Warren's novel The Land OF the
Living" insists that sensational reform
is kind of first cousin 10 knavery and
arrogance. and drives the point with a
sure Irish aim The trouble with re-
formers is, says the shrewd old boss
of the ward, they won't take any new
light, There amt any new light.
They've got it ALL" Il distrust a man.
the old fellow says again. who pats
himself on the back because he's hon
est He ought to take it as matter OF
course"
Mary E. Waller. author of The Wood
Carver of Lympus," has taken a cot
.tage at Newport for the winter.
Frank Chapman. curator of birds at
the American Museum of Natural His
tory, who has been teaching Kermit
Roosevelt in the use Of the camera. has
written new book showing the results
OF his last eight years of field explora-
tions, in which he covered 10000 miles.
The book. entitled The Camps and
Cruises of an Ornithologist will have
over $50 Illustrations taken from photo
graphs selected from thousands.
Senator Beveridge. whose The Young
Man and the World is published by ID.
Appleton & Co, is rejoicing in new
possession A son. perhaps another
senator ard author, has come to bless
his home
The rumor. which was never con-
hrmed, that the late Paul L. Ford based
the character OF his Peter Stirling on
that of Grover Cleveland probably fs
hc!ping to keep up interest in that most
remarkable american political novel.
Ihe Honorable Peter Stirling" which
Messrs. Henry Holt & Co. are having 10
print for the ffty-second time. and for
which the demand has been more con-
stant and steady. now II years after
publication. than for, perhaps. any other
work OF fiction on their entire list.
One of those people who concern
themselves with such things wrota ~vn'esn tts
either day to Charles Ram Kennedv
tne author of The Servant in the
House, asking for some story OF his
cnlldhood Evidently much success
me oook has exhausted many editions.
ana the play is touring the country
has not quenched the Englfshman,s sv,-
oltion, for he replied promptly: "OnIv
story OF childhood recorded bv nv
mother One whole day 1 crfed-Iiter-
dny-Ior the moon. Like the story =.
oners MT Kennedy "SymbolicaI. Been
crying for 1t ever since. And III get