Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1909-01-16
l809-The Year of Genius-lSO9
The Centenary Of Edgar Allan Poe
By Oliver Leigh ~
Copyright, 1909, by the
American Press Association

OOOs-s'-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s"s-s-
cd, and Il ledger to help pay the rent.
The women had their hands full all
the time. Poe kept Il pet cat and an
occasional bird to give poctcal finish
to the sights and sounds of his ''homc,
sweet home" which was also his work
ihOp. Mrs. GLENN thus describes him
Eddie was domestic in all his habits.
seldom leaving home for an hour unless
his darling Virginia or myself was with
him. He was truly an anccuoudte, kind
husband and devoted son to me. He
was inpulsiVe, generous affeCtiOuate and
noble. His tastes were very simple and
his admiration for all that was good ami
beautiful very great.
Poe became editor of the Gentle
mans Magazine in Philadelphia and
left it in Il year to edit Graham's He
gained another $500 prize with his
Gold Bug" After four years of hard
work on these lines he returned to edit
the New York Mirror and in 1919
gained world fame and $1O-by "Th"
Raven" AT last, in this same year, he
became editor of the Broadway Jour
nal and owner of ii in six months In
spite of his fame and brilliant labor
it died in two months from weakness
of the money chest.
Just when his "Literati' papers in
Godey's Lady's Book had raised him
to the pinnacle of popularity libel
was inserted in the Evening Mirror by
Thomas Dunn Ell glish, bitter rival Of
Poe in the rhyming business, whose
literary fame rests on the mclydy which
foated his song "Oh. Don't You Re
member Sweet Alice. Ben BoltE"
Poe won his suit. for wonder, and,
miracle of miracles, actually got Il YER
dict of $225 damages and pockcted the
cash.
Years ago the present writer while
ranSacking old magazines to uncarth
the miscellaneous prose contributed by
Poe, chiefly his literary criticisms,
termed up Il chcaply printed booklet
entitled The Poets and Poetry Of
America, by Lavante,' in the catalogue
of the Aston library. As this was the
title of the Rev. Rufus GriaWold'S com
pilation, prefaccd by his topIofty dis
tribution of laurclS and damnation.
which had stirred Poe to fierce sarca$-
tic wrath and was also the title he
chose for a lecture he gave first in the
New York Historical s0ciety'S library
in February, 1915, and i'll other cities, |
was curious to see it,. 1t was Il satire
In the rhymed couplcts now out of
fashion. 1t satiriZcd three and thirty
of the poctical writer's of the day.
Their names We're printed in capitals,
and | was all excitement to see what
it said of Poe, the one strong figure
who lowered head and shoulders above
his would be rivals, who belittlcd when
they did not hate and malign him.
Poe was not among the thirty and
three.
This startled me into recolicctinE
that Poe liked and used fancy names.
One was "Lalage" This satire was by
"Lavantc" The poem, $50 lines long,
opened with a delicious burleSquc of
GriSwold, self blown into a make be
lieve god, reviewing and Judging his
interiors, the thirty-thrce poets, as they
, humbly passed before him. This is
surely the work of Poe, thought |. The
treatment Of the poets sounded re
markably like poe's language in his
magazine reviews and paragraphs. \
thorough search, lasting some six or
eight weeks, ended in the publication
of reprint of LavantcS poem, with
references to parallel passages in Poc'S
prose- which no doubt formed the sub
stance of his lecture, no reports Of
which could be found in the New York
or Philadelphia papers. Anticipating
the criticism or makeShift for 1t which