The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-05-04

/ S1TiCJIN tnE{1Sl ncIOIC verse IS dts II uS
as that he was one OF the hest masters
Of the most perfect logical inspiration
may be wrong in my judgment, but
| nave an opinion that there was nc
living American novelist the equal OF
Francis Marion Crawford. who died in
Italy on Friday, the 9th of April, 1903,
aged ffty-fiye. l regretted to see his
death announced as he was still in
much resource, interest and popu-
laritS. His father was Of Scotch
Irish blood, born in Ireland. and q
sculptor of distinguished merit, ana
vas Thomas Crawford. He was a
sculptor, who probably ranked with
two distinguished Americans SO we'll
known in the past, William w. Story
educational advantages. His mother
was an American. Miss Louis Ward,
of New England, but he was born in
4 italy and lived there most of his life.
He was educated in Rome. in England
at Cambridge University, and in the
United States. He began as q writer
upon political and economic questions,
and received but comparatively small
pay for his productions. He finally
began his career as q story writer, in
which he met with financial and liter
airy success. He became a prolific
writer of fiction, and succeeded also
financially with the products OF q
fOrcible, fluent pen. His first novel
to bring him much fame was called
DIR. Clandier,' while his first venture
was "Mr. ~Isaacs.' I have now read
more than three or four Of his many
fictions. I recall with much satisfac-
ton tina I read some twenty years ago
his capital story called "Sarracenesca,"
and a fine success it q 1t was very
IAvoal1anfIt- u-ritSaT on6 most antQr-
tanning. In fact it was one Of the
best novels | ever read from the brain
OF an American. He wrote three
stories in succession, and it was called
a "~Trilogy." He has published many
novels that have been popular, and
more or less meritorious. He wrote
with marked industry and skill. He
was popular in England, and in our
own country. He married IN
American oman Miss Berdan,
ia 1884, and besided man Soronto, or
the Bay OF Naples. \ sketch Of him
says Of him: Mr.. Crawford was 4
Francesca Da Rimini' which Sarah
Bernhard produced in Paris in 1892.
Many OF his works AVE been trans
lated into foreign languages. and. as
q mark OF recognition OF his ability,
the French Government bestowed upon
him the Monbrun prize and q gold
medal"
When he died he was working in
du~striously upon an elaborate work
on Medival italy. His death will be re-
GREETED by thousands Of readers who
learned to love him by his superb
novel 'Sarracinisca,' g novel OF gen
line interest and originality. Ny read-
ing OF him has been too limited for
a thorough study, but regarding him
as foremost among American tictiye
writer's for a quarter OF q century SO
far as I ar informed, 1 could not we'll
pass him by however deficient my own
small contribution. There may be
among numerous American writer's Of
fiction his equals or even superiors out
I an not posted if this be true. I
do not pretend to be Well up in the
novel productions in this country of
the last fifteen or more years.
I remember to have referred not
many months g to the growing fame
0 e Sidney Lanier, Of Georgia. 1t is
gratifying to q true Southerner Of fair
cultivation to believe this. Opinions
vary as to just where his supremacy
stands-whether he is really next to
the greatest of al! Southern poets, and
for that matter OF all American poets,
Edgar Allan Poe, or whether he is next
to Henry Timrod or some other genius
Of Southern birth. While in Europe
Poe's fame is so clearly established
that ne Is DldCtu llTSt among Amer
It is now limos assured that
in the Northern States I.anier is re-
superior to all other South
ern writer's Of verse with possibly the
exception Of Poe. I venture no
opinion here as to which poet / would
name as next to Poe, q Marylander on
the fathers side and English on the
mothers side. I have read several
heightened articles on Lanier from
sources. He is much praised
in the So11th and ma rtio1,)ar1u in (,oar
gla--- / that sometime ago
read with pleasure q paragraph from s
the pen of the present editor of the 2:
Raleigh Christian Allocate, a Method
list organ Of merit and increasing in
fluence. I find I had preserved the