The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-07-20

Johnston. He WAS born near Powell
ton, Ca, and the Dukesborough Of
his famous stories is Powelton; but
you will look in vain at Mercer, Ath-
ems or Powelton for recognition Of,
these facts.
Strangers Recognize His Merit.
Maryland is another Southern State
that has too often allowed the mem
DRY of her poets to suffer. Francis
Scott Key was born in Frederick
County in that State, wrote the star
Spangled Banner" near Fort Nc
Henry, and died at Baltimore; and
yet the only worthy symbol of public
appreciation is not in Maryland, but
in far-away San Francisco, where in
Golden Gate Park a monument exc
cuted by William Story stands to his
memory. At Baltimore there lived
and died Edward Coate Pinkney, au-
thor of many a graceful line Of
poetry.
81 fill this cup to one made up
Il loneliness alone, o.
a woman of heg gentle sex .
The seeming paragon;
To whom the better elements
And kindly stars have given
A form so fair, that, like the air,
'Tia less of earth than Heaven"
He yet awaits a token Of memory.
And John Pendleton Kennedy, of Bal
timore-how much he did for writer's
'of the South! If that man had not
recognized the ability of Poe, had not
encouraged him, had not found for
him a congenial work, America prob
ably would not have heard of it's
truest literary genius. Yet what
bronze words declare the fact? And
for that matter, what appreciation
honor of possessing Poe's dust?. He
lies in a neglected grave in old West
minister graveyard, and doubtless not
one person in a thousand of those
who daily pass the cemetery knows
that the most artistic of all American
poets sleeps nearby.
The bitterest shame of all, how
ever, is the fact that Georgia has done
practically nothing for the memory of
the greatest genius she ever produced
Sidney Lanier. To-day the Greor-
gia city best known to the Intellectual
circles Of Great Britain is not the
capital, but Macon, the birthplace of
the most musical Of American poets.
There stands in a hall of Johns Hop
kins an impressive bust Of. Lanier;
but where has Macon a shrine to his
memory? A few years ago a Geor-
gia Governor and a famous Georgia
preacher stood on the capitol grounds
at Atlanta. Said the Governor: 81
want to see over in that corner a
statue Of Congressman So and So,
and a statue here to Governor This,
and a statue there to Governor That.
Then we shall have u honored
dead" "And where will you put
Sidney Lanier's?" quietly asked the
preacher. "Ah," said the Governor,
somewhat abashed, 81 had forgotten
him" Perhaps that is the only trou-
BILE with all Georgians; not neglect
full, simply forgetful. There stands
on an Atlanta street a strong, brave
statue of Henry Grady; would it not
be eminently fitting to place within
sight of the great orators eyes the
figure of Sidney Lanier, and farther
on another of Joel Chandler Harris?
Look where you will throughout
the Southland, we find sad neglect of
our dead singers. William Gilmore
Simms, author of more than n hun
dred volumes, and genial inspirer of
Timrod, Hayne and other literary
lights, made his home, Woodlands"
near Charleston, a true literary centre
in a%nte-bellum days; and Charleston
has forgotten to honor either him or
that famous home. Davy Crockett
and Sam Houston, the most famous
pioneers in Southwestern life-the
one born at Limestone, Greene Coun-
ty, Tenn, ands tho other in Rock
bridge County, Va.-have received
no token OF respect from their
mother-States. Alexander Beaufort
Meek wrote a poem, "Balaklava,"
which Queen Victoria deemed so
worthy that she had it published at
her Kingdoms expense and spread far
and wide over her country, and this
man, turning aside from his poetry,
created by untiring efforts the school
system Of his native State, Alabama.
And what has Alabama done to give
him honor before ~posterity? Moth
ing.
Father Abram Ryan lived at Nor
folk, Knoxville, GAINESVILLE and Mo-
bile, and died near Louisville; but
you will search long for signs of ap-
probation. GAINESVILLE has lately dis
covered that he wrote the Conquered
Banner" there-the old lady in whose
home he resided at the time still
lives-and a small club Is honoring
itself and the city by erecting a
bronze tablet proclaiming this fact to
the world.
Margaret Preston, of Lexington,
KY, was undoubtedly the best woman
poet Of America. Lexington evidently
is not aware Of this. John Reuben
Thompson, born at Richmond and
|. educated at the University of Vir-
GINA, the author of Jul most famous