The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-01-23
WHO WAS COMPOSER OF
.THE BEAUTIFUL SNOW?'
Pronounced by the London Spectator
to be the Finest American Poem
Ever Written.

The Beautiful Snow which met
with such universal favor and mas
been so eagerly sought for, at the
special request of many friends, we
reDrblish. The Beautiful Snow will
bear reading every month in the year.
It has been pronounced by the London
Spectator 10 be the finest American
poem ever written. This opinion we
think is not far out of the way. But
here is the history of "The Beautiful
Snow" taken from th5 Omaha Repub-
lican:
How many thousands have let thelr
tears fall over these lines, as this
touching pathos call into recollection
the sad story of other and similar
victims to mans Wanton cruelty! In
point of smooth versifcation, easy
flowing rhythm, through which is al
most heard the plaintiye wall of wo-
mans ruined honor, our knowledge
of English literature brings to mind
no single poem of such thrilling senti-
anent as this.
We have lately seen an article float
ing the rounds of the press, purport-
ing to give the authorship of this re-
aarkable effort; but the writer of the
statement, who INDUCED his insplra-
+ion "amid the cool breeZes of Lake
Erie" seems really to know some
thing of it's real history. The writer
gives Miss Dora Shaw, an actress,
and author of "Out in the Raln," the
credit as author of this poem. This
is a mistake. Dora Shaw has written
some pleasant lines, but her brain
never flashed that sparkling gem, "The
Beautiful Snow
In the early part Of the war, one
dark Saturday night in the dead OF
winter, there died in the Commercial
hospital in Cincinnati, a young wo-
man, over whose head only two and
twenty summers had passed: She
had been once possessed of an enVla-
bic share Of beauty, and had been, as
she herself says, 'fattered and sought
for the charms of the face" but alas!
upon her fair brow had long been writ
ten that terrible word-prostitute
Once the pride of respectable paren-
tage, her first wrong step was the
small beginning Of the same old story
over again." which has been the only
life-history of thousands. Highly edu-
Gated and accomplished in manners,
she might have shone in the best of
society. But the evil hour that prov
ed her ruin was the door from child
hood, and having spent young life in
disgrace and shame, the poor friend
less one died the melancholy death OF
a broken-hearted outcast.
Among her personal effects was
found in manuscript "The Beautiful
Snow which was Immediately car
ried to Enos B. Reed, a gentlemen Of
culture and literary tastes, who was
at that time editor Of the National
Union. In the columns of that paper,
on the morning Of the day following
the girls death, the poem appeared IN
print for the first time. When the
paper containing the poem came out
on Sunday morning, the body Of the
victim had not yet received burial.
The attention Of Thomas Buchanan
Read, one of the first Of American
poets, was soon directed to the newly
published lines, who was so taken
with their stirring pathos that he I'M
mediately followed the corpse to its
final resting place.
Such are the plain facts concerning
her whose beautiful Snow" shall
long be remembered as one of the
brightest gems il American literature.
<sThe Beautiful Snow
oh! the snow! the beautiful snow,
Filling the sky and the earth below;
Over the house tops, over the street,
Over the heads of the people you meet
Dancing,
Flirting,
Skimming along;
Beautiful snow, It can do nothing
wrong;
Flying to kiss a fair lady's cheek,
Clinging to lips in frolicsome freak,
Beautiful snow from the heavens