The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-02-03


with such universal favor ana mas
been 50 eagerly sought Tor, at the
special request of many friends. We
republish. THE Beautiful Snow
will bear reading every month IN
the year. 1t has been pronounced
by the London Spectator to be the
finest American poem ever written.
This Opinion we think is not lar out
Of the way. But here is the history
of "The beautiful Snow" taken from
the Omaha Republicans:
How many thousands have let Their
fears fall over these lines. as their
touching pathos call into recollectioh
the sad story OF ether and similar
,ic,ims 10 mans wanton cruelty. In
uoiui OF smooth versiiication, easy
flowing RHYTHM, through which is al
most heard the plaintivc wall OF wo-
mans ruined honor. our knowledge
If ENGLISH literature brings to mind
pa siu.l poem OF more thrilling SEN
tlmcut ihan this.
We have lately seen an article
ilonlin- The rounds Of the press, pur-
porting 20 give the authorship OF
lth:s remarkable effort; but tn
write, Of the statement, who INDUCED
/ his inspialion amid the cool brcczeS
~ Lake Erie, seems really TO know
something of its real history. Tae
writer gitos Miss Dora Shaw, an
actress, and author OF out IN til'
! Rain. The credit 4, author Of TINS
pocnL riis Is "A mistake. Dora SHAW
I..s wri'en some pleasant lines, hut
har brain ncyor flashed that spark
lin. com. "Thc Beautiful Snow.
II The early part of the war, one
darn Saturday night in the dead OF
winter. there died in the commercial
l0srital in Cincinnati, young wO-
man. over whose head only two and
twenty summers had passed. She
had been once possessed OF an en-
viablc share of beauty. and had been
as she herself says, "nattered and
sought .or the charms of the race,
hut alas, upOn her fair brow had
long been written that terrible WORD
prostitute. Once the pride OF
respectable parcntage, her first wrong
step was the small beginning Of the
same old story over again. which
has been the only lifc-histOry OF
thousands. Highly educated and ac
complished in manners, she nigh
have shonc in the best of society
Int the evil hour that proved he
ruin was the door from childhood
and having spent Il young life IL
: disgrace and shame, the poor friend
} less one died the melancholy dealt
of a brokcn-hcarted Outcast.
Among her personal effects wa
found in manuscript "Thc Beautii&
Snow" which was Immediately car
| ried to Enos u. Reed. IA gentleman o
, culture and literary tastes. who wa
at that time editor o.. the Naiiona
Union. IN the columns of that pa
per. on the morning of the day fol
lowing the girls death. the poem ar
pcarcd in print for the first time
When the paper containing the poc'
came out ON Sunday morning. tn
body OF the victim had not yet re
: ceivod burial. The attention 4
, Thomas Buchanan Read. one of tn
first of American poets, was soon dI
rcctcd to the newly-publishcd lines
who was SO taken with their stirrin
pathos that he Immediately fOllOwe
the corpse to its final resting place.
Such are the plain facts concern
= ing her whose Beautiful Snow
shall long be remembered as one {
A the brightest gems in America
: literature.
Z The Beautiful Snow.
Oh! the snow! the beautiful snow,
. Filling the sky and the earth below
:. Over the house tops, over the stree
Over the heads of the people yC
meet,
Dancing,
Flirting.
C Swimming along;
Beautiful snow! 1t can do nothir
wrong;
Flying to kiss fair lady's cheek.
Clinging to lips in frolicsome freak
Beautiful snow from the heavel
u above,
Pure as an angel. gentle as love!
Oh, the snow. the beautiful snow,
u How the flakes gather and laugh
they go
- Whirling about in their maddenil
- fun
v. 1t plays in its glcc with every one