The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-05-04
'EFAT BARD OF EMPoRIA" IS
 FIFTY YEARS YOUNG TO-DAY

.f In '62-the fourth of May. just fit, years ago today,-in, a cottage in On.
 tarlo was heard a feeble cry: for the
 stork. that bird of joy, had . sur.
 plus baby boy, and delivered him a,
 Tho,,es sa,o cottage Ss ua as it was flying by
 Twas Emporia's fat bard, the justl,
 famed Walt Mason. who thus arrived on earth-good old Walt, the cheer
 up. lad. he who makes this world less
 sad by his rollicking prose poems
 chuck full of joyous mirth. Thirty
 years has Walt been writing and the grim blue devils fighting. and the
 looms all flee before him when he dips his pen in ink; and his gospel of good cheer from our hearts drives out all fear. for he tells us that the longest lane must always have a
 Rink. The high-falutin' poet sings of esoterio. occult things that we plain, common garden folk may never un- derstand; but. we do ot find such fault with dear old genial Walt. for his goods gre true, to nature and not the stuff that's canned =
 It IS easy enough to write rhyme without sense. and not impossible to write. sense without rhyme, but to combine rhyme and sense and keep 1t up. day after day, week after week, year after year, requires genius There are few men in the world who who can do that stunt. and one of them. and not the least of them, Is Uncle Walt" Mason. the "fat bard of Emporia,"" who was born exactly half century ago today at Columbus, Ontario. Too much of a thing being a huge sufficiency. you will kindly permit me to trek the remainder of the way through Waits biography without further recourse to rhyming dictionary. When it comes to that, let Walt do it.
 Born in Canada. as aforesaid, ''the Fat One" hiked across the border lived for time in Ohio. and 1t was at Wooster. in that State. that he met Miss Ella Foss, who later became his wife Tn 1895 he went to Kansas. and for two or three years was em- ployed on the famous Atchison Globe. where he had the benefit of the counsel and example of i" old Ed' Howe. famed throughout the world as a paragrapher and novelist. His next employment was en~ the State Journal of Lincoln, Neb. Although he bega n writing verse when about fifteen the staff of the Nebraska paper. The telegrapher had brought in the story of a prairie schooIa'am. who attempting to lead her little flock to their homes while a. blizzard was bowling and raging over the country became lOSt ana perlSned With ner charges. It was one of those incl dents that to the average newspaper man are but good heart interest stuff. front page. top of column" but to Walt it, was more than that His imagination conjured up picture of the devoted young teacher struggling through the blinding snow, fighting vain fight against that tender but cruel Mother Nature who "crea1es without purpose and stays without re- gret."-a heroine of the prairies who. to her last gasping breath, with the last ounce of strength in her body, soueht to secure the safety of the children in her charge. With this picture in his mind Walt Mason wrote poem that brought tears to the eyes of millions. as it was reprinted in nearly every paper in the United States, Canada and England.
 Following a brief experience as para grapheF on a Washington paper, in 1907-"Uncle Walt returned to Kan sas as the editorial associate of Will liam Allen White. publisher of the Emporiagc Gazettes and famed story writer In T Emporia MT. Mason in. vented sthe solid sonnet. a daily out burst of song that at worst is nevel very bad ard at best is better than strawberry shortcake.
 Here's to you. Walt, fat and fifty long may you wave!