The Washington herald., 1913-07-13

Prose is by far the bulkier part OF Jonn
Armstrong Chaloner's new poetic quar-
terly '.Scorpio No. J.. in which the
vhips are turned upon the relatives VINO
were responsible for his Incarceration IN
Bloomingdale Asylum. as wen as upon
the legally constituted guardians OF per-
son and estate during his stay there.
Time was when John Armstrong Snai-
oner, on the occasion of his name oelns
connected with news, was characterized
as the former husband of Amelie RiVes
the author In the course OF eFents lhe
reporter looking for convenient cha,
acterization, referred to him as the mil
uonaire who was legally insane in New
York. but sane in Virginia. Ihat re-
ferred to his commitment to BLOOMING
dale in 1897 at the instance of near rela-
tive and his rehabilitation in 1900 While
in RIoominsdale. falsely so called, ne
avs. he discovered in himself an unsus-
pected talent for rhyming, which yielded
a new descriptive phrase, the paro oA
BloominEdale." Now he is John Arm
strong Chaloner. author of "Scorpio ano
.'Scorpio No. IT, the latter Just issued
by the Palmetto Press OF Roanoke Rap
ids. " c., and a prophet OF Scorpios 'o
come regularly every quarter.
rhn.teneth with sonncts.
whatsoever ehasteneth with rods Mr.
Chaloner chasteneth with scorpions he
made 'er, and he says they are scorpions.
..Scorpio'' contained forty-seVen sonnets
protesting against good many tnings
and praising a few. IN Scorpio NO !
Mr.. Chaloner puts forth fifty-sfx sonnets'
a prologue, and an appendix. II the pro-
logue he makes a literary confession:
Before thrown into a madhouse cell
for : fe the writer could not write any
thing in prose or verse, In spite OF sew
ersI wears of steady, intelligent and most
determined effort, more effective than
a cheuue A cheQue-if goods very
effective-of course-but 1t Is haroiy
literature. Upon being laid by the neeis
upon L false, bogus. and perjured charge
of insanity the writer set about to i'm
nroye his yocabulary-which had never
been meager-by looking up in Stro-
mouths Unabridged Dictionary the origin
of every word that struck him and whose
etynology was unfamiliar to him.
One night-a year almost 10 Gay
from the date of his arrest-he FOUND
rhyme, for the first time in his hfe' prac-
tically dancing in his head. He smiled
at IL and jotted il down. He smiled De-
cause there was a laugh in II.
To cut a long story short. half a dozen
rhymes presented themselves to him that
night
From, this BEGINNING came the S35 SON.
nets Mr.. Chaloner wrote in Blooming
dale With this stock on hand he feels
secure in his promise of printing fifty or
more every three months.
A respect for the properties as well as
the law of the land prevents the repro
duction' Of much Of Mr.. Chaloner's COM
position. This bit Of autobiography,
which he styles THE Love Of Money Is
the Root of All Evil" is a mild sample:
But lust for luc.e and a ranking spite
Which they had nursd 'sainst me for many years.
Their feeble principle o'erbslancd quite
And made them prison risk with all its feafs.
Nv million and a half quite turned their brain;
They lrsted for il with all miser lust,
Tho all and several had about the same
Each and all decided my gold have they must.
20 a, black plot as c'er in brain Of main did
serminate. eestate and final rise.
Nv family did plot-and plotting plan
As ,srewd plot as e'er did fright mems eyes,
Tbus lore and hate conjoined combatted me:
Twas love of gold and hate Of me- you see
In the first Scorpio, the author, apos-
trophizing Columbia, confessed that he
was not singing:
MY country. it's Of thee"-I do not sing.
You're in TOO sad plight, believe me. dear.
For plandits to have aught but false ring
Wants Two Battleships.
In the latest sonnet to Columbia, Mr..
ChaIoner requests her to, vote two battle
ships and rise as one man.
some mighty Lessons in these facts are found
For my great country-that vast land Of wealth.
Where love Of country ID today foul drownd
In one mad feverish, frenzied rush for pek.
Two attleshirs q year we may not have,
Because, forsooth, some Solons are 10 mean
That all appropriations they must shave
To fat the pension hst-that hag obscenoi
The wily Japancse are at our szte.