The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1913-09-12

l IlOll6l N1ClAS.
An atmosphere of law books, the Of
flee of a country lawyer and the lite:
of a country town are an environment;
in which literary genius is seldom de-.
veloped, but in just such surroundings
Virginia has an unusual character
whose many friends believe that some
day he is coming into his own in the
world of letters and that his blank
verse, his poems, his stories and his
efforts in the line Of drama and must
cal romance will receive the recogni-
ton that is their due. Virginia's gen.
JUS is Charles Line, attorney at law,
with offices in the Matheson block,
who came to this city from Superior,
Wis.,, and was formerly also a resident
of Duluth.
Mr.. Lines literary efforts cover a
wide range. They run the gamut
from blank verse telling anew some Of
the old Morse legends of his ancestors
to light opera. They include must
cal romance which has been given the
title Of 1.-THE VIKING" and contains
poem that Tennyson would not disown,
entitled 1.-THE Spirit of the Northland,"
a light opera in three acts designated
1.-THE Magic Mantle" containing top
ical song entitled money is the King
of ALL" which rings true to the spirit
Of the times, and which, if trifle
sarcastic, is still impressive in it's
truth. Then there is in process of
construction a story Of the Mesaba
range based on some early day his
tory, with a pretty love tale running
through it, written in the most charm
ing English and bringing to Nature
lovers especially, distinct charm in
its pretty descriptions of Northern
Minnesota's out-of-doors, the pine
woods, the lakes and the streams, to-
gether with something of the stern in
cident that is part Of the life of the
woodsman, riverman and miner. Of
a retiring disposition, few people are
privileged to know Mr.. Line well. Oc-
casionally he has written verse for the
local newspapers that has been pro-
nounced hit, but few know the author
or the interesting life that is his.
In the days when the old Chicago
Chronicle was under the managing ed
itorship of Charles K. Harrington, Mr..
Line was for a time on the staff of
that newspaper. He was intimately
acquainted with Ben King, with Opie
Reid and with many other of the dis
tinguished men of that caste who did
newspaper work in the old days in
Chicago. There were some Of his ear
Hest efforts printed in the Record
Herald and in the Chronicle. They
were copied to some extent by other
and some of the best eastern newspa-
pers, but Line drifted away from
newspaper work and perhaps then lost
the opportunity that might have been
better improved to get his work before
the people.
In his law Offices in this city he has
an almost endless collection Of manu-
scripts. They are written in spare
moments, to amuse himself, he says.
A few friends have been privileged to
see them, but Mr.. Line is modest. He
does not care to submit his work to
everyone. He has little idea of its
value himself, and he has made prac-
tically no effort to secure for his best
things the attention Of publishers who
might protitably take them in hand.
Sometimes he submits one to an old
time friend for criticism. The criti-
cisms he carefully prizes and one in
his collection is from the pen Of
Charles X. Harrington on one Of his
Grammatical works. Not all the criti-
cisms are favorable, but many of them
are. Line shares the common fate of
all authors. Some declare his work is
the worst kind of drivel, others un-
hesitatingly declare it is of exceptional
merit. "As for myself" says Mr..
Line with twinkle in his eye, II am
inclined to believe they are half way
between the two extremes"
Mr.. Line is the author of a poem in
answer to Kipling's "White Mans
Burden" which was printed several
years ago in Chicago newspapers and
was pronounced hit over the country.
He never received a cent for the bit,
though it was cleverly done and made
a lasting impression with many who
read it, bringing to the author letters
of appreciation from people in SYM
pathy with it's tone from all sections
of the country.
Lines accomplishment is all the
more wonderful when his life story is
considered. He is a self-educated man.
Born in Finland he never had the ad-
vantages Of schools. His grandfather
was a person of some distinction in
Finland, having occupied a position in
his country that corresponds to that Of
district judge in America.
'. Snmo fou7 voars aon inc vvas s,,h
hitting manuscripts to the editor of