The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-23

but he was educated In Belgium and
France, and later on, attended a coll
llege in Spain. Consequently, he will sell
you chocolates in either French or
Spanish and Is equally versed (no pun
Iintended), in Latin, having made close
translations of several of Horace's odes.
When, his education completed he re-
turned to England, he became a or
eign correspondence clerk in a city
house. and stayed there for several
years, but then his health broke down,
and a long Illness followed. When he
got well, he was glad to take up his
present calling.
In the midst of sweet selling, how
ever. his thoughts turn to literature.
"I composed the "Ode of the Evening
Star while standing on this PITCH"
he said. I'm slow worker. and the
idea for a few lines might come to me
and | would make a note of 1t on the
| tablet always have in my pocket, and
then it might take me 10 days to elab-
crate. Every line of another poem of
mine. The Princess OF Lola has been
| thought out while have been standing
here selling chocolates. 1t was COM
posed amid the din and stir of traffic
1.-THE same as 'Chatterton of Brook
Street which 1 wrote last spring, and
hope to see published this year, and
The Dream of Jasper Gade,' which
deals with the labor question"
| 1t was a city man with literary
| learnings who had read some of Shep-
perley's efforts in manuscript that first
drew the attention of the Poetry soci-
| ETY. to the hawking poet. That his
soon to be published "Ode' has the real
poetic swing to 1t. the following short
stanza from it demonstrates pretty
clearly:
I''What myst'ry lies about thee, wond'-
rous light.
Beacon Of Ages, shining thro' all
From the first looming of Creations
! -Eternitys far yestern-to this
| Whereas Shepperley. who is AZ. has
been turning out verse for nearly 80
years, John Helston. the workshop
bard. whose age is 80, discovered that
he could write poetry only two years
ago. AT Is. he was at work for an
electrical engineering firm, then he
went to the locomotive shops of the
London and South Western railway.
and stayed there three years. After
that he was successfully warehouse
clerk. an ''improver'' in a sword fac
tory, and ever so many different kinds
of a mechanic, eventually finding EN-
ployment in a motor car works and
getting the sack for spelling some
levers--at least they said he spoiled
them. Then, having made a lucky bet
on horse race one day. he followed
his luck and for while lived by
betting, going broke. however, when
he tried to run a regular "bookmak-
ing business His first literary
work consisted of racing articles for
! an obscure financial paper. and then.
, til af 6n nd a
verse and found himself" At the out
set, however he burned hundreds of
verses which would not pass the gaunt-
let of his critical faculty, which ap-
parently developed rapidly.
This was in 1910" said Helston
when describing his start at his mod
est home In Islington, "and at the OUT
set / got a neighbor, schoolmistress.
to punctuate my efforts. OF course, as
II expected T got any number of them
back, until one day l received letter
from Lady Margaret Sackville, prais-
Ing some of them that she had seen.
She urged me to make myself known
to MIR. Austin Harrison, the edltor or
1.-THE English Review and so, after hard
attempts at self-improvement, sent
him all the poetry that I had written
land preserved-7000 lines-and again
met nothing but Kindness
What about this process of self
improveme was asked.
"Well, 1t was not easy to know where
to begin, as you can guess. ! gave
up nv regular work and settled down
to educate myself. and for over IL
months have read hard for many
hours a day In economics. social science
biology, history and literature. AS fast
as one branch led into another tried
to follow 1t up, and though l have had
to relinouish many things would like
to have studied, have done my best
in the time
Here are few lines from Helston's
l"Aphrodite at Leatherhead' which
have especially pleased Judges Of verse
for the ease and fullness of their ex-
preston.
I"God gave His sanction surely when
4 lie gave
A soul TO man and beauty to the world
To claim the light within a falling
wave.
The moonrise and the daydawn dew
4 empearled.
/ And everv daedal impulse of the sun
For Joys own bride, Imasination
While talking. Helston mentioned
i that he composed all his verses on
typewriter. an American one, by the
(! bye ut is a great help IN compositions"
he said "for 1t clears your ideas. 1t
reminds you by the reputation of one
kew when YOU are falling upon an
unconscious assonance. and warns you
against too many sibilants. and the
rest of IT,