The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-09

Somewhere among them may be the
future great poet.
Their versifying will do them no harm.
II nothing else. It may teach them to
write good prose-.
What IL they send these rimes to the
magazines and the editor returns them
with printed slips? Nothing is lost but
the postage.
Let them try again.
What If their verses are halt crippled
or manned? Washington and Lincoln
wrote bad verse in youth.
What If their poetry brings no money
return? Wordsworth was more than 90
before he had a money return for his i'm
mortal work. Robert Burns took SUBJ
scriptons for his book among squires and
farmers, and Tennyson's publisher
thought that bards first thin volume had
made sensation" when 800 copies were
sold.
Yet these names belong to the ages.
| II there Is poetry In your soul, give
it voice. Never mind the critics and viz
lago cutups. One real song Will outlive
them all.
And even II you do not sing the real
song you win be helped by the effort
You will gain In power OF expression.
Every aspiration is seed that grows
some time, some place.
Likewise
Out OF the million who try may come
forth the one voice to charm the world
and delight the ages.
During one OF the storms that ragged
on the Atlantic coast this winter the
crews OF the latham and Avalon life
saving stations. near Atlantic City,
heard the siren calls Of a vessel in dis
tress. Hurrying through the fog and
rain TO an inlet about four miles away,
they made out tile lines OF an ocean
going tug beached on the shoals a con-
siderable distance from shore.
Then began a battle involving ali
the dangers Of real war the only DIFF
ference being that this was fight to
preserve life, not TO take #.
Giant waves were breaking over the
tug, and 1t was only q question OF
hours. perhaps of minutes. before the
sailors aboard would be drowned
Again and again each life saving
crew tried to launch it's boat. only TO
be dashed back on the beach, exhaust
ed with the struggle and half choked
with spray.
In the midst of these efforts the
dead body of a man was washed on
the beach with a BIT of rope around
his waist. He had tried to swim
dSuOIc anu carry iiit. MOI only Ha1
the waves whipped out his life, bur
had broken the rope.
At last both boats were launched
between two big waves. When within
% feet of the tug one capslzed and
its crew was thrown into the sea Be
ing. of course. good swimmers, they
reached the tug and were drawn
aboard.
The other boat labored through the
terrific seas until at last 1t won the
long fight. took all the men off and had
almost regained shore when IT, too,
was wrecked. All aboard, however,
managed TO save themselves. The
only one of all three crews lost was
the man who tried 10 swim and whose
body was swept on the beach with the
fragment of rope about II.
Things like this are constantly hap
pening In the life saving service
Courage is the least of the qualities
required Bone breaking labor, daunt-
less perseverance,. generalship, re-
sourcefulness and great skill are also
involved. The life savers risk their
lives as a matter of course. 1t is all
part of the days work
Heroism Is the last thing talked of
among them. They resent the use of
the term Real heroes always do.
OFTEN these life savers are rough, after
the manner of seafaring men. They
profess no religion. Yet their life
business is to exenp1ify one of the
Masters teachings:
Greater love hath no man than this.