The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-11-26
NsxT ToLAsT THE GUILLoTlNE
AND LAST OF AL TIE okIlAET-lM

thani; y"a for your editorial in this
,n i3 NM ;, pap%r IN r"EArd TO tne south
Poe Thu most illustiious man W let
terS not only OF Virginia, but Of Amer
tea. is remarkable, but, 81 course. it
mas cause, and va VIII not be aroused
out OF IL until thnt cause Is removed.
IN" cause ia twofold It lies in cx-
ness. with ignorance ana lack ci an
I"' citation OF lis mental powers and
through them
III. ave- agc person thinks OF Poe as
- uruhh1h sol VINO ~ occasional mo-
ihents u partial sohilctE wrote three
Annahel l."c'-and som" halr-raising
The truth is that Vile. to Pos own
$orrow and the regret Of his friends he
sometimes drank 100 much. he vas not
q hhbliua! druukard. His brilliant
talent fascinating personality and
striking appcarancc made him conspic-
TO hc noticed and remembered. when
( thos" Of less gifted yvullg mon of his
m,ne WouId havg hieen soon foreotten
scripts SHOW IS not the Hand Of q sot
no are ttc original ana beautiful
works IN ~ oSc ana roctiy. with their
precise htting vf oid to idea the
he!ncnts Of bcsottcd brain. They
indicate. on the contrary, II singularly
Drunk or sober. few men the world
mas sem rave oGuccd before the age
OF forty uhc aro At which Poe died)
tstic work. Poe could not have done
!, y n had hot added TO genius indo
taking.
Foes dstractors should remember
thht afl"l a pcttcd and INDUCED chill
hood he found himself when he came
o. age homGieSs and pennilcss III 4
large city. lie had not friend. lac had
not IA relation VINO cared to own him
except an impoverished widow and her
iitt:c elght-Near- daughter, and he
Lao 70 iSIneSs or professional train
ing With this uupromising beginning
he made himself during The less than
twenty y lars OF his life that remained
10 him-ycarS when he was often cold
often hungry: when lie never had more
than the barest necessities OF lifc-hc
story teller ana presented American
letters WIN ! new form.
N ,im!, ne heeiiongs 10 the wide world,
in him lies in the fact that he was,
TO begin with, a Richmond boy, playing;
River and going to school with other
iiffnimonG boEs and later II was al the
S SH99Mit1r dssk II !he ohi,e Of he
!ouhu nim; Before that he had printed
Two Thin little hooks of poetry and had
snort story The attention attracted
by these earlier efforts brought him
tho position on the Messenger bW his
work in criticism and story writing
Tor the Messenger first drew the eve
Of the country upon him. And Rich
distinction which Poe won for him
self '''
The fame which began seventy wears
ago IN the oilice OF the dngy building
IN lower Main Street has grown stead
~ since then, and is still growing.
Anybody who reads current literature,
must be struck by the frequent allusion
TO Zoe ana his work in books and
periodicals. which shows the live. pres
cnt interest in him
The popularity Of the poems T have
mentioncd has caused other and. per-
maps. inner poems TO he overlooked nv
me average reader. whose attention.
has been riyetcd also by the detective
stories to the exclusion OF the more
beautiful tales Of atmosphere" ana
"conSCicncc."
Mr.. Editor. I sincerely hone tint
some spirited citizen or citizens.
who have the Intelligence to apprcciatr
zoe and the means" TO save this house
IN which his world Widc fame was
born. may respond to your call
" the southern Literary Messenger
building * allowed to go the dav will
surely come when Richmond Will de-
plorc the loss of one of nor mnSt
precious possessions
MARY NEWTON STANARD.
Richmond.