The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-04

piled advised1y to the New Enslanders
because they shared in and gave ex-
preston to communal spirit. But
\ Poe was never one OF community: no
! never experienced intellectual compan-
| ionship; he never came under an In
1 spring leader such as Lowell found In
I Emerson. He was. in short. a solitary
! figure"
| In writing of the original inspiration
/ of Poc's poems. IL is stated A"As 1t
stands, it is product of calm perse-
/ verance and sobriety. Poe in daily
routine was of simple. childiike hab-
its and tastes, living for months ut
/ time with apparent contentment upon
frugal fare He was never an habituai
drunkard. but rather regular abb
stainer with irregular lapses. not al
ways to excess, but always in danger
OF excess. He was, moreover fatally
prone to indulge in these iapses mop
portunely, under circumstances tenoing
to do him much harm. such as once
during a visit to Washington, as n can-
didate for a government position. That
piauant irony which is SO, noticeable
in Poes life is not lacking in connec-
ton with this trait. in that theoret-
cally he was a Prohibitionist, and ac-
tually n member Of the Sons OF Tenn
perancc.
Professor Chase says that Poe al
ways preferred the society of women
10 that of his own sex. taking advan-
taKe of his fascination over them, not
as Don Juan. but As 4 philanderer.
1T should not he thought. how
ever that poeS fascination EXTENDED
only over those tG whom he made love
Although it is true that succession
Of broken friendships with literary wo-
slnen resulted i'll his cursing the class,
vet women generally. OF divers tom
peraments, of all ages. anu OIL az ue
vrees OF acquaintance became. ana
usually remained, his devoted admir-
ers Some very sympathetic rcminis-
cences are in the diaries or young Riris'
who saw him two or three times only
and then at friends houses or In pub
lie"
Throughout. the little volume shows
that Professor Chase has made keen
and correct estimate OF Pocs life.
The edition should find an important
place among existing Poe literature.
Those who are interested In the poems
or life story of Poe VIII feao .ne 49,
in its entirety. For those however
who may not, Professor Chase's con
Guiding remarks are we'll worth repro
ducing here:
III is not therefore, in the nome,
! much less in the office or IN society
but in the garnet, as II We're aioiie'
nj work. that the figure Of Poe stands
| out with greatest distinctness. pathos
| and honor In al environment whlcn
| offered not single ray OF intellectual
sympathy or incentive in what was 10
| him as the bread OF life, handicapped
nv pcrverseness. melancholia and pov-
erty, and by training which, in spite
| of school and college. was FOR his own
| line of development. SO chaotic ana
| superficial that he stands conspicuous
| ly forth as self educated. se:t-maoe,
/ Poe pursued for twenty years with
amazing steadfasncss an aesthetic and
| intellectual ideal He never attained
l il. as a matter Of course. But in verse
and prose he recorded the search, pa
| tiently, diligently; and the record OIL
his inquisitive. sleepiess mind mas
proved both an inspiration and text
4 for fellow seekers of the same ideal.
He founded a school OF literary art
which rapidly broke the confines OF
| race and tongue, penetrating TO every
rock and corner of Europe, and every
| where met with response. He is. In MT
! Gosscs phrase. The piper OF H2melin
to all later English poets"
j. II. WITTY
| SIN Search of n Husband"
BY Cora Harris. Doubleday. Page &
| Co. s1.35 net
1t is TO he hoped that Cora Harris
does not believe IL her own book. FOR