Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-05-05
the Birthday of Poet Walt Mason

The man who has cheered count
less numbers of people by his
homeIy ptilosophy--the man who
/ has given more people than any one
Is capable Of knowing a different
perspective ~ who has sweetened
! life for those legions who have been
/ in the depths of discourageme Mt
/ deserves more than a passing men
| ton on the adversary of his birth.
This man is Walt Mason. the EN-
poril poet philosopher, who by MS
keen observations and humorous
adaptations Of tile vagarles OF hu,
man nature, mas smoothed tne roau
of many rugged lives. Saturday'
Nav 4 walt Mason passed his 5ith
anniversary. serene. sweet -natureu,
posses;cd OF Il. keenness OF mentil
yiion and knowledge in its entirety
that is little short or magical
During tire past ten years Walt
Mason has written approximately
"a 600 rhymes and they have Deen
read daily by an audience of ap-
proNimately 100000 people each
working day. They now appear IN
around 200 newspapers daily from
Boston to San Francisco and from
Winniprg to New Orleans No poet
has ever been able to boast record
like this. Even Walt doesn't boast
# Iboast il for him. tIis n rec
ord. however, that l dare say vii!
never be beaten.
His Story4By Himself.
81 was born at Columbus, ont.
MAY 4, 1862. My parents were poor"
| was the fitch of series of six
sons. NV father was n dyer in a
yoolen mill. and was accidentally
Eilled N that establishment when
| was four years old. He was Welsh
and my mouher of Scotch descent
She dido when | was . years old.
Meanwhile. during my childhood, l
had been going to a country school,
and working for farmers, and also
IN the wooden mill. After my moth
er's death iwent to Port Hope,
Ont, and worked in a hardware
store for n year and half drawing
the princely salary Of two ana
hatf dollars a week nd bording my
self When Twas or 10 years old
| vas nearly drowned, and gas
hauled out Of the water, uncon-
scious. hv an elder brother. l have
had defective hearing cvev since,
and it probably is due to this that
never became a merchant prince
Anyhow. / was not a success IN a
hardware store and when / told |
my employer I was going to leave, ,,
he said IL was the proudest and hap |
piest moment Of his life. Having !
severed my diplomatic relations with !
he hardware man, | crossed alike |
Ontario, in 1850, going to New York |
state. where / hoed beans for q |
summer IL was the poorest fun j |
ever struck. Tho soil was stony |
and the hoe was dull, and the sun |
was as hot as blazes, and there |
didn't seem to he any sense in hoe
lnE beans, anyhow. From New YORK
| took my way westward, arm IN
arm with the star of empire.
stopped a while in Ohio. then IN
Illinois. and finally reached st. ol,uis
where | went to work in a prltins
and Kicked 1oo
press through the hottest suinIiIe'
ever invented. There was hunoT-
ouS weekly called the Hornet, IN
81. Louis. and sent some stu't 70
II TIE Hornet printed 1t. ana the
editor wrote to me and asked me
TO cali. He offered ME 50 wefh
TO 60 10 work in the office, Will
ing geuH of thought, reading proof
sweeping floors. and otherwise max
ing myself useful / took the )oo |
and remained with the Hornet un-
I'll it went broke. Not being aDie
10 get another job in st. LOUIS i
went TO Kansas and worked aroun1
the state for three years as hlreu
man. Disguised with that sort OF
work. sRd being ambitious 10 se'
into the newspaper business. / man
aged to get a job with the LeaVen-
worth Times Later 7 became re-
porter IN the 'Atchison Globe, ana
there learned, a great deal that was
useful TO me Prom that time tor-
ward | WIS chasing myself over the
country. and was connected WIN
newspapers in n dozen cities put
always had the idea that the next
town would he little better. and
kent moving around. I was mixing
up farming with newspaper work
in Nebraska for a good many years