The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-10-13
STATUE UNVEILED IN CHI
CAGO FOR POET TODAY
HOW MONEYS RAISED
Little Folks Gathered Cash To
Pay Half the Cost; Stone .
Is Speaker
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatch.I
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one
night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe,-
Sailed on river of misty light
Into a sea of dew

Chicago, October s.-Eugene
Field, "the c'hi1dren's poet" best
known for the poignant lines Of
his Little Boy Blue" and his series
of lullabies, will take his place to-
day in Chicago's marble hall OF
fame with the unwilling, in Lincoln
Park, Of monument dedicated to
him.
Children of Chicago. through
newspaper subscription funds rails
ed nearly half the cost-the remain
der was donated by the Ferguson
Memorial Fund-and the memorial
fittingly commentaries tine famous
lullabies to which millions of child
rem have been sung to sleep.
A brooding angel is depicted over
two sleeping children, sprinkling
the sand of dreams into their eyes.
Beneath, on one side of the memoir.
iaI, is carved the first four lines
as 'WynKen, Blynken and Nod" On
the otner side OF the sleeping fig.
ures are the opening lines of "The
Sugar Plum Tree.
Have you even heard OF the sugar
plum Iresy
IT'S marvel OF great renown.
it blooms on the shore of the lol-
l1pop sea
In the ga den of Shut Eye town.
A fountain, marble seats and the
brief inscription 40 Eugene Field"
complete the memorial.
The principal speaker at the un-
yelling ceremonies will be Melville
E. Stone, counsellor and former
Press, who brought Eugene Field to
Chicago from Denver in 1883, when
Mr.. Stone was associated with Mr..
Victor Lawson in the publication of
The Chicago Daily News. The poet
remained with The. News until the
time of his death, in 1896, conduct
ing column called "Sharps and
Flats"
Grandchildren at Ceremonies
Two grandchildren OF the poet,
Jean Field roster and Robert Fled
will pull the cords to unveil t.e
monument Willie Slason Thomp5o-
e friend OF Mr.. Fields newspa
days, will preside. The Dutch
laby will be sung by Mrs.
Harrison Slade and the Rev.
liam E. Barton also will Spea
The statute was designed III
ward McCarton, of New YoTA
The children OF Chicago IA
nearly $4,000 of the funds foc il
erection, the remaining $11,0U0 IL
ing donated FROM the Ferguson
Foundation, Which, by its donor.
will, is used exclusively TO erect
statutes in Chieago's public PLACES
Louis in 1850, either on September
2 or September 8. The latter date
is given in the Field family geneal
ogy as the correct one, though for
the greater part of his life the poet
observed the rormer as his birth
day.
His mother died when he was six
years old, and his youth was spent
in the home of his cousin, Miss
Mary F. French, of Amherst, Mass,
years whose happiness he commem-
Grated in his verses dedicating his
Little Book of Western Verse" the
first published volume from his pen.
as paragrapher in st. Louis.
spent a short time in st. Joseph,
went from there to Kansas City, and
then to Denver, where he remained
until persuaded by Mr.. Stone to
transfer to Chicago. His poem,
Little Boy Blue" beginning:
The little toy dog is covered with
dust
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with
And his musket molds in his
hands
is probably the best known Of all
his published verses, and, with his
lullabies, has made his name a
word in America while
the fact that he devoted most of his
most of his published verse origi-
ually appeared in his newspaper
column in Chicago, Denver and
other cities has been forgotten by
many.
a