Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-09-03
DID MUCH IN A LIFE,
THAT ENDED AT FORTY
Neither Drunkard nor Wastrcl Declares Arthur B. Maui
rice i'll September Mentor Magazinc--Drank Lit
tie. but That Little Was Too Much for Him.

NEW YORK. Sept 2-Edsar Allan
Zoe was neither drunkard nor
wastrel SAYS Arthur Y Maurice. In
;he Sertcmhcr Mentor Magazine. Tho
truth about the great American noe,
about whom such fierce CONTROVERSY
has ragged. is that he drank p,tIc
hut that little was too much for him
Their" is no doubt" writes Maui
rice. that, at Intervals Poe resor,cd
TO 'tmuiants, even to drugs But 10
picture him az tho habitual drunllard
or opium eater IS absurd Tic was
SO constituted physically that a sin.
-gle Glass of liquor drove him ON,
Of all self-possession for day. II
not for many days. But consider
what no accomplished in a life that
ended a, forty. There are plenty
OF his manuscripts 10 be seen. Look
ut the handwriting firm. lorlhle. al
most feminine in It's deiicacy. The
hand OF no opium sot nr habi,unI
wallowcr in spirit could have pcnned
those"
g
mat Toe was trailed by financial mis-
fortune from the day he was driven
from his foster-ta;her's house. Tho
child Of strollinE players. he had been
taken int" the family OF John Allan.
Faliimor" merchant. ana educated
IN good schools. Including tho l'n,
NorsitN Of Nirginla. Ho regarded
hlfnsolf as Allaus heir: bu, his hene
factor married a second ti,n.. ana
&C was cut off without a con,
foes following forty ycars were
years of adversely, puuctuatcd win
some happy moments. He lived in
Philadelphia and New York 10
Wsote steadily and was an editor At
Girerent times. In 1875. when he
had taken New York. and Tho conn
Try at large by storm with The
Raven Foe was a social lion. Con-
ternporary accounts OF his modest and
Sraceful conduct At this time are
at odd variance with stories Of his
Feasibility and bad temper
Poe's Romnnrc.
Before coming to New York. Poe
married Virginia GLENN. who was
little more than twelve wears old a,
the time OF marriage Her mother
was Poe's most steadfast friend. and
remained faithful even after the
neath 81 virginia. In the Fordham
r'.taEH. Virginia died. and there was
TAX Of Poe marrying again. Mrs
sarah Helen Whitman, Of providcrco
also Noct. was about 10 marry tho
poet. when friends intervened-Hor
ace Greeley among them-and IN.
match vas broken OF Mrs. Whit
man wrote, our Island OF Dreams"
AS consequence Of their AFFAIR and
believed firmly that "Annabcl Lee"
was Poe's answer. Poe loved many
women. says Maurice. hut the women
OF his poems and tales are dream
women. whom he worshiped rather
than loved.
\ dozen men and several women
have been Poe's historians. some or
them owe all OF their reputation 10
association with Foes name. Women
have been his warmost friands. and
men his greatest defamers Poe was
excluded from the first list OF the
HaU Of Fame because OF his alleged
ihtemp"rancc. Most OF his historians.
nave been concerned more with his
personal habits than with his l!tcra-
ture. which has been the source al,
constant wondcrment to Europ.ans
Ills critics have found him untruth-
tul, unkindly 10 hisi.ftllowi men. lax
IN money matters a;ri intemperate
hut none has disposed OF his extra
ordinary literary gcnlus.
Poe A. Gcnin..
This genius, says C.. Alphonso
smith. head Of the department OF
English al the United states Naval
Academy, lay not SO much in Poe's
ability 10 write horror tales and hc-
witch!ng poetry. hut in his dIscov-
cries OF ne" literary forms lie was