The Washington times., 1923-05-22
CURFEW AUTHOR
At Il FLAYS
JAZZ
Mrs. Rose H. Thorpe, Who
Wrote Famous Poem, Profit
ed LittIe-Her Views.
By WILLIAM PARKER
COsmOnOtitan News Service,


has knocked poetry for a row of
cooked hats!
Jazzily expressed this is the SEN
timent, though not the words, of
the revered author of possibly the
most popular poem of modern times,
"Curfew Shall Not Ring Tonight !"
That the author of ''CurfeW" is still
alive will come as a novelty to the
younger generation and a pleasur-
able surprise to thousands of per-
sons who many yesterdays ago re-
cited the classic poem, with appro-
pirate gestures, in little red school
houses the country over
She is Rose Hartwick Thorpe and
resides in this city at 1888 Third
street, hale and hearty and mental
ly alert, a living refutation of her
confessed age Of seyenty-ohe.
'England's sun was setting Ger the
hill tops far away
Filling all the land with beauty AZ
the close of one sad day;
And its last rays kissed the fore
head of a man and maiden
fair
these familiar lines parodied around
the world, were written by Rose
Hartwick while living in Litchfield.
Mich, and when she was sixteen
years of age. Oddly enough the
author has never been in England.
Prompted by Story.
The thrilling stanzas were
scratched out in frenzy of inSpira-
ton one evening, while she was sup
posed to be doing her arithmetic.
The poem was prompted by a story
entitled Love and Loyalty" writ
ten by A New Contributor in Peter
sons Magazine, an English publica-
ton which the girl had borrowed
from neighbor.
The poem was originally titled
Bessie and the Curfew." So poor
was the Hartwick family that the
young author in order to copy the
words from her slate wrote them
down on long white paper around
which ribbon had been wound,
waste paper given her by the vii
lage milliner.
'tCurfew'' was contributed to a
weekly poets corner" of the De-
troit Commercial Advertiser The
author received as payment for all
of her poems published by the
Advertiser a years subscription to
this paper. equivalent to $1.50.>
For many years Mrs. Thorpe was
bed-ridden. but continued to write.
Fleming H. Revell, the Chicago
publisher, learning of Mrs. Thorpe's
almost impoverished condition, gave
her employment. Later she came
West. her husbands health having
failed
"Curfew.-" despite its enormous pop
ularity, has not profited it's author
materially to any considerable de-
gree. Her principal source Of in
come is the rent from one-half of a
two-story house. an attractive but
unassuming home in a quiet resi-
dence section of San Diego.
She says she is happy, is a regu-
lar attendant at church and still
does some literary work, pounding
out her thoughts on an old model
typewriter.
Swindled By Publisher.
For many years I had to buy
from publisher every bound copy
Of 'Curfew' / wanted" said Mrs.
Thorpe. IMMERSED in legal matters
and innocent of such a protective
act as a copyright law, the shy
country girl discovered herself in
the odd predicament of being barred
from publishing her own poem be-
cause a printing house had OBJ
tanned in its own name n copy
right on her work. she says.
Il don't do much writing now "
said Mrs. Thorpe. "Problems--an
| invalid father, a motherless girl
who came to me-were the cause of
my putting aside literary anlbi-
tons. Years elapsed and when
did find ! had the time again to
write | discovered I was living in
jazz age. Jazz is terrible. It's
influence is a curse to humanity.
Jazz has utterly ruined poetry.
What is free verse all about?
Carl Sandberg has made recog-
nized place for himself and this
dislike OF mine for his type OF
poetry is only personal--call it
prediudice If you will. am too
mid Victorian to enjoy It,"