Evening star., 1925-11-01


~ Off her sport hat, and said
4 n We'll, boss, it's time to write
the weeks ramble, so let's so
10 it, She IS n woman of young looks
. ana Is three thousand years old. Like
;lll women of that age, her complexion
- fresh and her spirit gay. Many
pictures of this woman show her wear
ing laurel wreath instead of a sport
nat and carrying n roll of papyrus
instead of cane. Her name is Clio
and authors call her Muse of History.
After pOwdering her nose, she said:
Let me see, We left off last Sunday
in the middle OF the history of David
Rurnes. You We're defending him
against the charge that he was a
Canny Scot or any kind of a Scotch
man. The charge had been brought
by historians not members of His
torians' Union, No. /, L. \. l.. NJ
mred Association of Literary Me
chanics. We were saying that his
torlans know nothing about history
and that David Burnes, having been a
good spender, could not have been a
ScotChman.
We'll. it's up to us to get busy with
the story Of David, Anne and Marcia
BurneS, So let's tackle the job The
Sunday editor jumps on your neck
every week because you are late with
=
Clio continued: There's another
thing I want to talk to you about. You
are not using enough adjectives in
Your work. People esteem writer's
who heap on adjectives no matter
whether they mean anything or not.
Your style is dry. You ought to throw
in more froth and frenzy. Write a
sentence like this: While the shining
Shimmering mOonbeamS winged their
mellow golden flight through the
solemn souShing pines, which whis-
1'ered sleepy and somnolent lullabys
To the somber shadows of the night
there came with furtive. stealthy,
creeping tread memories of the happy
haicyon days of yore when YOU and
] held hands beneath the sheltering
houghs of the spreading. graceful nod
ding branches of the stalwart. stern
majestic oak That's the style that
makes a reader gasp and say: Amt he
y grand writer! SO descriptive, don't
you know, So clear in his expression"
Yet YOU sit here and write sentences
IN which a man may find the subject
the object direct and the object in
direct! Just as though readers know
what those things are. You'll never
Get nowhere as writer unless you
ebuse language as the best writer's
Go it."
Clio" said, ''it aint in me. If my
style gives pain to the fellows who
read il, they can write their kicks
10 the office and I'll go back to my
old trade of laying brick instead of
words"
Lighting my pipe and handing a
cigarette to Clio, said: clio. old dear,
l will not need You today. I will not
write bit of history. L just want
TO chat with those idle fellows who
read me and hand them some letters
that came TO the Rambler. So, Clio,
you may beat it and take in a movie"
x x y ::
SOME letters to the Rambler give
- information. Most of them ask il.
Many of the letters run like this:
Dear Rambler: My ancestor set
fled in the American colonies some
where between the St. Lawrence
IiFer and Point Lookout. His name
was Smith. VIII you be kind enough
70 tell me what he paid for his planta-
tlon, who he married and who his
grandchildren We're? There is q tradi-
ton in the family that he fought
under William the Conqueror, also
under Napoleon Bonaparte. and that
he was soldier under Lord Corn
wallis, thereby helping to win the free
dom of America. a neighbor of mine
on the next block who is a sign paint
er has painted my ancestors coat
of-arms, and if this will aid You in
Your researches you can come to the
house and look at it. / inclose a
2-cent stamp for the information"
Many letters come TO the Rambler
which he is glad to have. They help
him in his work and are suitable
Yor this column. Read this:
The Rambler. Dear S.r:
j. E. Dow. whose signature YOU
ere doubtful about in today's ramble,
was evidently Jesse Il. Dow, the poet
At one time he was editor of the
Daily MadisOnian, a Tyler organ.
wouldn't it be pleasant and profit
able to ramble with some OF those old
literary lights of Washington? Dow
was great friend of Edgar Allan
Poe's. In their little circle was r w
Thomas, author of Clinton Bradshaw
Howard Pinckney' and other popular
novels of that day and generation.
Another was J. =. Kennedy. member
of Congress and author of Horseshoe
Robinson Another was Robert Tyler,
son of the President and occasional
verSiter, whose work appeared in the
public prints. They used to hold
7orth-at least some of them--at
Fuller's Hotel wherever that was ION |
Pennsylvania avenue. The Willard
covers the site)
Speaking of hotels, l was Informed
some years ago that the old Casparis
House, which stood in what is now the
Capitol grounds. in the neighborhood