Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-18

The Poe house, $50 North SeUenth
street, Philadelphia, as it appears today.
The three-StOry front, added in later
years, tUiU be removed so thai the house
tUiH appear as it did in 1927, chen Poe
occupied it.
climax to Dickens, at which the latter re-
sponded that this man must be possessed of
the devil that no one in the world but himself
knew the denouement When Dickens arrived
in Philadelphia the millionaire English littera-
tuer and the poverty-stricken American genius
met and a strong friendship ensued.
'Poe's highly sensitized self Is so much in
the foreground in the chronicling of his life
and works that one seldom thinks of him in the
terms of an athlete AS a matter of fact, his
early years at the University of Virginia, at
Charlottesville, find him expert swimmer,
excelling in broad jumps and boxer of no
mean ability.
UHIS detective stories, the origin of the pop
ular detective tales of today, were born
Of real detective genius on the part Of the
author. shown in the episode with Dickens. If
he lost anything, personally, he was never salts
field until he had hunted down the source One
might rightfully call him the inventor Of the
detective story. Perhaps nothing appeased the
tricky side of Poes nature much as the sue
cess of The Balloon Hoax With true pro-
phetic genius, Poe told of the perilous fight Of
a balloon, though it were authentic news,
and sold it in serial form to New York news
paper, which itself was hoaxed until the APP
pearance of the third installment. Even
though unrewarded personally. Poe's works
were instrumental in increasing the circulation
Of the Southern Literary Messenger of Rich
mond from TOO to $500, while Burton's Gentle
mems Magazine and its successor, which
merged with Graham's Periodical and was later
known by that name. added $4,000 copies to its
circulation through Poe's literary efforts and
paid him only 500 a month. His Gold Bug
was sold to Mr.. Graham for $50. Graham had
1t for nine months unpublished. The latters
office was in the old Public Ledger Building in
Philadelphia. The Dollar Newspaper, in the
Office below, offered. 800 prize for the best
short story. With Graham's permission Poe
submitted The Gold Bug for which he won
the prize That story was also written in the
garden Of the Poe house. He thereupon re-
turned the $50 to Graham and jubilantly re-
turned home. This is a striking example Of
the authors pride in his own genius. He often
lied about his age, reducing it several years, so
as to appear an even greater genius. At he
showed signs of uncanny ability, and at the age
OF IL some OF his poems were published He
declared himself genius from then on.
Some people doubt that 12-year-old boy
could have written the poems" said the happy
poSseSsor thereof, "but I feel sure of their
origin.
II should say that one of Poes greatest dis
appointments was his failure to own his own
magazine, in which he could use the scientific
precision, the GOODNESS of mathematical demon
stration in the honest If sometimes caustic
criticism of others works. There is no doubt
that Poe was one of the greatest American
critics. Fearlessly criticizing his own works, he
rewrote with passion for self-criticism equal
ing his creative genius. AS an example, he
wrote The Raven three times, each time i'm
proving it vastly
And now, amid the turmoil of a twentieth
century thoroughfare, sanctuary. The Poe
house will stand restored fitting, if belated,
tribute to the memory of that master who wove,
from the loosened strands of sordid realities, the
exquisitely fine fabrics of inimitable dreams.