Year: 1866

OF the labors and pains of literary
composition many amusing stories are
/ told even of and by illustrious authors
/ Easy reading is rarely easy writing
and many of the smOothest, best and
apparently simplest things in literature
have been whipped out of laggard and
reluctant brains only by perseverinR
patient lashing. Tom Moore said be
had something on his mind for two
weeks, and the result was eight lines
IN Iallah Rookh 1t was not the Sc
lection of the words that troubled him


but, as he averred, 1t was the ''senti


ment that wouldn't come out" SAKE


our best comic poet, once remarked
on the birth of an exquisite couplet OF
his, after a days drive in the air, be
called in his wife and children to con


gratulate him on his safe delivery
The late Park Benjamin relates an
amusing incident, illustrative Of this
sort Of thing, In the joint experience
of himself and Horace Greeley as
editors of a weekly journal a long
while ago. The hour for going to
press had come: the editors were to-
gether in their room. and were uneX


pectedly summoned for more COPY.
Surprised and vexed, they looked al
other a moment, sat down at desks
facing each other, took up their pens
and-Went to work. But DOt a stroke
was made by either party for full 20
minutes. There we sat" said Ben


jamin, like a couple of stupid boobies


but we were too seriously anxious for
an idea to appreciate, at once the alb
surdity Of our position. By and by
the foreman came in and made a thiro
starer, but he saw our dilemma, and
being a kind man, and not given t.
rude oaths, as foremen generally are
he quietly stepped out and left u
alone in our glory. We peered intent
lv into one anOther's faces for five o.
ten minutes more, when Greely jumped
up and shuffled off his " white coat as
he suspected there was vermin In the
lining. [ ventured to say, "Hod, ]
think they want some copy immedi-
ately" Give EN- some, then" wa.
the sharp and uncivil rejoiuder. ]
bent down over the desk aud held my
pen Ia a threatening attitude, ready to
pounce upon the semblance Of
thought or hint of a subject that dared
to enter the portals Of my Uranium
But not solitary suggestion poked
its head within the trap so carefully
set | wrote my name with the zorro
ding instrument of torture, and rubbed
out the marks with the little finger OF
my right hand [ was disgusted with
myself, and considered the blot as al
emblem of my emptiness. I caunof
tell how long it was before I looked NJ
but when I did, there sat Greeley like
a statute, with a phiz like a weeping
Madonna. Good God r. I exclaimed
this won't do, Hod." Simultaneous
ly we dipped our pens into the double
mouthed inkstand and began to write.
We did not pause until we had finish
ed respectable sized leaders; and then
we learned there was a remarkable
coincidence in the choice of our sub
jects. Greeley had a crusher on PRO
crastination, aud I had a remarkably
bitter denunciation of those persons
who were guilty of Haste" When
the battle was fought and won, the
partner came round and shook baud,
with me before he put on his coat, and
went out and took a drink. The
fact is that stuff was curdling in our
brains all the time that we we're so
n-plUssed."