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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 1881)
July, 1881. THE WEST SHORE. 195 MISS COOLBRITH'S POEMS. It baa long been a matter of lurprit among person of literary tut that the poem of In D. Coolbrith, contributed during the laet 12 yean to various Californian and Kutera peri odicals, have never been proaenUd to the pub lio in a permanent form. Their rare intrineio merit, and their marked individuality, greatly diitinguUh them from the flood of ephemeral verie of the average magaxin standard to sug gest and Justify the desire, which has been widely felt ana frequently expressed, to soe them collected in a volume. Those who are endowed with the taste and feeling requisite lot the full appreciation of suoh rare poetio gems as "A Perfect Day," "A Prayer for Strength," Beside the Dead," "In Illueeom Time,' "Meadow Larks, " and "The Mother's (Jrief," oould not willingly see them oonsigoed to the oblivion which is the natural lot of the great bulk of fugitive poetry. For it has been deeply felt by thousands of thoughtful reader that these eiquisite "fragments of song" are broadlv discriminated from that olaas of agreeable and polished metrical production which, after af fording a momentary pleasure in the perusal, are laid by and forgotten without a regret, having stirred no emotion, and awakened no thought, vital enough to give) birth to tlie wish to make them part of our permanent house hold treasure. They are not like the greater portion of oontemporary magaxio verse, th product of mere culture and poetio feeling, stimulated by literary aspiration. Tbsir inspi ration oome " from th Mmnf wlllod Iht andean That forever Wrolk lth the UJea t4 Kate ; From Ilia vix-k of hupaa far acalUred Ttmpaet aha lured Floating wlile and daaoUle ; K'tt dnllinf, drilling, drilling Od thf thlllli's Current o( lit raailaae heart. Till at lMi(th la buuka reounled, They Ilk huanled llousahuld surds no own depart. Miss Coolbrith 's earliest poetio I effort ap peared anonymously in daily and weekly pa pers, chiefly those of Han Francisco as a Los Angeles. Of her nisturer poems, published under her own name, some Hrst made their ap pearance in th California, while edited by (.has, II. Webb, but the greater part in th Overland Monthly, to which she was a constant and most valued contributor during th entire period of its too brief existence. A few were first published in th OaUuy, llarvtr' Wttkly, and other Kutera periodicals. Many of these poems hav been sxtr naively oopied in various Amerioaa and English publications, obtaining for their author a wider recognition than has been won by any other California poet, with but single sxosplioo. It baa been aid that Mis Coolbrith s reputation bat be oome national; and if by Hi is it l meant that her poems hav met with warm and loving ap preoutioo by Urge class of cultivated minds m every part of the oountry, th declaration la not exaggerated. They are too thoughtful, though, aod too (troogly imboed with that an lumbal penaivenea engendered in 000 Urn illa tive minds by theexperianors of life even when that life has not been on in which ther be been more of shadow than of sunshine to loach th eord of superficial feeling. Hut ther is no trao of morbidness ia this pensiv quality of Mia Cooluirth't verse quality which ia not soilness, tboagh it bu been characterised as such by an Kaetera critic, and which U e4 ekla an oua, Rial raaaaalilaa anrv-e eely As Ifce riaaaUlio Ike rsia Her mas bas all th wholesome sweetaeea, a well a the aaster reierve, of Wotdsworthf or vea of George Herbert wbos very (pint breaths ia th exquisite little poem, ''A per foot Day." Indd, lb peculiar chana of the poean to on that, whiU it will auk theta preooea to lb lovers of 'the higa awl lewder a" invoked by Wordaworta, it not likaly to be felt by those who relish th mor popular literature of th day. It baa recently been determined by Miss Coolbnth's friends to publish, with bar consent, aa etliuoa ol ber poema by subsonptioo, ander such arrangement that the entire nrooeetls, abov th actual oost, may be secured to the author. Th volum haa been printed by J. II. Carmany k Co., of 8an Kranoieoo, on the tineet quality of paper, with typography and binding in oorreationding style of xoelleuc. The prioe will be 2.00 per oopy in cloth or ders will, however, be taken for extra binding in any style desired. It is hoped that th publication may meet with suoh a reception as will be worthy of the fame of th people of California for test and liberality, and will secure a substantial testi monial to one who bat reflected to much honor upon California literature. DrmtMiMD Sucrnm. Ths writer who talk of th great things that may b achieved by a determined will by an intense, continuous act of volition to do and to b such aod such a thing forget that this power of willing strong ly is, to a Urge silent, a gift of nature, and as rare aa any other good thu ia th world. As a sensible writer sayit "A man llari on bis career with a tacit understanding with himself that hs is to rise. It is a atep-by-step progress. II probably hat no diatiuot aim. It U only In book that h resolves from the Hrst dawning of ambition to beoom owner of such an estate, or bishop of suoh a see. Hut h means to get on, and devote hi powers to that end. He fixe bis thought beyond immediate self . indulgence, ohooee hU friends a thsy will help tbe main design, falls in lov on th same pnuulple, and habitually deferring to a vague but glowing future, learn to work toward it, aod for Ita saksto b aolf-donying and long-sighted. His lasuuou quicasm n out lurid leeiert. which men, who take their pleasure from hand to mouth, hav no aa fur) h live ia habitual caution, with aa y always to ths main ohanoe. Thus, h refine and euhaoor Hist natural die oration which double the weight and value of very other gift, and yet keep them on aa en obtrusiv Uvel, leaving ibell th most notabl quality, till he U anlveraally pronounced the man mad to gat on by people who do not know that it U a steady will that ha mad and kept him what h to." Wokkixu Um.xa Vat, Mr. Klaus, of Portamouta, Knglaad, baa recently devised a aew apparatus fur eaabling perenn to work under the water and ia th preeeaot ol noxious sue, horn praotioal appfioatloaa of th mer it of the devioe wer recently given, lis lake below with bint a supply of concentrated oxy gen ia a small reservoir which i slung oa hi back lik a knapsack. At every respiration front tbe tank, which) to afleotsd by mean of a tab aad mouth pieoe, th exhausted gee, alur being strained throogb a sponge saturated with oanstM soda, re larva to tit teak, lb impure ingredient nloa being permitted to escape. I a tin way he eea remain aader water fur (oar hours, aad eaa penetraU to situation which are impoesibl to aa ordinary diver, who to aom pelted to dreg a lengthening pip al vry sUp, aod to always liabU to the danger of getting ee taagled with tbe mean wbleh supply bint with air. When catering aa aUampbere charged with amok and pnaaranoa caw, Mr. Klaus diveet himself of tbe diving sVraaa, biaoaly pro. tawtsoa being light- filling am rings for bat eye aad aoetrtla. Tan provided, Mr. Ktoaea La goo aabarmed through fast ef tit deasssl aad moat pungent deecrlpttua. A frl rrirriT qeaetloa t rVjulr ' daeghter " What to Una w bear about your fattier aad mother quarreling to, Peggy T' I'rgfy "They've each bad a lilile money bit eta, Mie. aad I laiak feylbar be wanU tlx lot. Anyway, they oaa't acre nohow whether bar mooey It his a, or kia btf, or bis'a aad bar barn. "THERE WERE TEARS OS HIS CHEERS." " Lord bleat you, but I kal never given Mm a eanmid Innkl I knew that he era Wrw, glan, alow but solid, hardly able to apeak a word of Kngliah, and I aever cared whether be had a relative on earth, IVbap it looks a bit hard hearted in me, but 1 am driven from atorntug till night, and I must driv th ain under me. When I want a hod-oarriet I look fur nmsule, and when 1 hav found mntol I don't look fur ther for sentiment." "How did th aocldent bapo?" "II stopped off th scaffold." "Aod to badly hurt?" "Yee, though 1 think bs'il pull through. Any man might hav blundered aa h did, but (intra I've learned bow It was with bim 'v 11 1 womanish in my heart," "How was ill" "Well, h bail Just got hit bod (tiled with bricka dowa ther when two or three of kla countrymen earn along and told bim that hie baby boy wa dead. They bail Just om from hit house oa Itossell street to bring bim th new. II earn np on Hi scaffold with hi hod, probably intending to aotlly m ol hi af fliction. Hit ejee mutt hav been full of tear, aod a b ltped out h mlesed his dial an oe and want to th ground. Ther Wat tear oa hi sheek whea w picked bim up, and th only word b uttered wa to speak hi dead boy's nam. I bad lonkei apoa bim euly as aa old Norwegian, but 1 found that h wa a hat band and father, a man with lov aad faith, a father who went bom at night to too with kla baby and kia th wlf who bed left all behind to follow bim over th , aod I tall yoa I feel lik asking bit furglvsuse aad doing all I eaa to eoftea the grief which bs some apoa bis humbl bom." MroU Frt Vets. Till Won' Kiiahb. Woman's thara la Influencing maa to pronounced and clearly de fined from th beginning of life. Th mother et ber liiipres apoa ber boy, On expect to bear of a great aad good maa that hi mother wu serene, strong, aod full of faith. Mea srs Insensibly wrought apoa everv day by th women of their houenrolil. If yoa br a young man sprak lightly and flippantly ( saored things, it yoa obeerv la bim a biwnee of too and Impurity of sentiment, which )tr upon and tlna vou, and, tv all, if yoa know that b baliltually think of woman a hi infs rior, doubting bar Mncerlty, ymi may rl as sured thst h bst not Iwea awUr the moulding hand of wis aad tweet woman. Hi mother bu been shallow and aalflah, hi sister hav been Irivohm and bile, or hit Wlf I Vela and silly. Hut th woman wh marrte a maa to aot th womaa who make him strong and CrUntial a to ber wifely Uflueaoa. Mb eaa lenslfy bit self esteem, eisll bat prbU, ifl brood lis blank fr-it oa bif deslree alter (iod, Hot tbe set, tbe trend, the Mart la hi eaa wa given partly befort birth, la th tamuaf aad tpirit of hi mother oisuh la rVe early day whea he Uy a helplse babe ia ber happy arms. A New Aar Pnoitx A earioa dU, whereby picture of varloa kind ar barnl oat oa a pi of ordinary-looking rose eo lor d paper, bs bee Uuaght out by a Iterlia mar. eluwil, lierr IWrgel, Yoa apply a gbiwiag mat b al tw Baaly peffuttlsd putala, aad tbe park aommaatoaaett Ibea beg'a graidaally to move evaf lb paper, working out too panUro. S either leave II pmr peiii, ax injeret the peper beynexl, aevl wba lb ad of the path to reaohed, Ibe epark goe out, A aegattv aad poeltiv ar tbita oiiiaiaeal, after tbe maaoer of eilboaette. Th ualrtvaae prove highly teruiaiag. aad may be aipbyl for edaeak Uooel parpaae. A sti r LKiatriso pip to U Uleal Yaaka aa tUa. It will b roagb ea tbe orposUo Ubarer If it ever aosae lata general aae, lor Ibea IbeyH kav to taveet am ether lot atepptaf work very v miaete.