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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1905)
9 WwWPHJyfflUW' DECEMBER 15, 1905 The Commoner. 15 THE POET OF A RAGE Several months ago Tlio Commoner printed in the "Homo Department" a IlttlO poem wuiuu uuu uppuuruu previously in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was credited to Inez Z. Parker. The little poem attracted considerable attention and The Com moner received several betters of in quiry concerning the author. Diligent inquiry failed to reveal any news of her and the search was about to be abandoned when a letter was received from Dr. J. W. McClure, of Sedalia, Mo., who knew nothing of the inquir ies being made but thought, and right ly, that The Commoner would be in terested in knowing something of the young poet. Miss Inez C. Parker lives at Rolla, Mo., and is a young negro girl who is among the very few of her race who have been ,able to put down upon paper the rythm and the rhyme that is seemingly a natural attributo of the negro character. She has met with all the discouragements that seem fated to meet one of her race in an effort to get away from the mere humdrum of existence, but she has persevered, and by perseverance and sheer ability has scored many tri umphs. Her poems are meeting with more favor every day, and slowly but surely the circle of those who admire her literary efforts is growing wider. With rare good sense she has avoid ed the mistake so often made by as piring writers and has not gone be yond her depth in an eCTort to do "fine writing." She has confined her ef forts to the homely little things that lie about her, and in this fact lies the chief charm of her verses. Her own hopes and aspirations are to be seen in the pathetic incidents of which she so often writes, and the wellspring of her native humor shines out even though her environment may seem to hold her back. In "Watermelon Time, Goodbye", the reader has a glimpse of this saving grace of humor, and of the inherent traits v which ever peep forth, no matter how hard the writer may try to disguise them: Roses all done faded lack a dream, Butterflies raos' gone away; Pharo' locusts scrape dey squeaky fiddles All de sunny, lonesome day. Birds don' sing no mo' among de trees, Yellow haze is in de sky; Out in de meadows de goldin-rod's in bloom- Watemillion time good-bye! ; Plump Bob White is a whis'lin in de fiel's, Rustly grass is dry an' brown; An' de win' goes throo de yellow corn Whisp'rin wid a mo'nful soun'; Busy spiders spin dey silver threads Way up in de ,air so high; Squirr'ls begin to chatter in de woods Watermillion time, good-bye! Cliryschantums nod dey frizzle heads A dancin' in de breezes chill; Keen win's brings de news dat ole Jack Fros' Is a waitin' jest behind de hill; Trees begin to shiver an' to mou'n, YellOW lftflVPO hoirln te flr. Sun sets 'way aroun' towards de south Watermillion time, good-bye! "Fiddle Tune Pictures" is another delightful bit of verse, for in it one sees the inherent happy-go-lucky char acteristics of the race, mixed with the emotional that always appeals to the beat- U matter in what breast t may upftt to hear dat lil-' of fiddly i'an pap's had it years an' years, An' sometimes when he is playin' Why, his eyes git's dim wid tears Den ag'in, while it's a riugin', You kin hear him sof'ly singin', Den sometimes he'll kinder smile Whils' he play, all do while. All its tunes Is full o' pictures, An' it's somehow got do power To show ev'rything it sing 'bout Ev'ry tree, ev'ry flower, All de Honey bees a-hummin', All do sweet ol' banjo's thummin' All di cabins gleamin' while In de dusk, in de light. Now de mo'kin' bird is siugin In de early blesh of morn, An' de summer wind is whisp'rin'. While it dance wid de corn, Now aroun' de cabin eave Hear de night win sigh an' grieve Lak a sperrit lost an' lone. How it sigh! How it moan! Now de big white moon is sliitiln An' de darkies 'gin to sing, 'Cross de snowy fiel's of cotton You kin hear dey voices ring, Singin' high an' laffln' higher Whils de stars is flashin' fire; An' de honeysuckles white Th'ows perfume on de night. This is but a portion of the often rollicking, often pathetic, little poem, but enough is given to show the clev er word painting of this talented young verse writer. Miss Parker does not deserve praise because of her race, nor because of her environment she deserves it be cause her work giveB a promise of something much better in the not dis tant future. She has much to over come, it is true, because of the con ditions which surround her, but even with this handicap she is making the most gratifying progress In her lit erary efforts, and she Is constantly adding new friends who will help her because she is deserving of their help. luxury such as no one droamod of fifty years ago. The income for a singlo day, over $100,000, would be a welcome endowment for many a small college. Every hour adds to the Rockefeller fortuno a sum almost equal to a con gressman's annual salary. Ho re ceives in fifteen minutes from the money that is working for him, as much as most skillod mechanics cam ' In a year of toll. ' RegardloHB of where nnd how ho got it, the fact standB that ha has it, and that tho Increment from bin hoard Is large enough to be a menace to legitimate industry and commoroe. It Is groat enough to threaten tho subversion of free Institutions. --Alhv nenpollB Journal. y .mm " 1P WKmmL'm I CURED MY RUPTURE I Will Show You How To Cure Yours FREE. I wiia hclplttfl and bcd-riddcii for yearn from n doublo rupture. No trtiM could hold. Doctors Mid I would dlo if not ojtoraled on. I fooled them all and cured mywlf by a. Mmplo discovery." I will rend Uic euro free by mnll If you write for It. It cured me nnd hut since cured thousands It will cure you. Write to-day, Oept. W. A. Colllnga, Loxco A Watertown, f. Y. r 71 THE ROCKEFELLER FORTUNE John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil dividends for the year will amount to $20,000,000, and his income from all sources for 1905 Is estimated at $40,000,000. That sum is not the Rockefeller fortune, bear in mind, but the accre tions of a single year. "Frenzied finance" would capitalize such an in come for a par value of a billion dol lars. Rockefeller might spend and give away $40,000,000 in a single year, and be no poorer at the end of the year than at its beginning. He doesn't spent 1 per cent of it, and in all his years of giving ho has never gotten rid of as much as he is taking in this year. The money is simply piling up, adding to the vast hoard and increas ing the enormous power of one man. Taxes levied in the state of Minne sota for a year amount to $20,000,000. This sum supports the state govern ment, all the state institutions, all county government, all of our cities with their special assessments, supports-all our schools, and pays the expenses of townships and road work. The Rockefeller income is twice the income of this great stater Minne sota has the greatest permanent school fund of anv srate in tho union, now over $16,000,000. Rockefeller could sunnly two such endowments out of hs "annual income, and still have $8,000,000 for pm money. Such figures are beyond the com prehension of ordinary mortals. Re ducing them to lower terms will make it easier. Rockefeller's income for a w4k is very near $800 000. That t ,r wmiirt Aflfamisn a iam- ilv in wealth and social position for all time to come, If conservatively invited. The incomo from that $800 000 would keep Its possessors in ETrnm nnn until (. i..,.ull.iL r- l. . it it i .j; . .w.,, nvn mikii nc iwciiuciii oj ucccmucr ib ine time io mar- jjj ket your poultry. Send In your name and address as soon ao V $ possible so we can send you tags, dressing and shipping inotruc- tions and prices your poultry will bring. We guarantee sale at jg 17c or better on dressed turkeys, or will pay 16c for fair No. 1 ? turkeys, received this week, laid down in Chicago, no commta- J j sion off. We also want feathers, furs, rabbits, game, chickens, J & ducks, and geese. Write for tags. $ EDWARD HURD & CO. 1 190 So. Water St. Chicago, III. if A Holiday Suggestion A remembrance that is not extravagant in price and yet rich enough that you will not be ashamed to see your gift compared with others Gladstone Said : "Books arc a delightful society. If you go Into a room anil find It full of books, without even taking them down from their shelves, they seem to speak to you to bid you welcome. They seem to tell you that they have got something Inside their covers that will be good for you, and that they arc willing1 and desirous to Impart to you. "Another purpose of books Jh to enlarge tho mind, to braco the mind, to enable the people to find pleasure, not only in the relaxation of literature, but in hard work, in the stiff thought of literature. Tho hard work of literature conveys to those who pursue it in sincerity and truth, not only Utility, but also real enjoyment." "Under Other Flags" By William J. Bryan EUROPEAN TRAVELS, LECTURES, SPEECHES This book Is a compilation of Mr, Bryan's reports, describing his European tour and a number of his most popular lectures. His European letters arc four teen In number, descriptive of tho tariff debota In England. Ireland and Her Leaders, Franco and Her People, Tho Switzerland Republic. Germany and Socialism, Russia and Ucr Czar, "Tolstoy, tho Apos tle of Love," together with other and equally Inter esting accounts of Mr. Bryan's trip abroad. Under Other Flags, Neatly Bound In Cloth, 400 P. Octavo, Postage Prepaid ........ $1.25 With The Commoner One Year ..... $1.75 AGENTS WANTED Address, The Commoner, Lincoln, Neb.