Eugene Field, a Study in Heredity and Contradictions - Volume 2

act that a copy of this rare pamphlet recently sold for $125 as proof that it is still his most valuable contribution to literature, his first genuine

n was so limited that it scarcely amounted to a bona-fide publication. Neither did the form of the "Primer," a little 18mo pa

they pleased." This is scarcely just to Mr. Ticknor. Field himself, to my knowledge, selected the matter for "Culture's Garland," and arranged it in the general form in which it appeared. He then delegated to Mr. Ticknor authority to reject any and all paragraphs in which the bite of satire or th

RE'S

he Gradual Rise of Li

in Chicago

rn Ga

NE F

Introd

n Haw

of himself; the symbolic emblem, which takes the place of a dedication, was a string of link sausages "in the similit

nts at the end of the volume are its best feature." These were introduced by a letter from

June 26

, the prominent advertising bureau of the West, I desire to contribute one page of advertisements to this work, and I am prepared to pay therefo

e cause of

J. BOS

sbyshe

a Publisher's Note, wh

ecognize the exceptional nature of the case and the fine literary character and high

y of either the pretensions or the foibles herein exploited. Laugh, but look to yourself: mutato nomine, de te fabula narratur. It is a book which should, and doubtless will, attain a national popularity; but admirable, and, indeed, irresistible though it be in its way, it represents a very inconsiderable fraction of the author's real capacity. We

ilessly, had their innings, and as Field had not then conquered the popular heart with his "Little Boy Blue," his matchless lullabies, and his fascinating fairy tales and other stories, "Culture's Garland" was left to cumber the shelves

cazerni della

zoni quel' antis

tra

uces to a fe

ame and goodly

as

death: when we

e-we take an

an

the week they were published: "I think they will create somewhat of a sensation; I have put a good deal of work upon them." All the pieces of verse read by Field at the Indianapo

ERCIF

y life the po

constant

e weak of

y shall

hall never

for ki

ands the bl

us alms d

walks the l

my good

e deaf wi

st words

h pious wor

deligh

r fellow-crea

e their M

Dr. Watts, because, forsooth, he could not comprehend how the dumb could call, the blind see, or the lame

re to achieve an immediate popular success. I, for one, am glad that so late as December, 1893, and after he had tasted the sweets of popular applause, with its attendant

Nearly all of his tales were written over and over again with fastidious pains before they were committed to type. Every word and sentence of such stories as "The Robin and the Violet," "The First Christmas Tree," "Margaret, a Pearl," and "The Mountain and the Sea" was scrutinized and weighed by his keen literary sense and discriminating ear before it was permitted to pass final muster. In only one instance do I remember that this extreme care failed to improve the original story. "The Werewolf" ("Se

position. His study of old English ballads started him about this time on the production of a truly remarkable series of lullabies, while his w

was Egypt

uor of t

in her pe

ey in he

ch of the same year. One day in April, in 1889, Field surprised and delighted the readers of the News with the publication of the following amazing array of verse in one issue: "Our Two Opini

is broadside of verse was received encouraged Field to a still greater tour de force, upon the preparation of which he bent all his energies and spare time for more than three months. What Field described in a letter to Cowen as "The 'Golden Week' in

OLDEN

TH-20TH

15, "Prof.

" "Poet and King," "Alaskan Lul

"The Conver

o My Old Coat," "Horace's Sailor and Shade,"

iry and Child," "A Heine Love S

ocation," "Child and Mother," "The Bibliomaniac's Bride

tters which his guardian, Mr. Gray, kindly placed at my disposal, I find the following bearing on "The Golden Week." It is written from the Benedict Farm, Genoa Junction, Wi

shall do better yet if my life is spared. We are rusticating here by the side of a Wisconsin lake this summer. Farm board seems to agree with us and we shall in all likelihood remain here until September. I have been grievously afflicted with nervous dyspepsia for a month, but am much better just now. The paper gives me a three months' European vacation

tiona

NE F

ily News, as the "Sharps and Flats" column through the summer of 1889 shows. In a letter written from the Benedict Farm during the Golden We

ve become a veritable terror to the small fry in which the lakes of this delectable locality abound. My books will be issued about the first of August; they will be very pretty pieces of work; I shall send you a set at once. My western verse seems to be catching on; I notice that a good many others of the boys are striking ou

of verse and tales, the copy for which had not, when he wrote the foregoing, all gone to the printer. His ide

retirement from the staff of the Daily News, to assist in the foundation of the weekly political and literary journal called America. It was through my persuasion that we secured from Field his now famous "Little Boy Blue" for the initial number of the new periodical. Many stories are extant as to how this affecting bit of child verse was written, and many fac-similes of copies of it in Field's handwriting have been printed as originals. But t

ith his consent, made the change in the seventh line of the last verse, that may be noted in the fac-simile. With my interlineation th

"The Holy Cross," and "The Three Kings." The most remarkable of these was undoubtedly "The Shadwell Folio," which ran through two issues of America and afforded a prose setting for the following proofs of Field's versatility: "The Death of Robin Hood," "

d hair trunk by Colonel John C. Shadwell, "a wealthy and aristocratic contractor," while laying certain main and sewer pipes in the cellar of a deserted frame house at 1423 Michigan Street, Chicago. This number would have located the cellar well out in Lake Michigan. Colonel Sh

l folio, are genuine old English ballads, composed by English balladists, and illustra

er pigskin nor sheep, but genuine calf, and undoubtedly the pelt of the or

culture had an ancestry, and that our present civilization did not spring, as riba

not to exceed 500 copies, and at a cost of $50 per copy, or,

ed that all the poems in this Shadwell folio are purely local; quite a number treat of historical subjects." Of the poems in the first half of "The Shadwell Folio" I am able

g to Field, we get a "pleasant glimpse of

r, gossip,

his plais

de counsel

at we sip

cool and

cing of

the pastur

where grun

Tom, my son

ies in h

minds to m

er waitin

boys and gi

hath wil

Tib hath g

none fol

chores ben

ath fed t

e village

and sing t

g crowd the

and Ti

s in echo

hbour, sha

Frank in go

in sooth

teers and ho

what mak

trees and bl

progressi

that counts (

f piggs an

, let us f

, porke a

coming year

es world

nd braw a s

oule ne

e huskier wen

ghbor, sh

s patient Grissel (erroneously pronounced 'Gristle' in leading western circ

OST S

lake, benea

somer

a faire Ch

ting sore

here can W

waly! wo

im off on

'tis A

pon ye sl

e me to

chippe bear

waly! wo

she ben as

clave

hold she

wn pelts

hey all of

waly! wo

yt saile un

no plaisa

f them ben

gle, slabs

chipp-say, w

waly! wo

ne ben lode

Belle w

ck ben Ffu

er carn

pelt nor

waly! wo

hippes bring

ring hams

ng garden tr

rings pelt

y Willie's

waly! wo

ye faire C

e shad

oft whiles

to come o

, "Waly, w

harte did br

f his well-known "Ailsie, My Bairn," and the exquisite "Old English Lullaby," contained "a homely little ballad," as Fie

iods of archaic English. The version which appears in his "Songs and Other Verse" is his first attempt at versification "in pure Anglo-Saxon," as he s

which we spent much thought and consumed endless luncheons of coffee and apple pie. As I have intimated, Field was quite piqued over the cavalier reception of "Culture's Garland," and was determined that his next venture in book form should be between boards, a perfect specimen of book-m

lected list of my friends, as well as his, will bes

TE CI

February

ted edition of my work in verse and in prose. Negotiations for the publicati

e volume (300 pages) of tales and sketches. These books will be printed up

200 sets (each set of two volume

hundred (100) shares are offered to my personal friends at ten do

it before March 25th, with money-order, draft, or check, to Mr. Slason Thompson, editor of "America," who

ncerely

NE F

ng blank addre

resenting my subscription for ________ share in the t

____

____ P.O

of the proposed publication and wrote asking to be allowed to subscribe. The largest single subscription was for five shares. There were three for two shares, and all the rest were for one share each, many echoed the "Certainly! and glad of the chance," which was Stuart Robson's response. F.J.V. Skiff, Field's old associate on the Denver Tribune, added a postscript to his order, say

en. There were only some half dozen bibliomaniacs on the list, for Field had not then become the poet, torment, and idol of the devotees of rare and eccentric editions. To remind them of the unusual opportunity they missed, let me recall the negotiations for the making of this original édition de luxe, which was not published for profit, but as an example of the excellence of simplicity and clearness in printing.

MASS., Febr

THOMPSO

r that we can find. We have doubts about finding enough of the 5 x 8, but think we can that of the 5 x 7?. We prefer the former. If the edition is small-say 100 or 150-we can, we think, scrape up enough of the 5 x 8. The size

o execute the work. Hopin

espectfu

ILSON

ires, and also of our means, I again communicated with

, April 4

shioned Roses" (printed on English hand-made paper which I had sent them). To-morrow we shall send you a specimen (printed), also a specimen of another paper which we used some time ago on an éditi

ATE N

(say 500 pages in the

for plates,

swork (2 vols.), 66

20/28, 20 ream

00 (2 vols.) 25c. Parchme

es, sa

76

ts. an hour. (The estimate

of these papers have the

ok in the best style, and of A

tfully

ILSON

d in favor of No. 1, though we had to economize on everything else to get the job done within the $1,100 we had in bank before we gave the order. The No. 2, having a softer surface, would have given us a better printed page, and its cost would have enabled us to embellish the edition with a steel

I received the following note from the printe

rsity

ASS., Octobe

THOMPSO

r bill for printing and binding P

the copyright, and when the certificate is received, will send it

volumes, and hoping that the author and his friends may be g

tfully

ILSON

ers have never wearied in their admiration of their contents. Every cent of the fund subscribed for these books went to pay for their printing; and as Field s

he best he ever wrote. Much that he rejected at that time went to make up subsequent volumes of his works. The popular editions from the subscription plates of "A Littl

ak thee ill, let him bethink him that thou