Life — June 23, 1910 — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

1146 My Library 1%. got Mark Twain in flannel and Kipling done in calf, And Keats in full morocco and Tennyson in “half, Robert Chambers bound in linen, with a nice regard for dress And the creases in his trousers, just the pink of letter press On another shelf, above them, full levant and quaintly limned, Is a Hall Caine, uncut copy, deckle-edged and badly trimmed. Next I've got a Lamb in sheep's skin and an Edgar Allan Poe, While my Roosevelt in khaki takes a whole entire row My Bacon I've in paper. where I keep it safely stored With my Stevenson in buckram and my Emerson in board While in cloth Marie Corelli has reposed for many years, Up against an Elbert Hubbard bound in floppy spa I have all the Padded Poets. edges gilt and full embossed, And a few in limp morocco, if the metre’s lame or lost books they say a person Is there any room provided for the books a fellow reads? Frank Hill Phillips The Line in Italics EW books can instr Pegasus sometimes will deny you his neigh; To tap the affatus divine you may choose. But falter for words that will mean what you say— Then tune up your lyre by this method and play, you in wooing the muse. For then you will never be rhyming amiss; The clever ones now make their poetry pay By running a line in italics, like » Rossetti was apt in the use of this ruse, And Swinburne’s lines leaned to the lilt of his | R ing its help found quite hard to refuse. Villon was convinced that the trick was au fait, So why shouldn't you try it on as O. K And thus find acceptances bringing you bliss? You might make yourself be the talk of the day By running a line in italics, like this Don’t grow pessimistic, or sigh with the s. But while the sun shines go to making your hay No odds if your verse ‘a false meter pursues. In fact, it is sometimes impressive that way Pe joyfully gloomy or gloomily g Or work in such words as “ yclept You'll deck your high brow with the laurel and bay By running a line in italics, like this nd “1 wis” ENVo¥ Bards, whether ‘tis verse on the snow or the May, Escape the dour frown and satirical hiss And win the serene editorial “ Yea'’ By running a line in italics, like this! Wilbur D. Nesbit A Novel Rhyme (With apologies to William de Morgan) OSEPH VANCE kissed Alice-for-Short, s the two in the library stood— Can Happen Again, she cried how Good! The Reading cf a Best Seller NE of the customs of all good Americans is to read a best-seller. The best-seller is ostensibly a book manu factured according to a well-known recipe. This book is written by a man trained to the emergency and encouraged by a publisher. The publisher and the in sit down together and concoct the idea of the book, which is made up of mystery, action, dialogue, a few nasty details and a lot of bad English, or American, as it ought to be called. The book is then printed and pages in the papers announce its advent The proud author, who is very rich, waits calmly for an- other ovation. All the virtuous and respectable women in the country then order their husbands to bring home the book, which their husbands do. After the women have read it they hide it in a place where their daughters can easily find it. When the Jaughters have read it it gocs to the virtuous servants The women, having all read it, declare that it ought never to have been written, that it does no “ good,’” and that they hope it will not have a bad influence They then wait in calmness and complete confidence for another, “King Edward and Tobacco thing King Edward did, or helped to do, which had been better undone. By his example he gave to self- indulgent men a license to smoke at all times and everywhere, except where inforceable laws positively forbade. He re- laxed manners in favor of tobacco. It was not necessary. It did not add to happiness. In that particular the late King left_ mankind less considerate than he found it, * Jewelry Galore RS. HOYLE: Covered with jewels, isn’t she? Mrs. Doyie: Yes, it is hard to tell, at first glance, whether she belongs to the mineral or animal kingdom. E prides himself on being a confirmed cynic."* Indeed! Is he as young and inexperienced as all comicbooks.com