Show r FiLDa j P P F FI I a 4 Fr 1st t l fr fra a r 1 r lX R 11 L Children s Beloved Poet ill Vill Slee in f hurch s Sh Shadow I I 7 By DE DEWITT WITT J MASON LIEN IEN Eugene ugene Field moved thirty years ears ago last sum sum- sum sum-i 1 fJ W mer to his Ills Sabine Farm Farm IJEN In the outskirts of Chi Chi- Chicago lj Clil cago he said sallI Now that I am here In my own house I shall do better work than ever er before The beloved childrens children's poet assembled his thou thou- thousands thousands thousands sands of books arranged his Ills treasured collection of ot antique bottles old songs bells walking sticks and tops hung on the wall the ax as Gladstone had given gl him laid out Danas Dana's scissors and scissors was supremely happy But nut he died that fall and was buried burled In Graceland cemetery In Chicago Now the Sabine Farm home Is to give gl way to an apartment house also Fields Fjeld's remains are to be removed from Graceland cemetery to a special special- specially specially ly built memorial tomb In the cloisters of the little Iv Ivy clad clad Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter at nt Kenilworth III I It may be that there have been poets not not necessarily better belter poets or more religious ones writes RobertL Hobert L Duffus In the New York Times who who would feel more at home In time the shadow of ot a 11 cloister than would Eu- Eu Eugene Eugene Eu Eugene gene Field Yet the two Incidents to- to together to together gether have their significance The Sabine Farm dissolves Into the time thin substance of ot dreams dreams reams but Jut the memory ot of Eugene Field has not been corroded by the years It may be Le however er that those who pass through the lie Kenilworth cloisters will remember the author of The Plum ken Blyn-ken SugarPlum Sugar Ilum Tree and lyn Blyn- ken and Nod and forget time thc madcap editor and col of ot the old Den Den- Denver Denver ver ter and Chicago o da days s 's the time wild humor humor- humorist 1st who gave utterance to The Tribune Primer the great Jester who lived for the purpose of ot making pose and pretense ridiculous the relentless satirist Eugene Field came of ot a distin distin- distinguished family but hut not of one given to eccentric genius Ills His father ng as counsel for tor the runaway negro Dred Scott made a protest against slavery which for a moment gave gae him na- na national na national prominence Ills HIs mother a women of beauty and charm charm died In when Eugene ugene was only six years old ohl and anil lie he and his Ills brother were brought up IJ byan Jan aunt Mar Mary Field French In n J IIII erst Mass At t fifteen he lie went weal to a school at Monson Ionson Mass kept by Ly a clergyman man and his Ills wife and at eighteen he lie en- en entered en entered Williams college TIle The influences that surrounded him were thus lIms sober sobering ing lag If It not absolutely Puritanical lie left Williams partly because of the death deuth of ot his Ins father and partly be- be because be because cause of the faculty's lack of ot enthusiasm enthusiasm over oyer the prospect of having him any longer lonser lIe He had not committed any unpardonable offenses but hut he lie too plainly lacked that respect for office and authority which was deemed e es- es essential ca Next year he lie entered Knox InnY college at Galesburg III an event e chiefly important because during that year ear he lie began newspaper work wort Ly by contributing to time the Galesburg Register lie He was restless and In 1870 moved rno on to the University of Missouri 1 tit lit Columbia Time The most sl significant thing that happened to him there there was his u Fc Fi H Ho 5 o f meeting with the girl of fifteen who was later to become his wife Ills share of ot his fathers father's estate was A At t the end of the year In Columbia Mo he shook the dust of higher education forever from his feet teet and set off with his Ills friend Edgar Comstock brother of ot the young lad lady with whom hom he was In lobe lo 10 e for tor a hilarious tour of ot Europe From time timeto timeto timeto to time lie he cabled home for money When six months had passed and time tho two adventurers had reached Italy the was nil aU gone II I came home broke he afterward said so I got married Mrs Field was then sixteen Their life together was a happy one She bore him eight children and understood his whimsical whimsical variety of or humor She also managed the family finances finances-a finances a task of which lie he was constitutionally Incapable Their only clashes came when he was caught trying to smuggle home books when money was needed to pay the grocer Field knew that he lie was not In e cr every respect a model husband and liked to tell teU about a n conversation he once had In a n dream with the patri patriarch arch Job It Is true Job was represented as assaying assaying assaying saying that for a long time 1 I enjoyed quite a reputation for being very pa- pa patient patient pa patient tient but now I have to take lake abaci a back backseat seat scat You see sec theres there's a n woman In InI I Chicago named Mrs Eu Eugene ene Field who has lias pro ed herself herselt a lot than I Field had alwa always s 's wanted to be nn an actor lIe He even e bought complete sets of costumes for Hamlet L Lear anti and Othello and amid In 1872 actually went Vent out with a company of other reckless youths youths on a barnstorming tour In June 1873 1573 he lie went to the St StLouis Louis Evening Journal as a n cub re- re reI rc I poi cr and lInd before the year clo closed ell was city editor Subsequently he was city editor of the Gazette of St Joseph a parn for the Hie Journal and the Journal Journal Times In St Louis Louts managing editor of ot the Kansas City Times and then theil In 1881 1851 managing editor of ot the Denver Den Tribune It was In Denver Den that he began Legan to acquire more than local tame not fame merely as ns managing editor of n It lively paper but hut as dramatic critic amid It Is essential to add practical practical practical joker In 1883 1881 he lie was called to Chicago at a n considerable Increase of ot salary to write whatever er he lie pleased for time the Chicago News column lie He took tool over o a n nondescript called Current Gossip which blos bios blossomed soured out on August 31 1853 as ns time the famous Sharps and Flats lu Eugene nc Field die did not tall talk as a n rule In terms of Little Boy noy Blue or The Wanderer lIe Ho saved sa that side ot of his nature mostly for tor pen and paper Yet let It spilled out I 1 always feel like shedding tears lie he said to George Millard one ono Christ Christ- Christmas Christmas mas when I see all those people going home bome with their little gifts for the babies I cant can't help crying It over over- overwhelms overwhelms overwhelms whelms me lie Ile did not have ha to unbend to chil children dren Ue lie understood them because ho looked at the world worM through their ees eyes For him as for them It had hall mys mys- mystery mystery mystery tery I bell believe eye he said In ghosts In witches and In fairies He lIe had the theall theair all air of ot a changeling an air till of ot knowing more than he meant to tell That mummers face as a n friend called It hid more than It revealed lIe He lamented as newspaper men have done dono ever since the time Acta of Rome Home that his job left him Insufficient time and strength A gaunt awkward homely Pa counted on to make people laugh and cry Not even his wife knew perhaps what he was like when the up make-up was off Dana announced a n standing offer ot of double the Chicago salar salary it if Field would come to New York lIe Ho pre pre- preferred preferred preferred to sit In the Record office and let fame find him there If It so desired If A Little Book Dool of ot Western Verse containing much of or his Ills best Lest work ap- ap appeared appeared ap appeared in 1889 1880 and in a n popular edi tIl edition lion tion ion In 1800 so did A Little Book hook ot of Profitable Tales he lie went to England Eng In iii 1880 1589 he found his name n a passport Into Inlo whatever er literary circles he cared to enter He Ile was conscious ot of growing powers of ot larger plans But Ills his health had never been ro 10 robust robust bust and because he hated exercIse was fond of tobacco and pastry and would not take enough sleep It grew worse For years ears lie he fought with humorous hu humorous gallantry the Inroads ol of dys drs- dyspepsia pepsin In 1803 he nearly died of ty- ty ty typhoid fever fexer Ills His heart ga gale gae ga e way and he died in his sleep during the night of November 4 1 ISO 1595 He lIe may have huye felt death coming for lie he had said a afew afew afew few days das before This Is the lying time of ot year lIe He had grown gentler entler and moro more like the childrens children's Eu Eugene ne Field rime rhe uncouth dancing spirit of or the woods was less with him toward to the thelast thelast thelast last Ills His final mood was that In which lie he wrote b by way of ot preface Go Goforth forth little lyrics and sin sing to the hearts of men This beautiful world Is full of ot song and thy voices oles may not be heard at ai but nil all but sing on Oil children of ours sing to the hearts of or men and thy song shall shull at least swell the that universal harmon harmony Gods Cuds love loyc and the sweetness of or hUe liu-i liu manit maulty |