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Show THEM LITERARY FELLERS. "Will this nation, ns a nation, nevor do anything for the encourago-mont encourago-mont and reward of" its poets and men of letters?" asks Edmund Bjorkman in an opeu letter to President Wilson, which appears in tho Century Magazine, Maga-zine, .lust at present many of uo wonder won-der why tho nation does not rise up in wrath against our poets and literary lit-erary mon in politics. The nation haB done moro ior our poots and men of letters, than they havo dono for tho nation. Evidently it is Air. Bjorkman Bjork-man 'h idea that ponsionB will make genius grow, where nono grew before. Thero is an old and revered maxim that poets aTe born and not made, it would seem that Mr. Bjorkman takes tho opposite viow and holds that the nation can make poets out of money. Thorc wan nothing obscuro about ".Jim Dludsoe." Even if there had been, John Hay would not havo offended of-fended against poetic canons, but as a statesman John Hay was. obscure, and wo have offending evidence "of it in tho Hay-Pauncefote treaty. Two nalious arc now debating as to just what John Hay meant by his canal treaty, and on this sido of tho water there arc thousands of patriotic Americans Ameri-cans who are profoundly of the opinion opin-ion that John Hay would havo dons his country a servico had ho never abandoned poetry for statesmanship. Then there is Walter Hines Page, onr embassador to Great Britain, who rocontly attempted to be funny and succeeded in making his country 'weep. The nation has been kind to its literary lit-erary men, It gavo high diplomatic '.'s to Irving, Motley, n.iwthorno, TjowW, Bunroft. John Bicclow and William Dean Ho wells. The Wilson administration has displayed a particular partic-ular fondness for thoso whom Sonator Simon Cameron once designated as "them lltorary f oilers." In onr diplomatic service nt this tlmo aro Walter Hlncs Pago, embassador embassa-dor to Groat Britain; Frederick O. Pen-field, Pen-field, embassador to Austria-Hungary; Thomas Nelson Pago, ombassador to Italy; Henry Van ''Dyke, minister to tho Netherlands; Morris Francis Egan, minister to Denmark, and Brand Whit-lock, Whit-lock, minister to Belgium. Perhaps, however, It would be well to adopt Mr. Bjorkman 's idea to somo extent. Whenever starving Jilorary men liko John Hay and Walter Pago insist on boiug inado ministers of Btate or embassadors we might pension them to stay out of tho game. Let us give them liberal pensions and bar thorn from holding offico. |