Salt Lake Telegram | 1927-11-19 | Page 11 | "My Own Shall Come to Me"

T My MyOwn Own Shall Come to Me T J i By By DR FRANK CRANE S Way Way back in Civil I war ar days a young joun man named Burroughs wrote some stanzas he lie called Waiting It t was his first and only attempt at poetry For Por sixty years ears after that he wrote books but books but no more poetry Having finished these verses he read them to his friend lend i Walt Whitman Had Whitman not liked hiked the chances are that Burroughs would have torn them up but thanks to Whitman we have one of the most beautiful simple poems in the En- En gush lish language It starts off oft this way Serene I fold foid my hands and wait waH S Ngi Nr or care for wind nor tide nor noi sea S I lave no no more time or fate fate- 5 For Por Foro Jo o my own shall come to m me nie That th thought My Iy own shall come to me mc is the hub lub of Burroughs' Burroughs philosophy lIe He became convinced as s a young oung man nian that his own would come to him him Mm- If f he hustled sufficiently sufficiently and and and events proved pro him liim to tobe tobe too be o absolutely correct Fame Pame came to him and fortune fortune for- for tune une and friends and wisdom Understanding came cameto cameo to o him of er e everything that flies lies or oi runs luns or creeps lie He e could converse COn with sith birds and beasts Nature returned etu ned his love of her and bestowed vision and peace and serenity upon himIn him In a strenuous age when the race to get ahead of f the other othe fellow has ruined our digestions John stayed sweet and sane and calm caIrn lIe He waited f for r his own to conie conte to him S The most strenuous man alan In America was one oneo o ot f those who came to him Theodore Roosevelt wh when n he was president did not command him to the he White House No he steamed up the Hudson on the Mayflower t to meet his beloved John o o Birds Birdson on his hilltop retreat S The greatest inventive genius In the world Thomas Thom Thom- as A A. A Edison came to him The railroad builder E. E 7 H ir Harriman came came to him and carried him off of offo to o Alaska in a special train The industrial wizard lenly Ford came to him These were his friends and playmates They all came to Slabs Ides his bark Covered cabin to sit at his feet and learn wisdom Everybody E came tame Children hundreds Children hundreds of them Girls from Vassar college colleSe Literary men thinkers writers lawyers doctors doctor naturalists college professors professors sors BOrs farm Cann hands they hands they w were v re his own and they came to him from rota all oVer over tile tie world In these days das when the pace of or is so swift and the of grab rab BO so- quick and bitter vve we ne need d the message message of John Burroughs I am ant rem reminded of this poem because just jUit the other day I heard ILsung it IL sung by a new American tenor Thomas Muir For Por years ears poetry lovers have had these verses erses of John Burroughs all to themselves As a poem it has been beena a hou household but now a as a no song song set set to music by Jessie Moore Wise Wise the the famous poem has found new wings Copyright 1927 McClure Newspaper Syndicate Inc I 5 A