Edgar Bllan Poe. bert A. Wilmer, proprietor the Baltimore Saturday Vi itor, offered two prizes as follows: for the best tale in prose, one hun- Gred dollars; for the best poem, fifty dollars, Among the tales sub- mitted, was a collection of half fe dozen neatly written in a small volume, and entitled “Tales of the Folio Club.” ‘These proved so en- ing that, it is said, the com- mittee of award read the entire number from beginning to end, and found their only difficulty in choos- ing which of the six should be en- titled to jum. Finally, one “MS. Found I the summer of 1833 Mr. Lam- thy not only of the prize but also of a certificate of flattering praise. 285Edgar Allan Boe. “The Coliseum” was awarded the second prize as the best poem, but when this was found to be the work of the same writer the second award ‘was transferred to another compet- itor, ‘The judges in this contest were Dr. J. H. Miller, J. H. B. Lae trobe, Esq., and John P. Kennedy, Esq,, the author of « Swallow Barn. The author of the prize tale proved to be a stranger to the committee. ‘The publication of the report of the committee led to an interview be- tween Mr, Kennedy and the un- known author, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. Of this meeting we get the following account in Tuckerman’s “Life of Kennedy.” “The prize money had not been paid, and he ‘was in the costume in which he had answered the advertisement of his good fortune. Thin and pale even to ghastliness, his whole appearance ndieated sickness and the utmost destitution. A well-worn frock coat concealed the want of a shirt, and 286 Edgar Billan Boe. imperfect boots disclosed the sence of hose, But the eyes of the young man were luminous with i telligence and feeling, and his voice, conversation, and manners, all won upon the lawyer's regard.” The story goes that Mr. Kennedy not only advanced the means for much needed clothing, but availed to se cure literary hack work for him at Baltimore, at length securing for him admission to the columns of the Southern Literary Messenger, which was established at Richmond, Va, August, 1834) by Mr. Thomas W. White, and of which Mr, Poe became assistant editor in Novem: ber, 1835. This is the introduction to the world of literature of the un. fortunate but gifted Edgar Allan Poe, who in the originating power of his genius stands preeminent and unique among American men of letters. ‘When we seek to learn his history and understand his gifts we are met 287dear ll Boe. upon the threshold of the subject by a decided and ofttimes angry va- riance among those who have at. tempted to set forth the facts of his life and assign his works « proper position in the ficld of literature, A few of his critics are, no doubt, too laudatory ; on the other hand, some have shown a lack of comprehen- sion and a meanness of spirit al- most marvelous beyond belief, From Griswold to Thomas Dunn English, those who have found everything to censure and little to praise have shown a virulence hardly to be found in the discussions concerning any other character in literature, However, this bitterness of spirit hhas not been without its advantage to his name and fame, since many who knew him best were led to speak in his behalf before it was too late, More has been written of hin than of any other American writer. Walter Scott's schoolmaster would hhave been forgotten long ago but 288 Edgar Bilan Doe. for the fact that he called the Wi ard of the North a dunce, so Gris- wold would hardly remain am ory but for the fact that he wn is hate upon the dead in the shape of a biography of Poe. Neverthe less, he and his successors have failed to mar the continued growth of Mr. Poe's fame. His foibles have been held up to ¢ his faults—he had one which be- raded date aked came his master—have been as if these would utterlyinval his claims to genius. ‘This has not always originated from the fact that these se stituted censors have above those of who does not values from his despised his faul éthers. Th take his literary cotemporaries must ever appear to them as erratie and perverse, nor can they have any conception of his genius, but in many instances oa the most petty pretexts deny to him any such creative force. ‘The blazing comet that burns its way 230