THE CURFEW SHALL NOT RING TO-NIGHT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2488, 30 December 1886, Page 2

THE CURFEW SHALL NOT RING TO-NIGHT.

A lady living in San Antonia, Texas, Mrs Rose Hartwick Thorpe, claims the authorship of this well-known poom. In the course of an interview sho said:—'. ''The poem was writton in 1807 but it was first published in the Detroit Commercial Advertiser during to fall of 18?0, It was copied very wiwKmimedi- ■ ately; but many of the papers who thus, republished it failed to give, the name of the author. As to so many thinking it bo much older than it is-a poem that springs at once into popularity as 'Curfew' did is read so of ton that it boob becomes old. 1 was nothing but a sixteen year old school-girl when I wrote it, and had no idea of its literary valui. Thinking it rather too long to be acceptable to the Advertiser, I kept it-.three years, Bending shorter pooms for publication from timo to time, Finally, having revised it several times, I sont 'it and the editor, finding it of unusual merit, was glad to publish it; Ho asked my permission to change the title from " Bessie and the Curfew" to "Curfew shall not. rine to-night,' and thus it made its debut. The only pay 1 got was the editor'a thanks and the gratification that is always so dear to a young writer on finding the world appreciative of, the work done." '