Text: Anonymous, “Candidates for the Hall of Fame,” New-York Tribune (New York, NY), vol. LXIX, whole no. 23,156, April 4, 1910, p. 6, cols. 3-4

[page 6, column 3, continued:]

CANDIDATES FOR THE HALL OF FAME.

The interesting expectation. is expressed that at the pending election of additional names for inscription in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans the candidacy of Edgar Allan Poe, which hitherto has twice narrowly failed, will be successful. That seems probable, and it will undoubtedly afford gratification to a large number of persons in this and other countries who rightly esteem Poe as entitled to such distinction because of his authorship of a few poems which rank among the most truly inspired in English literature and of a number of prose tales of extraordinary originality and power, which gave to the further development of that type of literature invaluable impetus. The place of that gifted Boston-born son of Baltimore has long been secure in the literary pantheon, and the fullest formal recognition of it will be appropriate.

There will be those, however, who will regard as of doubtful discretion the reported intention of conducting a vigorous personal campaign among the newly appointed electors of the Hall of Fame for votes for Poe. It is quite doubtful if any such “suffragetting” is necessary to induce an ample majority of the 100 to inscribe Poe's name upon their ballots: and if it were necessary we should certainly not consider that fact creditable to Poe's fame or 45 confirming his title to a place in the hall. A truly famous, man should surely be recognized as such without the toutings of press agents. One of the most agreeable and reassuring characteristics of the two elections thus far held for the hall has been their freedom from any such campaigning, with the natural result that the names chosen have commanded universal approval as the free, uninfluenced and unbiassed selections [column 4:] of 100 of the most competent judges in the nation. It would be most regrettable to have any other estimation of the electors’ choice prevail.

It must be remembered that there were men before Agamemnon. There other great Americans whose names are have not yet been placed in the Hall of Fame. Yet we hear no wild ululations of distress nor any resentful suggestions that by such omission or delay the Hall of Fame has stultified itself and sacrificed its title to existence. The names of Bryant, Cooper, Motley, Prescott and Noah Webster have not been placed in the authors’ pavilion; or that of Mark Hopkins among the teachers: or that of Joseph Henry among the scientists; or those of Nathanael Greene and Philip H. Sheridan among the soldiers: those of Patrick Henry, John Jay, John C. Calhoun and Andrew Jackson among the statesmen: neither Benjamin Rush nor Valentine Mott nor any other physician has set found place. All these distinguished men have their admirers, who reckon them entitled to places in the Hall of Fame, but they are content to bide their time, assured that justice will be done. it was not possible to elect all of America's great men at once in a single election. The constitution of the Hall of Fame forbade it, in order to secure conservative deliberation. n. The fortunate result is that, while there are yet names which are not there which many think should be there, not a single name has been placed there which any important number of people think should not he there. In such circumstances the partisans of Poe might well wait patiently, as the others are doing, confident of final victory and not jealous because the names of Irving and Emerson and Hawthorne were chosen before that of their idol.