Carving a Name

I wrote my name upon the sand,
And trusted it would stand for aye;
But, soon, alas! the refluent sea
Had washed my feeble lines away.

I carved my name upon the wood,
And, after years, returned again;
I missed the shadow of the tree
That stretched of old upon the plain.

To solid marble next, my name
I gave as a perpetual trust;
An earthquake rent it to its base,
And now it lies, o'erlaid with dust.

All these have failed. In wiser mood
I turn and ask myself, "What then?"
If I would have my name endure,
I'll write it on the hearts of men,

In characters of living light,
Of kindly deeds and actions wrought.
And these, beyond the touch of time,
Shall live immortal as my thought.

~ Horatio Alger, Jr.

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Horatio Alger was an American author known for his rags-to-riches novels for young readers. The books were quite popular in their day.

I've been invited to do a little exhibition at a local library of the graves of well known writers buried in Massachusetts. I'm not sure, however, whether I will include this one. Apparently there were allegations against him of sexually abusing young boys -- allegations he never denied and which caused his hasty resignation from the clergy. I don't want to censor myself, necessarily, but I do want to be sensitive to the fact that my photos will be hung right outside the children's reading room. And sensitive to the fact that some people are sensitive about these things.

I still have a few weeks to mull it over. Meanwhile, I've been busy adding to the series and have posted some backblips of the graves of other well known writers:

e.e. cummings
Henry James (with links to the more obscure--but notable nonetheless--William Dean Howells and Julia Ward Howe)
Harriet Beecher Stowe