Dear Abby: Re “For beauty I am not a star” limerick, attributed to Woodrow Wilson in your Feb. 11 column:
You are correct in doubting that it was written by Wilson, although he loved to quote it and indeed made it famous.
It was written by Anthony Euwer, artist, lecturer and poet, and published in his “Limeratomy” in 1917. Mr. Euwer was at Princeton when Wilson was president there, and perhaps they were friends.
Members of the Euwer family still live in Oregon’s Hood River Valley where Anthony loved to spend time, and about which he published a book of poems, “Rhymes of Our Valley,” in 1916.
Patricia Cornett,
Hood River County Historical Society
Dear Abby: An Ohio reader sent you a limerick and credited it to Woodrow Wilson. Actually, it was a favorite or President Wilson’s and he quoted it frequently, but he did not originate it.
Please credit Anthony Euwer with authorship, as he is without question the author. Also, the wording in the piece you published was slightly different. Kindly set the record straight.
English Scholar, Princeton, N.J.
Dear Scholar: In the interest of accuracy, the correct, published version of the poem (sent to me by a relative of Mr. Euwer) reads:
As a beauty I’m not a great star
Others are handsomer by far;
But my face – I don’t mind it
Because I’m behind it;
It’s the folks in the front that I jar.
Dear Abby: You encourage irresponsibility and bad manners when you say that after I send invitations, I must telephone several days prior to the event to ascertain whether non-responding recipients will attend or not.
I am not their social secretary. You may use my name.
Ritabelle Lewis, Los Angeles
Dear Ritabelle Lewis: Mailed invitations have been known to go astray because they were incorrectly addressed or had insufficient postage. And I have been told that the recipient thought “R.S.V.P.” meant, “If you cannot attend, please let me know” – or, “If you can attend, please let me know.”
Not everyone knows that R.S.V.P. is the abbreviation for the French phrase “Repondez s’il vous plait,” meaning “Respond, if you please.”
Dear Abby: If people are getting Social Security money in Oregon or the state of Washington, and they move to Alaska or Canada, are they still entitled to the money?
Needs to Know
Dear Needs to Know: Yes. A person who is entitled to a Social Security benefit check will receive it wherever that person moves.
Worth pondering: “To start living your life for the future is dumb. There is no future.” (David Geffen)
