THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIDUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
mat
Real Poet
JUDGE CLAYTON KNEW
ffiffllf
V
Realty
Men bo knew James Whit
comb Riley and his work in
timately tell something about
the great HoosierJibo played
upon the heartstrings of a
nation )ith his songs of
common folk and manners
OWADAYS n poetic genius doesn't
look like one. On the street, you
might guess him to bo n business
mnn or n lnwyer or n prencher or
a photographer: Not slnco tho
time of Edgar AUnn Poo have retil
poets worn their hair long as In
tho comic pictures or affected
tho soulful expression. Nowadays
when a man wears his hair Uko
Spanish moss on a Florida oak he
Is suspected of being hard up. And
If he exhibits what is sup.posed to
bo his soul by certain shifting and staring of his
eyes ho Js pitied as one whoso aientol gearing
has sand In It
Bliss Carman, former editor of the Independent
,nnd a poet of note, was one of James Whltcomb
Jtllcy's closest friends. After this Indiana
songster's death on July 23, Carman told much
about Riley to Mr. Joyce Kilmer of itlie New Y,ork
Times Mngazlno and Mr. Kilmer In turn told It
ito tho public.
. Some 30 years ago Carman, was Introduced .Jo
'tho nlready famous lloosler. Riley's keen bird
like eyes surveyed tho tall frame of the now and
young acquaintance: "Gosh, you're a stalwart,
nln't ye?" he remarked, grinning. "1 guess your
.parents must have trained you on n trellis."
Then, as reported by Mr. Kilmer, Carman went
on to say:
"The next time I saw Riley was In Philadelphia.
I went to read before the Drowning society, and
I don't mind telling you that I was scared to
death. When I got out all alone on the stuge and
saw a thousand, people staring up at me 1 felt
more like running uway than doing anything else.
But when I saw" Riley down In the audience,
fez:
looking nt me in his quaint, friendly way, then
I felt nil right. I wasn't afraid to read my
poetry to Riley.
"After tho reading wus over Riley rucked me
under his arm and said: 'Now, let's get around
to tho hotel and we'll take off our shoes and
get a chow of tobacco and be comfortable.
"You know, such remarks as this were all tho
more piquant because Riley was so very punc
tilious and scrupulous in nil his personal habits,
lie always was immaculately dressed. I never
knew him even to make so much of a conces
sion to comfort ns to put on a smoking Jit,W
or n lounge coat. Rut he liked to go to his room
and stretch himself on his bed and talk. And
he never talked about anything but literature,
chiefly poetry.
"Riley had n great fund of knowledg of
poetry and knew lots of out-of-the-way homely
verso. IIo delighted particularly In ridiculously
bad newspaper verse.
"Riley liked to read poetry aloud. When I went
to his house of nn evening, he generally was wait
ling for mo with some favorlto book, ready to
iread aloud."
"What sort of poetry did he prefer?"
"His tastes covcr6d a wide range. Two poets
to whom he was especially devoted were Long
fellow and Swinburne. (
"Riley liked Longfellow's directness and sim
plicity. Tho things that pleased hi in In Swln
Iburno's work wero tho music and the deft crafts
manship. "After Riley had received his degrees from
somo of tho colleges, he seemed to feel that ho
(ought to bo known ns a poet, rather than as a
humorist and writer of dlulect verso. He tried
hard to live up to the'nnmo of poet, and wanted
his nonsenso rhymes of his vagabondage forgot
iten. Yet his vernncular verse, or, ns he called It,
',lils dialect verse, was his chief contribution to
literature.
"Riley was Just n poet. That was all ho ever
cared to be. Ho was not interested in anything
but poetry. Ho knew nothing of politics he had
not voted for 30 years. And as for philosophy,
ho had nothing but contempt for the modern
thinkers. 1
"There wnssoraethlng very pathetic nnd charm
ing nbout Riley's tenacity in holding tho serious
poet pose. His nonsenso was Just one of his ways
of writing which hnp'pcncd to prove popular;
when ho got a chance to write in another way
how eagerly he seized it. and how persistently ho
clung to It I
"His last years were the happiest of his life.
I think. IIo had his own car and rode around
Indianapolis and Its suburbs every day, generally
taking with him somo friend. Ho was honored
und loved, and I think he felt thnt life had been
) good to him.
"Riley's father wns a lnwyer. His grandfather
enmo to Indiana from Pennsylvania. His grand
mother on his mother's side was Pennsylvania
Dutch. HI father was Irish.
"Riley had many prejudices. He disliked Poo
very much, no disliked Poo's character so much
that ho could hardly read his pootry. Of course
ho must have liked- Poo's music and splendid
metrical effects.
"Of course, you know tho story of Riley's fa
mous Imitation of Poo? no had, taken n position
on tho stuff of an Anderson, Ind., paper, nnd tho
editor of a rival paper kept ridiculing him. Riley
fAOM orttoro or
wunted to get even with him, so he wroto his
.Imitation of Poe, nnd had It published in a paper
id another part of the stato with an elaborate
story about the discovery of the manuscript.
"At once It made a great sensation all over
the country. It made so great a sensation that
Riley wus terrified, and feared that he would be
accused of literary forgery. Meanwhile tho edi
tor of the rival paper wrote: 'No doubt our young
friend Riley will belittle tills poem nnd say It Is
not the work of Poe. But it is Poe, and Poo's
best manner.' Tho sensation grew to such pro
portions that Riley had to confess that he had
written tho poeni. And then the editor of tho
paper discharged Riley because ho had not pub
lished It In his paper.
"Then the Indianapolis Journal gave him a Job,
which ho held for years. He wroto reams of
nonsense verse, and wroto up In verse tho shops
of the merchants who advertised In the Journal.
"Riley's first book was called 'The Old Swim
mln" Hole nnd 'Leven More Poems.' Ho pub
lished It himself. It sold so well that It was soon
taken over by n publisher, and passed through
many editions.
"Riley's exquisite pecmanslilp showed the care
with which be wrote. Originally he wrote a care
less and rather Illegible script, but he had so
much dlfllculty In getting the printers to rend his
writing, and printing his dialect verso correctly,
that he took up the study of penmanship, lie
was careful always to get the dialect of ono
pnrt of Indiana ns distinct from the dialect of
any other part.
"'Any man's character,' ho said, 'is best re
membered, I suppose, by some of his habitual
gestures and expressions. I remember Riley as
very deliberate In his motions, especially In his
Inst years. Smooth shnven, ruddy, well groomed,
he looked like a benign old English bishop more
than anything else."
Mr. Don Marquis of tho New York Sun aptly
considers Riley nnd his poetry from'nn entirely
different angle.
"Jnmes Whltcomb Riley," says he, "wns tho
companion, of fairies in Arcadyj for tho Hooslor
belongs to a race apart And while somo nro
coptured and broken to trade, tho gcntlo poef
escaped nnd kept nlways the vision of hidden
things."
With these prefatory remarks tho writer goes
on with his essay:
"Thero are two sorts of Indlnnnn tho ordinary
Indlnnnn, who Is not so very different from tho
Ohlonn or tho Illlnolsnn, nnd tho noosler.
"The lloosler belong not merely to a rnco apart,
but to o separate species. He Is human, but
with a difference; ho Is nwaro of tho kinship
between humanity and tho so-enllcd lower anl
mals (and even tho plants and streams) on the
ono side, and on tho other side of tho kinship of
humnnlty with tho elves. , '
"When the moon turns tho mists p Oliver and
the owls wall and the frogs wnkr up along tho
creeks nnd lakes and the fnlrles'Roddle nnd bridlo
tho fireflies and mount them -nnd go( whirring nnd
flashing off In senrch if airy adventures tho
Hooslers steal out of tho farmhouses and ham
lets and creep down to Jhe bottom lands nnd
danco and sin;, nnd envort under tho summer
stars. Thc.y,do so secretly, dodging tho mero hu
mans, for-secrccy is the essence of their midnight,
whlinshfnl revels.
"In the daytlmo they protend thoy are Just
ordlnnry. Indlannns; their own brother, nnd
mothers may not realize that they aro Hooslers.
"But In Indiana, as elsewhere, thero Is huslnpss
and tho need to attend to It. There must have
been even In A ready somebody owned the flocks
nnd herds ofAwrcndy and turned them Into
batcher's meat ifad leather, nnd tho shepherds
only piped on tho qffcrnnce of their commerclnl-
minded masters. These Hooslers,, these wild bards
and prancing, long-legged lovers of tho moon, nro
often cuptured and broken and tamed to trado
and Industry by .tho moro sordid. citizenry.. Thoy
aro yoked to tho handlo end of . tho plow,
chained to tho desk; by v the hundreds and thou
sands they become clerks nnd salesmen nnd roll-
road presidents nnd novelists nnd business men
of nil sorts.
"James Whltcomb Riley was n Booster who
happily escaped; ho was never captured, novcr
enslaved; tho things hidden from tho rest of us,
or revealed only in, flushes, remembered but
vaguely from the duys of our own hnppy Hoosler
dom, he continued to seo steadily ; ho lived nmong
them fniiflllarly to tho end, nnd until tho end
was their Interpreter to us. 1
" 'Bud come hero to your undo a spell,' snyB
Riley In effect, 'and I'll show you not only n fairy,
but a fairy who has for the moment chosen to bo
Just as much of a Hooslcr as the Raggedy Man,
or Orphnnt Annlo, or Old Kingry, or tho folks nt
Grlggsby Station.'
"Tho critics ilnd tho learned doctors of liter
ature are already debating as to whether Riley
had Imagination or only fancy. (It would bo a
terrible calamity to some of them If they snld
It was Imnglnntlon and it wns officially declared
Inter to bo merely fancy; that Is tho sort of
mistake that damns a critic and makes tho sons
nnd ,grnndsons of critics meek, hacked, npolo
gctlc young men.) And doubtless tho point Is ex
' ceedlngly important. For if n poet has Imagi
nation they sny his work is significant And If
he has only fancy his work Is not significant
"Tho chief merit of Riley's dlnlcct verse
which Is the most popular part of his production
nnd tho part with which tho critics chiefly coa
cern themselves Is Its effectiveness ns a medium
for character portrayal. Whimsical, lnvnhln.
homely, racy, quaint,- salty, pathetic, humorous,
tender nro his dialect poems; essentially, ho Has
shown us Hfo is a superior wrltor of prose
sketches might do, adding tho charm of hls-lyrl-
cism.
"But, personally, we novcr llko him so well ns
when ho Is writing sheer moonlight nnd music.
Probably no poet who over wroto English cer
tainly no Amerlcnn poet got moro luscious Inn
gungo than Riley. A sweetness thnt is not so
sugary thnt it cloys, having always a winy tang,
For Instance, from 'Tho Flying Islands of tho
Night:'
'. . .In lost hours of lute and song,
When ho was but n prince I but n mouth
For him to Ift up slpplngly nnd drain
,To his most ultlmnto of stammering sobs
And maudlin wanderings of blinded breath.. . .
"Thero Is no better evldenco of tho genuine
ness of Riley's sentiment, particularly In tho dia
lect poems, than the discretion with which ho
touches tho pnthctlc chord when ho touches It
nt all. One of the most popular poems ho ever
wroto was 'Old-Fashioned Roses," nnd ono word
too much, ono pressure tho least bit too Insistent
would hnve made tho thing as offensive ns a
vaudeville ballad. ' Tho tasto which told him to
be slmplo nnd tho sincerity which begat tho
insio save mo verses rrom tho reproach.
"His verses for children and nbout child
could only have been written by n man whoso
love and understanding of children was real, for
children nro quick to detect and repudiate any-
miii.k m uio sort mat is "puinped up' for effect,
and thoy contributed enormously tn tlm mmnmi
feeling of affectlln for him. Tho regard of tho
children wns In f wuy n testimonial to his per
Mating youthfulncs of spirit; ho wns still their
playmate.; pcrhnps-lt Is an earnest of Immor
ality, If Immortality can bo. Certainly lovo en
dures longer than anything else, and thn mnn
with the childlike sweetness In his uoul goes
w.w ua mvuu us tew men navo Deen."
Sometimes It comes in hnndy fot
n United States Judgo to lmvo been a
member of congress. Judgo Henry D.
Clayton, who is oti tho circuit bench ol
Alabama, not long ngo wus trying a
enso In which tho question of a. man's
handwriting was Involved. Under the
Alabama law it was always ncccssnrj
to provo n person's handwriting, and
tho admission of one's writing by com
parison could not bo taken In evl
denco to provo tho authenticity of n
document Introduced In ovldcn.ee. The
defendant sought to gain n point In
Ids caso by Introducing n letter In the
handwriting of ono of tho pnrtlos In-
volvcd. Judgo Clayton ruled that tin
writing wns admissible.
Immediately tho lawyer on the
other sltlo roso nnd suggested to (lie
court thnt his long scrvlco In con
gress had probably mado him rust
In tho law; thnt hnndwrltlng could nol
be proved by comparison with writing
admitted ns authentic. Whereupon Judgo CInyton calmly remarked thai
while ho was In congress as chairman of tho Judiciary commlttco ho had
passed n law permitting proof of handwriting by Just such u method, nnd ho
referred tho contending lawyer to tho pnrugruph und pugo of tho Revised
Statutes whero tho law could bo found.
"Sometimes oven u practicing lawyer gets rusty," observed tho abashed
attorney, ns ho sat down.
ff-
KENYON MADE THEM HUNGRY
Senator Kenyon stirred tho sen
ate to n high pitch of hunger tho othur
day. Ho wns talking about child la
bor. In tho course of his talk ho
drew n picture of a farmer's boy sit
ting down to nn old-fashioned coun
try dinner. s
Tho senntor was contrnstlng tho
llfo of tho factory boy nnd tho farm
boy. He said that whllo tho farm boy
worked In tho Holds,- rested nt noon by
turning tho grindstone, milked tho
cows nnd so on, still ho wont Hwlm
mlng nnd Ashing, saw tho circus, and
had n pretty good time.
"I hnvo n very distinct recollec
tion that ns n boy on a farm I had to
pitch the bundles to tho threshing
machine," said he. "I used to think
that was about tho hardest work that
could possibly bo dono In tho world.
"But when you remombor tho
farmer's dinner tho fried chicken and
mashed potatoes, and gravy, nnd corn
on tho cob, nnd tomatoes, and tho bread and tho butter that melted In you
mouth, and tho npplo plo with n plcco of cheese and then you could go out
and lie under n tree It wps not so bad."
At this point thero wns n general rush to tho lunchroom nnd a chorus
of orders for fried chicken.
MAYOR MiTCHEL STUNG
Mayor MItchcl, Polico Commis
sioner Woods and n gnlaxy of other
luminaries that sparklo In tho Now
York city administration's Armament
ombnrked on tho polico pntrol boat
nt tho Battery tho other day nnd dis
embarked nt Fort Wndsworth, on
Staten island. Their object wns to
Inspect nnd rovlew tho -100 Now York
city policemen undergoing mllltnry
training nt that point, but tho mayor
was badly stung.
It fell out In this manner, Tho
policemen, to do them nothing moro
than Justice, drilled In a very able
and very soldierly manner.
Hovering over tho mayor's head
was u yellow-Jnckot, who took In nil
these proceeding's with n knowing eye.
Tho Inst notes of tho polico band
had died nway, tho last straining po
liceman had recovered' his equili
brium; it wns at that moment tho
ben struck. A shock pnsscd through
tho frumo of tho mayor, his fuco contorted Into a horrified grlmnco,, nnd ho
mudo a frantic pass nt tho back of his leg. Ho was too lutu. Tho khakl-clads
wero already leaving tho Held, nnd tho yellow-Jacket was gallantly covering
their retreat. And even whllo ho groaned Inwardly, tho polico band suddenly
broko Into tho rollicking notes of "Never Let the Samo Bco Sting You
Twice." And tho mayor took tho hint nnd loft, too.
MB,wfu'B
ADMIRAL HERBERT QUICK
Herbert Quick, member of tho new
farm loan board, looks llko a mag
nate, oven If ho Is a furmer. Ono day
when ho went Into breakfast In
Youngs hotel In Boston, ono of tho dig
nified nnd portly negro waiters enmo
over nnd Ailing his glass said: "Good
mornln', general, will you have somo
canteloup?" "Yes," said Quick, "but I
unknot n general."
Tho waiter brought It nnd cald:
"Now, governor, will you huvo somo
cereal?" "Yes, somo oatmeal, but I
am not n governor."
Again tho waiter camo and said:
"Now, Judge, whut 'is you gwlno to
have for breakfnBt?" "Bring mo somo
hum and eggs," said Quick, "but I
nm not a Judgo."
As tho' meal drow to Its closo tho
wnlter said: "Bosh, does you mind
tellln mo what you Is?" Quick's sense
of humor had been already aroused
nnd ho said: "Why, no, I don't mind
telling you I urn tho admiral of tho Swiss navy."
negro.
you was you was do top of tho heap."
His tip war scarcely less generous than the compliment.
Mr, Quick has been mnny things besides admiral of tho Swiss navy,
navlng been boru nnd reared on n farm In Iowa und having attended country
schools, It wns not unnatural that la later life he should become tho editor
of a farm Journul; but ho nlso has been n teacher, a practicing lnwyer,
manager of telephone companies, associate editor of a political weekly and
mayor of Slour City. In his spare time he has written n number of novels
nnd numerous magazlno articles, and he has been at times qulto active In
politics as a member of tho Democratic party.
"For do Lord," said tho
"I did not know Jes what you wob, but I done know dat whntover