The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-19
RECENT WESTERN VERSE.
Written for the Sunday Journal.

world 9. few books of real poetry written by
Western authors Indeed it may almost be
counted true that all the valuable singing that
has rounded itself into books in this country IN
recent years, has been the work OF western
writers-if it be proper to term whatever orgi-
mates west of the Aleghenys Western Inis es-
innate does not, of course, take into the account
the occasional echoes that come to us from
Whittier and Holiness and Lowell. nor the Ten
der tones that and then how from tno
musical strings of Mr. Aldrichs dainty lutte Mr.
Bunner, it 10 true. has given to the world some
melodious fragments, caught from the glamour
of the stage and the silken futter OF the painted
moth wings of metropolitan society, which roam
and tiugle with the brief delight OF
wine that does not intoxlcate and
does not strengthen. Celia Ihaxter
and the other lady singers OF the East have
given us but little during these years, while the
mechanical rhymes of Mr. Stoddaro and the
labored productions of Mr. Stedman sometimes
please and sometimes fail. 1t is with no sp irit
Of com bativeness nor desire to exalt the West
as compared with the East that the superb ority
of recent Western poetry is asserted. 1t is but
the natural result of that change of features and
conditions which IS constantly going on in
America In the next half-dozen years the
East NAV reassert and even advance upon her
old supremacy in the field of poetry. Within
short period books of verse have been published
by such Western authors as Benjamin +. lay
lor Joaquin Miller. Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Maui
rice Thompon, Mrs. Sarah L. Bolton. Mrs Alice
Williams Brotherton, Robert Burns Wilson,
James Whitcemb Riley and Coates
Kinney; not to mention such pleasant singers
ms T. G. Harbaugh and Rev. James Villa Blake.
Every intelligent reader knows the excellence
of the late b. F. Taylor's poetry; its wholesome
ness and its purity, it's strength and it's pathos
and realizes the rich legacy he has left in 1T to
the country he loved much. Then there IS
Joaquin Miller. who, with all his peculiari'ies
song is a whirlwind blowing alike through trop-
ical gardens. rich with thousand rare per-
fumes, over ''desolate sand deserts" across
snow-capped Sierras and over the mighty Dill
lows of illimitable seas America has not vet
done justice to the genius of Joaquin Miller.
but his poetry is Western and pulses with the
wild life and the grand possibilities of the West
OF Mrs. Wicoxs poetry L leave others to speak,
because I know too little Of it to do more than
merely follow and praise or blame because
others have praised or blamed. thing L Will
not do but of Mr.. Thompson's finished and
beautiful verses there Ia but one voice
anon gst those who have read with kindly
hearts and open UNDERSTANDINGS. 1t may
however. be said with justice that his
strongest poems have been written since the APP
pearance of his "Songs of Fair weather
Mrs. Bolton has been pioneer or song, and
like all pioneers in literature, she has done
great deal for the sake of the love that prompted
and the loved ones who listened. But here and
echo far down the stream of time. Robert
Burns Wilson has done such excellent magazine
work that it makes better advertisement for
his recent book (which have not yet SEEM than
most authors are able to command. This brings
me to the three recent books OF which set out
to write. These are, naming them in the order
of their appearances, 1.-THE Sailing of King Olaf
and Other Poems. by Alice Williams Brother
ton, Charles FL. Kerr & Co, Chicago, publishers
''Afterwhiles." by James Whitcomb Riley, The
Bowen Merrill Company, publishers, lndianapo-
lis, and Lyrics of the Ideal and the Real" by
Coates Kinney. Robert Clark e. Co., Cincinnati.
publish ers. These may be classified as TWO
beautiful, and healthy, and heartsome books.
and one that in addition to these things, ia al
most a marvel of suggestive force and greatness.
In Mrs. Brotherton's little volume there Is not
line too much. no faulty notes to mar the now
of the measure, and no unworthy nor doubtful
thoughts to give the reader pain. The longest
poem in the collection is The Sailing of King
Olaf musical rendering of an old Morse le-
gend. These stanzas from her proem give the
key to her singing
s.Ah, the light wherein read
Must be the light of the past,
Or your poem is nothing at best
But an empty rhyme.
And to summon back grief what need
OF word of yours?-through all time
1t abides with to the last.
Sing to us of joy then. Borrow
Of'life's happiest hours.
Sing of love and hope, of flowers,
OF laughter and SMILES
But not too oft of sorrow
The song that our grief beguiles
Is the best. in this world of ours.
The shorter poems in this dainty little volume
are many, and each is pure in purpose and as
sweet in movement and echo as the voice or
murmuring waters. The tenderness with which
Mrs Brotherton's genius touche swhatover boun-
tiful nature has planted along her pathway
may be well inferred from the little poem called
THE RAGGED REGIMENT.
love the ragged veterans of June.
Not your trim troop drilmarshaled for display
In gardens fne-but such as dare the noon
With saucy faces by the public way.
Moth-muleiu, with its moth-winged petals white,
Round dandelion, and faunting Bouncing Bet,
The golden butter and-e eggs, and oxeve bright
Wild parsley, and tall milk-weed bee-beset
Ho sturdy tramps of nature mustered out
From garden service. SCARED and set apart
e There's not member of your ragged rout
But wakes q warmth of welcome in my heart.
Passing from this delightful volume to Mr.
Riley's "Afterwhiles" is like going from one gar
den Of perennial gladness to another in which
the play OF the fountains and the arrangement
of the trees and the flowers have been so differ
emily disposed by the presiding genius that
everything is new to you and you go forward
with the eager tread of an explorer. Even to us
who have known and appreciated Riley from his
boyhood there il a sense of newness and tender
ness in these collected verses that we scarcely
recognized in them they appeared in the
newspapers and magazines. But Mr.. RileyS
book contains too little of him to please the pub
lie. The public is disappointed, not in the quail
ity, but in the quantity OF its contents, and the
erumbline on this account has 5een sul1cientiy
loud to add very materially TO Mr.. Riey's fame
So generous and prompt has been the reception
accorded 10 his by the people
been conquered. But that is, perhaps
OF the losses that always attend a victory
the dsfavor of that class OF critics being rather
a thing to sesk than to shun. Criticism that, IN
its self-constituted mightiness. coolly counts
Mr.. Gladstone, Mr.. Lowell and Mr.. Whittier
outside the pale of eminent writer's, is not calcu-
lated TO benefit those whom it praises. nor to in
jure those against whom its shafts may be
directed. 10 looking Mr. Rileys book for
things to quote as lustrations of his genius,
am reminded that every intelligent Indianian.
who loves poetry. is familiar with the beautiful
creations enshrined in the little volume, and
many who do not care for poetry for its own
sake cherish his short dialect studies because of
their power TO renew homely scenes and associ-
atoms before them While Mr.. Rileys wonder
full skill IN reproducing these things
upon the platform has been Of great
service in attracting attention 30 his