The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-02
RILEY DAY 1T WINONA
THE HOOsIER POET TEMPORARILY
FRUSTRATED BY THE HEAT.
Recovered and Was n Brilliant Feat
ure of the Evenings Programme
Bob" Burdette's Talk.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WINONA PARK, Eagle Lake, Ind, July
1.-The intense heat here to-day cast tenn
porary gloom over the Western Writer'S
meeting on account of the sudden collapse
of James Whitcomb Riley who had sud
den attack of suffocation and Indigestion
that necessitated prompt medical atten-
ton. Careful handling by physician re-
suited in speedy recuperation, and the
poets friends were much relieved later
with an announcement that Mr.. Riley
might be able to take part in the evening
programme Mr.. Riley's illness was the
talk of Winona soon as it became known
for the reason that everyone had been look
ing forward to his part in to-days exercises
as one Of the great treats of the conven-
tion and to miss Riley would have been
considered little short of calamity he
had made a hit yesterday with an i'm
promptu talk containing much advice to
writer's in general. Among other things he
said: Too many writers make the mistake
of writing more to please themselves than
their auditors; the writer is a speaker, the
readers the auditors IL you say some
thing not interesting your auditors, go out,
as Bill Nye said, to view the weather. we
don't have to find the world. 1t finds US
Ii we search for it, we find, frequently, II Is
not at home. A writer must produce Ior
the common people, for the masses, one ana
all alike. God made the common people,
and if they are good enough for him tney
are good enough for me or any other
writer"
During the morning session a telegram
was received from the Nashville exposition
Inviting the association TO VISIT the South-
ern exhibit. 1t was declined with thanks:
Mrs 4. S. L. Thompson, who was crowded
out Of the programme yesterday morning
by a continued discussion, read poem
hi oh XraC
Literature" was the subject of paper by
NJ. w. Sampson, of Bloomington, to-day,
and Miss Birdie Bly, read a paper showing
the analogy of the work of musicians and
writer's. A poem was also read by MISS
Idae Makeever, of Osceola, Neb., and Mrs.
Harriet Newell Lodge, of Madison, read a
story. IN the afternoon no session was
held and the writer's went boating. bathing
and sailing.
There were several new members voted
upon this morning.
There was rejoicing among the writer's
when DR.. Schoonover, of Warsaw, decided
tonight that Mr.. Rileys condition had SO
There were probably a thousand people in
the audience when the meeting was called
to order, people coming from Warsaw and
the surrounding towns to hear the Hooser
poet. Miss BLY, opened the session with a
piano solo that was encored. Mr.. B. F.
Parker followed with a poem Down the
River" DR.. John Clark Ridpath followed
in the finest address of the evening on the
subject lis History Acquainted with PrOvi-
dence" He forcibly presented several
lines of thought to prove that an all-Wise
providence overrules human events An
hour with the poets came next. Eugene f.
Ware and Miss Evaleen Stein read poems
and Mr.. Riley gave not only poem but
his famous and Observation-Disclosures
Bear" sketch Mr.. Riley seemed at his
best, although evidently suffering from
weakness. special number was then
given by Frank Marshall. sittieuse after
which Robert ]. Burdett gave young writ
ers some inside history as to the petrifac-
ton and Justification departments of maya
zines AS an encore he told his FEATHER
bed story and then introduced Riley again,
who gave another sketch and closed the
meeting. Professor Swiggett, of Purdue,
John /. Griftths and others are on the pro-
gramme for tomorrow morning.