The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-18
RILEY A WONDER.
His Irpersonations as Full of Genius
as His Poetry.

as dis Poetry.
While James Whitcomb Riley lives
the Hoosier state will not only have a
celebrated son but the American stage
q delightful impersonator Mr.. Riley's
success as a poet is equalled by his
success as an impersonator of his own
characters, and this is the highest com
pliment that could be paid the Hoosier
poet His style of recitation, like his
style of writing, is inimitable, and
probably no one appreciates the worth
of his pOetical contributions until Mr..
acters.
AT the Crawford theater last night
Mr. Riley was given a splendid ovation
when he stepped to the front of the
stage after the Introduction by Mr. Eu-
gene Ware. Both the first and second
floors of the house were completely
filled, and the boxes were occupied by
the members of the different ladies'
clubs included in the Federation. Mr.
Riley was heartily encored after each
reading, and responded until his work
commenced to tell on his throat, and
ne was compelled to save his voice for
the selections on the programme
When the last selection was finished
and Mr.. Riley started off the stage the
last time, the audience was Still loath to
let him go, and it required repeated
boWing on the part of the poet to con-
vince his admirers that he was unequal
10 the task of prolonging the entertain
ment.
There is a certain charm in the man
ner Mr.. Riley starts his representations
He gLdes harmOniously from the con-
VerSauOnal tone he uses in prefacing
the selections into the selections them
selves. Soon his audience forgets
that the small man before them on the
stage IS the HoOsier poet and sees in
him the character he is depicting.
Mr.. Riley started last night with
Annals of the Poor" and ended with
Character Sketches" His other i'm
Of "Hoosier Verse" and Rhymes of
Childhood" 1t would be difficult to
say which one of the selections was the
most entertaining, because James
w htcomb Riley cannot recite without
being entertaining
Probably the nest humorous selec-
tion of the evening was Mr.. Riley's
impersonatiOn of the seven wear old
terror" who cOrnered his sisters beau
in company with his younger brother
who was simply along as a living proof
Wasn't it Charley" In Down to
Old Aunt Mary's'' the audience could
easily imagine Riley as barefooted
boy, truuSing along the dusty road.
through the wood, and over the dusty
road again Down to Old Aunt Ma
rvs" where there were jellfes and
jams, and the sweet sour pickles and
all the rest of those things that made
II good for a boy to be down to Old
Aunt Mary's.''
The musical numbers on the pro-
gramme served to pleasantly fill the
intervals between the readings of Mr.
Riley: Miss Gertrude Tracy and Mrs
J. w Going opened the programme
with piano duet, and after the first
reading Mrs. Parkhurst, accompanied
by Mrs. Foster and Miss Lottie Park
hurst, rendered a vocal solo. The
Spinning Song was rendered after the
second reading by Mrs Miller, Mrs.
Thomas. Mrs. Foster and Mrs. Ferry.
accompanied by Miss Mabel Martin
composing the Ladies' Quartette and
the last number was a piano solo by
Miss Annie Campbell
Mr. Riley goes to Kansas City today
where the two poets will give an enter
tainment tonight