The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-14
REAL POETS AND OTHERS.

The rare success and deserved popularity
OF James Whitcomb Riley have raised up
host Of imitators who, as is generally the
case with the imitators, fall utterly short
of catching the soul and inspiration OF the
original II is the same with hack artists
who copy the works of the masters. They
can reproduce everything except that which
makes the original great. There have been
thousands of imitators of Burns-that is,
they thought they were writing like him
because they put commonplace ideas into
Scotch dialect which itself was plainly
machine made.
But there was only one Burns and there
is only one Riley. Each founded literary
cult peculiarly his own, and the pupils and
imitators straggle along at great distances
behind. Some OF them are not bad. for
imitators. as some copies of great paint
ings have enough resemblance to the origi-
mails to indicate what, the copyists were aim
ing at, but the most are unspeakable. There
is no excuse for their being.
One of the worst results of the initiative
epidemic is that it has generated an idea
IN the common mind that anybody can write
poetry if he wants TO, and, unfortunately,
a great many people want to. This has re-
suited in developing a class of rural
rhymesters and countryside poets who.
partly through innocence and partly
through egotism, are easily hattered into the
conviction that they are geniuses and that
the dreadful stuff they turn out is litera-
ture. James B. Gilmore, Of Alamo, is one
of this class Mr.. Elmore is a good enough
sort Of man in his way, a plain, honest
farmer. without a particle of native genius
or attachments in any direction, but through
his own persistence and the false fattery
of friends he has been led to believe that
he is a literary person. This is free
country, and every man has right to write
alleged poetry if he wishes to, but it is
question if it is not dishonest and cruel
both to the individual and the public for
he possesses poetic genius when they know
he does not possess particle.
For many years an old man named Pur-
due used to visit the public buildings and
offices in this city and introduce himself
as a candidate for Governor. He was a
harmless person and in his best days had
probably had good sense, but on this par
ticular subject he was daft. Perhaps if he
had been told at the beginning that he was
making a fool of himself and ought not to
harbor such a ridiculous idea being a
candidate for Governor he might have got
rid of Ii. But, just to amuse themselves.
many persons pretended to favor his candi-
dacy and encouraged him until it became
the dominating idea, the very passion of
his life. 1t unhinged a mind not naturally
very strong. and few months ago he died
in the insane asylum. Were not those who
fattered and encouraged him in the idea
that he was candidate for Governor, 'just
for fun" partly responsible for the end?
Self-constituted poets like Gilmore do not
do any harm beyond wasting their own time
in writing and printing stuff that ought not
to be written or printed, but does not a
certain moral responsibility attach to the
pratice of treating them seriously and MAX
ing them think they have a call to litera-
ture. thus encouraging a false idea that
perhaps Is already Undermining tnelr san
ity? And is ii quite fair to ask an honest,
well-meaning though self-deceived man to
appear on a public platform just to be
laughed at? Especially, is it fair or even
excusable for a church organizations
society of women at that-to keep up the
tiresome and stupid farce by inviting him
to speak that the public may have an OPP
| portunity to ridicule him, as was done last
| evening in this city? College students in
whom much crudeness, thoughtlessness and
cruelty are often excused, may be forgiven
such a proceeding, but it argues a strange
shortsightedness and uncharitableness to
| say the least, on the part of widely
different a body. What shall be said, too,
of a mayor of the city who lends counten-
ance to the performance? Or of the news
papers which encourage it? Even if there
were nothing worse to be urged against II
| there is this: that it is wornout, tiresome
| jest of which the intelligent public long
since had enough. For the sake Of this
public. if for other reason. Gilmore
| should hereafter be left in retirement.
Il