The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-13
From the Bookman.

From the Bookman.
 ~ ONE men have risen up in the morning and found themselves fa- Io mous At least this statement has been made concerning certain men Tho, as far as the worlds busy eye could see, have come into their own over night. But if we could get a good front view or the truth we'd likely discover that these fortunates weren't so surprised as their biographers would have us believe. They doubtless had a pretty fair idea when they went to bed the night before that fame was going to greet them with cheer in the morning.
 A few weeks ago James Whitcomb Riley was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. To be admitted to this royal group of 50, is to be stamped with the hallmarks of immortality. Yet many years ago Riley came into his own and with song made certain his admittance to fellowship with the great. Just which song that IS or just when he sang it, it is not easy 10 say. With him fame made her approach bv easy stages. His friends saw her coming. though Riley himself was all ways modestly near-sighted and genu- inely so. He. gave no thought to the morrow, but sang the songs that would be sung. saying: "I don't do it. I'm only the willow through which the whistle comes"
 Riley lisped in numbers He wrote rhymes before he could write He was born that way; destined to the poets corner, always. He asked for rhyming dictionary and his father gave him volume of Blackstone. It is wise father that knows his own child. Young Riley Bud" the boys called him-tried Black stone but 1t wouldn't scan. He went to
 sleep over the task and was wakened Ly the voice of a patent medicine ven
 der who came crying his cures in the
 shady streets of Greenfield. The lure of the open road was too much for Riley and when the Doctor drove his wagon out into fresh fields and running brooks | "Bud'' Riley went with him.
 years journey brought them to the neighboring town of Anderson, and here l the poet organized the famous sign painting company-the Graphics-and with | and down the country lanes decorating
 the fences and barnsides with ailuring
 messages to the buying public. Out of
 this commercial escapade came an open
 ing On the Greenfield weekly, and Riley
 went back home to begin his life's work. The death of the weekly" soon inter
 rupted it, however, and once more the poet-out- job found himself in Ander- l son.
 l There he became the local editor of the
 Democrat, and from there he sent out to
 more pretentious publications many con- tributions in rhyme Of course, they came
 back. All real poets early efforts al-
 ways do come back Riley forgot this, l and moreover, he was sensitive. Indiana l didn't seem to impress the outide world l as A state of poetic rhapsody and Riley well, the name wasn't inspiring. Quite | naturally Encouragement, like the raven, perched above his chamber door. It was | then that he wrote "LeOnaine," and aft erward, at the suggestion of few mis- guided friends, sent 1t out as recently discovered Poe poem. The story of this hoax is too widely known to bear repeti-
 tion. It brought its author many and varied criticisms and in later years deep regret. The immediate consequences were the loss of his place on the Democrat, the offer of one on the Indianapolis Jour- nal and a cheering note of encouragement from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
 The Journal had for some time been
 printing contributions from Riley and
 the poet was known in the local office be-
 fore he accepted the offer of employ
 rnent and moved his scant belongings and
 his rich gifts to the capital He was en-
 tered, modestly, but regularly on the
 pay roll. though his hours were his own
 and his contributions frequent or infre-
 auent as the muse moved him. Then fol
 lowed golden days! Fellowship with his
 kind: the exchange of social intercourse; ! the clash of wits; the spinning of yarns the playing of practical jokes. all the