Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-10-28

shortly, ana that 1t is to- be so issued
is due, not to the desires of the poet.
but to the increasing demand ex-
pressed throughout the United States.
Mr.. Riley has not been a man care
fully to preserve what he has pro-
duced. Many of his best verses have
been thought out, written and mailed,
perhaps printed, perhaps lost. But as
for making copies, Mr. Riley had no
wish. He wrote when the spirit NOV
ed him. He wrote in letters, on the
fly leaves of books, and on the cards
which friends wished to preserve. In
the course of years these verses scat
tered to many states, and when the
editors of the biographical edition
undertook to find them the search was
extended east and west, north and
south.
During the editorship of the late
Charles A. Dana, the New York Sun
published number of Riley poems.
Most of these were issued in the early
eighties. Miss Lavina Covert. of the
New York public library, undertook to
search fer these poems, and she found
them. Aside from being published in
the Sun none of these had ever been
in shape for book publication. One of
these. alas! She Refused Him." is to
be printed in the biographical edition
under the title of From Below" This
was one of the poets earliest serious
efforts. Another poem, which ap-
peared in the Sun on August 20, 1880,
reflects the great love of the poet for
plain and homely things. 1t is some
pm COMMONPLACE
i,.ati ion
found in his love and appreciation OF
the vast commonplace. One of his Ia
nous verses runs;
What we want, as sense 1t, i'll the line
o. poetry is somepn' yours ana mine
Somepin with live stocA in it and out
doors
mores. a,.
Putt weeds in-pi2en vines anu uiiuei
bresh 81,
And sassylike-and groun' SPUR Is, yes
AS sayin is, 1--WE, Us and Company.
Sometimes Mr.. Riley began q poem
and then put the uncompleted work
away Among the papers which ne
had left lying about his room, and
which his sister, Mrs. Henry Eitei,so OF
Indianapolis, had collected and saved,
wore a number of excellent manu-
scrips. One of these was incomplete.
IT was given back to Mr.. Riley, and
the theme impressed him SO that ne
completed it, and. under the title OF
.My Conscience" it was printed for
the first time in the Century Maya
zine for July.
In the search for edition material
MANY prose compositions were brought
to light. Some of these are as nola-
BILE as the poetical efforts. one III
particular casts new light on the
.Reni. r. Johnson" poems-those
verses which Riley contributed to the
old indianapolis Journal under the
men name of BENZ F. Johnson, OF
Boone" This collection includes The
Old Swimmin' Hole and others, WHICH
are regarded as perhaps his best. me
prose sketch referred to Is caiied
Caller from Boone" and 1t tells Oh
Riley's first meeting with his magma
tive MISUNDERSTANDING +. Johnson
an old Boone county, Indiana, farmer.
Mr.. Riley once wrote some lines IN
n book of children's pictures-Riiey
has a way of expressing himself SO as
| To be understood by the children. one
of these hits follows:
Cunts is biggest mems they air
In all this world er any%nere, ,;t,,a.ost
An Tom Thumb he's Tn mos. h'''e-
Cause onct he lived in a oyshture-can. j.,
TO quote the Suns appreciation Oh
Riley:
Nut who would say that Riley grows
| old as years pass by? He is more
| mature of course, hut tucked away in
his breast is the heart of a boy He
has today the same happy, wholesome
! sympathetic nature that he had Wnen
as a lad he frolicked about the ola
swiYnmin' hole near Greenfield, Ina.,
| his birthplace.
| Beginning his career as a country
boy who saw and understood the
! beauties of the homelX things, VINO
! knew the simple philosophy OF yet
| simpler life, who gave his fancy FORM
in words, whose melody, so fun ana
| appealing. came straight from his
| heart and found its way into the
hearts of all, submitting his verse in
| his retiring way under plain, home
\ spun pen names in order not "
! tract the attention of the pupic 70
/ himself: awaking at last TO nha MINI
self the poet laureate of q natioii-
| that has been the experience OF James
| Wiiitconlb Riley
| He knew the human heart. lie
knew its underlying love for simple
| homelv things. He knew the tender-
ness of sympathy and the power OF
companionship. He put himseit as
won and T. with the world-just we
Us and Company"-and took all into
his confidence.