The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-13
Recover Compositions
of Famous Poet Rilev

INDIANAPOLIS. Ind. Oct. l2.-Af-
ter Gilieent inv es.iga'ion ami re-
search the editors in charge of the
work OF compiling the !irst absolutely
complete collection of the works OF
James WhitComb Rilc;. i'll both prose
ana poetry, have announced that tEcv
maze recovered what they believe TO
be all OF the compositions of the fam
Gus poet still in existence
The work on the complete collec-
ton was begun with but little hope of
success. as EiIeyS works we're scat
tered far and wide over the land The
fIes OF defunct newspapers. to which
me poet had at different times con-
trbuted, We're carefully searched: his
correspondence was examined: his
| friends were CanvaSsed for any infor-
nation they might have and at length
some TWO hundred poems. which have
never before been published. were
found. In addition a iarSe number of
prose compositions were brought to
Hght-works OF the poet OF whose ex-
!stenCe he alone knew
James Whitcomb Riley has succeed
ed as poet III spite OF the predic-
uOns of many of the greatest literary
CRITICS that his works were not the
/ kind that would live Eastern men of
| letters were slow in accepting his dia-
! lect verse. and ii was only after he
had reCited before them tnat they be-
gan TO realize the wonderful possibili-
ties OF dialect poetry as IA medium of
interpreting the true FEELINGS and the
simple philosophy of the homely PEG
| pie from whom the poet drew his in
| spiratiOn
Accounts for Success.
Time and again, Rhey mas been ask
l cd h. h.
! Invariably he would reply in a most
! typical manner Il guess there had to
be some one to do that sort of thing
and the good Lord just picked me
| 1t was in a recent interview, how
| ever, that for the first time he told of
the actual work he haG Gone in max
| ing his poetry come to possess its
/ strange appeal
In recovering Riley's lost" works.
the editors of the complete edition
found that as far back as 1879. Riley
| had been thinking along the line of
appeal" There were many evidences
of this thought along in some of his
later writings, but that ne should have
been seeking for a basis of universal
appeal so early in his career. was in
deed a revelation.
The first poem found which dis
closed the poets ideas on poetry is
one entitled. The Ginoine Ar-Tickle,"
which was found in the files of the old
/ Kokomo GndD Tribune under date of
! November s, 1879. Typically charac-
teristic of Riley. il gives his views on
poetry in a more readily understand
able fashion than anything that might
be said. 1t follows:
"Talkin' o poetry.-There're few men
/ yit
Ats got the stuff billed down SOS
it'll pour
Out sorgum-like, and keeps a wear or
more
! Jes' sweeter ever time you tackle
! it,
Wy all the jinglin' truck at has been
I writ
For twenty wear and better i so
/ pore
/ You CANT find no sap in it any
more
/ " you'd find Juice in puff-balls-And
Id Quit,
What people wants is facts. appre
bend.
( And naked Nature is the thing to
give
Your writin' basis. Ell? And contend
4 AT honest work is allus hound N live
Now thams NV views. Cause Won
Sjcb noetrv as that from end n
end
EXPRESSES Similar Idea
Again in "A Tale of the Air1y DAYS
poem written in 1856. a similar idea
was EXPRESSED. in the following way-
Tell of the things jest as they was
They don't need no excuset
Don't fetch ON I'D like the poets does
Tel thevr all TOO fine fer use
In the poem to Poems Here AZ
Home written during the summer ~
1892 which is the hest known of all
The Riley verse in which the noel has
sought "a qiva rtterance n ~