Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-25

| j. W. RILEY Thoreau, Whittier
and Lowell. AS late as the sos and 9Os
the average American parlor was not
complete without two beautiful gilt-edRed
and exactly similar volumes, inscribed
with the magic words "LonEfellow'' and
"Tennyson." That summed It I'D. II was
orthodox to believe that those two were
the master singers of New England and
Old England, and New England meant
the United States.
The Boston school took itself very
seriously 1t patronized Walt Whitman
and took Bret Harte lightly How non.
derously selfimpressed It was with the
grave responsibility of being the sole
representative of the Muses. in America Is
Illustrated In an anecdote of Mark
Twain's youth. He told at q dinner.
where all the great men were assembled,
of three tramps he had met in the Far
West. The tramps, said Mark, had de.
scribed themselves as Henry wadsworth
Longfellow. Oliver Wendell Holmes and
Ralph Waldo Emerson These three
worthless. instead of laughing heartily at
this little Joke on themselves, sat in
mournful silence and never cracked a
smile, while the other guests were stun.
ned by Marks irreverence But when
they were all dead the joke turned on
them all the more. Just as Tennyson
ceased to be read in England, SO, they
ceased to be read by the people of Amer
lea; no great school took its inspiration
from their work, and the fame of a lot Of
fine, Ignorant, intelligent fellows from
the West thickened the dust upon their
obi yo1, r.
opinion shares with Whitman the Ameri.
can poetic laurels) resented the New
England primacy, and used to remark
of contemporary poets that "if he had
been born in New England he would be
considered great poet"
James Whitcomb Riley. whose passing
brings a real sorrow to all America, was
one Of those who broke the tradition.
Like Whitman he had no cultured sur
roundings - the wandering sign.painter
and minstrel had none of the college
mans viewpoint which was distinctive
of the Concord atmosphere. But right
here 1t is amusing to note that the poet
OF the soil in his waning years got the
notion that his fame would rest upon his
pure English" verse and not on his
dialect poetry; so deep-seated is the aca-
demic superstition. Robert Burns had the
same idea about his solemn English verse.
Riley, In recent years, used to recite to
his friends with evident pride his poem
''Moon-Drowned," which he seemed to be-
lieve was one of the richest things he had
done. Here Is a stanza:
The far away lit OF the waltz ripped to us.
And through us the exquisite thrill OF
the air;
Like the scent of bruised bloom was her
breath. and its dew was
Not honeyer-sweet than her warm kisses
were.
We stood there enchanted. And oh, the de-
light of
The sight of the stars and the moon
and the sea,
And the infinite skies Of that opulent
night OF
Purple and gold and ivoryi
OF course. no one observed to Mr.. Riley
hat this sort of thing was far inferior
o his homely verse. In 1918 he issued a
yolume of his straight English" poems.
rankly copying the style OF the Oxford
,ook OF verse. This is called the Locker
lie Book"
There was another strange diffidence In
lis nature which made him long believe
hat the name "Riley" was too common.
lace for pen name. OF the many pseu-
onyms that he adopted before his fame
vas assured. "Edyrn" was the most ambi-
ious and fanciful. There were many
merry meters signed "Jay Whit" and
John c. Walker" and benjamin f. John
on" are other noms de plume. But as
natter OF fact no name but a common
Ia ID opa nouId bava popA an 1uaII with tba
reat poet OF the commonplace.
Shadow Over His Last Years
1t was poignant for the friends OF the
oct that he who had expressed SO keenly
he sharp merriments and bitternesses OF
fe should have been destined to a lamed
nd lingering retirement from them.
,eath, whose shadow he beautifed and
oftened. did not play fair with him. For
ne last seven years OF his life he was
losing the use OF his right arm
nd leg. But he was most cheerful suf.-
srer and kept always his jovial note OF
with his friends, who on Wis.
8 to his home In Indianapolis went with
i'm on long rides In his auto. Riley, who 2
sver married. was particularly dependent
pom the society Of friends. 1t was a
,urce or regret to the poet OF child life
lat he had no child of his own. A re-
arkable story he used TO tell in conneo-
on with the death of one OF Bill Nye's
lildren emphasized the pathos OF this
ok in his life. One night he could not
eep and was impelled. he knew not
hy to get up and write the poem which
,ntains this stanza;
ain would be OF serviee-say something
stween the tears that would be comfort
ing
At ah SO sadder than yourselves am 1.
Who have no child 10 die.
Later he learned that at the very mo-
ent when he was writing the lines Nys
as writing 70 him about the death OF the
iild.
MINES