The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1916-09-08

wanted to get with him, he wrote his
imitation of Poe. and had 1t published in a paper
in another part of the state with elaborate
story about the discovery Of the manuscript.
AT once 1t made great sensation all
the country 1t made so great sensation that
Riley was terrified and feared that he would be
accused OF literary forgery. Meanwhile the edi-
tor OF the rival paper wrote: NO doubt young
friend Riley viii bettle this poem and say II Is
not the work of Poe. But it Is Poe and Poe's
best manner. The sensation grew to such pro-
portions that Riley had to confess that he had
written the poem. And then the editor OF the
paper discharged Riley because he had not pub
lished It In his paper.
Then the Indianapolis journal gave him a job
which he held for years He wrote reams Of
nonsense verse, and wrote up in the shops
of the merchants who advertised in the Journal
"Rileys first book called The Old Swim
min Hole and 'Leven More Poems He pub
lished it himself 1t sold well that it
taken over by publisher, and passed through
many editions.
"Rileys exquisite penmanshp showed the care
with which he wrote. Originally he wrote a care
less and rather illegble script but he had so
much difficulty in getting the printers read his
writing, and printing his dialect verse correctly,
that he took up the study OF penmanship He
was careful always to get the dialect OF
part Of Indiana distinct from the dialect of
any other part.
Amy mans character. he said is best
gestures and expressions remember Riley
very deliberate in his motions, especially in his
last years. Smooth shaven, rudy. well groomed,
he looked like n benign old English bishop
than anything else"
Mr.. Don Marquis of the New York Sun aptly
considers Riley and his poetry from an entirely
different angle.
james Whitcomb Riley" says he. was the
companion of fairies in Already; for the Hoosier
belongs to apart And while some are
captured and broken to trade. the gentle poet
escaped and kept always the vision Of hidden
things"
With these predatory remarks the writer goes
with his essay:
There are two sorts of Indianan-the ordinary
lndinnan, who is not very different from the
Ohloan or the Inoisan, and the Hoosier
The Hoosier belong not merely to n race apart
but to separate species. He Is human hut
with a difference: he Is Of the kinship
between humanity and the so-caled lower AMI
mails land even the plants and sreams) on the
side and the other side of the kinship OF
humanity with the elves
sWhen the moon turns the msts to silver and
the owls wall and the frogs wake up along the
creeks and lakes and the fairies saddle and bride
the hrehies and mount them and go whirrng and
flashing off in search OF airy adventures the
Hoosers steal out of the farmhouses and ham
lets and creep down to the bottom lands and
dance and sing and cavort under the summer
stars. They do secretly. lodging the mere bu-
mans for secrecy Is the essence of their midnight
whimsical revels.
ordinary Indianans: their own brothers and
mothers may not realize that they are HOLSTERS
"But in Indiana, as elsewhere there Is business
and the need to attend to 1t. There must have
been even In Arcady-somebody owned the focks
and herds of Already and turned them into
butchers meat and leather, and the Shepherds
only pped on the sufferance of their commercial.