South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-06
POET LECTURER
IS HEARD HERE
Edmund Vance Cooke Pre-
SentS lis Poetry import
anti" at Club Dinner.

one 81 the most convincing argu-
ments eser made 20 establish the
impOrtant place of poetry in the
lives OF the people was that Of Ed
mund Vance Cooke. poet lecturer. "a
his presentation OF us Poetry In
portant:' az the drst annual guest
dinner Of the south Bend Woman's
club Tuesday evening in the RO-
tary room Of the oliver hotel
Although Mr.. Cooke stated that
ne did not intend 10 make any az
s1ment ttr poetry. he succeeded IL
proving E.s theory " its value with
ont any argument other than his
own splendid Interpretation of SON,
Of the works that he himself has
contributed 20 the public.
Mr.. Cooke b. named as "a poet
lecturer. tut he rs also gifted with
the subtle art cf Inimicry and the
power 10 interpret verbally any one
OF his varied works
IN the entertainment OF Tuesday
evening, Mr.. Cooke touched upon
siN specific fields OF human emotion.
giving forth with a punch some
homely Iuths. old and new. that
struck home in every case.
lnterprcts Poems.
'Impertinent Poems" were tho
first 10 come under discussion and
Go be- Interpreted. These poems.
according 20 the poet. were labeled
-impertirtent" FOR the reason that
they propounGed questions not usu-
ally prOpounded (to say nothing Of
the impei Thence in calling them
poems) These poems included
Hush. A." Don't You p" and Desire
each OF them made gems By the
writer's Interpretation OF them.
II know Of no better example II
the joy ~ existence than the little
TOT" stated Mr. Cooke. i'm taking uD
the Little Tot Lyrics. for which he
is 80 very widely known. AT the
Concert" When Comply Comes
and THE Sin of the Carpenter Man"
composed this series. each poem be
ing recited i'm inimitable child-talN
and with typical child manneTisms.
The family group, though closely
associated with the lest group. takes
up Somebody Calls 70 Home"
Father and when Your Big Boy
Puts You Down I'm the poem,
Father" the father i'm this case
isn't the story book sort. but simply
an every day plug-horse Of "a faith
err" who went through life i'm his
steady. reliable old way. with HIS
praises unsung. but his presence
sorely missed when he quit WORK
al eleven"
An Englishman's pessimistic YER
ION OF snan were illustrated i'm Fin
de Steele" and "Unverstaendlich
iu his Fragments or Philosophy.
That all Of us are prone "a rebel
against the things we are supposed
20 do is the view OF the German.
who. incidentally is a friend of Mr..
Cooke Mr.. Cooke. before reciting
his biz OF German philosophy in
German dialect, expressed the opin-
ion that we are not at war against
German philosophy but against Ger
man brutality. that Shakespeare IS
not making war on Goethe
Specimen Of American Philosophy.
How Did You Die2' was the last
of that group. and the poem was
cited as a speciman of American
philosophy THE American" said
Mr. Cooke. has no use for poetry
unless it saws something and he has
no use for philosophy unless IL
means something"
Bimes OF Real Religion COM
posed another OF the series, these
poems including Heaven why
De Debbue" and Yours Eacn
treated the topic from "a different
angle which Mr.. Cooke brought out
iu his forceful telling manner.
The last numbers OF the program
were included under the head. THE
Larger Nationalism which gave
Mr. Cooke an opportunity 90 express
bit OF his thorough Americas
spirit both through his poems ana
his short prelude Each for All"
written with the view Of pointing
out wherein a man may be nation
aTy and vet internationally patriotic
Mother Goes A-NarChiuE' pictured
mother" as an ardent sUdragst.
4 glowing tribute 20 Abraham Lin
coin was The Uncommon Common
or" Mr. Cooke cited Lincoln as
the ideal ~ our democracy. the man
who began the lowest and ende
the highest.
So great was the applause which
greeted the close IL Air. Cookies en-
tertaUmeut that he was forced ID