The Topeka state journal., 1919-01-31
POETRY And CORN
Kansas Is Mixing the Two With
Great Success.
Writers of State Hold Big Ban
quet Thursday Night.
PLAN TO EXTEND THEIR WORK
Authors Official Publication
Suggested improvement.
Members Express Sentiments
i'm Verse and Prose.

Raising less corn and more poetry,
to paraphrase Mrs. Mary Eliza beth
Lease, is what the people of Kansas are
doing. Nearly a score of Kansas verse
makers recited their own rhymes at
the annual banquet of the Kansas Au-
thors' club held Thursday night at
the Elks hall Some of the poets rep
sented in the literary symposium which
constituted the after-dinner program,
have long been known to be playing
the Hght-o'-love game with the muse,
and others mad not been generally
recognized as being POLITICALLY gifted.
William c. Markham, whose specially
is the prosaic subject of hard-surfaced
roads, turns out to be a rhymester;
Imri Zumwalt, who is able to land an
elective office without any campaign
expenses, was able to carry off the
laurels of praise from the club critic
by his verse at the banquet last night.
B. H. Pugh, a Topeka business man,
was declared by the critics to have
produced a poem of rare excellence.
The Kansas Authors club held its
fifteenth annual meeting Thursday
afternoon at the home of the secretary
George p Morehouse, and all the Of
ficers were reelected, with the ex-
ception of a, few changes in the dis
trict vice president personnel. Mrs
May Belleville Brown, of Salina, is
president for another year; Mr.. More
house, secretary: Mrs. c. r. Smythe.
treasurer; Mrs. Margaret Hill McCar-
ter, critic. Charles Dillon was chosen
vice president for the Ilrst district;
Carlton Everett Knox, Lawrence, sec
ond district; Mrs. Jennie c. Graves,
Pittsburg, third district; John E. Hin
shaw, Emporia. fourth district; N. A.
Crawford, Manhattan, fifth district:
Mrs. Eva Morley Murphy, Goodland
sixth district: Mrs. A A. Doerr.
Larned, seventh district; DR.. Henry c.
Fellow, Friends university. Wichita,
eighth district
To Extend Work.
The heads of departments will be
chosen later by the president.
j. The Authors club at it's business
meeting decided upon plans for the
extension of it's work. Carlton Knox
was made chairman of committee to
investigate the possibilities of an Of
flclal organ for the club. Some of the
plans suggested looked toward the
sharing of a quarterly publication with
the Quill club of Kansas City and the
Missouri Authors club. There was
discussion of having few pages of
some magazine already established to
be devoted to the interests of the Kan
sas writer's. 1t is possible that the
club will put out quarterly publica-
tion of its own. ts
Plans are also being made to enlarge
the music department of the club.
Mrs Castor Boyd, of Newton is now
at the head of that committee, and it
is expected that musicians who are
composers may find help in this de-
partment.
Some of the club members are in
government service. Among them are
]. S. Vernon, Larned, a, brother of Mrs.
4. A. Doerr; Miss Elizabet Barr, who
! is doing government work in France;
Willard Wattles, Kansas State uni
versity, who is at Camp Funston;
Lieut.. John E. Wilson, Russell. of the
engineering corps in France, and the
Rev. Joseph Hicks, editor of thu
c. A. work at Camp Kearney, San
Diego, Cal.
Mrs. Boyd Reads Poem
Mrs. Boyd. of Newton, who writes
verses as we'll as music, gave a read
ing of two of her poems at the ban
quet last night, Johnnie-Jump-Up'
and MY Flowers at Christmas"
formerly of Kansas, was given place
on the program, and two of his poems
were read by DR.. H. c. Fellow. They
were "Invocdtion' and keep Smil-
ing, the latter having been published
in the University Life of Friends
| university. Doctor Fellow read one of
his own poems, Hail to France"
written in blank verse.
Mrs. May Frink Converse, news
paper woman of Wellsville Kan, read
Let's Pretend,' and The Truth of
Love" John E. Hinshaw, of Emporia,
read THE Weaver" and Miss Lizzie
Wooster, of Salina, state superintend
ent of public instruction, read her own
lines, 'The Woman Who Wins" Miss
Wooster introduced Mrs. Minnie Grin
stead, of the state legislature, who
gave a few lines of original verse.
Mrs. Grote, who has rturned to
Topeka, after making her home in
Harveyville for some time, was asked
to contribute to the program. She
read "a Toast to the Service Flag"
Imri Zumwalt read Farewell to
Thee" a humorous poem, and Just
a Woman
Markham on Program.
George P. Morehouse read two
poems sent by Lieutenant Wilson, who
| is in France. They were ''Our Girl
and Paths That Wind William c.
Real Jewels and Trials of Life
John E. Everett, of Overlook, who
published! a book of poems in 1912,
read two selections from his book
Mrs Jennie c. Graves, of Pittsburg,
| read The Pearl in the Sand" and a
lyric B. H. Pugh, of Topeka read
two of his own poems
Mrs. Matte Toothacher Kimban, of
Manhattan. was the only speaker in
| the symposium who expressed hersei.
| in prose. She spoke of newspapers
work in the west and the necessity o.
employing women on the small town
as well as the city papers. THE rea,
history of any town in Kansas" she
said. has never been written and
never will be written. It is guarded in
the minds of the newspaper men and
women"
Carlton Knox who has furnad tLa
trick of making money out of his
verse. read four short selections
''West Land" "A Friend" What Is
Life?'' and a Tribute to Woman
A guest at the club was Mrs Vera
Brady Shipman, of Salina, who gave
some musical rea dings. She gave IN
anonymous poem. Little Black