The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-10-07
BY WALTER d. HICKMAN

nj WALLER ~, HUFFMAN
THERE are two birthdays that
Il have unusual meaning and i'm
portance TO me.
No longer can see them in per-
son, but have a sort of mental
celebration for James Whitcomb
Riley and Eugene V. Debs.
And today on the anniversary of
another birthday OF the beloved
Riley, it is proper that I tell you
about the latest volume of poems of
Riley.
I have before me Selected Poems
by James Whitcomb Riley" as
chosen by William Lyon Phelps and
published by The Bobbs- Merrill
Company Of this city. 1t sells for 81.
Phelps in his preface writes: For
the appearance of new edition of
the Poems of James Whitcomb Riley
there could hardly be a more mop
perfume moment 1t is partly for
this very reason that like to make
the experiment. Riley was a man
OF faith, of sentiment, of optimism,
of good cheer; today our citifed in
telligentSia have only one motto
What's the use? They find no
pleasure in sin"
Another contention of Phelps is
that Riley became a national poet
not because of his weakness but be-
cause of his strength. He expressed
feelings that are common to normal
men and women. 1t is characteristic
OF the abnormal that they mistake
their world of thought for the
thought of the world"
n
In selecting the poems to be placed
In this new volume, Phelps states
This volume contains only those
poems that seem to me the best.
And in this selection there is vari-
ETY. as we'll as excellence"
I am especially fond of these
selected poems because some of them
are actually new to me, especially
Fame" and The Old Retired Sea-
Captain"
You may be we'll acquainted with
these two and the many others in
this book, but some appeal to me as
Jest brand new" AS a fact that
is not true but Phelps has kept his
promise in selecting poems of both
variety and excellence.
OF course no book of Riley's poems
would be complete without "Griggs-
by's Station" Little Orphant
Annie" "Lockerbie Street" AN Old
Sweetheart of Mine" The Old
Swimmin' Hole" Our Hired Girl"
The Raggedy Man" and When
the Frost Is on the Punkin."
And the best way for me today
to honor Riley is to read again
"Lockerbie Street"
What are they reading in fiction
In New York? Brentano's list the
following Sons" by Pearl Buck,
author of THE Good Earth" In
heritance," by Phyllis Bentley; THE
Gods Arrive" by Edith Wharton;
Picking Picnic" by Ann Bridge:
The Family Circle" by Andre
Maurois, and The Fortress" by
Hugh Walpole.
The Macaulay Company has sent
me for review the following new
books: The Scandal Monger." bv
Emile Gauvreau; ITO Make NV
Bread" by Garce Lumpkin; Green
horn" by Paul King; "A Family At
fair" by Lillian Gill; The Second
Son." by Dominique Dunois: THE
Animal Map of the World. by Marv
Graham Bonner, and "Children's
Hour, Station YET" by Yvonne
Elizabeth Frank.
Have before me a copy of The
Written Word a study of the art
of writing with especial reference
to its function in advertising.
II is by H. A. Batten, Marcus
Goodrich and Granville Toogood.
Published by Greenberg, New York.
Sells for $3.50.
Never before in my experience
have so many people been writing
as just now. Every mail brings
me original poems, stories and
novels.
And the same mail generally
brings me requests for titles of
books relative to writing.
This book will be of great interest
and help TO the artist who is study
ing commercial art as applied to
advertising. The chapter devoted to
magazines is an intelligent and an
authentic discussion of the magazine
as bill board or medium selling
goods.
Special attention is paid to good
writing" in advertising and in other
forms of writing.
One OF the interesting studies in
the book is Lincolns Gettysburg ad-
dress. The address is first printed
as written by Lincoln and then YOU
have the result of a learned commit
tee today making literary correc-
tionS.
Boobs-Merrill writes me that thew
have definitely decided to publish
on Oct. 10, The Life and Death OF
lvar Kreuger," as written by Will
liam H. Stoneman, the Stockholm
correspondent of the Chicago Daily
News. The book has been delayed
in publication because SLOVENIAN
has discovered some recently OBJ
tanned authoritative proof concern
Ing Kreuger's collapse.