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| Article from the State College Times of Friday, November 24, 1933, pages 1 and 2 |
Literary Club Sponsoring Appearance of
Markham,
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| Monday night he will
be here - the great poet, creator of many beautiful poems on the equality
of men. Edwin Markham. Tickets for his lecture have been on sale all week
in the quad and at the Controller's office and, although they have not all
been sold, it is expected that the Little Theatre will be packed at eight
o'clock Monday night.
Seven years ago, Mr. Markham was here. At one time, during the day, the quad was packed with the elementary school children of San Jose. Mr. Markham spoke to them for awhile and then, two rows at a time, he taught them two of his poems. Contacting some of those children now, they can repeat those poems perfectly, for so dynamic was his personality that they will never forget the stanzas. Edwin Markham is an alumnus of San Jose State College, having graduated from the then Old Normal School in 1873 [sic], as a member of the thirteenth graduating class. For a number of years he taught school in the state, and, being a lover of verse, he wrote some during his leisure hours. At the age of forty-eight while teaching in Oakland, he was the famous painting of Millay's, [sic] and wrote the poem that in 1899 brought him to fame - "The Man With the Hoe". Since that time he has constantly written and published many lasting poems. Mr. Markham is known for his brotherhood, his friendliness to people, and it is said that he never forgets a friend. His constant regard for "the man with the hoe" - the common laborer is a living appeal for socialism, not of the revolutionary type, but of the equality of opportunity and chance for the workman. Once the poet was asked if he started out to be famous when he began to publish poetry. "Famous? Famous? Am I famous?" he asked, sincerely surprised. Many people are of the opinion that Mr. Markham's greatest poetry is in his "Virgilia" and "The Crowning Hour", while many others argue that "The Man With the Hoe" and his "Lincoln - The Man of the People" are his best. Most likely, he will recite one or more of these selections Monday night. |
This article was transcribed from the original which is on microfiche in the King Library.
| This page last updated March 21, 2007 |
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