Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-03-09 | Page 24 | Gilliland is to be Bonneville Speaker

iLIUSi IS TO BE BQWIMEMR Noted Writer Will Visit Salt Lake March 18, Club Announces. Strickland "W. Gillilan, nationally-known nationally-known humorist, will speak at tho dinner din-ner to bo given by the Bonneville club March IS at the Hotel "Utah, according to George O. Relf, secretary. Mr. Gillilan, who is the brother of L. M. Gillilan, supervisor of the mathematics mathe-matics department of the East high school, becamo widely known to readera of newspapers and periodicals in 1000 by writing "Of!' Again, on Again. Going Again, Finigan." He submitted the poem to a daily paper in southern Indiana which published it. The-editor ofv the Baltimore American was so favorably impressed with the poem that-he prnited it In lull, with illustrations. Its popularity popu-larity was national. Strickland Gillilan is author of two books of verse, including "Finigan" and "Vou and Me." His only book of prose is "Sunshine and Awkwardness." The humorist has written for too Ladies' Home Journal, Leslie's Weekly, Judge, Life and Collier's Weekly, and his works have appeared in many newspapers. Tho editor of the Ladies' Home Journal Jour-nal once remarked, when asked why he did not publish American poetry, that there was no such thing, and Strickland Gillilan wagered that he could convince him that there was. Several poems sub mitted by Mr. Gillilan were published in the magazine, he won his bet and the editor admitted that ho. had mako a mistake mis-take when he had said "there was no such thing as American poetry." Mr. Gillilan has held positions on tiie Los Angeles Herald and the Baltimore American. Efforts have been made for three years to induce him . to undertake a western tour. At present. he is on tho Pacific coast, but after completing his itinerary there he will come to Salt Lake by way of Boise, Idaho, where he will pass a few davs with his brother, Pr. J. Gillilan, who has just returned from a mission to Japan, Korea and Siberia in the interest of tho Methodist church.