Show Dialect Writings THE great fault with most dialect dialect speeches and verses is want of harmony between the thoughts expressed and the character represented as as doing the talk talk- ing The trouble is that the person who is s made to use a certain dialect expresses thoughts which in reality are entirely foreign to such a one one T The e i dialect ands and character must harmo harmonize liz and this result 1 I think James Whitcomb Reilly the Hoo Hoosier ier poet has approached more nearly than any other dialect writer To be sure he never lived on a farm and what he knew about farm life he picked up by observation He says himself himself himself him him- self I I sometimes make mistakes in inconsequence inconsequence inconsequence consequence of this but as a rule manag manage manage man man- ag age to keep pretty near the truth I follow follow follow fol fol- low nature as as I can and try to tomake tomake tomake make my people think and speak as they do in real life and such success as I Inave have nave achieved is due to this Some dialect writers must think the worse the spelling the better the production production production pro pro- for it has been said Oh no indeed I really dont don't know what he will become his spelling is too poor to be a keeper book-keeper and not poor enough for a dialect diale t poet Perhaps the reason reason for so much of this kind of literature is the great delight so many people take in hearing broken English in any form However dialect verse if well written will last and hold rank with other literature It is natural i 0 t j. j i r 1 H and gains added charm from its common- common f A subject ct i is none the worse for having been knocked about the thet ther t l' l r world unrecognized for a hundred years t You may have looked upon some man maJ manin manin in the community as a a. reputable well- well digger and nothing more and yet that man may be capable of more heroism than your most prominent personage Measure man and subject by his cap cap- abilities If truthful truthful- depiction of nature t is wanted and dialect is a touch of nature then indeed it should not be dis dis- regarded May 11 ay l |