Show V. V Lindsay Lectured Here i Student Reveals Visit of Famed Poet Dead Bard Swayed School By MAURICE HOWE HOVE EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE Maurice Howe attended the University during the semester of 1919 1912 20 when Vachel Lindsay lectured lectured lectured lec lec- here on the campus Mr Howe personally interviewed him for the Utah Chronicle nearly ten years ago Vachel Lindsay Dead No we cannot think of him except as living singing and tramping through the land he loved so well Perchance his spirit now is adventuring adventuring adventuring turing through the Elysian fields enjoying new beauty and new phil phil- Ever original ever vigorous vigor vigor- ous Lindsay's po poetry try stands stands' out as typical of American individuality We wonder how many of the timers old on the University of Utah campus remember one of Vachel Lindsay's visits here nearly a decade ago It was during the school year of 1920 1919 that Lindsay lectured here under the auspices of the Uni Uni- He spoke one morning in inthe inthe inthe the old assembly hall which formerly formerly formerly for for- merly occupied the top floor of the Museum building Tall Tall angular angular angulat forceful Lindsay had a personality that held atten atten- tion He did something that few speakers can do he made blase college students forget themselves and their sophistication sophistication-he he made them SING Lindsay told several anecdotes among them his classic story about the days when he used to wander about the land in the romantic role of a a. One time when I was tramping through the south said the beloved beloved beloved be be- loved American poet I stopped at a farmhouse and offered to exchange exchange exchange ex ex- change my verses for a meal and shelter The farmer fanner asked me why I didn't work for a a. living I re replied replied replied re- re plied that I did work He inquired my trade and I answered that I Iwas Iwas Iwas was a glider of sidewalks a painter of rainbows and mender of broken soap Lindsay could find a theme inthe inthe in inthe the bizarre or the commonplace He could recite of altruistic and sublime things and then suddenly change chang to humor pathos or joy It was no time at all until the hundreds of students tightly packed in the old hall were chanting chanting chanting chant chant- ing Ah been to Palestine and laughing at fat black bucks in ina a wine-barrel wine room and then feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing a catch in the throat at the emotion in some plaintive negro spiritual And there was Judith the dancer Lindsay sang of the stars and snow peaks He swayed with the magnificent rhythms in his vigorous vigor vigor- ous verse His poetry was filled with imagery tempered with emotion emotion emotion emo emo- tion alive with spontaneity and interpreted in vig vigorous rous rhythm He knew the power of alliteration He was a master in his art He had the faculty for catching the spirit of the beauty in nature He could express the characteristics of Americas America's Americas America's Americas America's Am Am- erica's individualism He knew the provinces He knew the north south east and west He wrote On Going to the Stars Perchance he sings there now |