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Show NEW INTEREST IN THE F.VMOUS POET AUTHOR OF "OVER THE HILL FOX PICTURE How quickly we are forgotten. It seems only yesterday that we could not attend a home party or a school entertainment without someone being be-ing called upon to recite Will Carl-ion's Carl-ion's "Over the Hill," or Betsy andl are Out," or "Gone with a Handsomer Hand-somer Man" or some other work of this famous poet of his day. Will Carleton died in Brooklyn only nine years ago, but events crowd in these times and people quickly forget. Now that William Fox has made a remarkable motion picture entitled "Over the Hill" which embraces the narrative of two poems from "Farm Ballads," and the photodrama is now drawing capacity crowds, many people peo-ple are asking "Who is or was Will Carlton?" Of course, older patrons of the theatre are quick to remember this gentle poet, for he enjoyed a nation-wide vogue for many seasons back. Will Carlton was born on a farm near Hudson, Michigan, October 21, 18 45. As a little fellow he trudged five milesi each day to school and later lat-er to high school. Then he went to college at Hillsdale, Michigan, and began to strike off verse. These writings, writ-ings, and recitations in town halls and schoolhouses, helped him pay his way through college. During his senior year he penned a poem on a local political issue and announced his own appearance to recite it in a small town near his home. He "biK led" himself by using the back of a cheap grade of wallpaper whereon he printed with a hand brush his topics and something about himself. A handfull of hearers showed up at the hall and all took seats near the rear door, so they could slide out unobserved if they desired. However, Carleton proudly records in his autobiography au-tobiography that they remained to hear 'him until he had concluded. When but 26 years of age in 1870, he was reading and reciting on an average of five'nights a week and receiving re-ceiving from seventy-five to a hundred hun-dred dollars each evening for his entertainment. en-tertainment. It was at this time he wrote "Over the Hill" The poem preated a profound Impressioni. It resulted in a wave of reform in the management of shelters for the home less poor farms, as they were called then. It was found that many of ' these were badly managed; that the superintendents were brutal; that' old women and men were made to do : labor for which they were physical- : ly unfit. Many male and female bos- I ses of such institutions lost their of- : ficial head'Si. Carlton brought mother back in his sequel; and William Fox hasn't overlooked that in his screen produc- j tion. His photoplay combines the 2 poems. ', Kinema Theatre Sunday and Monday. Mon-day. ' |