Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1853-04-13
Sketch of the Rev. John Pierpont.
BY GEORGE w. BUNGAY.

And girded for thy constant strife with wrong,
Like Nehemiah fighting while he wrought
The broken walls of Zon even thy song
Hath rude martial tone, blow in every thought.
WHITTIER TO PIERroNT
The purchased puff-the hurrah of the mob-the
presentation of medals-the multitude at one heels
are not fame Fame is the spirit of mans genius,
which lives in the minds of Others while he lives and
after he is dead for fame is immortal Popularity is
ephemeral, and bears the same relationship to fame
that shadow bears to substance The gross Esau
would sell his brthright for of pottage. He
would mortgage the blessing Of his father for person
al qualification While the man of true geuius waits
hopefully for the homage which will surely be paid
everlasting forms of truth and beauty he has left on
record as the reflections of his mind. Like ia
cob he a ladder of light reaching to heaven
He thinks little of himself and much of his hect
He aims at perfection and not popularity. lie turns
his back on the past and histace toward the future
He is willing to abide the decision of posery-hence
he speaks the truth Men of true genius men of
progress they are reformers. Whoever verse
of genuine poetry in defence of oppressionl What
tyrant wrote stanza of pure poetry? Genius
glows in the heart of tyrant, and fame will new
err build her temple over her ashes. John Pierpont,
the preacher and poet, is man on whose shoulders
the mantle Of true genius has fallen His pen is new
or elegantly feeble. He gives you the glitter
of fine words for the gold of pure thought He does
not crnge and creep, and bow and lisp like literary
Top, but like brave honest, earnest man, he is,
speaks the sentiments that are born in his soul. He
is an artist who thinks the picture of more consequence
than the Frame He will not spoil good thought
for the purpose of saying good thing. He loves
Nature than he fears the Critic, and
mits inantcide his IDEAS at their birth, for fear
they should hereafter be murdered by hypocriti
cal reviewer. The themes selected by him con-
genial to his heart. Is there temple to be dedicated
10 the service of God, his muse with harp in hand
stands between the porch and the altar. Is there
monument TO be erected over the dust of departed he
roes, he there builds pyramid of verse that will stand
when the stones shall have fallen in decay. Is there
"a crisis in the of reform, when the great heart
of humanity must speak or break, his words are its
ahrobs, his songs its sentiments.
No reform poet in America is so great favorit(
among the elite and lterati Mr.. Perpont Perhap:
no man in this country receives many invitations
read poetry before lyceum and colleges, he. A
Harvard and New Haven, and every other place where
genius is appreciated, he is welcome. Notwithstand
ing this fact, Cooley and Graham, and other lords il
the kingdom of magazinedom, never employ his pen
The best illusions of his classical quill are found il
the reform journals for he does deem it beneath
his dignity to contribute to the columns OF the papers
that are not fashionable and popular.
Holmes is the poet of taste and fashion, cheerful
gay ana llBHl dS AIlel IoHOulu ne prlCk Il slime
with his stileto, he would at apologize, by de
claring he was in fun, and hoped offence. Long
fellow is so nice and elegant he sometimes does in
Justice to his noble nature but he s fond of freedom
and sympathizes with the of progress Lowell
is a radical, welding two edged sword when he i
aroused he belongs to no school but his own. Hi
muse is jolly jade, with the thumb on her AM
all fingers of both hands vibrating, when she wou
pour contempt upon national SIM Sprague's poetr
is as current and valuable than the bank bill
that bear his signature. Whittier is the poet of tn
slave. Perpontis emphatcay the Temperance Poet
See him standing in that magnificent Music Hall
reading his poem before the members of the Mercau
tile Library Society. He is straight as pam-tree
famed by the ''airs of Palestine, his snOw-whit
hair looks like halo of glory about his head and tn
rosy glow of health upon his face shows that his hear
can never grow old. Few of years, (he is up
wards of sixty,) have been young so long as he fey
men of his age young he is now. He a
ways dresses neatly and has an air of military CON
pactness,-looks we'll in the street the platform
His eyes blue and brilliant forehead stamped wit
the lines of intellectual superiority sanguine
In any audience he would be singled out as leader
AS speaker he is always interesting-oilen eloquent
There is rich vein of poetry running through hi
sermons and speeches, which enhance the value ofhi