Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1867-08-09
JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.

James Russell Lowell is an example of a
man of the finest abilities putting his talents
under bushel IF he had worked as in
dustriously as Longfellow he would have
made great mark on the times; this he
cannot be said to have done. He is one Of
those men however. who care very little for
for literary renown. As be is moderately
wealthy, the chief incentives to activity in
literature are wanting to him.
Mr.. Lowell is a man of medium height
and rather stout fgure-would weigh pro-
badly hundred and sixty pounds He has
dark, curling, auburn hair, which parts
naturally in the middle, like woman's, a
heavy red beard. forid face, and blue
eyes. He usually wears bob coat, very
short, of some fancy cashmere, trowsers of
the same, and colored neck tie, carries a
'ia'-' .~-v headed cane, and altogether
| presents quite 'swellsh' appearance.
Lowell, while he is by no means meth
odical man, is strongly welded to habit.
lie never writes but in a certain room, to
wit, the room at the back of the house, on
| the first floor, in the rear of the reception
room. The table in this room is generally
covered with disorderly array of pamphlets
and papers There are some fine engravings
on the walls, and the room contains perhaps
five hundred books Lowell's library is
mostly made up of old and rare volumes in
herited in some cases in others collected at
great expense.
Every one knows the house in which Low
ell lives is at Cambridge, Mass, near Mount
Auburn The avenue (Elmwood) on which
it stands is owned on both sides by Lowell.
At it's head, on Mount Auburn avenue, is
the house where the late Forsythe Wilson
liyed-now the property Of the Episcopal
College. Edmund Kirke's house is next
door to this, ,and facing Lowell's. Longfellow' S
place is about quarter Of plilo away.
Lowell house is upwards of century
old. 1t was used as a hospital by the
American army at the siege Of Boston. The
three houses. Lowell's, Kirke's and Viii
son 5, are on that battle field From time
to time pieces of old cannon and balls are
turned up BY the plow The spot is on the
edge of the town, aud virtually in the coun-
try. Lowelps grounds embrace thirty or
forty acres, and the next place to Kirk is
farm of fifty acres Lowell may be seen
every pleasant afternoon, from three to four
o'clock, walking in grove of old pine hees
at the rear of his outrageous ground. His
place is mostly in grass, as the farmers
say-that is, he cultivates little else than
hay. The house is a square old fashioned
three story frame, with fiat roof, and pain
ted yellow, You enter by broad hall with
low ceiling, from which ascends wide
stairway with short steps, The parlor is on
the right hand side as yon go in; on the
other side is the reception room, and back
of that the poets study. If gentleman
friend Lowell will greet you with the re-
mark of / can give you a pipe or cigar,
which do you prefer. For himself, Lowell
generally prefers apipe. He is great smo-
ker, and his mcerschaum "colors beauti-
fully"
This place which is probably worth $780,
600, was Lowell's birth place, and where he
has all his life resided though he has tray-
eled considerable in foreign lands. lie
graduated from Harvard College at the age
of nineteen, and then studied law, and was
admitted to the bar the following year. He
has never practised his profession much,
however, preferring the fowery walks of
literature -fowery to such as he, whose
daily bread does not depend upon his daily
toll. He has never realized much from his
books, which have not had large sales.
From his Professorship ofBelles Letters and
Modern Languages in Harvard he receives
$4,000 a year. In view of the extent Of his
reputation, it is quite surprise to find how
little be has really written. 'Why don't
you write more?' friend asked him on one
occasion. lam too lazy, said Lowell, Il
don't care much for fame--I wish | cared
more
Lowell started magazine some twenty-five
years ago in Boston, called The Pioneer,
which embraced among its contributors such