, 1869-03-21
PERSONAL SKETCHES.
James Russell Lowell,

apo1 Ailo Aae oola,auon 10 b. superior for
he had but to c1erni.e his natural hcu,ties
TO be distinguished. Lowell, sesms to bo :
born Foct. As tueh-no less thau as a Wit. a
humoftss and brilliant echolar-he stands
IN the front rank Of American minds.
7as LoRELA,
1t least the Massachusetts, family. ARR
descended ffon PercivM Lowell, m ENGLISH
merchant, who emssra.ed to this country in
1853, and settled In Ne1hnry, Hhe1e he
d1eo f"enty.E1x years after James Russell il
the sou Of the Rev. Charles Lowell !:
grandson Of the famous Judge John Lowell,
Who wns to prominent In abolIshlur
layery m Massachusetts, and Is the ne phe +
OF The founder Of the Lowell Institute al Boz.
ton. His sister Mary (Mrs- Putnam} was a
writer Of ability and reputation, and IN ex-
trao-dlnar5 1tnguist, and his brother, Robert
7raill Spence, Is the author of the "Neg
Priests Ia Conception Bay, aad many poem.
Of merit. The Lowel,s orc dne race, aud
prove Whist IL often doubted, that genius Is
hereditary when Joined to sympathy.
FORTUNATE 1oc1n.
The sphjsct Of this eketch was born d.
Cambridge. February T., 1873, and, like MI
his MASCULINE relatives, graduated at Har-
.afd. He Was bright from bis childhood, 20
very bri2ht that mauy vi seacres-:n couso-
n1nce with the common opinIou- shook Lloit
heAds, and predleted that he wonld not live.
Or. il be did, that he Hould not redeem the
promise Of bis early years. He Was fortu:
nate, indeed, Re Ind everything to make
l}fe de&ifA b]e-reftODhl conueHsess, grace.
heaith.. rare talent, friends, position ease
and the p,estiGe Of lineage, which Is mnch
even inths fierce democracy Of ours. HIS
temper MAS as cheerful aud, genial As his Wit
Bas sharp. He made ,epIerAms al Ten, aad
Vrpte clever poems at twelve It ID reported
thai be never remembers the time when he
could Lot make verses,
While mere stripping be delivered tn.
proDptu speeches, putting km4elf Ia the
place Of historic characters, told bis eou-
pauloas remarkable stories whtch be imprp.
yised with astonishing facility, and invented
curious correspondents to entertain and be-
wilder his p]&1 OafeB- He was species OF
Intellectual fuck3 aud men and womeu Of
his own clas4 Who were reared with HIN
thtak he vas The clevesest boy they have
ever seen.
he seemed TO be perfect In bis recisatlons
without dtllCcnct: To know everything by
Intuition. "Cvnfourd that Jim Lowell, =
said one ofhis fellow xtudents,I ,It he neyer
stuoses, and yet he knows more than tha pro-
jCSAQ2- AAt ~hA1 = HiE&G tEf0f4ktr OF fs1Uf88.
He always told ,la dsullest 8torles, and
piayed the most unexpected though tarm-
less jokes that the university hxd any knowl.
edEe Of. He renalS vas close student. bus
he 80 divided. his leisure and application that
no one F1s R~nke when he Was porinR over
bis books, and the. whole college was coa.
tcious when he was seeking recreation. :. ,
Those who lad been doubtful O! his iature
saw that hu rlpened steadily, and were forced
TO coafets he was likely to ba an exception 10
the rnle that eleyeF boys make sta old men.
He developed With erery month. Zone eau
almost fee hia mind grow, !" one Of hts proSaA.
soks said IN the enthusiasm Of admtrAuo1
AFTER C0LLKnE.
When young Lowell received his des rec
be read q class poem, Rs It Is called, which
was so ful Of punsent eAtsre aud telling Wit
That It wAs published, and widely circulated.
Atter quitting college he undertook law, a.
60 many Men born to literature huyo dcue be.
and opened an Office In Boston. where be
smoked. talked, ND read poetry for few
months, ard then closed Blackstone foftye!
II is said he might have bad good practice,
as his reputation for talent and his preatis:
Of Iamlly brought blu, very aat,crlng mum,
her Of clients fer novice. lie told them te
call again ard again, until they grew weary
smoked, cbatted and read, and voted law ar
internal bore. In bis twenty second year ht
published his lrst volume e-pocns--Tith The
little u A Years Lne," which did not meet
with the success his friends anticipated.
FA1LERe AS PCnL1sAER-
TWO years after, he Issued, in connection
" maeazine, 2Ae Pioneer, the best pub
lication OF the kind Boston had ther
; had, Hawthorne, Neat, Poe, Par
Sons and Story contributed to 1t
and made It 80 good that 1t could not live
! After three upmters it expired. IT would
! have continued lput e1, no doubt, had not lh
publishers btcome foaociai1y embarrassed
!. through other publications., ind been com
| Pclled 10 suspend husiness.
| HIS HOOKS.
! He altcrward puhlshed two volumes G
ml;csllaneous poems, .' Conversations On ,h
/ fsl,""b "biglow Papers" "Fable for tn
] Crit,c8.n The BlgloE Papessn paxa.
: through several editlon4 here aud In EaEland
, and added much 10 his reputation As hu
morist. They were ss.ire il The Yaukc
! patott, which Is 80 disagreeable to thecul
Lowell hare never fecn able to read 1t. ri
Wit thAt can't be expressed in pure and co
! rect language must a!~ays fail of apptecI,
tlon By some OF the bes: critics.
FR4FELs.
In 1851 Lowell went to Europe aud I,
manned sl1 months. Two years after he d.
livered IN Boston a Course 81 twelve lecturt
on the British poets, which were very lsrgcl
attended By the best people Of tho city.
PRoFEs81RsHP.
In 1855 be Was appointed Professor Of 3fo
ern Languages and Be1les.Lettres IN place
LonefslloE rcslsuea: Like his predecesso
OF bis new oince, aud af.er ten N 1ntha Of a.
we're study At Dresden returned to I'LL It
chair, aoa Kept 1t for some ytRrs.
In addition to h1s Published volumes he b
! been frequent contributor to current liter
tpFe, particularly the lSorsA Amertedn Rera
time the editor Of the 3t}0ntic, and now occ
pies that poeltlon on the North America
He Is delightful maQazinist, and no one
more welcome to cultivated reAdefa. b
articles are highly polished aud yet We
fresh AL raey, full Of subtle thougbt y
delicate Imagery, and Vigorous and Origin
withal.
TIRs1 ASD SECOND WIFE.
; At tweuty.nvs he married Msrta White
young lady remarkable for mHuy gifts
mind and person. She Eas almost an idt
wom1n, and 70 know her WAS literally
love her. One who Was her friend speak.
l her "a one al the lovellcst and swee:s
, deserving to be called angelic. About /
! beautiful head uimbus seemed 10 shil
If ever = saint walked the earth II y
S Maria Lowell. Alter her death in 155:
volume Of her poems, rem4rkable
. delicacS and tenderness, was printed foF ?
!, yate diA:r,buiion. ...-....
d Lowell married again ak or eeren ye.
+ ago. FITS present wife is an elegant and 4
g courlshcd Ncm1n but IT would be stTAu
Indeed II he should have touEa the peer :.
Q her who WAS IN Ill sweet seriousness ~
!" Graves SO ludicsonsly termed his sasni
n LowE1L's noCeE
la ,An3l L. INA n m in
J Long ellnw's, The pools are naAr ne1ghh
J. and close friends, aud their visits 10 one 1
o,her, when they ase both Ht home, arc Il
oueus and delle htfu1. Il Is rare treat to
). Ia Loweli's society, He e the best Of &
u pany. There Is something artcian In bus Ct
A. aeter and emanatioDf. He Is sapreuely 1p
!, ,sasI .ud taes eS down his liz dow of tak shc bes
the pot woull be had, He writes ess
y, and generally with few corrections. tto1
his tsste Is fastIdiaus In the extreme. HI
ono Of the few authors who do not. Glyl
y enough of themselves. He has not the st
I'd ulps Of poverty, and he seems TO oe 1t
troubled With ambttion.
II HIS LooEs-
30 looks The post wholly. Ha T. rathel
Cd low the mt dunn height, slender, but Y
bnilt. and very graceful. HiA features
~. recu,at cycu to clAssicalncss- lie mas :
snIt auburp hair and iull bcardt which.
pesfance. He has broad, white. sniEi
OF ioreheaa, deep blue eyes. capable OF , e
=. ysriety Of expression and, though lu
~ ff1.eih yra., would not be thols 1t more
thIrtT. Tic looks boyish ol.eu, Anu }
lor younx IN feeling and fresh In spirit th,
I. difficult 10 realfre that he can eyer &
'oA old. q Il.
:" GRa n 4 Caioft1t Agent.
an Frca the Ga Light Jnrrn.L
While the nse Of eoal-gas for H!umtns
or purposes h. extended rapidly, In this C.
ts5 ut leaIt, lis adoption Is a calosi6c a
he has beeL 50 Slow Is to disapp3lnt the hi
OF It's esrly advocates. The adrant
"a clahned Tor gas In this respect are cleaIli
HI, aud freedom from trouble, II beIng unn:
ssry to carry coal or other fuel 70 feed
FIRE. OF to remove ashes, etc The sapt
e With which heat may pe generated. and