New-York tribune., 1874-04-27
THE LECTURE.
Mr.. Fields said {:

Laureate of England l am TO speak 10 you ho" op
one of our own stars who have sung, poet OF such
marked and varied excellence character soreNerehceu
aud heloved among us and indeed everywhere, that
have only to mention the name Of Longfelow 10 secure
Il once your sympathy and your interest 10 my theme
I seems TO that this early hour OF the day If the
eectest for reading essay on Longfeow 10 such
m audience as this; for he is always young, always
tn OF the spirit of sunshine and the dawn always lm-
partng strength and courage endeavOr and always
,inglug IN peculiar that life is real aud
earnest" that all strive TO act In the living
preseut" and that "snll achieving. still pursuing"
should be the end OF flying and 1eetng existence.
somehow the world has always had an rreverent habit
OF ,levang living authors Of genius. as If 1t
was a crime a really great poet prose writer to
be alive and well and enjoying the society of his friends
as dust ashes added certain respectablity TO
merit aud 1t we're highly appropriate to wait till man
be safely under the ground before he was TO be con-
sdered an fame and celebrated accordingly. As
soon as a great author is dead, all begin to do him
jnsce. Then we crowd about his grave and throw in
tributary flowers that should made glad his heart
and all his living senses while he still lived among us,
aud when he could have heard the voice Of praise not
VITA the dull cold Of death, and felt the laures
around his living brow. Let us try to-day, to
be just 10 living poet aud express without reserve
that pride feel in him, and which those who
will after Us Will he to cherish.
THE GRAND AND HEALTHY LESSONS OF HIS POETRY.
The poetry LongfeOw is full of grand and healthy
"stind your work. whatever 1t may be,
and do not be afraid OF it," is OF them. We are
sometimes uumndtul here in America that corn must be
ground before il baked We apt to hurry every
thug, and TO forget that IL do not know thing
rectly really do not know it at all. But Longfelow
10 be placed with the army Of scholars well as with
the gifted band Of wOrld-renowned singers. 1 am to
speak 70 you ot whose poetry is not an expert
Den but assured aud lasting fact OF one who has
no inrmitles which have been able TO discover; of
or mis- ted he
purpose of his Some poets. and good ones, have
sometimes filmed out, vaguely brstling with dictionary
words and shocked with their yagaries Of thought
and expression; but LOngfellOw is false
or aTected; his language is always that Of
to man and human heart to human
heart. He writes OF one thing for
the purpose putting another His purpose is always
he to mis- work with the certainty of the
arrow aud with power that is thoroughly in earnest
IN the lS20iust ftvOur wears age-the question
breeze throughout America that the query destined
never forgotten. Tho exact form OF the inquiry
gl he, who reads an American book :" Now don't
think at that period tins question was an impertnent
Quantity or quality either, in those days. Twelve
months after That question was asked, young lad had
inst entered mis- student IN BOwdOn Cole ge
who destined forty later 70 become the most
poPar poet in the civilized world nendins this same
Kingdom Of Great Britain, where The Edtnburgh Reriec
published
MORE READ THAN ANY OTHER LIVING POET
To-day there Is no disputing the fact that Henry
LongfelOw read than other living poet that
his books are more widely circulated ard bring more
copyright than any other written in English verse.
There must he some reason for this popularity among
high and low some sufficient for this lasting and
firm regard for the who at very early age came
singing out from the borders Of Maine into the world OF
song. Early he some where-and wish you all to
remember ththat genius is only the Infinite capacity
Of taking trouble" often think Of the infinite pains
gfollot roprx ultau n
npe aud mature. Starting off in small brig,
IN the first year Of his college life, he
goes into Denmark and studies Danish, and OBJ
tains knowledge OF Icelandic German and Dutch in
the way. He resolved TO be not a mere king OF
shed and patches but real master in the studies he
determined TO conquer Holmes speaks somewhere OF
one who performs httle with the lead pencil" Little
performances were not what LongfellOw was after in
life let me give you glimpse OF him as he appeared
years ago from that little book, "A Year IN SPAIN" and
which contains an excellent account Of Mr. LonGfeilow,
whom the writer met in his wanderngs. He says:
MY companion was Just from college and full
OF the ardo excited by classical pursuits with health
unbroken aud with a curiosity winch had never YET
been satisfied He had sunny locks, fresh complexion
clear blue eyes, and all the indications OF Joyous
temperament
This is true and interesting picture Of the young
scholar in his first travels into the grand old world OF
aud romance There are those called poets who live
IN the sleepy boOws Of thought, where 1T Is All the
time afternoon" LOngfellow is not one OF these:
lie has made himself controller of that high art called
poetry by coming in contact at all points with the great
queen OF song In his cradle he henceorth became her
living subject to do her noOlest and best work.
HIS PROFOUND AND SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIP.
BOme scholars carry their understandings about
With them but leave them doing the library shelves.
mere scholarly could not have written as Long
fellow wrote may be very expert In all the
dead languages but utterly unearned IN any living one
snyening 70 the present race Thisaalye and sharply
Cambridge LoDgfellow's scholarship is profound and
special but It never clogs moment the impetus Of
his nineteenth century eenus. He answer correctly
questions than almos any man OF his time out OF
the OF the past but he intrudes his wisdom
Into ms poetry. IL is there: very deep down:
se the roots aDa 81 5es s but the 1
that is flowing beneath them. IL he were not known
everywhere as a preeminent scholar and thinker In
poetry. apt TO have acquaintances but very
on speaking terms in poetry but how few really love
and live without! Our supreme fayores In the
poetic art easily catalogue, ana LoDgfeow Is
one Of ihein. There is any codness, any
unsympathetic relation between him and his readers:
dare say you all remember those beautiful dedcatory
stanras In the volume pnphsned IN lo4s wheIe ne
s9wS out in that deeP of pendhp founded
Oh perusal OF his WRITINGS.
MORE WIDELY QUOTED THAN ANY POET SINCE POPE
Since Pope poet has been more quoted than Long
fellow He has added 10 the stock Engsh letters and
speech many nes coupets aud verses as any other
OF hundred This test OF poetic thought
and inspiration. You must look 10 Shakespeare and
tw oher great ones Tor larger currency OF expression
than our American Longfellow had. The notices on
thousands OF titeRages from hun; If go TO En-
gland you viii hear him cited 10 Parliament, in
Westminster Han, and In the cathedral; every
enough TO embrace all ereeds and all spiritual
iuee m his baIowed and responsive verse. II
h because he humanzes everything he touches that his
Tyre has nothing alien to any soil have heard him
heard him sung by baud OF humble wOrshipers in a
ssnpmeeting among the NILS OF New Hampshire No
heart but can receive him and mud consolation in his
melodies, and this is why he Ia one OF the
most popular OF all poets writing English. Some ono
soeng copy Of one Of his books lying in low drink.