Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-12-29
SECOND EDITION.
The Poet Lowell.


ETRY OF JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL.
Last evenings session of the Friends Social
Lyceum was devoted TO the consideration Of the
poet Lowell, in whose honor the walls OF the
Lyceum room were adorned with Christmas
green shaping the letters of his name, and with
passages of his own nobest verse, framed in the
same appropriate manner voluntary tributes to
the poet from the loving zeal as well as excel
lent taste of two of the lady members. Encir-
cled with berried holly shone out upon the Pres
ident'a seat the motto peculiarly fitted for the
season Of good will and good deeds towards
men -
nThe Holy Supper is kept In Iced
in whalso we share with anothers need
rot what we give. bui wllar we share
For the gift wit-out the glyer IS bare."
while the two Hawking selecions testified to
the versatility of the author Of 1.-The Present
Crisis" and "rhe Bglon Papers = the PATRIOTS
motto, "rhey have rights who dare maintain
tilem,' opposing itself TO that Of the satirc rep
resentatlye of the trucking politician.
"A mercifnl Providence fashion US holer
o. purpose that we mig It our principles swaller."
Joseph A. Richardson gave biographical no.
tce of the poet of the evening, i'll which lie
spoke of the contrast between him and Whittier,
the poet 30 fully considered four weeks ago,
both representatives OF the most advanced opln-
ions and feelings amongst us the one the Qua
ker farmer whose education was mainly received
in the istr.ct sch Jol Of his own rural district,
and vino has passed nearly all his life on the
| farm in Hayerhll which had been occupied by
| his ancestors, plain country people FOR genera
| tons; the other descended from q line of
eminent lawyers and divines himself Har-
ward graduate, living all his life in Cambridge,
| tile brain centre OF Massachusetts, devoted ell
trely to literature, and whose fame is based al
together upon his writings, while that OF Whit
| tier depends greatly upon his work as reforIner
aud friend of Human Freedom Since the foun-
dation of the Lowell family IN this country by
Percyal Lowell, who emigrated from Bristol,
England, i'll 1859, and settled IN Newburg, Mass,
the catalogue OF Harvard University contains
| the names OF more than twenty Lowells as gradu-
ates from that college, and the immediate All
cestors of our poet were noted for literary at
tainments, mental power and patriotism. james
| Russell Lowell waH born III Cambridge, February
| 22d, 1919 1t was then country village, much
| frequented by smart teamsters and old-fashon-
| ed farmers from ths interior of New England,
| from whom the future poet gathered the quaint
modes of speech, the homely metaphors and
| humorous traits, which he has turned
| to 30 much advantage in the Biglow Papers. He
| graduated i'll 1888 and was admitted 10 the bar,
in Boston, in 1910, He was noted in the college
and law-school rather for wit and humor than
for scholarship. for conversational powers rath-
er than hard study. His talents soon developed
| themselves as tending to Literature rather than
| Law. He published volumes OF prose and poet
ry in which were included the fret series OF the
BlRlOW pnpefs, ana the VISION OF 'olr LhNnlh ana
Fable for Critics the latter two were published
in 1878. In 1865 he was appointed Professor of
Modern Languages and Bellies Lettres in Har-
ward, succeeding Mr.. Longfellow, which position
lie has ever since retained.
w. T. Croasdale gave a criticism upon Lowell
as poet in which he awarded him high and
warm praise for tue manly vigor, the teraeness
and power, as well as the beauty aud high NOR
ality of his verse. In testimony OF the wide
range oil lis powers and their varod excellence
Mr.. O. read passages from the ''Biglon Papers,
s'Paris i'll lsis," .rae Cathedral and the ''Fa-
bic for CriticH' pointing GU. with admiration
their differing yet equans merits.
Thomas worreil read the short poem of g The
Heritage and gave with great vigor aud feeling
the Inspiring g Present Crisis Extemport
criticisms and remarks were offered by several
of the members of the Lyceun, and Mrs. @ b
s., by general desire, crowned and completed the
evening by the exquisite poem of " TAe Viaior
of Sir Launfal.'
The whole occasion was SO enjoyable as to ell
courage the continuance Of these critical survey
Of our greatest writer's as one OF the best aut
pleasantest exercises of the Social Lyceum.