The New York herald., 1875-11-18
Gods mercy guard, in peaceful deep.
The sacred dust that Alnmbers here.
And while around the tomb We weep.
God bless for us the mOurner's tear.

And know wit
He has the worlds affection. too
NOVEMBER, 1873
| The chorus, He watches over Israel," fom the
oratorio OF Elijah sung. Professor Elliott read
letter from G. W. Chlds, OF Philadelphia regretting
| that he could not be present
| Professor H. f. Shepherd then delivered an address
| on the literary character OF Edgar Allan Poe
| After a solo by Miss Ella Gordon, W. +. Gill, OF
Boston, recited with fine effect the poem, "Tne
Raven" J. H. B. Latrobe, then read the follow
ing paper, giving personal
/ "REMINISCENCES OF POE
LADIES AND GBNTLEMEE-It has been announced that
am 70 give TO this meeting my personal recoectons
OF the great poet whose has attracted the
before me- The inference from such announcements
would be that my acquaintance such as to enable
me TO describe him friend close acquaintance
has u IN his power to describe another You may bo
surprised, then, when say that / never saw Edgar
Allan Poo but once, and that our inter
view did not last an hour. Those, there
lore, who invited TO be present here to-day
gave to my assent scope which was not justified by
what said by what II was in my power to do. The
opportunity is Afforded however or narrating the cir
cumstances led brief interview and Of cor
rectng mrsstatements in regard, It turned ont, to
not unimportant event Of has lie. In adding an ac-
count of what occurred when met shall have K
cused myself for taking the liberty, under the circum
stances, OF appearing before you at all
A LITERARY CONTEST
About the year 1882 there 9 newspaper
in Baltimore called Tae Saturday VisitOr
ephemeral publication that aimed at amusing
It's readers with light literary productions rather than
the news OF the day. One Of its efforts TO pro-
cure original tales and to this end IL offered this
occasion two prizes for the best story and the
other for the best short poem-$1O0 for the first and
$50 for the last The judges appointed by the editor
| OF the Visitor were the late John p. Kennedy, Dr.
James H. Miller deceased and myself and accord
ingly met pleasant afternoon in the back parlor
of my house, in Mulberry street, and seated around
table garnished with some old wine and good
cigars, commenced our critical labors As happened
then TO DO the youngest OF the three was required
| to open the packages of prose and poetry
respectively and read the contents. Alongside
| of basket to hold what
phf L rppll hat tha
tion taken from the top OF the prose pile was in
womans hand written very distinctly as indeed were
all the articles submitted and neatly that II seemed
a pity not to to 1t prize. IL ruthlessly
criticised however, for it was ridculousy bad namby
pamby in the extreme, fun of sentiment and OF the
school then known as the Laura Matilda school The
first page would have consigned 1t TO the basket
critical guillotno beheaded IT, Gallantry, however
caused TO be read through when went along with
the envelope containing the name Of the writer which,
! of course remained unknown The next piece have
recollection Of except that dozen lines consigned
the basket. | remember that the third, perhaps the
fourth production was recognized translation from
the French, with terrific denouement. IL poor
Translation too for falling into literary accuracy the
writer had, in many places followed the French dioms
The story was without merit; but the Sir Fretful
Plagary translator described the charge OF Sher-
dan in the Critic OF being like beggar who had stole
| another mans child and clothed It in his own rags
or tho remaining productions | have recol-
lection Some were condemned after few
sentences had been read Some we're laid aside for
muster afterward and the committee had about made
up their minds that there nothing before them
u
ouAR-o
that had until then accidentally escaped attention. pos
sibly because unlike, externally the bundles OF
manuscript that it was TO compete with Opening it,
envelope, with motto corresponding with one in
the book, appeared, and we found that our prose
animation still incomplete Instead of
| the common cursve manuscript the writing
was in Roman characters-an imitation Of
printing l remember that while reading
the first page to myself Mr. Kennedy and the Doctor
had filled their glasses and lit their cigars and when
said that we seemed last to have prospect Of award
u lp IS IL
and settled themselves in their comfortable chairs as
began to read had not proceeded far before my col
leagues became much Interested myself The
first tale finished, went to the second then the
next, and did not stop until had gone through the
volume, interrupted only by such excamations
Capital" EXCELLENT" "How oddi" and the like
from my companions. There was
IN EVERYTHING
they listened to; there was uncertain grammar
futile phraseoogy, no placed punctuation, worn
out truisms, strong thought elaborated into weak
ness. Logic and imagination were combined in
consistency. Sometimes the writer created mis-
mind world Of his and then described ita world
so weird, so strange
Far down by the diSo lake q. .Aubrr.
Far r. .Ss Down my y sRs dsf sa 1aoer
In the ghonl-haunt woodland Of Wer-
and wthal fascinating wonderfully graphic
that 1t seemed for the moment TO have all the truth
OF a reality There analysis Of complicated
facts unravelling OF circumstantal evidence that
won the lawyer judges an amount Of accurate
colleague, q pure classic diction thai delighted all
three
u
difficulty of choice Portions the tales were read
again, und finally the committee selected
"a MANUSCRIPT FOUND A BoTTLE"
One OF the scenes called "A Descent into tho
Maelsrom," and this was at one time preferred I
cannot recall the names OF all the tales There
must have been six eight But all the circumstances
OF the selection ultimately made have been often
since referred to In conversation that my memory has
been kept FRESH and my fellow judges their
wine and cigars in their easy chars-both genial
hearty men, in pleasant mood-as distinctly
though were describing an event Of yesterday.
Having made the selection, and awarded the 800
prize, not, as has been said most unjustly and ill
naturedly because the manuscript legble but be-
of the unquestonabe genius and great originality
of the writer at liberty open the envelope
that identified him, and there found in the note
whose motto corresponded with that OF the little
volume the name which see you anticipate, of Edgar
Allan Poe
The statement in Dr. Griswoid's life prcfxed to the
common edition Of Poe's works, that at was unan
mousy decided by the committee that the prize should
be given TO the first genius who had written egibly
not another hS was unlolded, " is absolutely untrue
POETRY,
Refreshed by this most unexpected change in the
character OF the contributions the committee re1ed
their glasses and relit their cigars and the
gan upon the poetry. This, although better in the
had gone, more or less, thoroughly over the pile
OF Sdl manuscript, two pieces only were
of one was 'The Coliseum the written
printing of which told that It Poes The title Of
the other have forgotten, but upon opening the
companying envelope found that the author was
Ar John II. hewitt stilllving in Baltimore, and well
known, DeHCVe IN the musical world DOth poet
and composer. am not prepared TO say that tho COM
mlttee may not have been biased In awarding the $50
prize Mr. Hewitt by the fact that they had already
given the $100 prize to Mr. Poe. recollect however,
that we agreed that under any circumstances the ex
ceence OF Mr. Hewitt's poem deserved reward, ana
gave the smaller prize TO him with clear consciences
believe that up to this time not one OF the commit
tee had Mr.. Poe and it is my impression that
| was the only one that had ever heard OF him. When
his name read remembered that one occasion
Mr. William Gwynn, prominent member OF the Bar
of Baltimore. had shown me the very neat manuscript
of poem called "Al Aaraaf - which he spoke Of
dcative oil tendency to anything but the business Of
matter tact life. Those Of my hearers who are am
liar with the poets works will recall it OF his
earlier productions. Although Mr. Gwynn, besides
being admirable lawyer, was noted the author of
wise and witty cpigrams in verse "Al Aaraar' was
not in his vein and what he said of the writer had
prepared me the productions before the committee
His name am sure, not at the time a familiar
one.
PROM PoR.
The next number Of the Saturday Vtsitor contained