, 1876-06-23
WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT,
Tho INSTRUMENTATION In fTnnnr ot tho BDtl,
Anniversary Of His tsirt1l.

Anniroranry of Ills tsirttl.
.hrr TURK Ean. Jnrt1i.
a tliousan,l persone participated in tho pre-
Bchtnltuls uf tho commemorative vAse tu Mr..
Bryant, tn ChIclerlng Hall Inst evenings IN llui,-
or Of tic B0th anniversary of Ills birth. Thr
Rev. Dr. Osgooo, an takiuy thu eilur, read IT,
lestions frnn SONG Of Air. t3ryunt's laylnus, to
WHICH the Venerable. roct, VII" snt IN the frout
Of the platforn, listened With upcast aud tear-
Mr. ]. II. Wltchousc, the designer Of tic
ynsc, then said that tho IMaking of Il haA been
work Ut lurr, anl tint NIL who l,at taken part
IN II were proud of having done 50. The eight
nrti1ccrs whose united labor produced the vase,
stnnl up III group OIL tho stage while Mr.
Whitch0usc spoke. A. tho drapery which cor-
ccnlcta tho vase, stanling IN tho ccntrc Of the
platform, was about to bo raised, Dr. Osgoot!,
thruwng out both arms, anil s1,cnktng over hi
shoulder 70 the audience, said, "Nobody
has h; seen seen tll!s Int tl'e % %work'nnn BIT We arc
forwarsl ans. waited brcntl.lestly. As the cloth
wills thrown backward an.l the great yase On its
beautiful pedestal was revealed, shining III tho
Easltglit,n II burst Ut applause greeted It, anl
ind whllc tile organ 'yas playing A1r. bryant
looked ut It aud spoke iii low toues 10 Mr.. Os-
good.
Dr.. Osgoosl then thanked Mr.. Whitellousc mud
tho workncn for What they Ind done, mud said
Of American letters, William an Cullen Bryant
who In Ills purpose nnd his thought wore thu
mantle of Adam Smith and Benjamin Franklin.
After morn music, DR.. Osgood presented the
vaae to Mr.. bryant In ai eloquent speech.
Loud chipping of lan,ls greeted every utter
anco of thu iatne OF the poet, who stood with
his whitu llcn.l hatf bowed III silence.
When Mr.. Bryant stepped forward to reply,
the hall, nnl when he began to speak In cie:ar
ringing voice, there was d hush. 11e thanked
his fslcudn, and sald that lie would have pre-
ferrcd to be silent, but TINT II hu wero 10 keep
hll%nee l,e might bo accused Of initiating this
ft1rfGin nF II militia m In EgtrII1 n,
whom the Sergeant, rs spokesman for tho COM
pany presontcda silver pitcher. Said tic Scr
Eenn,, "capan 'lero is the iug;" sald tllc CaI-
a b4ysnt ade i taI thaI G IL E snd!e aaEtr H. Mr.
falrly earned, aud II he was deserving Ut tho
compliments pal to him, then It would lulIow
TINT thusc who had prepared nnd presented It
had ainply performed duty nsld ,pat'l debit
lLaughtcr.l Therefore he woull choose to re-
gard its presentation ns IN net Of generosity and
Of prinrely mnnfticence..a, lnunlcilence like
thai Which sends the refreshing rain and tic
awcct Eunshnc alfkD on the Just aud thv u1l-
Just. THU wonder wns tint tho nrtt3ts l,adl bccn
at'lc to evolve 81 much tiI'agcry as tho yaso cx
pressed out Of 4 life so plaEn rs that q him to
vase WAS n1estructfltc, while language changed
mud books grew obsolete, SO tllat A future age
might sny Of the vase, "'fllts work was made In
honor Of an American poet hosc:writings have
been lost in oblivion; Laughter. :.
In rceponse to calls, Mr.. Joseph H. Choatu
apoku briefly Ih prase Ut tho poet aud tcn Dr..
Osgoo1 announced that the Ynse h To he sont
to tho Centennial Exhibition, anil asked the
audience ta !llc nrross tho platform, cxn11ine 1t,
and shake tic hand Of thu puct,
The vaso IL OF silver, and Ia intended to sym
boltzo Mr.. nryant's life. It IL n Greek yase en-
twilcl with Anserteon flowers. The anple
branches on il suggest the frutfulness MS viii
US beauty of Mr. Bryant'a poetry; tho eguntino
syInboltzes poetry; tho primrose, cnrly youth !;
tho Ivy, age; and tho ulnaranth, Immortality. a
series Of 6as relicfs represent tile poet IL achid
rccnlIg under trees as n student Of nature. Il
portrAlt Of tho p0ut crowned with laurel Is be-
tween the metlnlllons. Abovo It Ia Tyre, aud
below is q ,prlntlng-presB. Another medallion
OF faith. Indian cnrn and cotton lcuycB arc rl-
twiucA around tho bottom Of the yasc. Nu-
lncFnlls other allcgorical representations cover
the yaac, mud the words, "Tsuth crushed to
Garth slMl' risc again" alo worked Into aa osuu-
hln1inl lM,r.lnr - - = - -