, 1876-02-13
BOSTON,.
The Poet Longfellow's Son---H1s
Work, and the Tide Of
Fashion.
4 Great Quarrel Amongst Bostonians
Over Emerson's Last Poem...A
General Verdict.
Emerson at the Theatre the Other Night,
at Parker's, at the Boston Uni.
yersity; Emerson Every
where !.--Nestern Girl
Graduates.

From Our 0,cn CorY<apondene.
BosroS, Feb, 9,--It has been the fashion. 70
q day or two, to flock to Williams Everett
picture-gallery for view Of Ernest Lonefelow'
paintings. The young gentleman is about q
years OF age aud is son Of the poet, Henry "
LoDgfe!low. OF cour. e, this fact brings hin
many fr1onda, and many curious sight-seers t
this public exhibition Of his pictures. which art
thus placed on exhibition with view to an auc
| ton salc later. Mr.. Williams. who ought tt
| know, aud who is always supposed to speak witt
sincerity, no matter how fine the name aod many
the friends Of the artist aays this is one OF the
best collections by one artist be has eTer bad
This is saying good deal, but it may not be too
much. Certainly
Mr. LoSoFELtow HAS BEEN An INDUSTRIOUS Ar
| T1sT,
for the collection was 3 full one, embracing
nearly hundred pictures. But whv industry
should enter into 80 many fields of nature is an-
other question, for there is nothing so vigorously
special as the genius of artistic production. An
artist like De Haas knows this. He knows that
his region lies in seascape, and does not trench
into the borders of landscape. Corot is known
to us by those tender, tangled greeneries of foli
age, and be has wrought his perfection By this
constant study in one department. But a1r.
Longfellow paints woodland. and field, sea, and
shore. and mountain, and meadow, with in
teriors, such as italian doorways and fsh-houBes,
| and With some ambitious attempts ut figures.
And with all these, any one, either at d
hasty or leiaure1y survey, must seq that
woodland, either in wood-paths or thickets,
aud all that lovely oorder-land OF lake and pond
landscape, is really Mr. Longfellow's speciality.
Two or three OF these woody pIaces-one
wood-path at Weatport n. T.. another little
Cambridge scene. tsUnder tbs Willows" and
still aDo1her, study Of birches-suggested
Corot at first glance. But thoy He1e charming
p:cturea, and with spirit Of their own.
think the most original OF au was picture Of
trous-ishing in Maine. The foreground was in
brown dusks Of shadows and mist, and shining
through and just above this dusk-brown of foil
age the sun in soft-red tushes warmed the
vhoie landscape. A cauoo laid at the Iake.edge.
and over everything thero was the look OF slll
solitudes which was inimltable- Even q 1oY7oe
viewing it must have guessed something OF it's
locality. it 'Fas snch faithful picture. 4 large
canvas represented John Alden and 'Prlscills
dare say it might have been a good study Of
Puritan garments, but it WAS not an t
agreeable picture by any. means. Aud |
there is no reaaon in the world why |
such subject shouldn't make an agreeable and |
certain quaint aud realistic force about the !
figures, there is also 3 hardness which is partly
due to tho sharp, severe contrasts OF color ia !
the sky. and the lack OF softness Of atmosphere.
There ls one thing, however, to ba said of Mr.
pictures that however much one
may critlciso color, and management. or selec-
ton, it can never botaid that there is weakness
in the a1tisl'a touch. And this is graa.ine
steadily into hts specially and leave his WANDER
lnss into allen grounds, OF rather shores, for
those. whose peculiar province IL Is. It WAS
amusing TO stand in the throng and note tho
variety, both in personality and comment.
There was 40 odd mixture Of
TIE REGULAR H1oH-ToSED BosroSAy,
aesthetic aud critical, .rt1sts. and ''ther brath-
rau," aud others who had little or no knowledge
OF love OF art. but great deal Of interest and
curiosity about the poet Longfeuow's artist
son. There is little doubt, it is said that the picz-
1ras will so of well st the auction sale, which
takes place in day or two,-th.s large circle
IT family friends and the prestige Of association
helping good deal, Of course.
Another topic Of conversation in cuJtiyatei ! ;
society, which docs not seem Co die cut is, Emer-
sons last poem in the February Atlantic Ihs :
key-note OF this conversation is disappointment.
Lovers aud partisans OF Emerson strive to ex- |
plain in it some mystic meaning which tran
sends tho ordinary pen but candid critics, who
Ire not brain-tur1teI with Erusssonian aympa- :
lies. do not hesitate to say that this ao-called
ooem is no poem at ali, and the general opinion s
3 that
THE YOUNG ACTocRAT OF THE ATLANTIC
Sould never have published the lines if Euer- >
on's name hadn't been attached. This may be t
rue for tug same yogng taouEh nd
Tell stick at so great name as Emerson.
Think he'd printed that if I'd sent it?''
cared young man whose work has been more
= less approved. as he with few friends sas i
alking over Emerson'a last mo, he'd have | =
ent it to the depths Of Tophet. and advised the
uthor to follow it in fen we'll chosen and nat.
onzing words, aud served me right!"
So tho war OF words goes on until one doubts
nd whether the future will no: decree him ooly !
be place OF poetic philosopher. instead of the
ard. It 1s certain that in all lyric forms AIr !
meHson is entirely lacking, and II poetry, as
as been supposed. must include these forms as
ell as poetic expression OF poetic thought why It
aen, tho mystic Concord Sage must be allowed | ii
} take some other rank than singer. II
The other night at the Globe Theatre IS
WAS VERY FUNNY 10 SEE EMERSON AMONGST | iiss
TIE AUDIENCE tss
the first representation Of tho spectacular ~
ece Of nonsense, Broken Hearts," 4 alier Is
ay don's think Was ever put upon the boards. -
rom beginning to end it Was ridiculous fam 20
tronade Of sentimental eush. fairy drama | p
aa always Erepopdsrencs OF absurdity, and is as
~ eudutabe as bur1esque. ~
"All ! want to complete nv happiness" Is
'erheafd an sdmirer Of Emesron's say laugh %
gly in one of the intervals, "is to see Emes- 27
MS face" / looked across three masculine 25
'adA aud sir pink and blue aud uhits feathers, - e.
ID caught the desired glimpse denied my a. ~
aghbor. And I eaH the Sage with precise!T 81
thst queer, quzzicaI look OF amused surprise 33.
nich he sometimes wears upon his enigmatcal 81.
as Whipple describes it. Doubt IS.
- that quizzlca1 look clear expression Of ~
Q quizzlcal Judgment upon the folly u.
,ich it was supposed that even senai-
people would be- amused by. There was e.
lite an array Of the Sarants> Il hope the s5n snt
oof-reader, by the way. won't insist upon maxi to
this word into servants, as in my last letter.
ere am made to say. at the conclusion Of Qu
) ''Rad1cai Club" that '*as the next meeting dis
Hedge will read, and there is:a good deal Of the
Etcipation amongst tho sefvants!'') Imagine e
> servants anticipating one OF Dr.. Hedges ~ ~
,fuudites! But to return to the Globe audi 7
ce. That night thers was John Weiss and Bss
mes Freeman Clarke, George Hillard and Ed d
I'd Everett Hale, and seyeral Professors and 1t:
entific men a5117HSt them m t.;1, Is II