Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-11-14

consented 10 the arrangement Muzzcv
Mought out the hitherto addressed and
'bNcure children Of the poets brain, which
~ picked up here amp there. in neat aud
ltractivp shape. and the sale that imme-
lately followed aslonished nobody 20
'uch us the poe, himSe f. He realized,
'nwevrr, no great sum from his prnduc-
ms before the advent Of Snow Bound,
which he himself considers very indiffer
ut piece Of verslicatIun. its sudden pop.
llarity being one of the greatest surprises
# his life
In lS4O, thirty seven years ago. Whit.
ler gave up newspaper writing and other
nblc work, and retired from public on
ervation. almost entirely, to plain. white
d fashioned house on the outskirts of
Amesbury Here he has lived ever since,
I"voling himself entirely to literature,
mving for his only companion until 1864
when she died-hiS last surviving sister,
elizabeth. His study is n cosy room of
Medium dimensions; II CHEEKY, open fire.
place, with the old fashioned brass and
nons, is II prominent feature of it; near
window is his writing table, which is
unusually strewn with manuscripts and
writing materials, very rarely with books
Of reference of any kind; there are Il few
chairs, SOM" simple pictures ofnnti-slavery
uqnainlanccs on the walls, with here and
here photograph of some literary or
personal friend His bookcases are roomy
md well filled, and the number of auto
graph books sent him by authors is very
large.
Usually it is not long after he conceves
TN idea before he hats reduced it to writ.
Tag. He writes only wncn the mood srizes
nim, and then he writes rapidly. going
ont of himself, as it were, AMI becoming
part of his subject His hrsl draft suffer,
little subSrq Pnt alteration, and the vari-
,pus editions of his works represent little
II M time spent in revision A thought
: lzrs him; he dnrs not mature it by slow
proc,'sSrs and an infinite number of incl |
lrntr thoughts and mental finishing
,ouchcs; he deliberately seats himself at
his plain lit le writing table, and ut once
puts it upon paper. May be it is Il poem
Of f ur or five short stanzas. He does not
strain alter h> ideas or expressions: they |
trauq lilly come to him Us fast ;ls he needs |
rh IN, ard hr writes them down. He may |
scratch half line here and there and be. !
gin again; he may substitute one word for
another that does uoI mean enough; but |
here is no struggle; no nervous ii Igeing |
lbout with his legs; no biting the top of
his pr1handle in mental agony; no wait
ing for the sluggish current of thought 10
bear along on lis aurf'ce the right idea
In stature, Mr. Whittier is like his nm.
'rslors, tall-measuring six feet or more
of slender build, but straight aS an AZ
row; ii fine looking, oldi,h man, with high
forehead, II fine face, Il quiet smile, dark,
piercing eyes, and hair once black, bul
now thnncd and gray, He dresses in Il
suit of black, cut in Quaker fashion, and
MS S Iepch is characterized TO IL slight eX-
rnt bv the peculiarilies of the people
whose form Of service and creed he pre-
rr> to any other; although, it Is well nL-
lrrsI ood, the latter is hardly broad enough
- cover all his opinions and convictions
lie walks about the country in the neigh
lolhooA of his home considerably, is
pleasant and mmnlonable with his
leIghburs, bni never drives in II carriage
md cannot be coaX"d or compelled to al
nd ii gathering Of llrratrurs or eX-anti-
oyery people, II lyreum lecture, or any
rcular gu herring whatever. lie occasion
ohen-visils the city, md usual
Y spends IL portion Of the winter at the
lou>p of his friend, Ex-Governor William
jIatlin; hr has never been abroad, and
which be visited on one oc-
'asinn, is the extreme limit of his jour
Iclings in this country.