The New York herald., 1877-12-18
A Banquet in Boston to John
G. Whittier.
HIS SEVENTEEN BIRTHDAY
Emerson, Longfellow, Holmes and
Others Present.
SPEECHES AND POEMS.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.


this evening In honor .of tho SEVENTEEN birthday OF
John G. Whittier Tho com p ncntury tcsmo NAL took
place In the Hotel Brunswick where splendid ban
quot was furnished between and O'Clock, the
company participating numbering about eighty Of tho
most distinguished poets and lRsrasurs OF the period
The hosts were The propricors Of tho atlantic Monthly
and many OF the leading writers OF that celebrated
magazine wcro among tho guests. Mr. Ii. D. Hough-
ton was at the head OF the .aoo and his rgh, in
regular order were Mr.. Whittier, Ralph Waldo Emer-
son, Henry W. Longfeliow and Thomas W. Hgg,nson
and Mark Twain, aud tho LETT Oliver Wen-
dell Holmes, tho poet; Mr. Howell. Edward
whipple, Colonel Boyle o'Relly, OF the Pilot and
Edward Aboot., OF the Congregastonai,st Among tho
others present wcro William +. Apthorp. W. II.
Bishop, William II. Baker. 7. U. Rich, J. r. Osgood,
$. j. Barrows Sylvester Baxtor. II. E. Scuddcr, w.
II. McElroy, John Weiss, n. H. Stoddard and j. T.
Trowbridgo
THE SOIL
II was exactly ten O'Clock when the company had
nn'shed tho superb banquet aud then Mr. Houghton
called tho company to order
SPEECH or H. o. uoUGHToN.
Mr. II. .. Honghton made IA l0ug aud Interesting
speech, In which he raid, speaking OF publishers.
authors and contributors But n securing the best
results there IL need Of tho combination Of the best
business talent with the locst efforts OF authorship
The great merit OF The first Napoleon In the eyes
OF literary mon OF previous generation was
tnat he nad threatened TO shoot a publisher,
possibly because that threat unexecutcd more than
Auslerlitz or Waterloo. indicated his couragei But
IL IS not my purpose, nor docs II become me, to de-
fcpd publis hers ns class against literary men. II
were disposed to do hero would be imprudcnt, as
you arc "too many for me- There IL probably no
business strictly legitimate SO speculative and
80 uncertain In IT'S results as tha. OF pub
irangat author with bis massive PHO Of manu-.
scripts under hrs arm ana his 'eyes In noe frenzy
rolling" Is not more mrth- provoking truly
rowing IN It's effect upon the locker than that Of
the publisher, who with his own, moro likely bor
rowed capital, strikes hands with HIM and nts down
and counts IN advance the immense profits OF tho
venture sees Visions Of brown stone fronts palatia
scashoro residences ana all tho paraphernalia
posscssor But, alas! the result Is pretty sure 10 DO
loss OF CAPITAL unpaid printers bills, and the manu-
scrip, winch sccthina hot from the brain tho
poor author has been transmitted into cold load and
then consigned to dungeon TO await the famc tho
resurrection dny, unless previously brought out TO DO
melted up IN the clcctroypor's furnace Publishing
aud authorship must necessarily keep pace with
other. However anlagonistic they travel under tho
only IN the country towns, but IN the
cities, that pills and poetry. essences and essays
counter aud py tue sano hands. On the process OF
material evolution II was perhaps logical that
cocton OF poetry should be followed by magazine OF
pills. The publisher ot the lrst collected edition OF
the works OF our reverod poet aiso tho vendor
OF pills. lie madc u fortune, and leave you
TO inIer whether II was from the pills tho poets.
But, understanding all these discourpg gcmcnts, tho
business OF publishing books has It's and Its
cesses, which the result Of ortu cate ventures
but, as In every other profession calling, only
sccurod by thorough knowiedge, pl,Icnt labor and
cicar conception oil the end 10 bo attained
Mr. hougnton concluded with brief and fesIing
tribute alike modesty and talents and heart OF that
great friend Of humanity, John Grecnlear Whittier.
Round alter round OF applause followed Mr. Hough-
toms complimentary aliusion, Mr.. Whittier In the
meantime rising In response 10 calls OF tho company.
MN. wHirrrRR's RESPONSE.
Tho cheers having subsidized Mr Whittier, In clear
but faint voice, went say that 10 could de-
liver speech tonight but still, in spite OF the thrco
he was glad TO meet and be welcomed by SO many
friends, all OF whom he had heard so much OF from
their writings IN the magazines
Mr.. Whittier then called hts friend Lon Dgfoll0w
10 read what he termed TO be "a fcw verses" which
he had sent somc days since. when he believed his
health would not allow MIN to be present Mr.. Long.
fellow, before reading the brief effort OF dstin-
guishcd guest, INDUCED IN u brief and humorous
speech, complimentary 10 the Quaker poet.
Next In turn Mr.. Howcls, the editor Of tho Atlantic
took the place as toastinaster, and alter u few
moments of Introductory language no introduced
who responded simply by reading n poem,
winch tike tho ono read by i'ongieiowh
special occasion. Thus Il was that tho real hero OF
the evening, while silent TO certain extent, contrib
uted some OF the choicest literary gems tarough the
voice oi his associate bards, Iongcllow and Emerson
Among the first wno,n Editor Howcs called up
Dr. oliver Wendell Holiness who, instead OF making
speech offered OF the finest poetoa cfrusions Of
his fe its cnief characteristics being tributes to Long
fellow Emerson and Whittier.
Charles Elliott Norton pud graceful tribute to
James Russell Lowell, ana now the American Envoy
Mark Twain, when called upon, related ono Of his
Homes, whittier and LoDgiclIow wero The chief SUBJ
Jccts of his numerous illusions.
X. II. Stoddard, Of New York, then read brief son.
net, after which there wore bricf speeches by Colonel
Hgeinson, Charles Il. Norton, Mt story, tho artist
ana others. Tho company did not separate until
nearly an hour after midnight.
LETTERS or REGRET.
large number Of letters received from proms-
nent persons who had been invited expressing regret
C.
OF New York, says-
1T would sivo great pleasure 10 Join in any
mode Of doiug honor 10 that poet and excel
lent man; but can only thank you Tor thnt opportu-
nl,y without accepting it, since my occupation will
CiArcnc. Cook writes eve OF this generation have
lived IN happy timc, and we have iccted tho time
world. Surely, however ltiio may be conscious OF
II, those who como alter US Will reckon us ior-
tunrtc, tor whom Emerson and Hawthorne
were living voices and not echoes, however
swest, from cloudy past We have Longfcllow
and Bryant, Lowell ana Holmes, Judd and Thoreau,
and whatever tho future may nave In store Ior our
SUCCESSORS, Il can never bring flowers OF sweeter
smell, nor fruit OF better taste than these They aro
wet with the dow OF the morning and shine with Its
grace.
''Some child will one day press our hand In age and
say, remembering Browning
All did yon once see Whittier plain.
And did he stop aud speak to you
How strange Il seems, aud new
J. G. Holland says:-..l wonder II these old poets
OF ours-Mr Dana, Mr.. Bryant, Mr.. Emerson, Mr..
Longfclow anu Mr.. whtticr--appr rcciatc tho benefit
they confer upon their follow cxeus Dy simply con-
sennnR tc-lye. among them old mcns DO they
know how they nsip. 10 >snve the American nation
from the total wreck and dcstfuc.ioo Of tho soptmons
Of revcrencos Why, y they Wili only 1--we and
move and have their being eHseag u.s.
IRON seventy years Of aga 70 q hundred
ana consent 10 DO loved aud venerated, and wor.
shipped, and pctted they VIII be the useful men
We have In the development OF the better elements
OF the American character. Hero IN New YORK wo
are Lurstng tho lie OF Mr.. Bryant, In the most acc.
tionatc way, that his venerable personality may call
out ana nourish thnt sen imont Of reverence which
our characteristic politicians and statesmen have
done 80 ltse TO stimulate In those later years. II he
viii ony iivo 20 be hundred years old We belovo hc
viii quite revoutionizc our people"
William Everett in declining the invitation rofcr-
rug TO ths guest Of the evening, Mr.. Whittier, and
Virgil, suid:--
"ln whittier, as In Virgil, am captivated by n rich
music which. constructed AZ IL IL with the highest
arr v perfectly Ia accordance with nature and wholly
Tree from tho pointIcss concerts OF the day; BY
sltvc tenderness ,hrobbug through every line under
thc sufiacc yct never marrng tho grand simplicity;
by the combination OF patriotism, purity and revcr
encc which cannot help mako the most thoug ghtlcss
aud worldly wiser aud better man"
George william Gurus says;-"Thcrc Is no tribute