The Portland daily press., 1878-07-11


ts modern stiffness and isolation, as 10 placid |
AXE, there was q clear reflection of that aus
lere and picturesque period. There was dark
shading in the picture, but Hawthorhe's mind |
was fascinated by it, and the charm was per- |
haps all the stronger for the elements of strange
ness, terror and gloom thar were mixed in the
spell, He studied it till the figures of that
time walked through his thought as clearly as if
be were to meet them in the historic places
with which their presence was associated.
Yet, however,conscious he might be of the
blood in his veins that rendered the persoDages
Of those times so near and real to him. That
subtle analysis of spiritual moods, which made
him at home in the darkest recesses of the
human heart, long reflection upon motives and
moods and processes, in minds conscious OF
crime; sure intuition of the laws that govern
them; a profound and perhaps melancholy
upon sthe problems of religion,
of good land evil, guilt and sorrow, life and
death, these are but new growths, in later times;
of those dark-veined leaves that grew of old
upon the Puritan stalk.
Early New England history and literature
was storehouse of materials for him, as the
Homeric poems for the Greek dramatists
The fair flower of his genius shot up, wild,
from dark and rugged soil, and seemed to love
the shade. 1t was no exotic. 1t may not be
quite true to say that. with strong personal
and distinctive traits, he was the Puritan of
the 18th, fourishing in the air of the 10Th CEN
fury; but, at least his character was the old
material, refined and cast in new mould. 1t
was the complex result of Puritan descent,
exceptional family history, strange personal
experience, the discipline of various reading
and study;a most sensitive spiritual organiza-
ton; with sort of mental affinity for what is
true as its guide in the study of the laws I'M
derlying the phenomena of human experience
and conduct.
Well may we be proud of this New England
flower, of strange and peculiar beauty. 1t
grows not elsewhere. On New England hills
it will not grow again but it i ours and inn
Against Hawthorne, the charge of being
morbid or misanthropic, it was believed, could
not justly be preferred. He seems rather
man of strong and healthful mind, whose
thought turns, in large degree, upon what is
mournful or mysterious in human life, and
who does not hesitate tU peer into the gloom,
farther than others can see, whateverits depths
may hold, while, at the same time, retaining
all his own native healthfulness and clearness
of sight. Whether the surface of the story be
sparkling or sad, deep moral lies below. The
range and force of moral law are again and
again his theme. When once the germ of evil
is sown, all else is dark necessity. 1t is "sure
to i blossom !. darkly sooa' and bear black fruit
There is no morbid sentiment, no false moral.
one which this far-seeing man seems to strain
his vision to solve. It is studied in the beauti-
full fable OF the modern "FauD,'' transformed
by crime and remorse. The depth of meaning
In this romance and the singularly vivid and
intense impressions of Rome which glow upon
its pages, were ;dwelt upon. This book un-
doubleday contains, too, Hawthorne's deep
musing upon the story of Beatrice Cenci, and
the name of Miriam will forever remain the
symbol of as brilliant beauty, as strange sor-
TO icoIo
ton and remoteness from help, as dark mys-
terry and doom as terrible, not upon the scat
fold, but in the horror of her own heart.
We sometimes long for more social warmth
and sweet contentment than we find in his
pages. Joy too often comes in excess and only
for the moment; ''the strange sigh and
sadness which always come when we
are merriest." We wish that he were
more lavish of his unlimited resources
of humor; and the brilliancy of his wit
sometimes makes more real, as by vivid flash
the dimness of the twilight into which he has
lured us. But, if we read his books with the
same clear sight with which he wrote them, If
we are not happier, we shall at least be wiser
men. To read his historical sketches is like
wandering through old portrait galleries or
walking streets that have long disappeared,
with quaint old houses about us and figures in
the antique garb of past generation. His
essays contain vein of the richest humor, are
Iull VI tu6 uOSL mluuL6 dQQ lively QeSCrlpblODs
the purest Thought and enaotion. His feeling is
always the fnest and most delicate. His fancy,
unfailing and bright; while in psychological in
sight he is unrivalled among the men of our
time. His pages are never sullied. The aroma
OF high character and fine culture abides in all
that he has done. He was man of genius,
whose life moved to ideal aims, in solitude or
among men. His life is among the noblest
examples of truth, to himself and to the world /;
his works the most peculiar and original and
rhoy, ftao rsnhoo Anna I'm
has received. What Hawthorne wrote when
Cooper died may be repeated of himself: SIT
may not be too much to hope that, in the eyes
of the public at large, American literature may
henceforth acquire a weight and value which
have not heretofore been conceded to it; time
and death have begun to hallow it,"
Brethren of the Alumni, l am aware that
have given an imperfect account of the ideal
charm that enwreathes the memory of this
famous and brilliant man, like vine-leaves and
darkly clustering grapes upon stored walls.
Nor is it possible for me to do justice to my
theme. To portray the genius of Hawthorne
requires subtler fancy, more delicate touch
than mine. 1t is one of the penalties Of life
that movesiin paths remote from the realm of
letters, that, at least where nicely is required,
the channels between thought and expression,
of which Shelley speaks, remain more or less
obstructed. Words do not grasp the thought
There are excellencies in Hawthorne that can
perceive but cannot define, a deeper meaning, a
to throw the heavy links of my sentences
around them.
Nor would ha~e astumpted it, except on an
occasi-- nke this: But surely it is fitting for
the Alumni OF Bowdoin to draw near to the
grave of Nathaniel Hawthorne, among those
most sad tor his too early DEATH, among
those rejoicing most of all for the excellence Of
his genius and for his lofty and enduring re-
nown and that one of our number however
imperfectly he may succeed, should eudeavor,
to express our proud and grateful remembrance
of him. 1t is in this spirit that have spoken
to you to. day, and you, listening in this spirit
will not deem it presumptuous in me to have
taken upon my lips an immortal name.
The Neurology.
The Neurology prepared by Prof. Packard
shows the following deaths:
1S21-Joseph Howard; b Brownfeld, March IA,
1900; Brownfield, December IL, 1877, act. 49,
1s25-Wiiam Stone; b Livermore, March 10. 1904;
d Hazelhurst, Copiah Co., Miss, November ID, 1877,
Is2s-John Call Bartlett; Charlestown. Mass,
October 5, 1908: Boston, January 10. 1878, act. &c.
1829-Allen Hanes; Leeds, July u, 1904 ID Pitts
D11g Pa ggIy II s % sS
September Is, 1906; Medtord Mass, April %, 1875
81, 1914; Richmond Island, March %, 1873, at g.
Der l. 1921 Poland Mineral Springs July Is 1sS7
1s46-James Ware Perry; Sweden, December 49,
1921; Salem, Mass August 81, 1877, act. Sc.
1850-George Peabody Goodwin; Baldwin, April
%, 1920; Evanston, ILL.,, June 70, 1878, act. So.
1852-Albiou Quincy Randall; b. Bowdonham,
February %, 1928; d. Richmond, March 80, 1878, et
30.
1S54-Harrison Gray; b. Danvers, Mass, October
IL, 1927; d. February 10, 1873, act. 80.
1857 Charles Henry Reynolds; b. Portland, July
8, 1885; d. Turner. November 5, 1877, act. AZ.
1864-John Emery Dow; b. Portland, August 6,
1872; d. Augusta, May Z, 1875 act. 49,
1872-Freeman Alonzo Kicker; b, Ossipee, N. H.
October 49, 1919; d. Martins, N. Y, December 81,
1877, act. 2S.
Not before reported:
1822-Otis Livingston Bridges; b. Charlotte, Feb.
ruary 81, 1898; d. Cal. 1870, act. IL.
182S-Josah Fisher; b. Bluehill, October II. 1902:
183O-Ezra ABBOT; b. Wilton. N. H.. November 27
1905: d. Owatonna, Steele Co., MINI, August 1876.
act. IL.
1843-William Jay Bradbury; b. New Gloucester,
November 2, 1921 d. San Francisco, CAL, November
1876, set. So.
The Concert.
In the evening concert was given by Miss
Cary. Miss Lewis, Temple Quintette, Men
delssohn Quintette Club and Kotschmar, which
was we'll attended and highly successful
affair artistically, but probably not financial
success on account of the great expenses
attendant upon such an elaborate array of
talent. After the concert the various secret
IL