Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-01-04

CELEBRATING THE sEvENTIETH BIRTHDAY o
XuIITIER.

| to prominent literary men not connected
with it. by II. o. lIoughton Co . its pub
fishers. Some sixty gentlemen accepted,
and gathered in the beautiful banqueting
hall at the Brunswick. The tables were
tastefully decorated with flowers, hile in
honor of the well beloved Quaker poet, in
whose honor the feast was was given. a fine
portrait of Whittier. wreathed with English
| ivy, was hung on one wall. and a painting :
in oil Of his Amesbury home on another
| At the head of the table. between Emerson
and HouehtOn. the publisher. sat Whittier.
looking lust a little bit uneasy in his char
! acter OF lion-his bair white hut his form
erect; the face noble. the brow high and
broad, the eyes soft and kindly
His life il gentle, and the elements
So miI'd in him that Nature mi ght stand up
And say 10 all the world This was a man
Emerson. now in his seventy-fourth year.
is still in the essential sense what Lowell
long ago named him" the unwasted con-
temporary of his own prime" lie was evi-
IDENTIFY in a joyous mood. for bis face was
lit up all the evening with a dry, sweet,
serene smile. ln a hig her sense than Tcnny-
son had in mind, when he wrote the lines,
be seemed
Half within and hall without.
And full Of dealings with the worli.
fellow. Years ago he had the presump-
tion to remark to the English sleaking
race, 1--WE who are about to die salute you"
But his looks strangely beled such
words as these His abundant locks were
indeed all snow. but such is his haleness
and heartiness that he may well exclaim to
father Time, with the prisoner of Chillon -
My hair is white but not with yeors"
lie Was in VI tagging spirits all the long
evening. and his beamipg face was con-
tinual benediction. At the LETT of Mr..
HoughtOn was placed that little man of
rare and ibexbaustabe resource of wit and
humor. whose literary after dinner cock
tails are always so irresistible. who IL by
the hearty concurrence of all the breakfast
tables. the AutOcrat par excellence OF the
world. who never dare write as funny as he
can--0liyer Wendell Holmes. Grey as
badger, is the doctor. But he Is a good ex
ample OF What he himst IT has reminded us,
that
Where the tno falls the ,hicLest there's nothing
can freeze.
Mex. to Holmes was the accomplished How
ellis, the editor Of the Atlantic. who has no
one but James, Jr 10 dispute with him the
title Of our greatest living American novel
ist He has come to his good fame in many
lands while vet Young man. should not
take him to be much over forty. AT his lett
was Warner, whose " NV Summer in a
Garden convinced America that new
humorous force. and a force uncommonly
gentle and delicate. had been added to her
literature. At his right was the American
Macaulay, so far as the art of essay writing
is conccrned-E. P. Whipple. Below him
was Trow bridge. popularity known a. the
ap,b.r Of ,sTha Aaua hpphs.' RIpba ri Hem
~ Stoddart. the New York poet, and llor-
ace E. Scuddcr, the clever story teller. On
the other side of the table were Thomas
Wentworth Iliggins0n, Charles Elliot Nor
ton, Baker who wrote ''The New Timothy.
the poet Cranch. Marx Twain. Osgood, the
publisher. John Weiss, pet OF the Radl-
cal Club. Colonel George +. Waring, D.
Hammond Trumhull. George p. Lathrop,
lately assistant editor of the Atlantic, L. ).
Perry. Benjamin II. TicknOr, and Others
Such were the men whom the publishers
of the Atlantic called to make merry and be
glad on Whlttier's seventeen birthday.
For three hours there was eating and
drinking with long intervals between the
courses, during which there was much
visiting done along the shining lines OF the
table. Mark Twain kept the table IN his
vicinity in roar with his serious and
thOug ght!ul remarks on current and uneur
rent topics. Holmes cOrruscated for the head
of the table. and Warmers kindly Offices
were not wanting to those in bis vicinity.
Ever and anon Whittier would shrus his
shoulders, or cast his Eyes modestly upon
his plate, as some teryent admrcr gave ex-
preston to ti. feelings, while Longfellow
and Emerson had pleasant apt word for all
who approached to DO them reverence. Thus
until half past ten and then Mr. Houghton
called for order and the better feast began.
His well considered, sensible speech, alter
graceful al uson to Whittier. was devoted
chiefly to sketch of the history of the
magazine since 1t was founded in 1857. lie
concluded by introducing Mr.. Whittier At
the mention of the poets name the whole
company rose and cheered lnstily. and /:
WAS some moments before MIR. Whittier
could respond lie was evidently deeply
touched at this expression OF Election and
regard from his fellow contributors of the
Atianic. His lip quivered and his eye soft
ened with emotion. When there was lull
in the storm of cheering. lac spoke as fol-
lows:
You must know that you are not TO ex-
pect a speech from me to night. lean only
say that am very glad 10 meet with my
friends OF the atlantic. great many coz
tributOrs whom have only known through
their writings. and that thank them Tor
the reception they have given me. GAP
plause) When | supposed that ! would
not he able to attend this ceremony placed
in nv friend Long fellows hands little bit
of verse that told him il it were necessary
(applause) | wish he would read. Gap
plause.) My voice, like a conscience once
heard of, is OF "a timOrOus nature and
rarely to be heard above the breath" Ny
friend Lonefellow will do me the tayor to
read the writing (Applause.) | shall he
very much Obliged to him. and hope at his
ninetieth anniversary some Ot the Younger
men will do ~ much for him. Applause
and cheers
Mr. LongiellOw in response to this request
of his brother poet. rose and read a singu-
larly beautiful and tender poem. In it
Whittier thanks his co-workers in the liter
ary field who have greeted him on his birth
day, and declares that "seen through their
partial eyes" his work seems other and bet
ter than it IL. The poem concludes with the
surmise that those whom he addresses when
they read his poems, read not only the punt
ed lined. but "bctwe, the lines" and 50
credit hi;. not alone with the song as II
stands. hut the song which he a~pircd to
sing. This latest poem of Whittier. read
by Longiellow. was listened to with pro-
found attention, and was followed by round
upon round of applause. Mr. lloughton
then presented Mr.. Emerson. to whom thc
rose as they rose to Whittier and
Long fellow" the PIT rose at tiarrick,
Mr.. Emerson said there had been placed IN
lis hands 10 be read, what he regarded AS
one of the strongest of Whi;tler's poems,
and that he rcjoicGd to have the pleasure of
reading it on that occasion He then read
with great spirit and irresistible III ct the
well known poem entitled "lchabod,' and
beg inning
So fallen % lost the light withdraw
Which once he wore,
The glory from his grey hair -ouo
FOrUyermOTe.
Mr.. Emerson having resumed his seat.
Mr.. Iloughton introduced MIR. llowells, to
whom he said he would resign the chair.
and who would act as toast master, Again
the company rOso and again the applause
thundered. llowellS made a capital speech,
marked by all the grace and fine humOr and
felicity and acuteness which Distinguishes
all that he does lie concluded by intro
ducing DR.. Holmes. whom he named the
chief author ot the Atlantic IS success, on the
aut h0rlty oi Lowell. its first editor. The
Doctor rose and slowly pulled out Il manu-
script from Hn inside pocket.
PoFN BY pR. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
| ho litve that the copies OF verses I've SUN,
Like Schehcral idc's tales. arc n thousand and
one
You remember the story those mornings in he'd e.
'rwas the turn ot u copper a tale or a heat.
doom Ike schehorsIndr's falls upon mo
In a mandate stern rs tho sultau's decree
! m a nuri.t Ia verse, and what ""aid people say
Il came To- a banquet without my bouquet
1t IL trying, no duuht, when the COMPANY Knows
Jus. the luok and the smell b each llV aud rose
Tho green OF each Leaf IN tho spt - that htIns
And tho shape OF tho bunch unl the knot ut the !
string.
Yes tho stio Is the man." aui tho nih of ono. |
pen
Makes the sam, mark at twenty. and three .coIr
and ton.
II is So IN all mntters. i truth may ia tnli
Let one look at tho east he can tell vuu the mold
How we all know each other NJ use in disguist.
Through the holes in tho mask comes the II t,L ui
the tN-S.
We can tell by hi--somewhat each che cl our
A 4 .,I.,