The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1878-02-21

century have pursued, each in his own
way, through evil report and good report, /
the path of conviction and rectitude, and
yet live to reap a rich reward of appre- /
citation and love.
In his extreme modesty, Whittier con-
siders his literary attainments rather |
accidental and fortuitous. Indeed, as
has happened to more than one OF the |
men who have won the admiration OF
their fellows and achieved greatness, he |
was at first without honor in the eyes OF
his mates at school and on the farm, and
their ridicule OF his attempts at verse was
so singing that the passion for writing
well. nigh died out OF him, for very vexa
tion and shame. His own judgment OF
his writings after the mature considera-
tion of fifty years. is thus expressed in
letter to a friend lately: II have not
been able to place a very high estimate
on my writings. | know too well their
deficiencies. But l have given to the
public the best | had to give, and the
measure OF favor with which it has been
received has been a constant surprise to
me- This, at least, i can say truly, that
have been actuatt by a higher motive
than literary success; and il has been my
desire that whatever influence my writing
may exert should be found on the side Of
morality. freedom, and Christian charity"
Mr.. Whittier has attempted other parts
from to time than that OF poet, driven
thereto by that bane Of literary men,
'res augusta domi," At eighteen he essay.
ed school-keeping but the rough, harum-
scarum boys Of the district were too
much Tor him, and he resigned. For
years thereafter he called himself an edi-
tor. but never attained more than mod
crate success in that apparently easiest
of all professions. He has represented
Hayerhill and Amesbury occasionally in
the Massachusetts, legislature, but il is
believed that he does not pride himself
on his record as legislator or politician.
He never was very poor, because his
wants were small, aud because, with the
frugality and conscienAbousness cbarac-
teristic Of Quakers everywhere, his out
goes never exceeded his income. 1t IS
related that years ago, when he was not
as popular as he is now he was walking
one day on Cornhill when he met Muzzey,
the publisher and pilkseller. After some
conversation about poetry and one thing
and another, Muzzey proposed to pay
him $500 for the copyright OF his produc-
tions, and percentage on the sales. Mr..
Whittier was vastly astonished He
thought pill aud book making had com
bined to make the man crazy; but Muzzey
was in dead earnest, and at last Mr..
Whittier. with q reserved feeling of com
passion for the demented publisher, con
sented to the arrangement Muzzey
brought out the hitherto addressed and
obscure children of the poets brain,
which he picked up here and there. in
neat and attractive shape. The sales
which Immediately followed astonished
nobody so much as the poet himself; but
| L roo1ncila6 hipnaalf n than
and began to put money in his purse
He realized, however, no very great sum
from his productions before the advent
of Snow. Bound, which re himself consid-
ers a very Indifferent bit of veTsifcation,
its sudden popularity being one OF the
greatest SURPRISES of his life Mr. Charles
II Brainard who made him a visit soon
after it's publication and tells the story,
SAYS: II found his house newly painted
and improved, wherrupon / said to him,
1T is evident that poetry has ceased to be
drug in the market The next morn
, ing Mr.. Whittier's answer came. 1t was
in the winter, and as the poet went up to
the fire to warm his boots preparatory TO
putting them on, he said Thee will have
to excuse me, for | must go down to the
, Office of the collector Then, with hu
, morous CLEAN in his eye. he added :
Since Snow Bound was published, have
/ risen to the dignity of an income tax
: In 1910. thirty seven years ago Whit
tier gave up newspaper writing and 9th
T er public work, and retired from public
I, work. almost entirely, to a plain. white
4 old-fashioned house, which his limited
means enabled him to purchase, on the
! outskirts OF Amesbury, q manufacturing
J. village in northern Massachusetts,. Here
he has lived ever since. devoting himsel
8 entirely to literature having for his only
9 companion until lS64-when she died
y his last surviving sister, Elizabeth Hi
study is cosy room OF medium dimen
= sions; a cheeery, open Fireplace with tn,
q old fashioned brass androns is a promi
n nent feature of it,-indeed. all the poet
q seem to look upon stoves as intolerabl,
IS innovations and pledged enemies to poe
d sy; near window is his writing table
y which is usually strewn with manuscript
. and wrieing materials, very rarely includ
: ing books of reference of any kind; ther,
d are few chairs, some simple pictures o
l anti-slavery .cquaintances on the walls
s. with here and there a photograph o
It some literary or personal friend. Hi
y book cases are roomy and well filed, ant
d the number of autograph books sent hin
/ by authors is very large.
% Usually it is not long after he con
u ceives poetical idea before he has it re
s duced to writing He writes only whel
= the mood seizes him, and then he write
y as if fired with inspiration, losing all con
e sciousness Of time and things, going ou
4 Of himself as it were, and becoming par
e and parcel Of his subject II first draf
y suffers little subsequent alteration, anC
q q the various editions of his works repre-
~ sent little or no time spent in revision
l thought seizes him: he does not ma
y ture it by slow processes and an infinit,
- number of incidental thoughts and men
e tai finishing touches; he deliberately seat
p himself at his plain little writin table
~ and at once puts it upon paper. Mayb,
'. il is a poem of four or five short stanza
be will write; he does not strain afte
" his ideas or expressions; they TRANQUILITY
come to him as fast as he needs them
:, and he writes them down He NAL
y scratch half line here and there, anC
begin again; he may substitute one wore
= for another that does not mean enough
but there is no struggle. no nervous fidg
citing about with the legs; no biting tn,
7; top of his pen.handle in mental agony
= no waiting for the sluggish current o
: thought to bear along on its surface the
! right idea.
9 In stature Mr.. Whittier is like his an
!. cestors, tall,-measuring six feet or more
4 -oi slender build but straight as an ar
! row; a ine-looking. oldish man, with
y high forehead. fne face. quiet smile
: dark, piercing eyes, and hair once black
! but now thinned and gray. He dresse,
: in n suit of black cut in OuaLer fashion