The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-06-20
THE AUTHOR OF THANATOpsIs.
"Reminiscences of the Late william Cullen
BRYANT,
From the New York SUM-

From the New York SUM-
Mr.. Bryant was II man of the simplest
| tastes and habits From early youth he
delighted in the country, and loved to
roam over its hills and through its,yal-
leys. He was an expert gymnast. At
/ ter he had passed the milestone of four
score, he could outwalk many Young
man at his rural home in Berkshire or
/ on the pavements of the metropolis.
! Forty years ago he listened to the lee
lures on hygiene and dietetics of that er
ratio genius, Sylvester Graham, the
founder of what was once known as the
/ Graham system, and even vet fingers
among us in the shape of Graham bread
/ Graham was a superb lecturer. He
was q native-born orator, and carried
his audiences along with him to the ex-
tremest lengths. He not only discard
ed spirits and wine and every form of
alcoholic beverages, but placed the
drinking of tea and coffee, and the eat
ing of meat, and the use of pepper and
condiments of that description among
the deadly sins. Graham produced a
strong impression upon all who had
| dyspepsia or the blues, arising from in
digestion, but did not exactly know
what allied them. So, under his teach
ings, thousands of semi-invalids in New
York and New England threw phvsic
to the dogs, and fell back upon Graham
bread, Among them was Mr.. Bryant,
who gave an elaborate review in the
EUestng PoStof Graham's two volumes,
which brought him and his system into
prominence before the public 1t is
from Graham's theories that Mr.. Bry-
ant caught the idea of making his
breakfasts on oatmeal, practice, we
believe, which he pursued with unfal-
tering~assiduity for a long series of
years.
g The venerable subject of this notice
had high sense of personal dignity,
which he was ready 20 assert in his quiet
way on all proper occasions. We have
heard it stated that during Dickens's
last visit to this country Mr.. Bryant
called upon him and sent up his card.
For some reason never, perhaps, clearly
explained, the great English novelist
declined to receive the great American
bard. Probably no slight was intended.
Nevertheless, when the press of New
York City gave Mr.. Dickens a reception
just as he was on the point of sailing
for Europe, Mr.. Bryant was invited to
preside. He declined to accept the in
vitation and Mr.. Horace Greeley took
his place.
A writer in the Post says that the
scheme of Sc Thanatopsis - was devised
while young Bryant was still 4 student
at Williams, and that " local tradition
represents him as actually composing
the poem while seated on a rock in a
lovely ravine known as F1ora's Glen,
on the outskirts of Williamstown. For
nearly four years the work lay in its
authors portfolio, untouched, save for
the purposes of occasional correction;
then it was sent to the North AnneYIcqn
ReCieSC, with so modest note of intro
ductiOn that its authorship was left in
considerable doubt. .~s-v. -~
"The RevieU at that day was con
Quoted by number OF Young literary
gentlemen, united under the name of
the North American Club A CON-
mittee of publication managed the bust
ness of the periodical, while two men,
bers, Richard H. Dana, and Edward T.
Claiming, had the editorial department
in charge. Dana read Thanatopsis
carefully when if was submitted, and
turned it over to his associate with the
remark, that it could not possibly be the
work of an American There was q
completeness, an artistic finish about it,
addedsito the 'beauty and grandeur
of the ideas, to which, In his
opinion, none OF our, native writer's had
attained. Channing, and otherssof the
club through whose hands the manu-
script was passed, concurred in this
view. One day, while the poem was
sill, under consideration. Dana received
intelligence at his Cambridge home that
the mysterious author was a member of