The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-06-22

william Callen Bryant.
The following biographical sketch of
the late venerable poet is from the pen
of DR.. Roy Palmer, and was published
in the International Reviesc for January,
1874. DR.. Palmer was q personal friend
of Mr.. Bryant's, and writes with appre-
citation and knowledge of the subject:
Mr.. Bryant was born in Cummington,
Mass, in 1894. His father was a prac-
ticing physician, and early recognized
and skillfully developed the peculiar
genius of his son. When on one occa-
sion William read to his father an elegy
that he had written on some distinguish
ed person who had died, his fathers
was, "There are just four
lines of poetry in the piece, and all the
rest are tinsel." The young poet had
been reading Darwin, and had uncon-
sciously caught something of his ford
style. Quite probably the fathers crit
icism may have helped to form that Sc
verify of taste which made mere verbiage
impossible to him in after years. The
boys surroundings on q rough country
farm were well fitted to give him both
physical and intellectual vigor; and
though his first efforts at poetical. COM
position excited surprise by the maturity
which they exhibited, they were yet
natural and chaste in their style and
spirit. At 10 years of age he
wrote and acclaimed in school
q piece in verse. At Is he
wrote political SATIRE The Embar-
go''-so rejecting the spirit of the time
that it went to q second edition. At IA
he commenced the study of Latin under
his maternal uncle at Brookfield, Mass.
At Is he began Greek with the Rev.
Moses Hallock, of Plainfield, Mass, and
at the end of two months had read the
Greek Testament entirely through. For
his board at Mr.. Hallock's in those
halcyon days he paid but 81 a week.
After leaving there he studied by him
self while, and then entered Williams
College, Sophomore, at the age OF
16, in 1910. He remained but two terms.
For some reason he determined, with
others of his class, to complete his course
at Yale; but this involved additional
expense, and at this point his father
was unable to assist him. The result
was that he pursued his college studies
no further, but began the study of law
with Judge Samuel Howe, of Worthing-
ton, Mass, where he remained two
years. After this he went to Bridge
water, where he completed his legal
studies with the Hon. William Baylies.
In 1915 he was admitted to the Bar at
Plymouth. He practiced law one year
at Plainfeld, and then removed to Great
Darlington, where he remained nine
years, relieving the profession at routine
by the indulgence of his poetic taste.
The " Thanatopsis" had been written so
early as 1911, that is, in his 18th year.
Before writing this, his poetic ardor had
been somewhat intensified by reading
''The Memoirs and Select Remains of
Henry Kirke White" and Blair''
''Grave;" the somber character of the
latter not repelling him, but apparently
harmonizing, to a certain extent, with
the serious thoughtfulness of his own
temperament. 1t was not until some
time after "Thanatopsis'' was written
that the manuscript came into the hands
of his father. 1t was at length, in 1917,
taken by him to the editors of the North
american Reuiew, published in that
journal, and at once recognized as ipdi-
eating the advent of poet of rare
promise. The lines "To Waterfowl"
were written in 1915, when the author
was in his 2lst year, and the poem was
delivered in Commencement week at
Cambridge before the Harvard Alpha
of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. 1t was
at this time that, on the earnest advice
of r. H. Dana, Prof. Edward d. Chan
ming, of Harvard College, and Judge
Willard Phillips, Mr.. Bryant was per-
suaded to publish q small volume con-
tanning "The Ages and other poems.
This established his reputation. 1t was
during this year also that Mr. Bryant was
married to Miss Fannie Fairchild, of Great
Darlington. 1t is a remarkable fact
that none of his love poems, if he wrote
any, have been preserved. There is "a
single piece that may well be imagined
to have been addressed to the object of
his affections, especially as the stanzas
ascribe to "the fairest of the rural
maids love of Nature SO intense and
tastes so congenial with his own. The
last stanza, it will be remembered, is as
follows:
The forest depths, by foot impressed.
Are not more sinless than thy breast;
The holy peace, that fills the air
Of those calm sOlitudes, is there.
Mr.. Bryant's domestic life appears to
have been eminently happy. For 46
years he rejoiced in the wife of his
youth. On the 9th of July, 1866, she
passed away in peace. Although, per-
haps, with the single exception of the
piece above quoted, we have nothing re-
latingto their early love, the virtue of
the wife, and the depth and beauty OF
their mutual affection are tenderly and
exquisitely set forth in a poem entitled
"The Future Wife," addressed to her
in 1847, 26 years after marriage. In
1924 Mr.. Bryant was engaged by the
publishers of the United States Literary
Gazette, semi-monthly then published
at Boston, to contribute poem each
month through the year. With stead
mess of purpose which always charac-
terized him, he fulfilled the engagement,
aud received as compensation 5000.
screen River" "Waik at Sunset"
and the I" West Wind" were published
in Richard II. Dana's "Idle Man."
He did not, however, suffer his literary
pursuits to interfere materially with his
professional duties. He steadily rose
in his practice as lawyer in the courts
of the country, and promised to attain
a high position. But IN 1925 he was in
duced to remove to the City of New
York, where he edited the New York
Reuieso for one year, and became con-