The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1881-08-04
NOW "EvANcEuNE" WAS WRITTEN

From the Boston Herald.
Expressing q preference for hi.
"Evangeline," l ventured to say u
Mr.. Longfellow: ~ see you located
the final scene of that beautiful story
in Philadelphia"
Yes, sir. The poem lie one of my
favorites also as much, perhaps, on
account of the manner in which / get
the groundwork for it as anything
| else"
"What is the story, please?"
81 will tell you. Hawthorne came
to dine with me one day and brought
. friend with him from Salem. While
at dinner Mr.. Hawtborne's friend said
to me: ~ have been trying to get
Hawthorne to write a story about the
Punishment of the A cadians from AGA.
dia, founded upon the life Of young
Acadian girl, who was then separated
from her lover, spent the balance OF
her life searching for him, aud when
both were old, found him dying In q
hospital"
YES" said Hawthorne, "but there
is nothing in that for q story"
IL caught the thought at once that
it would make a striking picture if put
in verse, and said, Hawthorne, give
it to me for q poem, and promise me
that you will not write about it until
have written the POEM"
Hawthorne readily assented to my
request, and il was agreed that
should use his friends story for verse
whenever had the time and inclina-
ton to write il. In ISIS | started for
Europe, and when in New York, con.
cluie,i would visit Philadelphia, and
Sd went over.
ut was i'm the Spring, about this
time, and the country was US beautiful
As it il to-day. l spent q week in the
Quaker City, stopping Mt the old Man.
sion House, on Third street, near Wal
nut. II was one of the best hotels l
ever stopped ut, and ut that time, per-
haps the best In the country. 1t had
been the private residence of the
wealthy Binghams, and was kept by
man named Head. The table was
excellent, and the bed chambers were
great, large, airy rOOms-as large as
this" turning around and surveying
the ample library i'm which we were
seated. 'It has given way now to the
demands of business, l believe, for
Wheu ] WuS ldst tilcIc j COutu TctUks
nize the place where it stood. During
this visit ! spent much time looking
about, and Philadelphia Is one Of the
places which made a lasting impress
sion upon me, and left its mark upon
my later work. Even the streets Of
Philadelphia make rhyme:
Chestnut, Walnut, Spruce and Pine,
Market, Arch Race and Vine.
got the climax of 'Evangeline' from
Philadelphia, you know, and it was
singular how happened to do SO. !
was passing down Spruce street one
day toward my hotel, after q walk,
when my attention was attracted to q
large building with beautiful trees
about it, inside of q high enclosure. l
walked along until came to the great
gate and then stepped inside and
looked carefully over the place. The
charming picture Of lawn, flower beds
and shade which it presented made an
impression which has never left me,
and twenty-fOur years after when !
came to write Evangeline, located
the final scene, the meeting between
Evangeline and Gabriel. and the death
ut this POOrhOuse, and the burial in
an old Catholic graveyard not far
away, which found by chance in an
other Of my walks"
ut is purely fancy sketch, and the
name Of Evangeline was coined to
complete the story. The incident Mr..
Hawthorne's friend gave me, and my
visit to the poorhouse i'm Philadelphia,
gave me the groundwork of the poem"
"The claim is that the Quaker aims
house on Walnut street. near Third,
is the one referred to in Evangeline."
mo; that is not so. l remember
that place distinctly. II is the old
poorhouse l referred to, which stood
on the square between Spruce and
Pine and Tenth and Eleventh streets"