Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-04-28
NO. IL.
RsmInI.ecnes. Of LonrreIIor.

One Of Longfellow's neighbors at Cam
bridge gives some interesting "reminiscences
of the dead New England poet, and these
have that personal flavor which is always de-
lighifu There is, he says, a certain homely
simplicity in the social life Of Cambridge
which inspires freedom and friendliness Of
intercourse among all classes Of the commu-
nifty. Longfellow contributed greatly TO this
peculiar social spirit. He became thus close
ly identified with the people of tho town, and
hundreds Of persons loved and honored him,
although they know nothing OF him as O poet.
The first notice Of the poets nearness TO
death given to this neighbor was brought by
q porter who rushed into his Boston Office
and exclaimed; "It is on the bulletin boards
that our dear, good friend, Mr. Longfellow is
dying. have worked at his house repairing
his furnace many q day. There was nobody
like him in all Cambridge" In the streets
men and women talked about the dying poet
as they would talk about some public calami-
ty discontented laboring man who never
lost a chance to rail against the rich is said to
have made this remark 81 will make an ex-
ception of one rich man, and that is Mr..
Longfellow. You have no idea how much
the laboring men Of Cambridge think of him.
There is many and many family that gets q
load of coal from Mr.. Longfellow's without
anybody knowing where il comes from"
strangers was to treat them with gentle cour-
tesy and to talk upon common topics. He
was always ready to treat people kindly. 81
know that some persons object TO giving their
autographs" he said, ''but if 80 little thing
can give pleasure, how can one refuse ~ As
to the visitors, some of them were uncon-
sciously humorous. An Englishman once
called upon him without letters and intro
duced himself in this fashion: "Is this Mr..
Longfellow2 Well, sir, as you have no ruins
in your country, 1 thought"-growing embar-
rassed-'I thought would call and see you"
He was, of course, often bored. Even the
Duke of Argyll, a persistent ornithologist,
bothered him by asking him constantly the
names of birds that sang in the neghbor-
hood. OF late years Longfellow went seldom
Into society, though he was often seen recent.
ly on the Elmwood archery grounds. 1t was
not supposed by his neighbors that he was
near death. His bearing was erect, his gait
light and springing. He was genial and
cheerful to the last. There is, by the way,
good story told of him dpTOpOS of one of his
most recent visitors and this, we believe,
has not yet been printed. The visitor was
Mr.. Oscar Wilde. (Which of Mr.. Brown
ings poems do you like best, Mr.. Longfel-
low?" asked the expectant psthote. The
aged poet replied: 81 like those best which
1 understand best" To which Mr. Wilde
patronizingly rejoined: "a very good an
swer."
The following letter to @. X. Tuckerman,
written many years ago, is now printed for
the first time by the London Telegraph:
81 have had the pleasure of receiving your
note in regard to the poem Excelsior and
very willingly give you my intention in writ
ing it. This was no more than to display, in
o series of pictures, the life of a man of ge-
MUS, resisting all temptations, laying aside
all fears, needless of all warnings, and press
ing right on to accomplish his purpose. His
motto is excelsior higher He passes
through the Alpine village-through the
rough, cold paths of the Sorld-where the
peasants cannot understand him, and where
his watchword is an unknown tongue He
disregards the happiness of domestic peace
and sees the glaciers-his fate-before him.
He disregards the warning of the old mans
wisdom and the destinations of woman's love-
He answers to all, Higher yet! The monks
of st. Bernard are the representatives of re-
ligious forms and ceremonies, and with their
oft-repeated prayer mingles the sound Of his
voice, telling them there is something higher
than forms and ceremonies. Filled with these
aspirations, he perishes without having reach
ed the perfection he longed for; and the
voice heard in the air is the promise of i'm
mortality and progress ever upward. You
will perceive that excelsior an adjective of
the comparative degree, is used adverbially
a use justified by the best Latin writers.
remain, very truly yours,
"HENBY W. LoNGTELLow."