Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-04-11
WORDSWORTH.

William Wordsworth VAS born In Cock
-rmouth. England, April eth. l1'0. anc
lied At Rydal Mount, April 23i. lo5e. IL
his eighty first year. He WAS most fortu
nate Ia parentsge; brothers, sisters am
teachers, and happy and wsll-spen'
youth laid the foundat ion for vigorous
useful manhood.
Al sixteen he began 10 write poetry, be
rore he was twenty be had written "Ar
Evening Walk" poem OF four hundred
lines.
After graduating from college he made
quite au extended European tour, mostly
m foot. For rambling about the country
IN foot he always had foudness' and
,moug the mos, pleasing episodes OF his
life are those pedestrian excursions, 10
which he was accompanied by bis sister
and sometimes the poe. Coierid2e-in
fact. TO the last. Wordsworth spent his
time largely out OF doors. servant al
Rydsl Mount, showing the rooms TO
visitor. SAID OF Que that the visitor sup
posed 10 DE the study. This IS the llors-
~. the study IS out OF doors" This gave
him most intimate knowledge or nsture
and communion with her, so that he IL pre-
enineutly a poet or nature; and no where
does the inspiration that she can give tnd
higher expression than In his writings, es-
pecislly 10 .'Viu,ern Abbey"
wordswor,h's poems, upon their FIRST
publication, met with most unfa'oraole
reception. Lord Byron aud jeffrey made
most savage onslsughts upon them. The
lode on Duty" and "Intims,ions OF I'M
mortality" received but little better treat
ment than Harry Gill" or - Alice Fell
So severe was the adverse criticism that
his poems were almost driven from the
market. But Wordsworth quietly waited
and wrote on, sustained by a sublime self
consciousness OF the worth aud ultimate
popularity OF his work; and lived to see
it appreciated.
From his day until the present, those
poems which once bid fair TO be laughed
into oblivion. have steadily gained in pop
ularity until now Wordsworth stands in
the rrOut rank orpoets.
Poems like Alice Fell" describing u
girl who climbed upon the back OF q coach
tearing her dress, "Oaly This and nothln g
more" are not and never can be popular
Jeffrey said: This will not do" 1t has
not done and never will DO. But these
poems OF no worth no longer hide the
value o.those in which the poetical senti'
ment reaches the high water mark.
wordsworth's poems are pure aud man
Nv iu tone, loity and dignifed in Language,
aud at times gloriously imaginative.
They mark the development OF new
school in poetry, In marked contrast with
the unimtgiuative and prosaic school OF
Pope; which, as Wordsworth affirmed,
reduced poetry to prose with the exception
OF form. Wordsworth abounds In felicit-
Gus expressions and Is one OF the most
quotable OF writers. None will better re-
pay careful painstaking study. For this
purpose = complete edition is not needed,
but a judiclous selection. This 10 sup
piled In an elegant volume published by
". J. Jonston, No. ., Murray St, \. Y.
It contains all of wordsworth's best po-
ems, comprised in 500 large and beautifully
printed pages, Illustrated with sixty ele'
giant engrsviugs, snd beautifully bound.
It's value is greatly enhanced by sn intro
ductlon, By Richard Henry Stcddsrd,
which is very helpful to just appreciation
OF Wordsworth. Price $500. Sent by
mail on receipt Of price, by the publish.
ers.