The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-03-25
COMMENTS OF THE PRESS.

The London Standard on His Death.
LONDON, March 25.-The Standard this
morning in an article on the death of the poet,
Longfellow, says:
"Longfellow commands wider audience of
our people than any poet of this age, save per-
haps Tennyson."
From the London Times.
The Times says: "The news of Longfellow's
death will be read with deep regret wherever
the English language is spoken, and the death
of no Englishman could excite more genuine
sorrow than that of the much loved author of
"Evangeline," and he will be no more sincere
" lamented in America than in this country"
Mr.. Longfellow was born in this city ON the
9th of February, 1907. The old mansion
where he was born, being the first house erect
ed in Portland of wholly brick wall, is still
pointed out. His father was Hon. Stephen
Longfellow, q leading lawyer of Name, and
his grandfather was the first of the name who
settled in the State, a school teacher. Stephen
Longfellow was an active Federalist, men,
Der of the Hartford Convention, and Repre-
sentative in Congress from 1928 to 1926. He
was distinguished for his stores Of legal knowl-
edge. On his mothers side, Henry was q de-
scendant of John Alden. After his prelimin-
airy studies, he was sent to Bowdoin College,
where he was graduated in 1926, in class
which comprised among its members Nathaniel
Hawthorne, Franklin Pierce, and several
others who won distinction in various walks of
life. He was intended to devote himself to
the study of law, but his natural bent toward
literature had been SO stimulated by the fiat
tering reception OF some pieces of poetry he
published during his college course that he
dropped all thoughts Of Blackstone and Coke.
1ah oI 1ut0n fha nfh ar ryayy for 10
said that the editor of the United States Liter
airy Gazette, in which most of his earlier
poems were printed, oracularly advised him to
give up poetry and buckle down to the law.
qualities from the outset-were the Hymn of
the Moravian Nuns" "The Spirit of Poetry"
"Woods in Winter and "Sunrise on the
Hills" In 1926 he was offered the professor
ship of modern languages and literature in
Bowdoir College, which position he accepted
upon condition that he might devote some
time to preliminary foreign study. Early in
the year he sailed for Europe, remaining
abroad till 1929, and studying SUCCESSFULLY in
France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Upon his
return he discharged the duties OF the profess
sorsbip in his Alma Mater for five years. Dur
ing this time he contributed to the North
American Review, and published his transla-
ton of the "Copeas de Manrique" and his
"Outre-Mer." His shorter poems were already
numerous at this period, though as ye. no col
lectious of them had been made. The two
volumes of "Outre-Mer" were received with
much favor, though the reading world of
America was much smaller then than it is at
present. The same year Mr.. Longfellow was
appointed Professor of Modern Languages and
Literature in Harvard College, to succeed
Prof Ticknor, who had resigned the chair.
Mr.. Longfellow then made second visit to
Europe and passed about two years in Dem
mark, Sweden, Germany, Holland and Swift
erland.. During this trip he lost his wife at
Rotterdam, NoY. 20, 1885.