Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-29
His Personal Annearance.

Madame A. Machetta blanche Roosevelt,
the singer, who has for some time been pre-
pairing biography of Longfellow, writes in
the New York Times: thinking over the
events Of the day in the quietude of my
chamber, the recollection was vivid that
l fancied myself still in the presence of the
poet. LoDgfellow must have been in youth
what the world calls handsome man. His
was a beauty of color rather than Of classic
regularity Of feature. He had long, light,
curling hair, which tell upon his shoulders
in graceful and tangled confusion. His eyes
were cerulean blue and his face glowed with
animation, the flesh tint being conspicuously
bright and beautiful. Looking at him now,
it seems hard to realize that he was born
February %, 1907, and since then the years
of nearly three quarters of a century have
swept onward in their course. The slender
lad grew to a sensitive youth, living more
within himself than with the outer world,
and undoubt dly this extraordinary mental
introspectiOn did much to characterize
his personal appearance. l could see in
the exact pictures of him taken at
twenty, forty and the later years of his life
the same unvaryiDg features. His face,
filed with rugged lines, presents contour
of great firmness and intelligence. The nose
is Roman rather than Greek, with the very
slightest aquiline tendency. His eyes are
clear, s;rcight forward, almost proud, yet
shaded by overhanging brows. In moments
of lofty and inspired speech they have an
eagle-eyed look, the orbs deepen and scin-
tillate and fash. like the great bird of
prey, they seem to soar off into endless space
grasping in the talons OF the mental vision
things Unattainable to less ambitious Il ght.
With his moods they vary, and when calm
nothing could exceed the quietness Of their
expression. II sad, an initiate tenderness
reposes in their depths, and If merry they
sparkle and bubble over with fun. In fact,
before the poet speaks, these tTaitorous
eyes have already betrayed his humor
l must not forget the grestest of all express
sions, humility. To one whose soul and
mind are given TO divine thought, il is in
the eye that this sentiment finds its natural
outcome, and The world knows that Longfel-
lows faith is the GROWING gem in diadem
OF virtues. His face is not q mask, but an
open bo0k-a po.itive index to Ia char c.
ter. The forehead Is high, prominent and
square at the temples; numberless fine lines
are ingrained in its surface, and on either
side slender serpentine vein starts from the
eyes, and, mounting upward, loses itself be-
meath a mass OF silyery white hair. i should
scarcely call them the work of time, but
rather the marks OF an over active intellI-
gence, and may have appeared to others
at thirty as plainly a.s they do to me to-day.
The cheekbones are high, aud near the jaw
the cheeks are slightly sunken. The mouth
is the most sensitive feature in the face; its
character is mobile, even yielding, absolute
Iy belying, the outspoken frmness of the
other features. The lips are rather full,
sharply outlined and family tinged with
color They close softly and are. sometimes
tremulous with emotional speech. The whole
of the face CLOVIS with beautiful carnation,
more suggestive of youth than age. The lower
part is completely hidden by wsvy beard
of snowy whiteness, which also half con-
ceals the slender throat. The chest is broad,
not deep. With a supple and graceful car
riage, he is straight an arrow and has q
nature of extraordinary vigor. The hair
mingling with the beard SETS the rosy face in
an aureole of SNOW The charm of WELL
bred manner asserts self over every other
personal attributes. Were LoDgfeliow Lees
Longfellow-were ne less characteristic of a
poet than peasant, his courteous afability
and rare grace would still far outshine many
who have only this dependence for their sue
cess in life. His disposition is kindliness
and sweetness itself, sympathetic and utterly
void of the slightest touch of vanity. Per-
haTs | have drawn on my imagination, still
/ think