Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-29

LONGFELLOW "REMINISCENCES.
The Poet as a Observation-Disclosures
Years . Professor.
From the New York Herald,
called this evening at the residence Of Mr..
Thos- G.. Appleton, the poets brother-in-law,
and found out that the old clock on the stairs,
celebrated in one Of Longfellow's poems, is not,
as generally believed, in the Cambridge residence,
but at the Appleton mansion, No. 10 Common
wealth avenue, Boston. This poem refers
wholly to incidents in the history of the Apple
ton family, and was written by Mr.. Longfellow
while he was spending a summer in Pittsfeid.
One OF his friends asked him to write poem on
the subject and the next day he pronounced
the famous verses.
Mr.. Appleton told the story Of Hyperion, IS
and called attention to one Of the incidents de-
scribed as follows:-His father, Mr.. Nathan
Appleton, and Mr.. Longfelow were travelling
in Switzerland. They reached Zurich, where
the landlord charged very exorbtant prices
for their entertainment. Mr.. Appleton wrote
his name on the books and paid, while demurr-
ing at the price charged
81 have not put my name on the book" said
Mr.. Longfellow, land if you will allow me / will
treat the innkeeper as he deserves"
The name of the inn was the Raven" He
took the book away and soon returned with
these lines:
Beware OF the raven OF Zurich,
IT'S bird OF omen i'll,
With an ugly, unclean nest
And very, Hong bill.
Mr.. Longfellow had very keen sense Of the
numerous, and many witty imprOmptu was
occasioned by some slight incident or accident
One summer, twenty years ago, when the APP
pletons were living in Lynn, the poets son
Charles, who was very fond of sailing a boat,
and who has since become famous yaehtsman
came in his boat to make call. The surf was
high and the BOAT was capsized and he was
thrown into the water. He was wet through,
of course, and was compelled to make an entire
change Of clothing. Captain Nathan Appleton
in place of shoes, loaned him pair of slippers
which he wore home. Mr.. Longfeliow, the
poet, returned the slippers a few days afterward
done up in a neat package with this little
stanZa:
Slippers that perhaps another
Sailing Ger the Bay OF Lynn,
forlOrn or Shipwrecked nephew,
Seeing, may purloin again.
The mother of Capt. Appleton was Mrs. Sum-
ner before she married MIR. Appleton, and before
Mr.. Longfellow married his wife. One day when
he came from Portland to call upon her. he wore
pair of new boots which were very noisy. When
he went away the next day he left a little poem
written on a card, which Capt. Appleton still
holds. 1t is as follows:
knew by the boots that so terribly creaked
u
said If there's grease to be found In the world,
My friend from the East stands In need of it hereh
WHITTIER ON THE DEAD POET.
Mr.. Whittier was seen this morning and he
expressed in a few subdued words his keen
sense of personal sorrow, and, no doubt, re-
fected on the chances of being called soon him.
self. The news, he said, was sad and sudden
shock to him, although he could not say that
it was wholly unexpected as on Saturday last
he had visited LOngfellow's home and was
unable to see him. His first introduction to
Mr.. Longfellow was in 1916, at the residence Of
the late James T. Fields with whom Mr. Whit
tier was then making his first arrangement for
the publication of his works. Mr.. Whittier has
never been as intimate with the deceased as he
wished, but In all his relations with him, as with
other American authors, there has been per-
feet freedom from all jealousy, professional and
otherwise. His death was great loss to
Boston and to the world, as no man was more
beloved. His ways were always cheerful with
all. He never lost patience, even with inter-
viewers He considered him the foremost of
American poets, and only second to TennysOn.
His culture, travel and experience, written into
his works, showed him the man and the
scholar. One week ago he met Dr. Holmes in
Boston and conversed with him in regard to
the Inevitable separation that must come sooner
or later, and none could tell which one would
be first called. Longfell0w had once visited
him at his residence In Amesbury, in company
with his lifelong friend. the late Charles Sum-
ner. and all his meetings had been unusually
pleasant Mr.. Whittier alluded more than once
TO the entire absence OF jealousy among Boston
authors, and expressed his regrets that he could
not say more in regard to the deceased.
Lsngfellow as a Harvard Professor.
From the Evening Post.
For eighteen years Longfellow fulfilled the ac-
tive duties Of his professorshp-from 1886 to
1854, when he was succeeded by his brother
poet, Lowell. His relations with his pupils
were never warmly or cordially personal; he
rarely invited them to his house or cultivated
their private acquaintance. That sort of inter-
course was rare in his time and it is excen-
tiOnal even to-day. But in respect Of courtesy
his manners quite anticipated tie present time
and were a marked advs1ee upon the merely
pedagogical relation which then prevailed. He
was one OF tae few professors who then ad-
dressed ti1eir pupils as mr." his tone to them,
enough not paternal, or brotherly, was
casion, during an abortive movement
toward rebellion, some Of the elder professors
tried in vain to obtain a hearing from crowd OF
angry students collected in the college yard
but when LOngfellow spoke there was a hush,
and the word went round, Let us hear Pro-
lessor LongfellOw, for he always treats us as
gentlemen" As an instructor he was clear,
suggestive and encouraging; his lectures on the
great French writer's were admirable, and his
facility in equivalent phrases was ofgreat use to
his pupils. and elevated their standard of trans
lation He was scrupulously faithful to his dr-
ties, and even went through the exhausting
process of marking French exercises with ex-
emplary patience. Besides his own classes in
Moliere, Racine, and other poets, he had the
general supervision of his department, which
included subordinate teachers in French, Span
ish. Italian and German. All these were under
his authority. and he doubtless had the seec-
ton Of all appointees. There was probably no
college in the United States which had so large
a corpse of instructors in the modern languages
as had Harvard at that time.
OPENING THE CAR WINDOW.
The Experience a Gallant Man Goes
Through in the Effort.